Seth Godin wrote the following this morning about Jack Lalanne, who has influenced most of you who read this whether you know him or not.  Read this, and note my comments regarding movements stated parenthetically:

Eight Lessons from the life and work of Jack LaLanne

Yesterday I took my bride Michelle and daughter Hannah to lunch. We sat down and quickly met our server, a single young man in his 20s named David. As is my custom I tried to be friendly and, without taking too much time as he had a job to do, got to know him beyond “Hi, I am server number 14 for year 2011.”

I got his name, and as we placed our orders I asked a couple other questions, just general things like “how long have you lived here?” He seemed grateful that I asked for something more than the special of the day, and proceeded to give us a thumbnail sketch of his life from 13 until now.

Stop. Look. See the people around you. Look servers in the eye, and treat thing like more than an anonymous accessory to your meal. Oh, and tip well when finished.  This young man took note, and though he had no specific request when I asked if I could pray for him as we prayed for our meal, he genuinely appreciated the concern (servers always do it seems).

The next time he came by I asked him about his church involvement, not “DO YOU GO TO CHURCH YOU HEATHEN?” in a scathing manner, but just as I had asked other questions, I simply asked whether he had a place he worshiped. He said he did not but was interested in my interest. I mentioned our church, that I worked with young adults just like him, and he became even more interested.

He asked, “Do you have a card?”  Pause for a moment and ponder: Most unchurched people around us are more amazed at our silence than offended at our witness. And, most, especially in the millennial generation, will respond positively to our conversations about spiritual things if we lead with a genuine desire to get to know them versus trying to do a drive by gospel shout and then go on with life.

In other words, do not just invite people to Jesus, invite them into your life.  There are so many lonely young adults (and others) around us, and many more who seek community.

Of course at that moment I realized I had no business cards or Young Pro cards with me (way to go Boy Scout).  But I did have a card for our Two-Four ministry regarding an upcoming series. And I had a gospel tract I had written for our school on which I wrote my contact info.

You can be sure the next time I go to that restaurant I will ask for David. I will not do so simply because he is another great gospel opportunity. I will do so because I really would like to get to know him and encourage him in things that matter. And I will encourage my friends to ask for him as well. As I described our church and its love for young adults he seemed genuinely interested and mentioned his girl friend had particularly been seeking a church.

Just another meal with my ladies. A lunch in the course of one more day. But no, this was more. This was an opportunity to touch a life, to start a relationship, to boast of Jesus, to magnify the Lord’s church.

A friend of mine says, “Every conversation is a ministry opportunity.”  So as you are out doing your thing, living your life, stop. Look. Listen. You may have just a few minutes to advance God’s movement in this world, to start a conversation that could lead to eternal change.

Never see going to a restaurant or going to the mall, or even going to work as just a routine. See it as a chance to touch one life for Christ.  Stop and look.

I sat with a group of doctoral students this week listening intently to their presentations. In several cases I read over their papers as they presented. Like so many other classes I found the following again and again:

Opening sentence (examples not direct quotes):

Jonathan Edwards is one of the great leaders from the First Great Awakening.

William Carey was the father of modern missions.

Or the worst: This paper is about (fill in the blank).

I gently scolded the students, noting that the English language moves with the verb, and action makes for better reading. Imagine the famous song by Marvin Gaye “I heard it through the grapevine” called this instead: “It was heard by me through the grapevine.” See the difference? One IS more boring.

“To be or not to be, that is the question” may work for Shakespeare, but if you aspire to communicate through the printed word, I would encourage you to avoid as much as possible the use of the “to be” verb: is, was, am, etc.

The use of the “to be” verb, and more particularly the overuse of the passive voice (Note: the two are not that same. for more on that go here) drives me crazy as I read papers by students. I do not claim to be the best writer around, but a simple lesson in the use of verbs can help a decent essay  become something quite impressive.

Instead of: Jonathan Edwards was a great leader of the First Great Awakening, try this:

Few in history compare to the role played by Jonathan Edwards in the First Great Awakening.

Instead of: William Carey was the father of modern missions, try this:

The global expansion of the gospel in our time traces much of its genesis to the man, William Carey.

Instead of: This paper is about…never mind. Just please never go there.

Remember this as well: the first sentence in a paper/essay and the first sentence of each paragraph/section each matters more than the rest. When you write, before hitting “print” go and change the verbs in the opening sentences. Do not remove all “to be” verbs or all instances of the passive voice, but do try to minimize them.

This is somewhat like the use of the minor key in music. We call it the minor key for a reason. Some overuse the minor key in song writing. But when used in restraint, it can provide a powerful way to demonstrate a change in mood or subject in a given song.

I encourage you to write. Write often, write well. In the day of blogs you have unparalleled opportunity to write. But before you hit publish, before you print that paper, simply take a few minutes to go back over your paper. Change your verbs. Make it better. God gives us language to communicate; let us seek to use it well.

That IS all I wanted to say. Smile.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Next week marks a special turning point in the Reid family. Our son Josh enters his final semester in college. Our daughter Hannah begins her final semester in high school.

We do not live our lives by years but by chapters. We as a family are about to enter a new chapter of life as our children write theirs as well. Parents have the unique responsibility of taking a bundle of eternity (a baby) and stewarding that child into adulthood, to live a life for the gospel and to the glory of God. This is a high calling indeed. In fact, nothing I do in ministry compares to the awesome responsibility of living up to the high calling of Father.

Michelle and I are quasi-parents to a lot of folks, and we love it. She is Mama Reid to more than a few, and I am a Dad to many (just ask all the young men who have had to meet me regarding a young lady in whom they are interested).  But God has entrusted us particularly with Hannah and Josh, and we have sought to help them know the great love of God and the great wonder of living for Him. This spring will be a precious time of reflection and focus.

This week I enjoyed lunch with my friend and one of my heroes, David Alan Black. We talked of rites of passages and raising children. At age 12 I took Josh to Chicago and invested in him as a Dad to a Son: he has had a great love for cities ever since.  At 12 we got Hannah a nice ring which she wears every day, signifying what a treasure she is to us and to God. At 16 we did other things: a men-only dinner for Josh to challenge him to be a man of God, a trip for Hannah to Times Square to reflect on God, His world, and His gospel. We have tried to put our children in circumstances where they can see the glory and story of God lived out. We are far from perfect, but God has been gracious in our efforts.

Now each of our children embarks on a new chapter. Michelle and I rejoice that our children love Jesus. As a younger Dad I just prayed my kids would not grow up to hate ministry because I had seen so many preacher’s kids who did just that. But God has been gracious in that not only do our children not loathe ministry, they embrace it.

Dads, you will do nothing greater for God than to be the husband and father you should be. No position, no possessions, no power can compare to the joy of being a dad. Michelle grew up in a difficult circumstance in many ways, but she has never used that as an excuse. She has instead looked to Jesus and in the face of hardship found Him to be faithful. If you do not have the home life you would have liked, you like Michelle can draw a line in the sand and start a new legacy. She did. And our children are blessed as a result.

So today I pray for Josh and Hannah. I thank God for them, for the gospel’s power in their lives, and for all the people God has sent their way to show them His wonder.

When God created the institution of the home He created a good thing. I pray my example as a Dad will be to my children’s good.

We live by chapters more than by years, but I think it a wise thing to reflect at the end of each calendar year on the blessings, the changes, the challenges, and the joys we faced. Reflection, evaluation, and a plan for growth should constantly mark the Christ follower, after all.

For me, 2010 stands as one of the best years ever, a year of change both personally and in the Western Church I am honored to serve.

1. The Local Church Resurgence, with a twist. We have witnessed a remarkable growth in the value of the local church. In many ways the 20^th century was the century of the parachurch, with scores of remarkable ministries being birthed and spreading globally (Campus Crusade, Navigators, Youth for Christ, on and on the list goes).  But today the local church has returned in focus, and that is a good thing. My students list pastors as their heroes like never before in the past 30 years. Church planting has become as popular a topic today as itinerant ministry was when I attended seminary.  We have a host of younger and older pastors who stand on the Word and who also get that today is a new day for ministry. I have embraced this local church movement, going on staff at my home church, Richland Creek Community Church, leading the young professionals ministry there.

It is also a time of change in the local church. The day of massive building programs and moneys being focused on the facilities has been replaced (thankfully) with a focus on getting believers involved in the mission away from the building. So multiple services, campuses, all sorts of creative remedies are being employed by younger, fast-growing churches that simply cannot economically build to track growth. Or, they simply will not because they would rather fund the mission. I remember when going to three services meant you were done with growth until you built. That mindset has been totally blown up as urban churches growth people more than facilities.

2. Social Media is changing everything.  If you have not discovered the value of media tools like Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc, you are not a year behind; you are behind an entire generation.  I can have more influence sitting at this computer from my home than I could traveling and preaching a few years ago.  Like anything it can be abused, but I find it to be a helpful accent to my ministry of teaching and mentoring.

3. Mentoring Matters more than ever. My friend David Platt said something so simple and yet revolutionary: If you do not care about the one, you do not care about the many.  More than this, Jesus spent His ministry with a few.  I have found a joy in mentoring like never before.  I never would have realized just a few years ago how much more I would love teaching a few than speaking to a crowd. This millennial generation yearns for and needs mentors. I hope mentoring will be a vital part of your life in 2011. I am mentoring a variety of folks, from seasoned ministry leaders to young, gifted seminarians, to a new believer and an at risk high schooler.

4. Gospel Renewal. From the GCR in the SBC to the growing talk about gospel-centered living, the gospel in its greatness has marked my own personal growth this year. I now teach The Story (viewthestory.com) in my classes and long to help my students, the unchurched I meet, and those in my church know the greatness, the majesty, and the overarching impact of the gospel in all of life, all of Scripture, and how vital it is not only for the lost but for the saved as well. You can see the healthy focus of the gospel in a lot of ways: the growing conviction about global evangelism, the rise of interest in adoption, church planting, urban ministry, etc.

5. On the other hand, the negative impact of Religion in the church, especially in my native Southern US, has become more apparent than ever. Many of my peers and I have given our lives to fight for conviction regarding the inerrant Scriptures and the life giving gospel it teaches. But I have come to be reminded that legalism is as deadly as liberalism, and in the South, much more likely to infect many churches and people. The poison of legalism has created a culture of the dechurched, those who grew up in church, saw a lot of religion but not a lot of gospel change, and now have a hostile bent toward the things of God. Of course there have been and still are a host of gospel-preaching, people-loving churches. But there has been more than enough legalism as well, and Jesus condemned it with the same vigor as He condemned liberalism.  We should as well.

6. Family Matters. I am more convinced than ever that what matters to me far more than the books I write, the places I preach, and even the wonderful students I teach, is my family. My wife and I celebrated 29 years of marriage. Our children began their senior years in college and high school. Our children love Jesus. Period. Nothing in this life matters more than that. I find more joy in time with my family than anything else.  God was so wise to create the family, and I have been so blessed with an amazing family. This year we opened our home to a young lady who needed a place to live for a time, to find love, to be encouraged more in the gospel, and it has been a good thing for our family to be a part of this process.

7. The America Dream is just that—a dream. Reality is found in a life surrendered to Christ. Enough of the pathetic Christian subculture that takes so much of American consumerism and translates it into a charade of “Christian living.”  We do not need more stuff, even if it is “Christian” stuff. We need more sacrifice, more giving away, more stripping away of our passion for comfort and to enjoy “fellowship” with people just like us instead of pouring ourselves into those not like us who desperately need to know Christ. This earth is currently not anything like heaven, so I want to live more like a citizen of another Kingdom. I am a patriot and I am so grateful to live in the US. But my God does not need my politics or my country to accomplish His will.

8. Health is…healthy. I know, I know. Enough of the P90X talk. But I have lost a solid 30 pounds, lead a group of students in a workout group that I really love, and am doing better physically at 51 than I was doing at 41. And this year I will push even harder. A mark of the American Dream syndrome is valuing comfort to the point that far too many of us are overweight and don’t feel a bit of conviction about it. I for one am grateful for better health.

9. I teach at an amazing school. We are in the golden years of Southeastern—record enrolments, great spirit, and I have never enjoyed teaching more than I do just now. I can only explain the fact that I get to teach here with one word: grace.

10. Love God, Love People. My son uses this statement a lot. It is true. Stuff matters a lot less than these two. Position, Possessions, Power, the three-headed monster that seduces so many, pale in comparison to the twins of God and Others. If you do  nothing else in 2011, do this: know God better, and serve people more.

What are some memorable events from your life in 2010?