I just finished reading this surprisingly enjoyable book.  I say surprisingly enjoyable because it is not the kind of book I would usually read, and when it arrived in the mail I wasn’t too thrilled to start it.  But once I dove in, I had a hard time putting it down.

Everyday Greatness is a compilation of interesting stories gathered from various issues of Reader’s Digest which are organized around key character traits that Covey feels make up everyday greatness: Contribution, Charity, Attention, Responsibility, Courage, Discipline, Intergrity, Humility, Gratitude, Vision, Innovation, Quality, Respect, Empathy, Unity, Adaptability, Magnanimity, Perseverance, Balance, Simplicity, and Renewal.  This of course is not “greatness” in the way so much of the world pursues it, but the kind of “greatness” that comes through selflessness.  It is a greatness not wrapped up in status, power, and wealth, but in love, selflessness and humility.

The book is well organized.  The traits are gathered in triplets under broader headings.  Each section begins with some words from the author defining the importance of each trait, and then very poignant and inspiring stories from the issues of Reader’s Digest serve as illustrations of these traits in the lives of ordinary everyday people.  At the end of each chapter are some closing remarks, questions to ponder, and a few pages of quotes to reflect on and apply.

The book challenges the reader not to simply go through live, but to be a catalyst of transition, living with purpose and inspiring others to live purposefully too.  It encourages us to be people who take the negative and neutral aspects of life, have a positive attitude towards them, and learn for the future.

The book is sensitive to non-faith oriented people, describing and illustrating these traits with very little mention of God.  That for me is it’s main weakness… for in all these inspirational stories I believe that it is He alone who is worthy of the glory, honor and respect.  And it is only through cooperation with His Spirit that we have the ability to become people of Everyday Greatness.

I just got done with Jim & Casper Go to Church, a book that frustrated the living daylights out of me through my oscillation between loving it and hating it!  The basic premise of the book:  Jim Henderson, a pastor of 30 years hires Matt Casper, an Athiest, to go to with him to various churches to evaluate them.  Jim’s goal is to dialogue with “Casper” and learn how church looks to an outsider.

Why do I love this book?

• It acknowledges that “The Church” is far more than just a Sunday morning show.
• It pushes us to ask the question:  Is how we do church really fulfilling Christ’s vision?
• It validates the need for more one-to-one discipleship.
• It challenges the church to be less focused on self and more aware of needs around us.
• It calls Christians to live what they preach and break the hypocrite stereo-type the church has become known by
• It shows some of the great things churches are doing around the States,
• It gives some ideas of things churches could do to more effectively reach people outside of the church.
• It exposes some false teaching
• It encourages Christians to love and listen to those who don’t hold our beliefs, rather than trying to “prove they’re wrong”.
• It advocates for authentic relationships.
• It challenges us to think about the terms and practices we do that are foreign to those outside the church

Why do I hate this book?

• It is successful in critiquing aspects of the church… but to a fault.
• Casper’s viewpoint is often portrayed as general Athiest opinion, when he is only one person.
• Casper is very vocal about pros and cons of the churches, but clearly has a style preference which affects his views.
• Rating and Critiquing churches enhances the performance mentality that is the downfall of many.
• Visiting and evaluating the churches feeds our current Consumer Christian mindset.
• It dismisses events and roles that are (for some) critical elements of their role in serving God.
• It downplays the fact that Scripture explains that God’s Word is foolish/offensive to people who don’t embrace the offer of salvation.

There is another thing I wrestle with which this book pokes at… what is the role of The Church?  Is it for either believers or non-believers?  Does it not have a part to play to both?

Is it wrong to have a part of the week, (e.g.) a Sunday morning, that has a focus on the believer, while doing other work that reaches out to the unbeliever?  If we choose to continue with a Sunday morning gathering should we cater ir for those who don’t have a belief in Christ so they are comfortable and provide other avenues for Christians to be taught… or should we cater Sunday mornings to those who place their faith in Christ, and create avenues for those who don’t believe to encounter Christians in another manner?

I agree that if all your church does is a Sunday morning entertainment session, and those in your church are focused on themselves… you are far short of what God has called the church to be.  If a Sunday morning service is music and a monologue, and your only method of equipping your body, there is a problem.  But if Sunday morning is one element of a number of ways you draw near to God, equip believers, and reach out to those who don’t accept our faith, and help those in need, then is it really that bad?

The widsom of the cross is foolishness to the world.  To someone that doesn’t believe in God… my life, poured out for Him, should be CRAZY to them!  The things I do should raise questions.  If God is real, and I believe He is… and if His Word is true and powerful, and I believe it is… then should we not be doing what we can to engage Him, proclaim His Word, and do what it says?

I do not by any means want to write off those who differ in their belief (or non-belief) system, loving God and imitating Him I desire to reach out to them and introduce them to the God I deeply love.  But I also realize that they will not understand unless the Spirit draws them.  I read in the Bible verse after verse about the persecution we will face if we live the way Christ lives… but too many believers (myself included) naturally choose the path of being liked, over the path of being hated.  We have to be willing to speak what God leads us to speak, thoughtfully and lovingly, knowing that it may not be accepted.  At the same time, a life with Christ is a wonderful adventure, and our lives should show that in a way that makes our lives attractive and desirable to others.

I have lots of questions and few (if any) of the answers.  All I know, is that every person, whether they have faith in Christ or not, lives a life that falls short of its full potential.  For we are all sinful.  But I praise God that His grace makes room for my failures as He works to make me more like Christ.

I’m excited to blog about this!  One of the guys from my church who I’ve had the pleasure of being in Life Group with for the last 18 months is launching an awesome project: Uganda Bible Project.com

2 years ago Lance was a rafting guide in Utah.
18 months ago he got involved in our church planning to head back on his Utah adventure.
15 months ago he surrendered his life to God, choosing God’s adventure over his own.
12 months ago he went on an exploratory mission trip to Uganda  and God tugged at his heart.
8 months ago he became a missionary with Eternal Impact.

On his last trip he went praying that God would reveal to him a need that he could focus on, and he was captured by the lack of Bibles in Uganda.  He had multiple conversations with non-Christians who expressed a desire to know more about “this Jesus” who the people serving their city are worshiping.  Lance left with the reality of the need for Bibles impressed deeply on his heart.  He knows that some of the people who he talked to will give their lives to Christ if they had a Bible (see Yusef’s story).

Lance made it his mission to raise money for the churches he partners with in Uganda to buy Bibles.  Since it begun, he has shared stories of people he talked to who are now walking with the Lord because they eventually received God’s Word.

I love this because it is simple, affordable, and acknowledges the power and importance of God’s Word.

Mon and I, in an effort to make sure our wedding planning didn’t center around money, that we committed to taking the equivalent of 10% of the gifts we received for our wedding, and providing Bibles for people in Uganda.  How exciting to know that for only $6, someone will know the Lord in an intimate way.

Lance, we’re proud of you.  Thank you for honoring God by being a Rom 12:1-2 guy.

Once a year Grace Chapel does church out on Hunter Creek Farms: a fun day of church, food, inflatables, games, and baptisms.  This year, I got to enjoy one of the coolest moments… I got to baptize some of the people I have been investing in over the last couple of years here.  What begun as one friend asking me if I would be able to do her baptism became me getting the privilege of baptizing six of the Young Adults from Grace.

The best word to summarize my life right now is:

We got back from our honeymoon and hit the ground running.  All I can say is that I’m really glad God crafted me in such a way that I love change, and thrive in it.  Just a few things have changed for me in the last couple of months:

• I finished school
• I got married
• - – - which means a change from singleness,
• - – - a change of roommate
• - – - and a new way to look at time/finances/etc
• I got a different car (back to manual transmission.  yusssss)
• I had to say goodbye to my favourite pair of jeans
• I got a job at my church
• - – - which also means my role at church changed
• I moved apartment
• My laptop broke and I received a new one
• I changed bank
• I changed mobile/cell phone provider
• I got a new phone
• My schedule is completely different
• Even some of my friendships have changed, most for the better.

… and that’s just the bigger ones!

I’m glad I like change, otherwise I’d be freaking out right now.  Instead, I’m filled with excitement about what God is doing and where He is leading me.

On August 1st 2009 Monica and I became Mr & Mrs Scott Burns.  We’re currently in a beautiful hotel right on the beach of the Island of Kos in Greece.  We’re having a wonderful time.  Thank you for helping make this dream a reality.

I feel like the luckiest man alive.  Not only am I about to marry the most amazing woman, but standing up there with me will be some of the greatest men alive.  I want to take a little time each day this week to give a shout out to each of my groomsmen and tell you a little bit about why I think they’re so great….

Billy Padot

When I was in Israel I was praying about a church to get plugged into when I got back and before I got back to the States I knew God wanted me to serve at Grace Chapel Community Church.  The first week back I connected with Brian’s brother Peter, and a week later I was interning at the church with the Young Adult ministry.  He told me to turn up at their young adult men’s Life Group, and that’s where I met Billy.

As is my habit, I like to take guys out to coffee to get to know them one-on-one.  Billy and I went for dinner at my favourite Mexican restaurant, and God moved.  Since my first day at Life Group I’ve been impressed by Billy’s vulnerability and his vulnerability allowed me to be open and honest about me.

During our life group meetings I was always impressed by Billy’s natural leadership abilities, by his pastoral heart for the other guys, and the sound way he handles God’s Word.  And so this year, when the group had grown beyond manageable and we decided to split the group into two, I asked Billy to co-lead the new group with me, and I’m glad I did!

Billy has been an amazing support to me especially over the last six months.  When the going got tough he was on the phone checking up on me every day.  When I was mentally exhausted, I knew he was praying.  He was ready to listen when I needed to offload all that was on my mind, and knew what to say to keep me focused on Him.  There have been a few times over the last two years that if it wasn’t for Billy, I would have imploded!

We’ve connected on an even deeper level through common experience… he’s getting married on August 29th.  It’s been such a blessing to have such a good friend walking through the same journey as me just now.  We’ve been able to laugh about all the wedding stress which helps lighten the load A LOT.

Billy in an incredible guy with a great future.  From what I’ve seen of his pursuit of God this last year and a half, I know that he will be an awesome husband, and that God will use him and his (soon to be) wife Randi to change and impact lives.

Billy, thanks for being the guy I texted first, even though you never got them!

I feel like the luckiest man alive.  Not only am I about to marry the most amazing woman, but standing up there with me will be some of the greatest men alive.  I want to take a little time each day this week to give a shout out to each of my groomsmen and tell you a little bit about why I think they’re so great….

Michael Badriaki

I met Michael at Seminary, although I have a hard time remembering how exactly we first started talking.  I can remember seeing him around the Seminary before he was a student, and being drawn to him, but our paths never seemed to cross.  Our friendship kicked off big time when he was a student in a class I was the Teaching Fellow for.  Michael had taken ill and been in hospital and fallen behind on his work, and so I did what I could to help him get back on top of things.

We soon discovered that we had a lot in common.  For one, we’re both international students who can identify with one another’s frustrations about America and American Christianity.  Michael is from Uganda which has huge political ties with Britain, and amazingly the countries have a lot in common.  It has been a blessing to have someone like Michael around, who understands me (and gets my jokes!).  We’re both very passionate lovers of music and I think it sealed the deal on our friendship when I introduced him to a bunch of lesser known but talented Christian Artists.

Michael is an amazing guy with a tremendous amount of compassion and joy.  When he’s around it’s impossible not to smile when he smiles.  His love for me is so uplifting and I thank God for the way it grew in such a short amount of time.  I have loved spending time going to coffee with him, pouring out my heart and hearing his, ranting about ministry and the state of the Church, talking about needs in the world and ways to solve them.  It’s a friendship built upon mutual encouragement–I just have to think about Michael to feel encouraged by him!

He has been a huge support to me over this last year in particular, coming alongside me in my pain and praising God with me in it!  It’s been an added blessing that Mon and I gel really well with both Michael & Kirsten and we’ve spend many amazing nights chilling with them (along with Andrew & Anna, who also rock!).

Michael, you are more than a brother.  Roll on Uganda!

I feel like the luckiest man alive.  Not only am I about to marry the most amazing woman, but standing up there with me will be some of the greatest men alive.  I want to take a little time each day this week to give a shout out to each of my groomsmen and tell you a little bit about why I think they’re so great….

Joe Garibay

It was actually Mon who first met Joe, the Safeway Checkout Guy.  From a distance as Mon scanned to find which checkout to go to, she clocked Joe and for some reason knew he was a Christian.  She went to his checkout and sure enough he told her he was a student at Portland Bible College.  A week or so later when Mon and I were at Safeway buying food for a BBQ she introduced me to Joe.  By the time we were checked out I had his number and we’d planned that he’d be at the next BBQ or guys prayer time.

We got into the habit of meeting weekly, and by the time I got back from Israel our pattern was to pick a book to read through together.  Each week we would read a couple of chapters and then we’d spend a morning in his room talking about what we’d read, share what was going on in our lives, and enjoy a great time of interceding for one another.

I’ve grown to appreciate Joe tremendously.  I love his humility.  He considers himself nothing more than a lowly servant working in the church and week by week I witness him going out of his way to serve others in the hope to draw them closer to the Lord.  He is a man of Truth willing to be open and vulnerable about his struggles while also, even thought it’s uncomfortable, is willing to call people out when they’re not walking on track. And he loves the church, with all her flaws and short-comings, he is committed to her because Christ loves her!

Which brings me to his  “radical grace”.  He works hard to always see who people are becoming rather than defining them by mistakes they’ve made.  I know that I can walk in to his room at any time and tell Joe any thing and he’ll continue to love me just the same… probably even more. He knows all the nitty gritty ugly details of my life and is committed to walking alongside me and helping me be the man God made me to be.  We all need friends like that.

We’ve walked through a lot of tough stuff together this semester which has strengthened our friendship.  I know that whenever I’m going through a tough time he’ll be on the phone to check up on me and will pray for me before he hangs up.  In our meetings he frequently talks about a time in the future when we’ll be hanging out and doing some kind of ministry together and we’ll look back on these formative years of our friendship and grin at the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Broseph, I look forward to looking back at these days with you!

I feel like the luckiest man alive.  Not only am I about to marry the most amazing woman, but standing up there with me will be some of the greatest men alive.  I want to take a little time each day this week to give a shout out to each of my groomsmen and tell you a little bit about why I think they’re so great….

Colin Wyenberg

Five years ago when I first heard about Multnomah I went online and downloaded their catalogue/prospectus.  I thumbed through the pages and was struck by a couple of pictures of a young good looking trendy guy reading his Bible.  I remember looking at the picture and taking it downstairs to my mum saying “Look, at last I’ve found a Bible college who churn out people who are cool”.  I’d been used to seeing pictures of old bearded men in cardigans.  It wasn’t till after Colin and I were friends and I was looking through the catalogue that I realized he was the guy I’d seen in the pic.

My admissions counselor told me to go talk to Colin one day to show him my red shoes.  For some reason, I did.  Then every week I would pop by the admissions department to talk to the staff and would end up sitting on Colin’s desk talking while he worked.  It’s amazing how a friendship can develop by seeing someone a few times a week for just 10 mins.

I went through a season of intense Spiritual Attack at the beginning of my second semester and was encouraged to find that Colin would experience Spiritual Attack in the same way.  He prayed for me, and told me he would continue to pray for me.  I left our conversation thoroughly encouraged.

Colin and I have a lot of fun when we’re together.  We hang out and act like kids.  It’s fun having a bud to clown around with, jumping through fountains and going to kids toy stores.  I love too that amidst the clowning around most of our conversations are deep and open, sharing the good and bad of life and praying for one another.

I’ve always been impressed with Colin’s attitude towards prayer.  He’s one of those guys who I know is regularly praying for me.  I remember being in his office one day when an alarm went off on his computer and the letters PFS poppsed up.  It stands for “Pray for Scott”, and was during one of the most trying weeks of my time in the States.  What an amazing support!  I should really pay him counseling rates.  So often I walk across campus and plop myself down on his desk.  He’ll ask me just the right question to probe at something and the next thing I know I’m offloading a weeks worth of frustration to him.  He listens, encourages me, uplifts me, and then… I leave.  HaHa.

He’s been an amazing friend to me since I got here and I can’t wait till me and my wife are hosting him and his wife in Scotland!!!

I love you Colin, thanks for allowing me to invade your life.