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State Street Community Church
The Importance of Pastors (via Don Miller)
Apr 1st
I love Donald Miller’s writing. I thought about putting my interest in him in the “like” category but seeing that I own all his books and read his blog religiously, I’m going to use stronger language. I connect with him. What he thinks and writes are words that resonate deeper within me.
On his blog yesterday he wrote about his 10 reasons why he believes that pastors are important. I loved the list and thought I’d steal copy it for my blog. In my opinion, he’s spot on in his summation of the power that pastors have in our lives. Check out his site and see the list and the rest of his entry (and his motivation for coming up with the list). I’ve been blessed by some pretty incredible pastors that believed in me and were willing to speak truth into my life. Some of the most influential moments in my life have been shared with pastors. Much of my worldview and how I’ve learned to love Christ has been formed through the impact that pastors have had on my life. I hope to impact others in that same way.
Without further ado, here’s Don’s Ten Reasons Pastors are Important…
Here are ten reasons pastors are important.
1. They lead social movements that change the world.
2. They speak truths that create guardrails to keep us out of danger and stop us from hurting each other.
3. They introduce us and remind us about God, who redeems us and guides us in love.
4. They model good marriages and families (Your mind may have gone to an exception, but quickly list five who do. It’s an easy list to create.)
5. They bring people together to live and work in community.
6. They counsel hurting and broken people.
7. They bring the presence of God into the most dark and painful circumstances.
8. Most of them could be making lots more money doing something else, but they sacrifice to build God’s kingdom.
9. They put up with our crap.
10. Because without them the world would be unimaginably dark.
Worth It All
Mar 27th
Ema is still in the hospital. We’ll be here for at least another day, probably longer. There was some complications with her epidural that left her with too much air in her spinal area. For those of you that have experienced anything like this, you’ll know that it can be tremendously painful. Ema is on bed rest. Her bed is such that her feet are higher than her head to try and keep the air from getting to her brain. They’ve also got her on some pretty intense drugs to help with the pain. The doctors believe that time is the greatest medicine in this situation. When the air passes through her system or gets absorbed within, the pain will subside.
Ema’s in a tremendous amount of pain. But helping to mask the pain and giving her a glimmer of hope is our son; Finn. When he’s in her arms, the pain gets a little less and her demeanor changes. It’s almost as if he was born just so she could hold him in her arms. The way a mother loves and comforts her children is a love that is unique. It’s beautiful to watch. It’s incredible to experience.
“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” (Isa. 66.13)
Finley Jay Loucks
Mar 25th
Coming up with names for our kids has been difficult for Ema and I. We’re fairly indecisive people anyway so when you add the stress of “this will be their name for the rest of their LIFE, don’t screw it up Loucks”, name-picking becomes an exercise of tense exploration. I resolved to just throwing my hands in the air and calling him “Brutus”. Ema didn’t go along.
My daughter (Nora Denise Loucks) was named after my mother; Denise. Nora’s initials match mine (NDL) and my father’s. We happened to be at a wedding when Ema was pregnant where there was a baby named Nora and my wife (and eventually myself) fell in love with the name. Two years after her birth, she’s very much a “Nora”. It’s funny how you can debate and stress over your child’s name and then it takes a certain evolution into being “them”. I can’t imagine her a Sarah, Rebecca, or Gwendolyn. She’s Nora.
Finley Jay Loucks. We first noticed the name Finley in 2007 when my wife was pregnant with Nora. As embarrassing as our discovery of the name might be, it’s the truth; we saw it in the movie the Notebook (Kevin Connolly’s character). Finley caught our attention and we decided that if we had a boy, we would keep it in consideration. Throughout the last nine months, we talked about different names but my wife was always fairly sure that she was carrying a “Finley”. I’ve always held the belief that one of the given name’s should have some sort of meaning behind them. Finley is named after my uncle; Jay. Jay and I have a close bond. He’s my uncle, friend, pastor, and my very own personal Mr. Magoo.
So, that’s the story behind my kid’s names. What about you? Any specific reason as to why you named your children what you named them?
Monday Morning Hangover | 3-8-10
Mar 8th
Yesterday at State Street, we talked about feeling abandoned by God. Jesus, on the cross, cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” I’ve gotten a few emails and had a some discussions after the services yesterday about abandonment. It’s a huge issue among many in our community. It’s an issue that I hold close to my heart because I lived in it for a few years.
Why God? Why go through this? Are you even there? Please God, I can’t deal with this any more…
God is restoring me and I’m learning about trust. This verse in Deuteronomy comforts me, “And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
The book Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning has been foundational in my spiritual development. In it he says,
The way of trust is a movement into obscurity, into the undefined, into ambiguity, not into some predetermined, clearly delineated plan for the future. The next step discloses itself only out of a discernment of God acting in the desert of the present moment. The reality of naked trust is the life of the pilgrim who leaves what is nailed down, obvious, and secure, and walks into the unknown without any rational explanation to justify the decision or guarantee the future. Why? Because God has signaled the movement and offered it his presence and his promise.
May we learn to trust the promises of God even more and follow His movement even closer and be His church. Amen.
Timshel
Feb 23rd
I have some friends who have recently went through something terrible. Their lives are filled with grief, confusion, and sadness. I hurt for them. I remember the times in my life that were marked with loss and sadness. Though these valleys always seem like lush farming ground for the handiwork of God, there is no getting around the emotions and realities that these situations bring with them. I pray for my friends daily and take comfort in the restoring power of Christ.
After my mother died in 1997, I remember the overwhelming sense of abandonment that accompanied my loss. At 15 years old, the role a mother plays in a son’s life can only truly be understood fully when the mother exits his life. It’s at that point that you get a sense of how unprepared and ill-equipped you can be without the tutelage and loving guidance of our moms.
I’ve been thinking a lot about grief and how the church can walk along people during difficult times. If there’s one thing that grieving people do not need, it’s the well-intentioned but often unhelpful axioms that we’ve come to expect; “It’s all a part of God’s plan” “God’s in control” “It will be alright in time.” There’s nothing inherently wrong with those statements in theory but, in practice, they do very little for the griever but minimize the grief with expressions.
My latest musical obsession is an English folk/bluegrass band called Mumford & Sons. On their latest album, they have a beautiful song called Timshel (which is a great Hebrew word study… but that’ll come later…). When I heard the song, it reminded me of something that gave me comfort during my time of grief (and I hope it gives comfort to those struggling reading this). Here’s a lyrical section of the song…
And death is at your doorstep
And it will steal your innocence
But it will not steal your substance
But you are not alone in this
And you are not alone in this
As brothers we will stand and we’ll hold your hand
Hold your hand
I remember it like it was yesterday (though it was actually in 1997). A friend came up to me and with a sense of sincerity that couldn’t be faked and told me, “Nate, I just want you to know that I really have no words for what you’re going through but I want you to know that I’m here for you whenever you need me.” My friend wasn’t a trained counselor and I could tell that he truly didn’t know any words that would accomodate the situation. There was no trying to fix my grief or trying to give advice to help expedite the sadness that my soul felt. It was just an invitation for community. “I’m here. You’re not alone.”
There are literally hundreds of verses in scripture about loving each other and community but my favorite is a small and to-the-point one in Romans. “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
In times of crises…
grief…
sadness…
loss…
illness…
joy…
celebration…
…what if we looked at it as an opportunity to live out the calling that God has put on His church; be devoted in your love for each other and honor each other. Suffer with each other. Sit with each other. Be sad with each other. Grieve with each other. Devote your life to each other. Let each other know that “you are not alone in this.“ That’s when the church becomes the Church. There’s a very real and beautiful power in community.
Monday Morning Hangover | 2-22-10
Feb 22nd
Monday Morning Hangover [muhn-dey mawr-ning hang-oh-ver]
- noun – the Monday experience for pastors after a long, usually enjoyable Sunday
8 weeks. We’ve been at State Street for 8 weeks now. The last two months have been almost surreal for me. Six months ago, we didn’t even know if we had a building. 8 weeks ago we moved in. Yesterday we had two weekend experiences where people heard the Gospel of Christ. I’m really grateful to be a part of State Street and excited to see what’s going to happen in the future.
Greg was back leading worship this weekend after his foray into professional golfing in California. Though I can’t say this for certain, I’m pretty sure Greg was glad to be back. He jumped around the stage. Greg does that when he’s excited. And, if he was excited, then he was probably glad to be back. Here’s a picture from yesterday (w/ Tom “the Edge” Ford on guitar)…
As of today, Ema is 25 days away from her due date. Though she’s almost full term, she continues to work hard, love Nora fully, and be an incredible wife. She’s the bee’s knees. The cat’s pajamas. The eel’s ankle. She’s my wife. I love her. I’m looking forward to meeting Loucks Child v.2.
I’m blessed.
The Quotable Rich Mullins
Feb 18th
Rich Mullins is one of those guys that I really connect with (including his teaching and writing). My wife actually fostered my love for Rich Mullins. I highly recommend everyone listen/buy A Liturgy, A Legacy, and A Ragamuffin Band. I watched this today…
Mullins said,
“Jesus said whatever you do to the least of these my brothers you’ve done it to me. And this is what I’ve come to think. That if I want to identify fully with Jesus Christ, who I claim to be my savior and Lord, the best way that I can do that is to identify with the poor. This I know will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers. But they’re just wrong. They’re not bad, they’re just wrong. Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken….(concert recording cuts off at this moment, losing any further context for this particular quote)”
The State(ment) | 2-17-10
Feb 17th
Last night the launch team of State Street Community Church met together for dinner and to talk about some business (or, as I like to call bizniz) of the church. Here’s a little summary of that discussion…
- We’re in the process of applying for our 501c3. Though applying for governmental privileges might seem like a fun endeavor, it’s not. It’s not fun at all. Fortunately, we have people that are willing to do the dirty work of making sure everything is legal.
- We planted a church in a lagging economy in a financially depressed community. Our finance guys, by nature, are fairly conservative financially. We knew when we prepared our 2010 budget that everything would be streamlined (not only because we’re a church plant but because we believe firmly in good stewardship and financial margin). God has really provided for us in big ways and 7-weeks in, we’re ahead of budget. State Streeters have also responded well in helping out with the situation in Haiti. We have margin and we’re going to be able to do some really great things with it. I can’t wait to unveil that to our community.
- We might be able to purchase our own chairs soon. They’ll have pad. I like padded chairs. I’m still grateful for the folding chairs we’re using now… but still… padded chairs.
- Have you thought about joining a discipleship group? You should not only think about it but do it. Check them out here.
- In March we will be having our first CORE meeting of 2010. We’re going to still be worshiping and praying together at these meetings but we’re also adding a couple of other elements. I love it when we come together as a body to pray and meet outside of our Sunday morning experiences.
- Christel Bublitz makes an exceptional chicken chili. Prize worthy.
A Tickle… Fight
Feb 16th
Tickle Fight! from Nate Loucks on Vimeo.
The above video was shot last Friday. It’s a video of my daughter (Nora) and nephew (Rhys) tickling my other nephew (Liam). I wasn’t quite sure if they were tickling Liam at the time or hurting him. But, he seemed to love it. Nora hasn’t really figured out how to tickle yet. She does more of an arm sweep across the body (which can lead to eye pokings, scratches, and the occasional tickle). I love these kids. I’m looking forward to having our (still incubating) son join the group. Four more weeks and he’s due…
Monday Morning Hangover | 2.15.10
Feb 15th
Monday Morning Hangover [muhn-dey mawr-ning hang-oh-ver]
- noun – the Monday experience for pastors after a long, usually enjoyable Sunday
Anytime you get to talk about nagging wives and passive husbands, it’s going to be fun. We’re in the second week of studying various couples in the Bible. This week we looked at the story of Ahab (the passive husband) and Jezebel (the controlling wife). Someone came up to me after yesterday’s experience and said, “I know, without a doubt, if I would’ve heard this message and lived it out 30 years ago, I’d still be married today.” What I love so much about God’s economy is this idea of mutual submission. The Message puts it beautifully,
Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another. Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands. Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage. No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become “one flesh.” This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband. (Ephesians 5:21-33)
Tomorrow night I have a meeting with the State Street launch team. I’m going to put up some notes on here on Wednesday about what was discussed. There is a ton of things that God is doing in our community and I’m looking forward to seeing how we respond as a church. More to come on that later…
I’m also going to instigate an arm wrestling match between Neal Loucks and Greg Clark. If that happens, you’ll surely get some video footage. My money is on Clark, though. He’s scrappy.