ChrisTrethewey.com

Trethewey Family is Heading to New Jersey!

Sixteen years ago, I had one of those moments where God simply said to me, "Chris, take a step out of the boat. I have a plan for you." I was a midwestern boy with a plan for my life already laid out. But that was my plan, not God's plan. So I packed up my Pontiac Sunfire, with everything I owned, and I drove the 1,731 miles from Illinois to Las Vegas. I had absolutely no clue what was in store for me. I could never have scripted the countless pages that are now filled. I am amazed at the storyline that I have seen unfold before for my eyes. 

Kim and I are deeply honored to be part of the movement of God's church in the Las Vegas Valley. We have seen Central grow in such significant ways and have witnessed it literally change the culture of a city that we have grown to know as Grace City. The friendships we have developed will forever be etched into the fabric of our lives. The countless lives that God has allowed us to impact for his kingdom will forever be woven in our hearts. We have had incredible moments when unspeakable joy has filled our hearts. We have also walked through the darkest of days, trying to grasp onto disappearing hope. It has been Central, its staff, and church body whose outpouring of love in the peaks and valleys that has left us speechless.

Over 18 months ago, Kim and I sensed God saying, "It's time again. Get out of the boat." It was one of those moments that was so ludicrous that we quickly ignored it and moved on with life. We love Vegas. We are committed to the vision of the church. Our roots are deep and the friendships are life-giving. As we are aware, God is persistent. He doesn't stop. He doesn't give up. He kept saying, "Get out of the boat. It's time. I have a new path for you to walk down." Prayer kicked in and wisdom was shared from people we deeply love and respect. Through multiple supporting conversations with Jud and Mike, I started to seek out the next possible chapter for our lives. 

In all of God's perfection (He is a smart guy), God lead us to an amazing church, Renaissance Church (http://www.renaissancechurch.org/) in Summit, NJ. Renaissance is a place where unconnected people are connected to a life saving relationship with Christ. It is a church where all people - no matter who they are - where they have come from - are loved and accepted. It is a church where radical grace is freely given. It is a church where they are a light in a world that is dark.

It is with much prayer and thought that I have accepted the role of Sr. Pastor of Renaissance Church.  Kim, Kiara, Claire, Mollee (that's our dog) and I will be moving across the country, but Central will be forever imprinted into the DNA of our lives. It has helped shape us into who we are today.

I believe that the best is yet to come within Family Ministries as the leading out of the vision will remain a priority to Jud and Mike. For Kim and I, words can't express how thankful we are for God's grace in our lives and the incredible opportunity He gave us to serve at such an amazing church. We now look forward in uncontrolled anticipation to the journey in front of us.

 

God Bless, 

 

Chris and Kim

 

Captain Obvious Strikes Again

Captain Obvious struck in a mighty way several weeks ago leaving Kim and I laughing in disbelief.  We were in San Diego for a wedding. I had the privilege of officiating the wedding for one of my former students. It was a much needed get away and opportunity to share in an incredible life moment.

After the rehearsal, Kim and I had several hours to relax before we were supposed to meet the wedding party for the rehearsal dinner. We were given very loose directions to the meeting place, but I wasn't concerned. I have a good sense of direction plus I use the maps app on my iphone for everything. The time came for us to meet up with the wedding party so we headed out of our hotel. I knew the name of the hotel. I knew that it was only several blocks away. I had absolute confidence to find it.  

Here is what I didn't take into consideration.

1. When you are in a "downtown" your sense of direction gets all messed up. The tall buildings have the ability to skew your directional sense. 

2. When you are in a "downtown" your line of sight is extremely small. Yep, tall buildings block you from seeing more than a block. 

3. When you are in a "downtown", the little blue dot on the maps app moves in an obscured manner. Why? Those darn tall buildings strike again.

I was trying to lead us in a confident, "don't worry about" type of approach. My eyes were glued to the blue dot on my phone, but I was also watching the clock as each minute quickly ticked by. Nothing I hate worse than being late. I knew we were close. I knew that we had to be within a block. I wasn't sure which way to go, left or right? I looked up at Kim and said, "Wait a minute. Let me get my barrings. I know we are close. Just not sure which direction to head." 

As we stood there, me starring at my phone, Captain Obvious whacked me right on the side of the head. 

I looked up.

Right infront of me.

Bigger than life.

Not obstructed by anything.

The Sheraton Hotel.

The meeting place.  

Kim and I just stood there and laughed. 

Doesn't that happen in life? You get looking down. You get focused on an issue, a problem, a situation and the answer is right in front of you. You just have to pause long enough and look up to discover the answer. 

What in your life has you looking down? What in your life is consuming all your attention and focus? You deeply desire to find the solution. You want to lead out of it. You just can't seem to find the right solution.

\\: Stop
The best thing in life is just to hit the "pause button". Create space to think. Create a moment for you to asses the situation. Create an opportunity for you to listen.  Create a moment for you to . . .

\\: Look Up
So many things in life force us to keep our heads down. Stress. Worry. Trying to do it all by ourselves. Look Up. Get your head out of the muck and mire and look at your surroundings.

\\: Head in a New Direction
 Now figure out the new direction you need to head in and go! Yeah, you might feel dump for a while, but at least you discovered what you were doing wrong and what you need to do about i. 

 Q: What has you wandering with your head down? Is it a leadership issue that is consuming you? Is it a sin that keeps rearing its ugly head? Is it a family tension that consumes your emotional energy?

Q: What new direction do you need to discover? 

 

 

Who's talking about your church? (part 2)

In Who's talking about your church (part #1), I asked the first of two questions.

Q #1: Why is Apple the most covered company?

Here's the second question . . . 

Q #2: How does your church rank on the most "covered" list in your community?

First, let me clearly explain. I am not talking about a PR machine that is behind marketing your church. I am not talking about how charismatic your lead pastor is. I am not talking about the popularity of your church or the gimmicks that some churches implement to get "covered".  (I am not saying any of those things are good or bad. But, that would be a good discussion.) What I am trying to get at is this simple point. People vote with their mouth - by what they say. People vote with their feet - where they go. Your church has a "reputation" in the community. People will talk - share their opinion - and encourage or discourage people from being part of your community depending on their experience. You first have to ask yourself: Are people even talking about your church in the community? If they aren't, why not? If they are, what are they saying. Really saying. 

1. INNOVATION: What is your church doing to impact the culture it gets to serve? Are you looking forward to what "could be" or always looking backwards to what other churches are doing? God is giving you a vision - specific for the church you get to lead in. Can you see it? 
2. CULTURE: What is the culture within the walls of your church? If someone walked in for the first time how would she feel? How would he be treated? I am not talking about the "church crowd". I am focused on the people who have never stepped into a church. What would they experience? Would the experience be grace filled? Would they feel out of place? Would they want to come back?
3. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Churches are notorious for awful customer service. Phone calls aren't returned. People are told "NO" - constantly - without ever looking for a solution. People who haven't smiled in the past 2 decades are empowered as greeters. How are people treated at your church? Are calls returned? Do staff and volunteers smile? Are staff solution oriented or is their first response, No? Are people's issues more of a burden or do you seek to help solve problems?

The church is simply about people. Period. It is about creating a culture that connects with people - all people - at all points in their spiritual journey. It's about creating a place that is exciting, welcoming and engaging. 

What challenges do you face in each of these areas? What are some solutions you have discovered? 

Who's talking about your church? (part 1)

I read this post at MacRumors a few days ago entitled "Apple Most-Covered Tech Company in Mainstream Media". I didn't need to see any scientific data (But if you need it, it's to the left.) to know that statement was true. If you are an Apple fanatic, you love all the coverage. If you are an Apple hater, you despise the coverage. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, you know that there is a cult like following of Apple and all their product releases.  A frenzy is stirred up. Excitement grows. People talk. Bloggers Blog. Techies debate. The novist (like me), waits in a paralyzing anticipation of the launch of the next product.

   As I read the article, 2 simple questions emerged. Both questions were linked together. The first question was easy. The second question consumed my thinking.

#1: Why is Apple the most covered company?

Here is my quick take.

1. INNOVATION: Apple is always looking forward to the next "thing" to impact culture. They don't look at what others are doing. They aren't following - they are leading out in the tech revolution. Think about it . . .iPod. iPhone. iPad. Those 3 innovations have completely changed their perspective markets. Think about how many tech inventions have come since then trying to be the iPhone killer (or iPod, or iPad). 
2. CULTURE: Apple has built a community of followers around their culture. It is a culture that screams - excellence - innovation - simple - cool - on the edge - quality.It is a culture that people resonate with. It is a culture that people have immersed themselves in not only with their money, but with their emotions as well.
3. CUSTOMER SERVICE:  Apple has worked diligently on creating an amazing experience for their customer. They value the customer so much that they were just ranked 3rd out of all companies by Business Week.  The next closest computer company was Dell at #23. Apple received A+ marks for "quality of staff" and "efficiency of service". But there was one piece that grabbed my attention. Apple moved from 20th to 3rd in just one years time. 

What else would you add to this list?

All this leads me to the second question . . . .coming in Part 2. 

   

 

The Most Important Person to Lead is You!

     November 7th is the date. It has been staring at me straight in the eyes for over 9 months.  It has been slowly creeping forward. Now I am within a month of having to face it. I am within a month of having the opportunity to conquer it. I am within a month of facing an epic challenge. The past 9 months have been filled with moments of great accomplishment and exhilaration. The past 9 months have been filled with countless times where my mind and body were screaming “NO”, but my heart and the looming date in front of me motivated me to keep moving forward.  There have been many times where my bed tried to hold me captive, yet I was able to escape. There have been many times where the DB levels of the voices in my head became deafening. There have been many times where other distractions, really appealing distractions, - unceasingly tried to get in the way.   

 

    I have kept moving forward.

    I have kept my eyes focused on the goal.

    I have kept my commitment held tightly within the grasp of my hands.

    The resolve within my heart has only deepened and the journey has only become more life impacting.

    November 7th represents a lot of things for me, personally. It represents overcoming a personal tragedy that completely turned my world upside down. November 7th represents accomplishing something that only a small percentage of all people will even consider attempting. November 7th represents a series of personal goals that I have set for my life. November 7th does not represent the destination, but a brief stop on the journey.  

        What in your life do you need to overcome? What in your life do you need to solve? What in your life have you been ignoring, sticking your head in the sand, wishing that you didn’t have to confront it? What in your life controls you and you have to take the control back? We all have those areas. We all have those pieces. The question is: What are you going to do about it? My encouragement for you . . .overcome it. Step one: Set a date. Could be tomorrow or it could be a week or 9 months from now. It doesn’t matter. Set a date. Commit to it and then put into action steps to overcome. One of the first steps that I did was I shared my date with my wife and core group of friends that I knew would encourage me and hold me accountable. I then put a simple action plan into place that has helped me to take steps closer.

    Today is your day. It’s your day to take a hold of what you have let go in your life. It is your day, to lead the most important person you have the opportunity to lead. You!



You might be wondering what is happening on November 7th. I will be racing in the Silverman 70.3 Ironman triathlon. If you are not familiar with triathlons, 70.3 represents a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. This will be my second Ironman 70.3 race this year.

*This was written for Octobers Family Ministries Team email.

 

The 1st Impression will be the Lasting Impression! (repost)

I had a blogging technical mistake. I had started a post back in August 2009 that I never finished. So when I discovered it in my "draft" section, I decided it was time to finish it. So I did. Well, the date associated with the draft is linked to the date I started it - August 2009. You learn something everyday.

So click on the link for today's post: "The 1st impression will be the lasting impression."

http://www.christrethewey.com/2009/08/the1st-impression-will-be-the-lasting-impression.html 

Run, Walk, or Crawl?

I received an email yesterday from the race director of the Silverman Ironman. I was excited because the race is less than a month away and this packet included all the specific details I needed to help make race day less confusing. I quickly jumped into it. My heart raced faster as I thought about race day. The excitement exploded from within. I could sense the emotion of the swim start as thousands of people plunge into Lake Las Vegas. I felt the challenging climbs on the 56 mile bike course and the grueling 13.1 mile run where I will have to will myself to take each step. Then I vividly pictured what the finish line will feel like. It was a brief moment filled with unspeakable emotion.

I got through the general and course information and then I hit the "rules" section. I usually don't read through this section because the rules don't usually change. For some reason, I decided to glance through them. I made my way through the swim and bike rules.  Then I stumbled across one of the rules for the run that first made me laugh. Then it made me think. 

"The only forms of forward progress allowed on the run will be walking, running, or crawling." 

Crawling. That made me laugh. Not a "ha - ha", grab your side, type of laugh. But one of those nervous laughs where you are not sure what to do with the different thoughts racing through your mind. Can you imagine personally coming to the point where you had to crawl just to try to finish the race? Most people would say if you have to crawl, then bow out of the race gracefully. You can always race another day. On the flip side think about the commitment and determination one would have to have deep within to be willing to crawl - for any distance - through any amount of humiliation - with the overwhelming resolve to finish.

Then this thought hit me.

It is easy to deepen in your relationship with God when you are running. When you feel good. When the proverbial "weather" is sunny and no wind. No storms raging. Not injuries. No setbacks. No obstacles. Everything is going your way and so your spiritual life is hitting it's stride. Now it's a lot more difficult when life forces you to walk. You are busy because you have overcommitted your life. You are tired, stressed, overworked, and family obligations consume any free time. You feel like you are in a desert wandering season. So you wander. Step by step, you walk. Either way, it has slowed you down. You seek God. You love God. You desire a relationship with him. You keep moving towards Him. But it is slow and arduous.

But what happens when life gets really difficult. When a prayer goes unanswered. When the weight of your addiction is suffocating. When you get fired unjustifiably. When you loose everything. It is easy to give up. To quit. To wave the white flag. Something happens when you crawl. First, you have to focus on the fact that you are still moving towards God. That is extremely important. Second. something happens when you are humbled enough to have to crawl on your knees. In those moments God can do amazing things within you, if you let Him.

\\: Where are you at Spiritually?

• RUNNING: What are you going to do to stay injury free and keep running? How do you keep your commitment to God deepening? 
• WALKING: What do you need to do to heal the areas that have slowed you down to a walk? How do you need to re-prioritize your life so that you can run again.
• CRAWLING: Whatever you do, don't quit! Keep crawling. Crawl into the arms of God. He will comfort. He will heal. He will bring joy in the midst of pain. Then one day, you will find yourself running again. The lessons you learn from crawling will,if you let them, change you forever.

What specifically do you do to move out of the crawling and walking seasons?

What do you do to keep at a running pace?

 

 

The Church has Left the Building

I was sitting on the couch Sunday night after a weekend filled with Soccer games, church services, and Boulder City's Art in the Park. Great weekend. Tons of fun. I was exhausted.  I quickly flipped channels trying to find something to watch. (Isn't it a sad state of life that I have over 200 channels and I can't find one thing to watch.) Somehow I landed on the local news and a story about a local church had just started. 

The Crossing is a church that was planted by Canyon Ridge and Central Christian in the SouthWest part of the valley. Shane Philip is the lead pastor and they were celebrating their 10 Year Anniversary at their church. Their celebration, well it was different then what you would think. It wasn't filled with inward expressions focused on what "they" had accomplished over 10 years. It was completely opposite.

Their vision, simple. The impact, explosive. 

Their mission: The Church has Left the Building.

The Crossing literally closed their doors sunday morning and went out into the community with one purpose: To SERVE.

• Over 2000 people rolled up their sleeves to serve the community.
• Over 8 different locations were specifically targeted to help.
• Countless stories of impact have been shared.

*Check out the News Coverage.

What's so simple, yet so impacting, was the Crossing - a church - was just being the church. As a church, it is so easy to become inward focused, to become an island.  But that is not what Christ intended the church to be. The church has to be focused on impacting the community inwhich God has allowed her to exist in. The church has to be about people outside her walls. The church has to be about what she can give to others and not what she can get. The church has to reflect the heart of the Samaritan man.

Let me ask you two real honest questions. Don't read these and quickly move on. Let both of these questions rattle around in your heart for a moment.

Q: If the church you attend - serve in - work for - closed it's doors, would anyone in the community (outside the walls of the church) know? 

Q: What are you doing at your church to impact the community in which you live?

 

 

Creative Ramblings from a Creative Place

 After church on Sunday my family went to the annual  "Art in the Park" located in Boulder City Nevada. Art in the Park is just what the name says it is. Hundreds of artists set up tents to display their art in hopes of showcasing and selling their creative talent. Every type of art you can imagine was displayed. Vibrant paintings depicting eye stimulating landscapes to abstract images that captured every corner of your imagination. Metal and stone were fused together in stunning yard creations. Fabric was stitched together to create kids bath robes right out of classic story books.

As I walked around with my family, enjoying an abnormally humid Vegas day, several thoughts came to my mind as I thought through the world of creativity. I am not sure if I am abnormal when it comes to these thoughts, but I had to share them any way.

 

IMPORTANT: I classify "Art" as anything you do creatively. Painting, sculpting, writing, music, spreadsheets, building, dog grooming, hamster hair styling, etc

 

\\: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder: 

Some Art (in my opinion), inspiring.
Some Art (in my opinion), a total waste of space.
Some art (in my opinion), out of the box creative.
Some art (in my opinion), old and tired. 

The key words . . . "In My Opinion". Creativity comes down to the person creating and the person interacting with it. Not everyone will like your art. Not everyone will get your art. Not everyone will appreciate your art. You have to block the critics out and focus on the your creative passion that comes from deep within you. Then, find a niche audience that appreciates your creative talent. 

\\: Price (does not) = Worth

I found my self having a strange reaction to the "price tags" attached to each piece of art as I walked around. The price range verried from a few dollars to over $10,000. I had different reactions to each price tag I looked at. One reaction was, "That's all?! Wow, I would pay more for that." Another reaction was, "Holy Cow! I wouldn't pay 1/2 of that amount." Yet another reaction was, "That's fair". 

I am sure if you asked 100 people their unfiltered opinion you would get answers evenly split over those three thoughts.  Why? Price equals how much someone values the creativity in the piece. Not how much it is really worth (time, materials, effort, uniqueness). 

\\: Personal Passion Sells

I walked into one tent to look at some eye grabbing pottery. The colors were vibrant and absolutely stunning. Right when I walked in, the artist jumped up and engaged me in conversation. I asked him about one particular piece that had a enamoring red shimmer to it. He shared with me about how red is the most difficult color to have come out when you put a piece in a kiln. He shared with me how it has taken him over 30 years to perfect the process. His passion exploaded out of him. Not only with his words, but in his eyes and with his entire body. I would have purchased it, but it was $695. ( I thought it was worth that, just didn't have $695 to spend on a bowl.)

I walked into many tents where the artist sat stoichly behind a table and gazed off into space. Never engaged me. Never smiled. Some never even looked up. When it comes to your art, you have to sell it. Your passion is the tipping point. Your belief in your creativity is what will attract people to it. You, and only you, have the ability to engage your art with your potential audience.

 

Do you agree with these insights?  What would you tweak?  What would you add?

 

 

The 1st Impression will be the Lasting Impression!

You only have one time to make a 1st impression.  That one moment you can never get back.  You do not get a "do over". You can not push rewind on the magical "life remote control".  You can never change it once that moment has passed.

Think about it for a second.  Let's take that new restaurant that you discovered. You drive by it and it looks interesting. The type of food is what you like. You get the coupon in the mail so you decide to try it. You pull into the parking lot, make that anticipated walk trhough the front doors, and there it begins.

 

Your 1st Impression.

1. How the hostess greets you when you walk into the restaurant, significantly sets the tone for your entire experience. Did he smile? Did she look you in the eyes? How long did you have to wait for someone - anyone - to acknowledge you? 
2. Your server's first interaction with you is imperative. Did your sever great you immediately? Did you have to wait just to get water? Did you have your questions answered. Did your server smile?
3. Then you finally get your food. How long did you have to wait? Did you get what you ordered? How does the food look? How does the food taste? Did the server smile when you food was brought out?

There is an entire list of other first impressions we could look at. How clean was the restaurant? How clean were the bathrooms? Were the condiments filled? Was the silverware clean? This entire list will fill your 1st impression basket and quickly determine if you will EVER try the restaurant again.

Like it or not, the same thing goes for the church. People who walk into a church for the first time will have their 1st impression basket empty ready to be filled. They will be looking. Assessing. Judging. Evaluating. You don't have to like it or even agree with it, but it is happening and you can't stop it. What you can do, is make sure that there 1st impression is a positive lasting impression.

Questions:

1. Do you have "PEOPLE" in the right "PLACE"?  You should have the most engaging, friendly, smiling, personally engaging people in the places to interact with others. If you have someone that hasn't smiled since 1975, move them - immediately!
2. Do you have a SIMPLE process to help people discover what your church is all about?
3. Do you have parking just for 1st time guests?
4. Do you have a simple process to checkin-in 1st time children?
5. Is every service treated like the first service? 
6. Have you trained staff and volunteers to help keep the facilities cleaning? (It's a Disney principle. Everyone is a janitor. Everyone picks up trash.)
7. Is your facility easy to navigate?
8. Are volunteers extremely visible to help answer questions?

Challenge: 

1. Walk into your church with a guest for the first time. Look there their eyes. Ask very specific questions focused on what they noticed. Take notes!
2. Spend a weekend "watching". Not running around, but just observing how the experience is for people.

Here are some questions for you to ask or think through.

• What areas can be improved?
• What specifically needs to be worked on? 
• Who needs to be replaced?
• What systems are to complex?
• What systems need to be created?
• Where are the frustration points?

QUESTIONS:

\\: What other areas should you be looking at?
\\: What questions should you be asking?