extended family

I was relaxing on the couch today during our weekly Shabat when Kate brought up some guests she happened to run into on the Mile. The Aberdeen crew, with an added bonus of Jessica and Kelly from Norway (student ministry), stopped in to say hello.

Such a great crew! I love spending time with other people that are in the trenches of church planting and student ministry. There is an instant bond.

It was a healthy reminder of some of the connections we've made with some passionate, inspiring people.

[don't] do lists

Ever hear of the 80/20 principle: 80% of our effectiveness comes from 20% of what we do. I've been trying to evaluate ways of reversing that in my life.

Most of us lead busy but undisciplined lives. I could easily be a case-study on this. I've become a "to do" lister out of necessity even though I'm not naturally hard-wired to do so.

I read a quote a while back that has helped me:
"Those who build great companies or organizations made much use of 'stop doing' lists as the 'to do' lists."

It goes on to suggest that they displayed a remarkable discipline to unplug all sorts of extraneous junk....They displayed remarkable courage to channel their resources into only one or a few arenas.

Learn to say no. Your no's make your yes's more powerful. As a church planter, it's easy to learn to fill in gaps, do whatever is necessary to meet the need. As a very young but growing church, we're having to almost unlearn those habits.

The common frustration amongst young leaders (myself certainly included) is their inability focus. A lack of focus eventually translates into a loss of vision. When the vision is fuzzy, people can't follow. You know what they call a leader with no followers? Just a guy taking a walk. DON'T DO's allow us TO DO more effectively.

This couldn't be more applicable in my life and probably to most people's lives given the go go go, do do do, produce produce produce mentality we've all been engineered to be.

[SAD]

A sunny day may do more than just boost your mood -- it may increase levels of a natural antidepressant in the brain. A new study shows that the brain produces more of the mood-lifting chemical serotonin on sunny days than on darker days.

Researchers say the findings provide more evidence that lack of sunlight and reduced serotonin levels are important in the development of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

People with SAD develop symptoms of depression in the winter months when there is less daylight. Symptoms include difficulty concentrating, low energy or fatigue, loss of interest in daily activities, moodiness, and sleeping excessive amounts.

Serotonin levels have been found to be normal in previous studies of people with SAD. But researchers say those studies looked at serotonin levels in the fluid that circulates around the brain and spine, which may have interfered with their results.

January was dark, grey and mostly depressing to be honest. It's been sunny the last few weeks and the city COMPLETELY transforms. It's in the 50s sometimes, but I act like it's in the 80s.

Good to see some sunshine.

i finally found what I was looking for

Mark discovered Eikon through an invitation from a friend. He represents a sampling of stories that are commonly heard in Eikon these days:

Growing up in England, Mark was an apathetic believer who became increasingly disconnected to his parent's faith. In a sense, there never came a time where he really owned it for himself. It's safe to say he's not alone.

Disengaged, going to church and following Christ became a distant memory. After living here for a year and a half, a friend told him about this church he went to recently. He said it felt odd, even though it was his first time, it seemed as though he always belonged. There was no learning the ropes, or climbing the latter to get to where everyone else was. The pastor even allowed for debate, an open exchange of ideas. It was short, and people seemed to enjoy themselves. It was safe.

Very intriqued at this point, Mark came along to Eikon with his friend several weeks ago and has been attending everything we offer ever since. He's a part of kate and myself's network group, and we have both discovered some shared commonalities:

We seem to be on a parallel television schedule because we both watched a cheesy 1970s film on a heroic dog one saturday afternoon in our pj's (don't ask how that came up in conversation). Sadly, bad television can bring people together:)

As well as working for the Scottish Government, he's a concert pianist and an avid rock climber. I went climbing this past sunday evening and had a blast!

Eikon is not the end all. Church isn't a formula, we don't have it figured out and it's not for everyone.

It is encouraging however to hear every once in a while, "I finally found what I was looking for."

disagreement is good

Kate and I are running a network group based on being better decision-makers. I felt that given where Kate and I are at in our lives (decisions increasingly frequent and complex), along with the 75% of 20somethings that participate at Eikon (really any age is applicable though), I thought it would be a productive time.

It's been fantastic. We're watching a supplementary video through Andy Stanley as well. One of the things I shared in our first meet was encouraging them to openly disagree with what's being said.

I'm not pushing for a hostile exchange of ideas. But a healthy, enjoyable small group fosters and facilitates a diversity of perspective. Often times, that comes in the form of disagreement with the text or film, or outright disgust.

For some, this is a no brainer. However, you'd be surprised how many feel uncomfortable disagreeing openly.

I kind of scanned the group after I made the comment, there seemed to be a release of air and conversation has just flowed.

It's official,

I'm no longer cool. I suppose the a priori question is whether I was ever cool. I find myself at the Edinburgh University library at 9pm on a friday night.

Sadly, I LOVE it! You find yourself surrounded by a collective group of over-achievers.

Well, let's be honest, a unified group of anti-social book worms.

I'm convinced more than ever, leaders are readers, particularly in this frenzied pace of change in an information age. I'm making up for lost time because I hated reading growing up.

Radiate Website

Kate did a great job in designing the Radiate UK student ministries. Radiate is the national student ministry in the UK, led by Joe Zickafoos.

Joe was recently diagnosed with bone cancer which came as a surprise. He begins chemo treatment this week, so if you could pray for him, I know himself and his family would appreciate it. We go up to see him shortly.

CLICK HERE for website

break-neck pace

All is not quiet on the western front. The pace of activity has steadily increased over the past month.

One of the many areas I'm involved with now is video. I've recently taken on a film project subsidised by the Scottish Government that will require time and energy for the next few months. It's an awesome opportunity to wet my feet in the film production profession, even if it's on a very minor scale.

With technology improvements in video and price-cutting in professional editing software, independent film-makers and small-budget organizations (particularly church's) are capable of delivering high-level products.

It's been a dream to have set-up a strong multi-media team before our committment is up at Eikon.

It's going to be a busy year with that.