Communication

Last week I shared some thoughts on communication in our weekly staff meeting. It doesn't matter if your a pastor, spouse, employee or friend; you will need to continue to work on your communication skills to be successful. Relationships of any kind are either enhanced or strained by communication.

All communication can be immediately improved by being a good listener. This is undoubtedly the most important component in communication. This skill can be augmented by making simple eye contact. This helps you focus and tells the other person speaking that their words are important.

Another often overlooked component in communication is being sensitive to how we talk to one another. Verbal and non-verbal communication is critical. How we present ourselves, our tone of voice, and our timing are all important things to consider when sharing information.

Some questions that you could ask yourself every time you desire to share information are: "How should the information be conveyed? Should it be done in person? Will a text message or email be appropriate? Is a letter or phone call required for proper communication to occur? Maybe, the information is too weighty or sensitive; so should it be done in person?"

It's possible that you have the right information, and share it at the right time with the right attitude, but use the wrong method, thereby creating unnecessary frustration.

Communication is an area we all need to work on. Evaluate your effectiveness in your relationships by examining your communication.

5 Things Kids Love About Camp

Yes, school has started for most people, but just about 2 weeks ago, our church kids returned from another summer camp at Dry Gulch USA in Oklahoma. This camp is so popular, we start applying in January & early February just to get the week we want. And sometimes we still don't get it! I asked our Children's Pastor, Amy Bales, to list 5 things the kids love about camp. So here they are:

5. The gift shop....they have everything you could ever imagine!!

4. The AWESOME food... and we can eat as much as we want!!!!!

3. General Roy's laugh... you will totally understand if you have heard it!

2. The 30+ activities that you do ALL day long!!!

1. Learning more about Jesus and how to take Him on your "Journey- called life"!!!

Truly, camp is an awesome place for kids to develop self esteem and confidence in Christ, learn personal responsibility & how to function without Mom & Dad, grow in their relationship with the Lord, and gain lifetime friendships. All in a wonderful Christian environment while having amazing fun. Do your kids a favor and send them to camp next year. They deserve it!

Top 10 Ice Cream Places in KC: Stop #9- The Sweet Guy

Stop #9 on our summer ice cream places tour took us to The Sweet Guy, in Parkville, Mo. One of the side benefits of taking this tour was just getting to some places in KC that we've never been to before. I have never been to downtown Parkville. It's a interesting place, with lots of cute shops and restaurants. I'd like to go back and try dinner at Frank's. Looked good!

The gelato was expensive, but good. I think I'm starting to like gelato better than regular ice cream (not good for the budget). It was a nice evening, so we ate our gelato right on Main St. in a little courtyard. Afterwards, we drove up around Park University. Brian stopped at the old gym and took the boys in to see where he used to come up from Springfield with the CBC basketball team and play against Park.

And that's when it happened. Brian realized he didn't have his cell phone. The precious Blackberry. His world. His everything. His life. His e-god. The object that I have threatened (in my own mind) to throw out of our moving vehicle many, many times. :-)

Now it was Go Time. Go back and retrace our steps through downtown Parkville. Go to the gelato place (nope). Go to the courtyard (nope). Go to where we parked (nope). Go call the restaurant where we ate. Nope. Nothing.

So I called his number.......and someone actually answered! Unbelievable. His phone had "journeyed" about a 1/2 mile or so, but we tracked it down and got it back (bummer). Brian had left it in the courtyard and some girl picked it up. Our boys sure had a good laugh out of all this adventure.

If you're ever in Parkville, leave your cell phone in the car and enjoy some quiet time and gelato from The Sweet Guy.

Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson

Mark Batterson is at it again. He has written another inspiring, motivating, and challenging book. If you liked In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day, then you will love Wild Goose Chase. It's a quick and easy read, full of quotes and concepts just waiting to be underscored. But most of all, Wild Goose Chase shows us the incredible adventure that is our past, present, and future with God. The chapter on Sometimes It Takes A Shipwreck really resonated with me. I read it twice!

Learn more about Wild Goose Chase and read a sample chapter at www.chasethegoose.com.

Purchase Wild Goose Chase here.

Here is a summary of the book from the introduction:

"Most of us have no idea where we’re going most of the time. Perfect. Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something….Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.”

Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of Washington, DC’s National Community Church, widely recognized as one of America’s most innovative churches. NCC meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the city, as well as in a church-owned coffee house near Union Station. More than seventy percent of NCC’ers are single twentysomethings who live or work on Capitol Hill. Mark is the author of the best-selling In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and a widely read blogger (www.markbatterson.com). He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Lora, and their three children.

Top 10 Ice Cream Places in KC: Stop #8- Clinton's

We stuck close to home for our Top 10 #8 visit: Clinton's Soda Fountain on the Independence Square. Harry T. used to hang out there so it has some historical significance (as historical as ice cream places can get, I guess).

The boys sat at the counter and ordered....cream sodas. They both said it was the best soda they've ever had. I had to taste it, and they were right. Next time you're on the square, stop in at Clinton's, sit down at the counter, and order a cream soda. It's not out of a can or bottle but fresh out of the fountain. I'll guarantee you'll totally love it.

New York, New York- part 2

This summer, my son and I took a trip to New York. Read part 1 here.


The National Baseball Hall of Fame was unforgettable if you are a baseball fan. Much too much to write about here, but one quick story. God gave us wonderful favor with one of the curators of the "Hall". We had heard that the new Buck O'Neil statue was being unveiled sometime that week, and then learned we would miss it by one day. Well, since we were from KC they had pity on us and took us downstairs into the basement of the museum (artifacts and stuff everywhere--incredible!). There we got to see the statue before it was displayed. What a special moment.

Drove to Poughkeepsie, NY that night so we could tour West Point Military Academy on Friday. For a history buff like me, West Point was beyond words. The campus is beautiful and we were blessed to see a graduating class ceremony.

Friday night we were at Shea Stadium in Queens, NY to see our Cardinals lose to the Mets. If you're keeping score at home, I've attended 3 Cardinal games this year and they have lost all 3. Maybe I should just stay away. The next day we headed back to Philadelphia, flew to St. Louis, and drove to KC. Whew. Good thing we had a guest speaker the next morning!

I share these moments with you not to boast or brag. But to allow you to see that God is at the center of our family, and He can be the center of yours too. We work hard at being a Christ-centered family and are far from perfect. But I hope you are blessed by these little glimpses into our family life. Here are some more pictures:











Yankee Hall of Famer Yogi Berra signing autographs in Cooperstown














Buck O'Neil statue in storage, waiting to be revealed












Joe & I playing catch in Cooperstown. A great father/son moment.













West Point cadets












Shea Stadium with the new stadium in background

Top 10 Ice Cream Places in KC: Stop #7- Waldo Pizza

Okay, first let's address the obvious: Why is a pizza place on our Top 10 Ice Cream list??

Because Waldo Pizza carries Ted Drewes' Frozen Custard from St. Louis!!

You have to understand that this is the most awesome custard ever. Made even more awesome if eaten late on a warm summer night after attending a Cardinals game.

Ted Drewes is a tradition for me. Growing up in St. Louis, I can remember going to Ted Drewes for the first time. My Dad said, "Get in the car everybody. I've got a surprise." It seemed like we drove forever. I don't know what I ordered that first time, but I was amazed as they handed me the custard upside down. I've been hooked on Ted Drewes ever since and now I've got Brian and the boys hooked. TD's is a must stop when we are in St. Louis any time of the year.

So...if you want to taste some TD's right here in KC, head to Waldo Pizza. Call ahead to make sure they have a current shipment in stock. They only carry a few basic flavors, but you'll love it! (Ex.- today they had vanilla, choc., rasp., & Oreo)

Jason Allen of LifeConnection Church

I am excited to have my friend Jason Allen in our service tonight at 7:00 pm. He is the pastor of a brand new church called LifeConnection Church here in Independence. Jason and I met several months ago through a God- kind of encounter at one of my favorites places, Starbucks.

Since then, we have been meeting and having regular dialogue on how to reach our city for Christ. Because of his heart for the lost and willingness to take great risk, I felt like we shared similar desires and callings. We have also been having talks about a large city outreach this coming spring. More info. on that later this year.

I ask that you pray for Jason, his wife Carrie, and the entire team at LifeConnection. It takes many churches uniting to reach a city. Fighting, jealousy, and being territorial have no place in God's kingdom.

See you all tonight!

--You can keep up with Jason through his blog here.

New York, New York- Part 1

I want to share a little with you about a trip my son Joseph and I took to the East coast this summer; a sort of pre-teen pilgrimage. I got the idea from Dr. Dobson, of Focus on the Family. We had a great time building memories together and learning lessons from life, each other, and some Dobson teaching CDs.

We had a mad itinerary. On Monday, we drove to St. Louis to fly to Philadelphia. Tuesday we went to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall before driving to New York City. We quickly drove through Manhattan and headed for Long Island. That night, I spoke at Freedom Chapel for my good friend, Pastor Jimmy Jack. You can read more about that here.

Wednesday we took in a Yankees game. We toured Monument Park before the game, which was unbelievable. Even more unbelievable was the weather. It was suppose to rain on us. The radar on my phone showed rain to the west, north and east of us; but it never rained at Yankee Stadium!

After the game we drove to Cooperstown, NY, stopping for gas in Orange County, NY. By complete accident, we looked over and saw the new Orange County Choppers facility. We went over and checked out some cool choppers. It's awesome. Worth the time.

Arrived at Cooperstown late and decided to go by the Hall of Fame Museum to get our bearings for the next day. Long story short, Joe got Hall of Famer, Dave Winfield's autograph. He was incredibly nice. What a thrill.

I'll share the rest of the trip in Part 2. Meanwhile, here are some pictures:

Remember the Kansas City CowParade in 2001? Well NYC had something similar in honor of the All-Star Game. They had Statue of Libertys all throughout the city designed with each MLB team theme. It's not a clear picture, but we just happened to pass by the Royals statue.

Monument Park, Yankee Stadium

Orange County Choppers

NY Football Giants Chopper

Dave Winfield

The Champion In You

You are a champion. That's right. You may not think so or understand, but you are. When I was a kid, my mom had a sign hanging up in our house that said, "You're special, because God doesn't make junk."

The entire premise for this up-coming message series comes from the truth that God has made you a champion and placed greatness in you. Phil. 2: 12-13 says "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

God continues to work in you and your responsibility is to work it out. We will identify the key components of the champion that God has put in all of us, and learn how to release those into our daily lives. You won't want to miss a single message. Be at Englewood Ministries starting Sunday, Aug. 10 and learn how to be the champion you were created to be!

Adventure Oasis

Hey, just a reminder that we've rented out the entire facility of Adventure Oasis water park this Sunday night, August 10 from 8:30-10:30pm. Cost is $3.00 per person, payable at the door (cash or check).

Come on out and enjoy one last summer Sunday night before school starts. Invite anybody you want--friends, family, etc. Concession stand will be open. See you there!

Dry Gulch Kids Camp

Sunday, another group of kids and sponsors departed for Oklahoma. The destination: Dry Gulch, U.S.A., one of the best (if not the best!) kids camp in the entire nation. This was our biggest group ever, with 74 kids and 7 sponsors. Kids/sponsors were from both Englewood Ministries and Turning Point Church.

Dry Gulch is unmatched in facilities, staff, and activities. The evening chapel services are well planned and creative times of spiritual growth. Our son always comes home loving the theme song! This year's theme is "An Unforgettable Journey". Dry Gulch is a lesson in ministry excellence.

Brian and I never went to a youth or kids camp growing up. But we realize, without a doubt, that a camp-type, away from home experience is such an important part of the spiritual development of a student. Later this week, I'll blog about the benefits of camp.

Check out this highlight video to see a little bit of what our kids will be experiencing this week: