BretKoontz.com

Have you ever watched an old episode of TV shows such as The Wild West, Gunsmoke, or Bonanza? These are shows depicting life in the wild west. These dramas showed us what life in the west was all about - family, friends, oh, and of course, shooting people! I think most of us can recall the images of the gunslingers, horses rushing through the old cities, and the struggle for chaps-and-ten-gallon-hat supremacy these shows (and movies like them) provided.

But there’s one image that is typically associated with the old wild west towns - the tumbleweed “tumbling” through the ghost towns. Tumbleweed is blowing throughout the town, from one side to the next. It usually symbolizes a vacancy or solitude - “the bad guys are rollin’ into town…let’s hide.” (cue the western music - Wa, wah, waaah - and the clink of spurs).

The other day I arrived home to see this ——————————–>

Yep, that’s tumbleweed! What the heck is that doing in Yorkville? Not only did I see this one tumbleweed, but there was upwards of 20 tumbleweed (or is it tumbleweeds?)! I didn’t know what it meant. Did I just move to Kansas? Are the bad guys going to ride into town soon and steal our women and children, drink our beer, and rob the local bank? It was a very strange sight.

On August 1, Ginger and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary. We celebrated in the Wisconsin Dells, where we ate cheese at a couple of different cheese shops.

Ten great years of marriage to the one I love. Ginger and I met on her very first day of college (that’s a story I’ll save for another time), but our love didn’t begin to blossom until a few months later. We dated for nearly 3 years, even spending almost one full year apart. These 13 years have proven to be so rewarding and exciting - in spite of the many moves (8 total), personal setbacks and trials, and family issues.

What makes our marriage work and continue to be purposeful? It is firmly grounded in our relationship with God, allowing Him to develop us individually, as well as together. Obviously we’re not perfect, but what couple is? After all these years, we still love hanging out, laughing (mostly Ginger laughing at me), going on trips, maintaining playful attitudes, and serving in ministry together. Every day provides another great memory, experience, and feeling that keeps our love strong.

Recently a good friend said this to his wife: “I don’t need [other things] in my life to make my relationship with you better…I just need you.” I feel exactly the same way about Ginger: I don’t need anything else in my life to make my relationship with her better. With a commitment to love God first, my love for Ginger is honest, true, faithful, and unconditional. I can forgive with His forgiveness. I can forget with His memory. I can love with His heart. I pursue her with the same fervor as God pursues me. When I lose focus on my first love (God), I lose focus on my second love (Ginger).

When I hear of people divorcing, I become sad. I am sad because of the pain that is being created in the lives of the couple (and the children). I am sad because joy was lost, fun has disappeared, purpose has given way to selfishness, and, most of the time, a relationship with God is deteriorating. I think of the hard times in our marriage - when both of us may have wanted to give up, when it would have been easier to pack up and leave, or when the arguing never seemed to lead to resolve. And I am nearly brought to tears thinking of the pain that would have been caused by either person pulling the plug. Through it all, I see how God’s hand was guiding and directing, leading and motivating, healing and restoring us to seek Him first. Our trials brought us closer, not farther apart. They bound us together because we would have nothing without the other person, and our total commitment to loving God.

Thank you, Ginger, for never giving up or throwing in the towel. Thank you for your constant love, devotion, and dedication - not to me only - but to God. I am grateful for your love and friendship. Also, many thanks to our family and friends who helped us grow, learn to love during hard times, and set examples for us to emulate. We love you.

I cannot wait to see what happens in the next 10+ years!

The proverbial levee broke last night in our basement apartment. Around 7:00 PM, we noticed that the waters were overtaking our carpet at a rate that we couldn’t keep up the cleaning process. We ditch the broom and water vac, quickly moving all of our boxes and perishables to “higher ground” - also known as our couch, bed, table, and any other surface that was not the carpet.

We packed a couple bags and headed out to a local motel - we found a Holiday Inn Express that would give us a discounted rate due to the flooding. We arrived at our room at midnight, but still needed to get something to eat. We were unsure what would be open that late but we found a McDonald’s.

This is where the night took one crazy turn.

At this point, we have realized that we will be moving this week. That’s no fun for anyone - packing, moving box after box through soaked carpets that smell of cat urine and death, and finding a new place to live. We were thinking about the process, the expenses, and the hassle caused in just a few hours time. But all would be okay as we drowned our sorrows in greasy french fries and chicken nuggets.

But all would not be okay. McDonald’s is packed with cars in the drive-through. “Why are there so many cars at McDonald’s, at midnight, on a Sunday night?!”, I exclaimed due to the high stress level. After fifteen minutes of waiting we finally made it to the ordering microphone, where I simply ordered two number 10 meals. Now that seemed relatively easy.

We pull up to the window and I hand the woman my card. She prints a copy of the receipt and asks me to sign. I’m thinking, “I never sign for food anymore because it doesn’t cost much, but maybe this one is different.” I sign my name but just happen to look at the receipt and it says my nuggets cost $37.69!

I just about reached through the car window, ripped open the drive-through window, and climbed into McDonald’s. My house is flooding, we are moving to a motel, and my fries and nuggets cost $38! I was not pleasant to this woman. Maybe she didn’t know what I said, due to the fact that she needed a translator to speak with me about the issue. Maybe she thought I was really hungry. Needless to say, this was one incredibly surreal moment.

This order was resolved in just under ten minutes. McDonald’s still charged me for my meal (regular price), and handed me back the difference in cash. I drove off to enjoy the rest of my night wondering why the past 4 hours had been so frustrating and weird.

Here’s the brightside: the hotel is great, the bed is soft, and I will enjoy my mini-vacation. I’ll keep you posted as to what happens next.

Every once in a while I am overcome by how stupid people sound when they speak. I love it when people can speak well and use words wisely. However, I come unglued when people use words incorrectly, make up words to fit their stupidity, or just say dumb things. I wonder if people realize just how stupid they sound. Are they aware of the words they use…their implications? Do they know they sound uneducated and moronic? Do they ever go back, watch a clip of themselves on tv and think, “Wow, I really am dumb. Perhaps I should never be allowed to speak again.”?

It’s easy to attack people like Jessica Simpson, who just doesn’t speak with much eloquence. It’s also very easy to attack certain people groups/cultures whose cultural vocabulary is rich with strange or made-up words. And we all know the hilarity of poking fun at dialects that are different our own (last statement made tongue-in-cheek).

But the stupidity found in last night’s MTV Video Music Awards reached a new level. We had to endure the ridiculous shenanigans of Russell Brand - who found great comic relief in the sexual purity of the Jonas brothers. It was only after noticing how NOT funny and stupid he was - and the fact that he was called out by Jordin Sparks - that he tried to apologize and make up for his comments. Yet he followed that up with a stupid comment about how “a little bit of sex never hurt anyone.” Not to mention how stupid he sounded trying to wax eloquent about American politics, et al. Really stupid.

I should have expected this next aspect of stupidity, but I always fall for the trick of award shows. Viewers of the VMAs watched winner after winner receive his/her award and begin by thanking God. How thoughtful - I’m sure God appreciates the “shout out”. Thanks for keeping Him first in your speech (though some actually made Him the fourth or fifth).

My favorite “God-thanking” moment came as one artist began her acceptance speech with the obligatory thanks to God, followed by a few other people. Nothing special or out-of-the-ordinary. However, it was when she won her second award that she pranced up on stage and vocalized again her thanks to God.

Now, if you win two awards and you thanked God in the first speech, there’s no need to do it again…it simply sounds insincere and stupid. Stupid in the manner of “Oh, wait, who do I thank first? Right, God.” Fortunately, God didn’t get any credit for her third award…you know, cause that’d just be weird.

I honestly have no idea what God thinks (or if He even cares) about this sort of thing. Award winners just might have an awesome relationship with God (though it’s really hard to tell). They may just be finding their way back to Him. This post is not about dissecting their personal beliefs; it’s about noting how insincere and stupid it sounds when it’s said in this manner.

Is it enough to ask that if you would like to thank God for your abilities and talents and “giving you this opportunity” that you actually use it to glorify Him? How about you make music that draws others to ask questions about God? Could you honor Him by what you sing about in your songs? Might you be able to lead others to know of your thankfulness by how you live your life?

Maybe it’s not that simple. Unfortunately, I probably just end up “shouting out” to God rather than giving Him all the praise and honor.

Ginger and I are watching previous episodes of CBS shows Number3 and NCIS on Comcast OnDemand. We don’t have any special LCD or Plasma, or even a Hi-Def signal for our viewing pleasure. We have an 11-year old 26″ RCA analog tv. It’s nothing special, in fact, the coaxial cable plug broke off 8 years ago. Thanks to the video input in the back, we have been able to watch tv just fine. Ok, enough about our video signal, it’s the audio that I really want to talk about.

In our first year of marriage, Ginger bought (all by herself) a very good surround-sound stereo system for my birthday. Again, it’s not the best, but we have really enjoyed watching movies and sports in surround sound. However, after 10 years, this system is showing its age - crackling in the rear and center channels, poor audio quality with stereo signals, and the constant change in volume (”it’s too loud. no, it’s too soft.”)

But it was today that I heard words that most men would love to hear when it comes to electronics: “Let’s buy a new tv and stereo system!” Yep, that’s right…we’re in the market for a new home theater system. Money squandering to some - but the best money ever spent on home entertainment to others. So, I’ll look around at the big-box stores (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.), but I think I might be able to find the best deals on the ‘net.

I just hope that I don’t get diagnosed with “audiophilia” - check this out. It’s dated January 14, 1957! (How many lives has this deadly disease claimed in the past 50 years?)

{This just in: Ginger read this post before I saved it to the web, and said, “Oh, so we’re able to buy a new stereo but not a new couch?!” There goes everything.}

*Photo is not of our current a/v setup, just to erase any confusion.

What do you get when you take 150 students and 50 leaders to a week of camp 6 hours away from home? Usually, disaster…but this time it was nothing short of extraordinary!

This year’s Jr. High Camp was incredible. Held at Young Life’s beautiful and amazing Timber Wolf Lake camp. Wow, was this place great. It was loaded with very nice air conditioned cabins; water sports such as a huge rope swing, blob, and tubbing; disc golf (my personal favorite); zip line; high ropes course; mountain biking; wiffleball field; indoor basketball and rock-climbing wall; snack bar with ping pong, fooseball, air hockey, and pool; and grand meeting spaces. Simply amazing!

But it was not just about the facilities, but how God was leading us to MOVE. Through the theme, MOVE, we led students to think about what it means to “Move to Jesus, in Community, by the Holy Spirit, with Boldness.” Let me just say that throughout the week, we witnessed just how quickly and powerfully the Holy Spirit moved in the lives of the students. With 33 students making first-time baptism decisions, that was over a fifth of the students moving to Jesus.

We had a great time with the students and leaders at this year’s camp, and look forward to next year! Enjoy a few of the pictures of the camp and students.

A while back I received a copy of the book Church Unique from another Community pastor. I put it on the shelf for a few weeks, then got back to it. I really like the way that this book challenges my leadership mind. I enjoy critical thinking and strategizing new methods, but this book is one that is making me evaluate that process. Not that strategic thinking is inherently bad or wrong, but sometimes leaders can bog organizational productivity through the many aspects and responsibilities of “traditional” strategic thinking.

This book is not about a new church model (i.e. - purpose driven programming, seeker-sensitive worship services, or a how-to of new ministry methodology), but it is about capturing your church’s/ministry’s UNIQUE culture and cultivating movement with strong vision. I am finding this book to be challenging and inspiring, as I take on my new role as Jr. High Director.

Here are some insights from the first two chapters…

• 7 “Thinkholes” where vibrant thinking gets sucked beneath the surface to suffocate and disappear from view:
  • Ministry Treadmills - when the busyness of ministry creates a progressively irreversible hurriedness in the leader’s life.
  • Competency Trap - the success experienced by the leader, over time, becomes a liability. the leader begins to rely on what worked in the past, instead of developing new habits based on the church’s/ministry’s culture.
  • Needs-based Slippery Slope - leaders constantly try to meet people’s needs and expectations within the church/ministry. the vision of this leader is reduced to making people happy.
  • Cultural Whirlpools - 1. BuzzChurch - a church/ministry that defines its DNA around innovation itself. the resulting vision is the need to be constantly cutting-edge. 2. StuckChurch - the changes in culture outpace the leader’s energy and discipline for new learning. these churches/ministries define vision in terms of glorifying and propagating the past.
  • The Conference Maze - leaders rely solely on training events to instill direction and vision for their church.
  • Denominational Rut - {my definition - large religious structures become stuck in maintaining what the denomination stands for (or has been for years) that it chooses to define all churches in denomination (regardless of size, location, leadership, etc.)}.
• 3 Fallacies of Classic Strategic Planning
  1. The Vision Shredder - classic strategic planning assumes that more information produces clearer direction, but too much information actually shreds the big picture into so many pieces that the vision is hopelessly lost. More information equals less clarity.
  2. The Silo Builder - classic strategic planning can create the fallacy of accountability where multiple goals develop for each ministry area. The expectation is that staff and volunteers will experience better coordination with clearer responsibilities. The truth is, more goals typically create a silos within the organization - every ministry leader has his interpretation of the goals, and his own strategy for how to put it in place.
  3. Leadership Blinders - the assumption is that the near future will resemble the recent past. Change now happens so fast that the planning processes of old are out-of-date.
     • Navigating on a land surface (roads or trails) is drastically different than navigating on a liquid surface. Liquid surfaces necessitates ceaseless observation and adaptation to the surrounding environment. Cultural shifts can determine the leader’s preparation for the future. Planning requires predictability, whereas preparation equips leaders to be flexible to seize opportunities.

These are just a few of things I have been challenged to learn and incorporate into my leadership. As stated in chapter 2, it is preparation that is forcing me to “pray, learn, and discern what God is doing - all aspects of understanding God’s unique vision” for our ministry.

My friend, Jon Ferguson, held me down, stole my blackberry, and signed me up for a Twitter account. Now, trust me when I say that I was less-than-thrilled about this new time-consuming program. I had heard all the buzz about how “cool” it was to follow someone on twitter and how “fun” it was to twitt (or is it twit?), but I had to resist the craze. but it only took a few times of updating my twitter to get me totally hooked. So, do you twitter? If you would like to follow me, go here.

Hey Readers,

I am currently at Timber Wolf Lake Camp (sponsored by Young Life) with 150 Jr. High students. I will post soon about the experience. ‘Til then keep your nose clean.

This video link* is for all of my Yorkville small group friends. “Bermuda shorts!”

*rated PG