Volunteering

For about the last 14 years, I've concerned myself with recruiting volunteers. Student coaches; sponsors, and drivers; musicians; small group leaders; communion speakers; sound, lighting and computer techs; vocalists... I've recruited them all.

For the last 5 months, I've been on the other side of the table. I've been working a "real job" and trying to volunteer at my church. Now I know it's different when you work a lot of evenings and weekends, but I've been extremely frustrated with my inability to dive in and commit major time to serving.

I don't feel guilty... I've truly done the best I can. But as I head back into full-time church staff work, I'm going to remember the past 5 months, and I'm going have a lot more grace for those who tell me they'd like to commit... they just aren't able to right now.

If you are working a full-time job and still putting in significant hours at your church, my hat is off to you. You have more respect from me than ever. You are the reason the Kingdom of God is coming / is here. You are the reason more and more people are growing in a relationship with God and are experiencing true life change. To the volunteers at the Orchard, New Community or Crossroads... may God bless everything your hand touches, and may your service in God's kingdom be fruitful.

Peace,
Corbett

test 3

okay...i'm really sorry to keep sending these!!!

test2

test2...

Test

Test... trying to get this thing on Facebook (yes... I've given in. Want to be my friend?)

Favorite Christmas Present...

(so far!)












Close second...

Free Itunes download

Here's my Christmas present (part 2) for you. Click here to download a free song from itunes...O Come, O Come Emmanuel performed by Enya. Very cool! (Only good for a limited time...the week of Dec 18, I think)

Church stuff

Hey, it's been over a month...wow. A lot of stuff is going on, but more about that later. Here's my Christmas present (part 1) for you. If you feel like I'm picking on your church... well I probably am. Enjoy!

Ministry Opportunity

Hey blog friends, I want to let you know about a ministry opportunity that is a possibility for me and my family. A church in Iowa has interviewed me to be their Pastor of Congregational Development, which would include oversight over Spiritual Gifts Development, Leadership Development, Community Group Development, First Impressions and Worship Arts. Quite an extensive list, eh? Those of you who know me well probably realize that this looks like a list patterned after my deepest desires. Throw in a little preaching and I'm in hog heaven!

Perhaps the best thing about the position would be serving with a man that I consider to be a great friend, although I've known him less than four months. Do you ever meet someone and just "click?" That what happened with this pastor and me, and it wasn't just me... Tricia loves him and his wife (and the Ryan-ster) as much as I do. All in all, very exciting!

Here's where you come in...

More than anything else in this world, I want to serve my God 100%. For me that starts with my own relationship to Him as his child. Next it shows in how I love my wife and my kids (in that order!). And third, but definitely right up there, is my calling to serve him as a pastor. I've pledged my life to serve Him, especially by equipping His people and building His Church. To do that best, I want to be exactly where He wants me to be. I'd rather be called by God to sit in a box on the side of the road, than to occupy the highest pulpit in the land, but be there without His spirit.

My God has been faithful to always open the right doors and close the right doors... always for His glory, not mine. If you love me, this is what I want you to do:

Pray for God's leading in my heart, and in the heart of those who are selecting the man for this position. I believe that we are being called there by God's holy spirit and I hope that is the search teams conclusion as well, but I only want to go if it is the will of God. Is this where He wants me?

Will you pray? Nothing bad will happen to you if you don't pray (and you won't receive good luck if you forward this to 10 friends in the next 10 minutes...man I hate those chain-letter emails!) but I'd really appreciate a few more people asking the Lord of Creation to answer as He sees fit.

Thanks! I'm taking a little trip to meet with the search team and do a little worship leading in early December.

I love you guys! I'm glad to have you as family.

Corbett

The Frustrations of a Freshman Quarterback

Takeaways Give No. 1 Alabama OT Win Over LSU, 27-21

We outplayed them in every category except QB to QB. Our freshman QB gave up four interceptions, including both of their first half scores. Their QB did alright, but he was nothing special. I hate to say it, but wait til next year.

I'll be back!

Laptop is broken... getting the run-around by Best Buy... only internet access is at work when I should be working... grrrr!!!

I'll be back one day, blogosphere. Until then... peace!

Money thoughts

I was talking to a friend the other day and she was discussing some financial issues that she's having. I'm sure that's a rarity today, right?

Anyway, it made me thankful for a financial class that Tricia and I took about 9 years ago, Financial Peace University. It's a thirteen session class meeting once a week in a small-group setting, developed by a guy named Dave Ramsey. I can't say enough good things about it, and now it's well known enough that it's usually pretty easy to find a nearby class that's starting soon.If you've ever wished you had more money, knew what to do with the money you have, or just wished that you and your spouse could agree on money, FPU is for you. It's also great if you're married, getting married, never planning to marry or if you're single, single again or at times wishing you were single.

Check it out at daveramsey.com You'll never regret it.

Successful Surgery

My son, Will had to have a bit of surgery yesterday (10/23). Not much fun watching your kids put to sleep, but everything went as well as it could have and he should have no more issues. Thanks for all of the prayers! It means a lot to Tricia and I that so many of you remembered us and lifted Will up to God for protection. And if you didn't know, don't feel bad...we didn't really advertise that it was happening.



But he did great. Here's a phone pic I snapped as he lay recovering afterward. That's popsicle number 2.







He'll just be laying around for a few days, so I'm looking forward to some extended Star Wars Lego action.

I'm so thankful to God for his protection.

Pumpkin Thoughts

It's obviously Pumpkin Time around the Reeves house...




And as the weather gets colder, I'm praying that our family will draw closer. My new job is a great opportunity for me to be able to have an impact on some lives that are desperate for it. But it has a very serious drawback. My most common shift is from 3p - 11:30p...not the best shift to draw when your kids are in school and your wife works days.

So what do you do? Since I no longer get the quantity that I'm used to, I have to make the most of every moment I have. Here's what that looks like...

• It's generally my job to wake the kids up about 6:30a. Now that routine often involves crawling into bed with them for some "snugglin" before I give piggy-back rides down to breakfast.
• I love to play xbox and blog/read blogs. I don't do either of those when my kids are home (or watch TV) unless I'm playing or watching with them.
• I take special pains to remain calm and have fun with them, even while getting ready for school (often very hectic time) because now there are no "throw-away moments." Every minute I spend with them, whether I'm making breakfast or they're brushing their teeth, is a big percentage of the time I get to spend with them daily. There is no time to waste.
• An afternoon off is something to celebrate. Yesterday, my son came home from kindergarten singing some "restaurant song" that mentioned Red Lobster. So where did the Reeves family spontaneously go for dinner?
  
• An evening at home is something to treasure. I don't often get to see my kids off to bed anymore, so where we used to just "say our prayers," now I take it as a special privilege to really pray over my kids. More than ever I need God's power shielding them, revealing Himself to them, and giving me strength to stay focused on the things mentioned in these four other bullets.

I don't look to continue this work schedule forever, but while I'm in it, I'm going to let it drive me to focus on making the most with the time that I have where I'm needed the most: at home.

Best Quote Ever!

"Better to have your enemies inside the tent, pissing out, than outside the tent, pissing in."

--Lyndon B. Johnson

Running For President

Well, I can honestly say, I never expected it to go this far, but since I've received so much support, (and since it can't be as hard as what I'm doing now) I've decided to rise to the occasion and officially accept my status as a write-in candidate for the Presidency of the United States.

Click here to watch the latest national media coverage, including how it all began.

My name is Corbett Reeves... and I approved this message!

My daughter, the Diva

So, I knew that my daughter was a bit of a diva, but now she's recruiting background vocalists.



BTW, they're singing along with a song from Disney's Camp Rock performed by the actress from the movie along with Beaker from the Muppets.

New job and other stuff

Back in August I posted about some of the new things my family would be exploring -- namely new job and new church.

Well both of those have been figured out, for the time being, at least.

We've been attending the Orchard Church Community in Aurora since the beginning of August. It's always hard to really start feeling at home and plugged in to a new church, but that's really starting to happen.

This Monday, I began my new job, serving as a Behavioral Health Specialist at Timberline Knolls in Lemont. It's a whole new world for me, but it's opened up avenues of ministry that I could never have experienced as a church staff member. Very challenging...very rewarding.

Whose Fault is this Banking Crisis?

The following post is copied entirely from Tim Stevens blog - Leading Smart. Very interesting info for right now... check out Tim's blog...very good stuff!

Corbett

*********

Everyone wants to pin blame for the huge banking crisis--and thus economic slowdown--that we are experiencing right now. Whose fault is it?

I have no idea. I'm not smart enough to understand all the issues.

But I did find this article very interesting. It was printed in the New York Times nine years ago. Portions below, read the original article here. Emphasis by me.

Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending

By STEVEN A. HOLMES

Published: September 30, 1999

In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders.

The action, which will begin as a pilot program involving 24 banks in 15 markets -- including the New York metropolitan region -- will encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans. Fannie Mae officials say they hope to make it a nationwide program by next spring.

Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.

In addition, banks, thrift institutions and mortgage companies have been pressing Fannie Mae to help them make more loans to so-called subprime borrowers. These borrowers whose incomes, credit ratings and savings are not good enough to qualify for conventional loans, can only get loans from finance companies that charge much higher interest rates -- anywhere from three to four percentage points higher than conventional loans.

''Fannie Mae has expanded home ownership for millions of families in the 1990's by reducing down payment requirements,'' said Franklin D. Raines, Fannie Mae's chairman and chief executive officer. ''Yet there remain too many borrowers whose credit is just a notch below what our underwriting has required who have been relegated to paying significantly higher mortgage rates in the so-called subprime market.''

Demographic information on these borrowers is sketchy. But at least one study indicates that 18 percent of the loans in the subprime market went to black borrowers, compared to 5 per cent of loans in the conventional loan market.

In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's.

''From the perspective of many people, including me, this is another thrift industry growing up around us,'' said Peter Wallison a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. ''If they fail, the government will have to step up and bail them out the way it stepped up and bailed out the thrift industry.''

(Continue reading here...)

It's possible Peter Wallison was a prophet. Or, perhaps, just a smart economist who knew that if you loan money to a bunch of people who can't afford to pay you back--it might just come back to bite you some day.

It's okay, though, because there are no consequences. We, the taxpayers of these United States, will bail out the lenders and the borrowers. In fact, we'll bail out anyone. Even the Red Cross continues to spend money it doesn't have, and this week asked the government for a $150 million bail out.

Again, I'm not smart enough to figure it all out. But I've decided I'll continue to only spend money that I have. And I'll save a little, cause when the government raises my taxes to pay for this mess, I'll need to be ready.

****************

Amen, brutha!

Cruisin' for Cajun

Tricia and I received theatre tickets for Drury Lane this week. To save time, I picked her up at work in Naperville, planning to find a place to eat along the way. So as we head up Rt 59 we're looking for some good Cajun food. I made a few calls to folks I thought may have some 411, but no one came through for me. We ended up going here.





It wasn't bad, but we weren't blown away. Next time
we head to Naperville for Cajun, I'd like to try here.







But the real crime is that we didn't realize that just a mile away from Drury Lane was this place.



Mmmm... I'm way over due for some awesome Cajun food. There may be a Jambalaya or Gumbo on the schedule soon. Speaking of Cajun cookin', the Bayou Bengals are gonna open up a can of something on Mississippi State tonight. I'll be at church, but due to the miracle of DVR, I'll get to enjoy it commercial free a little later tonight

Feeling powerless

We live in a culture of "I can get it done." We have tools and networks, resources that allow us to accomplish pretty much whatever we set our mind to. The web has definitely been an empowerment tool for most of us who've not been to afraid (or lazy) to engage. It's amazing what I can get done sitting at my kitchen table using my laptop and a little broadband.

Realizing this, the last thing I would ever want to do as a company or organization is to make a client/customer (especially a potential client/customer) feel powerless... unable to accomplish what he/she is accustomed.

I need a new spray hose thingy for my kitchen sink. It is under warranty. I have been calling the company since June. I've yet to speak to a real person or even been able to leave a voicemail. I've received messages that the offices are closed; please call back within business hours DURING their posted business hours. I've received messages that the call log is too heavy; please try back at a later time. Currently, I've been on hold for 22 minutes and counting. My hope is to be able to order the replacement part that I need -- hopefully covered by their stated warranty -- and do a simple fix to my kitchen faucet. If that doesn't happen soon, I'll have to replace the whole faucet and I promise I will never again use a product by this company.

I will however be glad to tell everyone about my frustration with this company (in appropriate situations of course).

The things I will be glad to share are exactly the kinds of things that no company or organization wants to be said about them. GRRRRRRRRR!!!!


Faucet update: After 52 minutes on hold, I spoke to a human and the good news is, I had a solution in about 5 minutes... not necessarily the solution I was hoping for (they're sending a replacement, but a different model) but a solution, nonetheless. Surely there's a better way to handle these things.

Unpleasant thought

During my bible reading/quiet time today, I had an unpleasant thought, but one that strikes me as true, and I'm hoping for your feedback on it.

"Most of the evil perpetuated by those who do not follow Christ, can be laid at the feet of Christians who failed to love."

Leave a comment if you agree, disagree or if you just think that I'm a nutcase...

Home Alone

Tricia and the kids just left for our annual trip to Fairfield, Illinois to visit her Grandpa and some more of her mom's family. I can't go 'cause I have a little cold, and there'll be a 6 month old there with some pretty major health issues and sick people are banned. Bummer!!

I hate being home without Tricia. I'm just pretty useless. Even though I'm a fairly decent cook, I'll probably exist on grapes, granola bars and cold cereal. Maybe I'll throw Subway in there, too.

Update and why I didn't listen to Christian music

This past week was pretty intense. My bro-in-law got married and the entire family was in it. I performed the service, Tricia sang, Katy was a flower girl and Will was the ring bearer. [pics to come] Very cool, very draining.

Congratulations to Jim and Erin Visinaiz as they begin their life together!

On another note, I won't apologize for having Led Zeppelin, Counting Crows and U2 mixed in with David Crowder and Lincoln Brewster on my ipod. The fact is good music is good music and for many years most Christian music was very, very bad. For example...



I know it's painful, but you've got to listen to this whole thing... Because Jesus is like a mountie -- ZAP!!

Taking a Trip

I'm excited about this weekend. Tricia and the kids and I are going to spend the Labor Day weekend with some friends that we've met recently and grown to love already: Glen and Sally Blumer. They live just south of Des Moines in Norwalk, Iowa. I've only been to Iowa once and that was just traveling up the western side on a trip from Louisiana to Montana. Can't say that I remember much about the state.

I guess the main thing I know about Iowa is how much fun I've had teasing Dave Ritter about how bad the Hawkeyes have been in football the last few years.

Glen and Sally are cyclists like Tricia and myself are, so I'm on my way to buy a bike rack that will go on the back of my minivan. Turns out it's hard to find a 4-bike carrier that attaches to the trunk/rear door instead of requiring a hitch receiver. But I found one almost by accident at Dave's Bikes in Joliet. Hope it's a good one...I'll let you know.

So any more cyclists out there? Where is your favorite place to ride?

My Plans or God's Plans

I find it hard at times to know when something is what God wants and when it is just what I want. One of the hardest decisions I've had to make recently came down to this. For almost a year, I've believed that my next step in ministry was to be a church planter. But for now, Tricia and I do not believe that is what God is calling us to do. The desire is there, but we don't want to be anywhere that God is not directing us to be.

For many reasons, I guess, becoming a church planter seemed like the obvious move for us. But as I read books, blogs and articles; as I listened to podcasts about church planting, the one thing (the only thing!) they all agreed on was this: Do not plant a church unless you are 100% sure that God has called you to plant the church. After much honest discussion and evaluation, Tricia and I don't believe that we have been so called. Yet! I still hope that this is in my future. I get pretty stoked at the thought of it.

So what does this mean for our family's immediate future... I'm so glad you asked.

• It means that we are planning to stay in Morris for the next 8 months or so. The kids have started school here and we'd rather not take them out. Tricia has also started her school year (teaching) and would like to be able to finish the school year if at all possible. So if you're in Morris, you might see us around.
• It means that I have to get job! Sticking around means certain bills have to be paid, but I'm not going to jump into a local ministry position just for a paycheck. I definitely want to be in my next ministry position for several years at least. In the mean time, I'll find something to do in the surrounding area. (This would be a good time to call with an offer!!!!)
• It means that we'll be plugging into a local church (local meaning with 30-45 minutes). Even if my job isn't to be a pastor currently, I'm still called (as each of you are) to plug into a local gathering of Christ-followers and use my gifts to help that church accomplish the Jesus Mission. We've visited a few churches...we may visit a few more, but one has become a likely choice.

Of course we still have lots of questions about what the future holds and we're on our knees, asking God to show us where He wants us, but we are confident that right now we are being faithful. God hasn't shown us what is coming next, so right now we will listen for His voice and follow Him however He leads us. More than anything else we want to follow His plan, no matter what that does to our plans.

Book Review - Wild Goose Chase

I've had a little bit of time on my hands of late. The kids are at school, Tricia is at work and I'm... well, I'm keeping busy, but I've gotten pretty good at Spyro [update: I've beaten it] on my son's DS and I've been able to tear through a few books. I thought maybe I'd clue you in on a few of them. Up first, "Wild Goose Chase" by Mark Batterson. **One reader will win a free book from this blog--details below**

Here's an excerpt from the introduction:
"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 that institutionalized Christianity has missed out on."

And speaking of what happens when we are born of the Spirit and begin following Jesus...
"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."

This book is a call to adventure... a spirit-filled adventure that is achieved by actively seeking what God wants for each of us and in turn being released from certain emotional/spiritual "cages" that hold us back from the adventurous life or as Batterson puts it... "clipping the wings of the Wild Goose."

If you enjoyed "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day," Batterson's first book, you'll love Wild Goose. In a Pit challenged us to face our fear and find our greatest successes on the other side of the fear. Wild Goose shows what's holding us back and then shows a way out. One very cool challenge that Batterson gives is to formulate a list of Life Goals and at the Wild Goose site you can download a "how to". You can also read Mark's List from his blog.

If you're like me, you want your life to be more than just something that you "got through." I want my life to make a difference, to be world-changing; and I want to live an adventure. I'm really glad that Mark has written this book. Very applicable to where I am right now.

You can get it online at cbd or amazon and probably several other book sites. Or you can win one from me. I will give a free copy to the person who in the comments of this post guesses one of my life goals... my biggest travel goal with my family is to... _________ First person who guesses gets a copy. (be sure I can contact you).

New blog - what are my intentions?

So here it is... the new blog that I promised way back in June. Why the change?

1) To accompany a major change in my life -- leaving one of the best jobs in the world, leading the arts teams at NC3 in Morris, to step out into the unknown... all because we feel this is what God is saying right now.

2) To signify a new paradigm of blogging. Before it was meandering and musings. Now things will be more intentional -- thus the name (and the graphic). It's been often said that if you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time. I am making every effort from now on to be laser-focused.

My old blog will still be available (I won't be updating it) at meanderings-corbett.blogspot.com and I'll try to throw a link up on the sidebar to make it easy to get there. 120 posts covering the last year and a half of my life... many of which are slightly better than birdcage liner quality. You'll have to be the judge.

As for the new, I'll be laying down some big stuff about what the Reeves are doing currently and what the future may (or may not) hold for my family.

I'm glad you're along for the ride. Better buckle up!