If I Were A Rich Man . . .

I wish I was wealthy, but not for the reasons you think.

I was always attracted to the nobility of vocational ministry—having the privilege of making a living from the gospel. While it's a financially humbling endeavor (certainly not a gig one pursues for the payout) our family has been blessed never to have been in financial peril during any time of our 13+ years of ministry. Recently, however, I realized I understated a critical truth throughout my ministry: money makes things go. Kingdom work depends on funding and it seems there's just never enough cash on hand.

I wish I was wealthy, but not to better my family's existence.

There are so many amazing ministry causes I'm aware of but I can't assist all of them. Our family commits more than a tithe to support gospel efforts around the globe. And our little church is committed to the cause as well—with the first 20% of our budget going to mission works.

I wish I was wealthy so I could give more.

It absolutely rips my heart up when a missionary contacts me asking for resources, all so they can minister in God-forsaken places, and I have to refuse. Just thinking about it makes me ill. And, for some reason, it seems like I'm getting more and more calls for support. 

Do you share my desire for wealth?

Maybe you're not giving to causes beyond your own church community. Or maybe you're incredibly wealthy and just stumbled on to this post by a Google search. Can I encourage you to make a commitment to missionaries? Let me give you a few reasons.

1. They're not getting rich off this deal.
Dan Dyke, a professor at CCU, co-leads a small group with me. Last semester he told the story of a missionary who lived his entire life in poverty but continued to serve faithfully. So just because you see the pictures of the missionaries in some exotic place you'd love to vacation doesn't mean they're living a lifestyle above their means. I've rarely witnessed a missionary who had more than what they needed to survive. If you have an expensive hobby but are stingy when it comes to supporting missionaries, I think should recalibrate your priorities.

2. They're doing work that requires their full attention.
I'm a very big proponent of bivocational ministry (having a job while serving as a minister); I've been in doing it in some form since we've started Echo. But I know of some congregations that are now demanding that their missionaries have some sort of money-making endeavor on the side to help fund their own mission. While that's a strategic approach, it can be completely unrealistic in many missionary cultures. It's difficult to enter a business market as a foreigner and compete. These missionaries need to have the freedom to devote themselves fully to the ministry, and they can often do it at a much more affordable cost than ministers in the States.

3. They're where we're not.
Admit it: there are places in the world that you're glad you never have to go. Well, that's where missionaries are right now. They're committed to going there because it's a calling. If God hasn't called you to be there, the least you can do is support those who are paying the price.

I wish I was wealthy, but maybe I just need to be more generous.

Yep, this is all a massive guilt trip, but a little guilt can be good.

If you're a follower of Jesus, you're part of a global body that meets all over the world. And there's always things we can do to support our brothers and sisters around the globe. I'd encourage you to give of your wealth to support these efforts.

Whether it's people like Adam and Kristy Griffith in Thailand, Tracey and Christine Keitt in Chile, Tom and Suja Brane in Burkina Faso, Brent and Anna Fudge in Haiti, Wendy Wagoner in Tanzania,  Dawid and Justyna Wawrzyniak in Poland, Daniel and Buzi Mawyio in Myanmar, or Sam and Brittany Gill in Pakistan. They (and many more) could use your help.

Use your wealth to change the world.

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

Why Did I Write That?

I recently wrote an article for the Christian Standard, a church magazine affiliated with my Restoration Movement religious tradition, entitled Counting Sheep. The point of the article is that churches should beware of only using worship attendance as a measure of success. Since it's written in a more authoritative tone, I thought I'd go a little further here explaining why I wrote the article in first place. I've always been inquisitive and find myself continually questioning why things are done in a certain way. I'm not sure it's merely due to my rebellious nature; I'm not just trying to question authority. It's just that too many times we assume that certain principles are universal, rather than just contextual. And if our rubric is skewed, we'll never arrive at a truly healthy place.

This is my critique of the church growth movement: it was born out of an American post World War 2 society where unchurched people were looking to establish a faith foundation. It was appropriate to rely on a body count at the time, when people were coming to church for the first time. Now, almost three generations later, the nation's percentage of Christians is in steep decline. Churches are finding it more and more difficult to reach the growing unchurched population, so we find ourselves in direct competition with other churches to attract consumeristically-minded believers.

It makes sense. This culture lends itself to larger and larger congregations and everyone wants to be a part of something successful. And the numbers are amazing. Just twenty years ago, a church of 7,000 was absolutely prolific. Now, there are more than 70 churches in the United States with over 10,000 people in attendance a week. As a result, systems enabling such large structures are becoming the norm among church practitioners. But if you question why we want churches to grow this large, the undeniable answer has been to claim that it's biblical.

And that was the major issue I wanted to deconstruct: I truly believe that church size is not a biblical issue. It is well within the parameters of biblical permission to have a very small church or a very large church. But using the Bible to suggest that we MUST have large churches is poor hermeneutic and, perhaps, an abuse of Scripture. There are many things that we do in the church that have no prooftext. We shouldn't assume to pull out some Bible verses to try to deflect criticism. What I hope happens is that, as our churches grow, we continue to ask ourselves if our growth is truly healthy.

In the article, I mention that part of my arrival to this position is what I've experienced this with Echo. I've been blessed to see some amazing things in our congregation, things absent in all of my previous ministries. I'm not trying to insult those churches, as all of them were numerically superior than Echo is. But if I held to only a quantitative formula of success, we would have shut this thing down a long time ago.

And my fear as that other church leaders will not be as discerning as they do ministry. But pastors' egos are a fragile thing; if they don't see an assumed yield, they could easily interpret it as a failed calling. So it's critical that we identify this well. Not every congregation will experience phenomenal growth, but that doesn't make it any less significant.

So this article wasn't bathed in bitterness, but motivated by hope and encouragement. I hope all believers can take pride in their congregation, no matter how big or small. There's plenty of room in the kingdom for all of us.

The Cincinnati "Almost"

I recognize that taste . . . it's very familiar . . . Ah yes, it's the aftertaste of dashed hope after another local sports team almost did something remarkable.

Like an oblivious teenager longing for reciprocal love, I give my all to my Cincinnati teams only to find myself crying into my pillow late at night. You think I'd be wiser after thirty-six years, but the leanings of my prepubescent heart always trumps acquired knowledge. I keep coming back for more and, thus, I'm constantly left with this taste of almost in my mouth—a full-bodied flavor of disappointment with just a hint of regret.

But I'm forever loyal to these teams; I just can't quit them.

It's in my DNA: I was born between Reds World Championships in the 1970s. And in my formative years, Cincinnati teams had a great run: between 1988 and 1991, the Reds won a World Series, the Bengals went to the Super Bowl, and UC basketball went to a Final Four. I remember jumping for joy when Todd Benzinger caught that foul ball in Oakland in 1990, but if that happened today, I might take off work for a week. This isn't New York: sports championships don't come by here very often. They're to be cherished and loved like your children (or at least like a nephew you see every couple of months).

Since those glory years, Cincinnati fans have been subjected to regular servings of almost: Bearcat basketball in the mid-1990's, the Reds in 1999 and 2010, Bearcat football in 2009, and the Bengals in 2005, 2009, and this year. You'd think just one of those teams could've won it all.

Almost.

But despite all the pain, I persevere. I love this city and, by default, civic pride demands that I love our teams. Someday, in my lifetime, one of these teams will win it all. It will be epic. And all these years of almost will be instantly forgotten.

And it could always be worse: we could live in Cleveland.

Confessions of a Chameleon

"Maybe I should scare the President," I wondered aloud to the people in the conference room. "I dare you," prodded Judy.

Oh, it was on.

There was a perfectly obscured spot right out of view of the glass doors. I waited until Dr Faust, Cincinnati Christian University's President, finished his trek up the hill towards the Welcome Center, right as he entered the doors. Suddenly and loudly I exclaimed, "GLAD TO SEE YOU THIS AFTERNOON, SIR" at which time he jumped back a foot. There was a smile on his face, but he vowed retribution.

It might not help my job security, but it's good times nonetheless.

You see, even past my childhood years, I've appreciated the element of surprise. Maybe it's one of the few tactics that a height-challenged person such as myself can employ, but there are very few things as enjoyable as innocently surprising someone. I mean you no harm, but if I have the opportunity to find a good hiding spot, I'll likely take advantage of it.

I fully embraced it in the early days of our marriage. Kelly and I lived in a tiny one-bedroom apartment and entertainment options were less plentiful then. If I got bored, I'd search for a creative hiding place—in a closet, under a desk, or even in the shower (she punched me hard in the chest for that one). As we moved up to bigger abodes, I held back on the hiding since it wasn't as challenging; also, I didn't think it fair to hide from her in a large house, thereby creating a complete atmosphere of fear. So over the past few years, I purposely allowed my hiding skills to lapse.

But things have changed. Now that Kaelyn is getting older, and loves being scared, I've picked it up again. I figure that our townhouse is smaller and there are now multiple people to frighten, my hiding is a little less scary. Kaelyn absolutely loves it; it must be in her DNA. It's almost a daily challenge between the two of us of who can hide the best. It's a process: I'm teaching her that hiding can't be predictable: this isn't Hide-And-Go-Seek. It's no fun hiding when people are expecting it. The key is the element of surprise. And it's also important to work some gamesmanship. In the morning, before she comes in my room, I throw the pillows under the covers to make her think I'm still in the bed before popping out at her. And she's started doing the same thing in her bed.

I'm training her to become a hiding Jedi.

So if Kaelyn or I randomly jump out at you, I apologize in advance. It's in our nature.

Better by the Year

I'm kinda excited about putting 2011 to sleep. In many ways, this was a difficult year; I'm pretty sure that it was my toughest pastoral year, as I was continually engaging unexpected issues. Additionally, my father had a heart attack at the beginning of the year, Kelly lost her grandfather at the end of the year, and in between numerous friends had illnesses and deaths in their families. I'm not sure the year was jinxed, but it sure did feel that way. But in looking back, it wasn't entirely bad. I enjoy some statistics, so I had a bit of fun reminiscing on my 2011 by the numbers. This year I . . .

• Took a (one) new position at Cincinnati Christian University (I still have to explain more about this sometime).
• Helped organize a (one) major convention.
• Ran two marathons.
• Wrote two lessons.
• Saw three concerts.
• Performed four weddings.
• Led four community walking tours.
• Taught four college courses (and one graduate course)
• Moved our church space after six years.
• Spent twenty nights in hotel rooms.
• Preached fifty-one sermons.
• Traveled some 10,000 miles (fortunately, however, for a short commute).

I enjoy looking back like this because I feel like I sucked the life out of this past year. But I simultaneously struggle because I know I both a) wasted some time as a result of laziness and b) devoted some serious time to projects that were wastes of time. Everything's a learning experience, so I might have actually grown during those failures, but I'd like to maximize efficiency. There's not much space for me to accomplish more in 2012, but I know I can do better.

And that's my word for 2012: "better." Sure, it's not a specific resolution, but I think it'll prove helpful. If I focus on preaching better, leading better, teaching better, and being present with my family better, I'm sure the year will feel like a success.

So here's to all of us making this a better New Year!

Top Tunes of 2011

I love year ending "best of" lists, but don't really feel qualified to write them. But this year,  I'm going to make an effort in music. Three things contributed to my developing a music swagger. First, the advent of Spotify gave me free access to more music than my Napster Days (of which I am now uber-repentant). And if the music industry is reading this (hopefully they'll ignore that Napster part), know that Spotify has encouraged my to purchase more music this year than I ever have. That leads me to the second contributing factor: my immersion into Amazon Digital Music. Five dollar (and sometimes even cheaper) albums have become my addiction. When we take our loose change to CoinStar, we'll get it in Amazon credit which translates into more music. And finally, we purchased an Apple TV, which can play songs through iTunes (including your iPhone), which has providing a soundtrack to our family reading time. Yep, I listened to a lot of music this year.

So in no particular order (yep, I'm copping out) here are my top songs of 2011.

Foo Fighters-Walk To me, this was Foo's year. Their band documentary came out, their tour (which Kelly and I witnessed firsthand was epic) and their album Wasting Light was one of the best of the year. The album is solid from front to finish, and I'll predict it earns a couple of Grammys. Dave Grohl said that this is the greatest song he's ever written and I'm hard pressed to disagree.

The Head and the Heart- Down in the Valley This band burst onto the national scene this year and I'm glad. Great harmonies (mixing a female voice among a couple of men), powerful piano, and driving melodies. I love all their stuff, but picked this one because it's a great sample of their work.

Manchester Orchestra- April Fool I've been huge on Manchester Orchestra, having the chance to hear them at the House of Blues in Boston this year. It was the same day their new album drop and it's another gem. Although I listen straight through all the tracks, April Fool is typical of their style. Try it out.

Typhoon- The Honest Truth Heard the live performance on a late night talk show and instantly loved it. I'm excited for the reemergence of horns in songs today. That combined with both the lyrics and the honest, choir singing makes this a song you should discover.

M83- Midnight City It's techno, not my normal style, but I have much respect for them. I'm not sure if it's my urban proclivities that make me like this song more (I don't nominate this song for sound urban theology), but it makes me happy listening to it.

Home- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Even though this song was released in 2009, it didn't reach traction in the U.S. until this year. Everything they do has a retro feel to it, and it was a constant jam as Kaelyn and I drove to school (who doesn't love whistling?).

JayZ and Kanye West-Otis I love JayZ and can tolerate Kanye's lack of humility, so I was excited about this release. Unless you prefer strong language repeated gratuitoulsy, do like I do and download the censored version. This tribute to Otis Redding will be on my marathon running playlist for years to come.

Fleet Foxes- Battery Kinzie Fleet Foxes blew up this year. Many people included them on their best albums of 2011 lists and it's well deserved. I think of them as the second coming of Simon and Garfunkel. Solid strings, deep emotion, and gorgeous harmonies make them a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

Wye Oak- The Alter The duo just has a nice sound. I'm not sure I can explain it any better. Civilian was a great album and, again, this song is just a primer on their sound. Check them out.

Adele-Rolling in The Deep When all is said and done, people will remember 2011 as Adele's year and I love it. Substance truly wins out over style here, with the isolation of a generational voice and the absence of Gaga-style antics. It's mind blowing that she's so young, leaving great hope that we'll have decades of her brilliance to enjoy. Even though Someone Like You is powerful, I'll admit to fatigue and opt for Rolling in the Deep.

The Speed of Web: Lessons from Ocean Marketing

The week between Christmas and New Year's has become one of my favorite times of the year. I'm off work with nothing really to do but eat and read. I guess the only downside is that no one creates new content during this week, so I'm either watching movies on the T.V. (I think we've watched like ten in the past few days) or scouring the interwebs for interesting things to read. One of my go-to sources over the past couple of years has been the social news website reddit. I daily view the site to discover what's popular on the internet. While some of the content is inappropriate, it still provides the easiest means to gauge public perception (I used to frequent reddit's rival digg.com, but the owners sold out to advertisers and their readership summarily plummeted). Users on reddit submit articles, and then people post their comments. The articles range plain silly to political, but there's always something there I can use at a later date. Yesterday on reddit, however, I witnessed what I view to be a perfect summation on how technology has transformed our world.

I'll attempt to retell the story sans geekiness: A small company manufactures a special kind of video game controller that disabled kids can use. As few inventors have the business savvy to distribute their product, the guy who made this controller outsourced his marketing to a third party. They took preorders on the controllers before Christmas, but were having problems getting the manufactured product shipped in from China. One of the guys who ordered the controller emailed the marketing company about the shipping delay and the guy who responded was thoroughly unprofessional in his responses. The marketing guy tried bullying the customer, name-dropped some people and, when an actual gaming website became involved, escalated the insults which were eventually all published online (click here to track through the exchange).

Within hours, an internet witch hunt had commenced. And within 24 hours, the guy had become a pariah. He's sought out other major gaming websites to tell his side of the story but in all likely-hood, when a potential client or company Googles him, this incident will define him as long as he lives.

I find all of this fascinating. On Monday morning, this guy woke up without a care in the world. By Tuesday night, he was known by millions around the world for being a first-class jerk. And there's likely little he can do to change things. At the very least, we can learn something from this tale.

1. We leave a digital trail. I recently read the following remark online: "[On] Facebook I feel as if I have to reserve myself, I hate to think twice before I post something. But on tumblr I feel as if I can post whatever without thinking twice." I'm not sure if this person thinks there's multiple internets where some things are more private than others, but the reality is whatever you post is there forever. Since I've had this blog for seven years now, I've always been mindful of this. Even an email could come back to haunt you.

As a result, we need to be incredibly judicial about what we say digitally. Another of the things I accomplished on vacation was switching over to Facebook's new timeline feature. It makes it easier than ever to look at what I've posted online over the past five years. I can fully understand why some people find this scary; you might be embarrassed now by things posted in the days of your youth. But it's there regardless. So think before you hit "send" or "post." It could save your future.

By the way, one of this marketer's typos has now become an internet meme. So when you read, "I wwebsite as on the internet," it's in reference to this story. I guess another lesson is that proofreading never hurts.

2. How you treat the least of these is important. The marketer's rudness towards the customer In the email exchange is what started this avalanche. And he maintained this posture when talking to a major video game webmaster, treating him like crap. This marketer had internally designated people into two camps: those that matter and those that don't. Here he severely miscalculated because, in the era of the world wide web, the powerless can easily muster an army. Even bullies hate to see someone getting bullied (well, at least by someone else), so people rally to the cause of justice. Again, the way this blew up on the web has the potential to frighten people but I'm actually encouraged. You should always treat people with the dignity and respect, as if the world is watching; in today's culture, they very well could be.

3. Culture is moving faster than ever. This isn't directly related to this story but needs to be stated. I wrote this post after explaining this story to my wife. How hilarious is it that I spent a couple of minutes talking about an email argument between two men over a video game controller? This episode won't shape world events, but it's relevant now. And such is the quick pace of culture in today's world.

Attention spans will continue to shrink as we move on to the next big news item or band or trend. It will be impossible to have the universal relevance that helped shape popular culture in the 20th century. So if you're attempting to reach out to people with your idea or product, you have to continually reapproach what you're doing; what you tried fifteen minutes ago is already dated. This will make it even more difficult for those concretely linked to certain methodologies. The future belongs to the fluid.

In short, be nice to people. Your future may depend on it.

Dead Blog? Nope. It's Just Chuck Testa.

I'm on vacation between now and the end of the year so I'm not only having a blast (can't beat hanging with the family), but also knocking some things off the to-do list: read some books, change out some shower heads, and do some website work. Yep, if you're reading this through a feed, you can head on over to houseofcarr.com to see the new look. This past November marked the seventh year of this site and I'm still thankful it exists. I started it before Kaelyn was born, before we started Echo, and before I hit my thirties. I've written nearly 1,600 posts in that time, and appreciate the opportunity to look back and reflect on experiences through things I wrote. Going through some of my older posts today, I noticed that my writing has developed steadily in style and substance. I think I'm easier to read now. Thanks for your patience.

But I've severely ignored the blog for awhile. Even though I've probably written a dozen, "it's been a long time since I last posted" articles over the years, I feel like I have some legitimate excuses for this current drought. Among them:

• I'm just plain busy. I have a day job, a night/weekend job, and a few other side jobs that soak up some time.
• The advent of social media. Even though I used my blog to question the viability of both Facebook and Twitter, I've utilized them more over the past couple of years because of the immediacy of use. When I first started this blog, MySpace was barely a year old, so a blog was the main way to get your voice out into cyberspace. I don't have the patience to write an entire post on my iPhone, but I can spit out 140 characters on it.
• I'm writing in other places. Since 2007, I've been steadily emerged in academic studies; a couple of weeks ago I finished the first chapter of my doctoral thesis. All that writing has affected the writing I do for leisure.

I don't want to wait until I wrap up my degree in order to devote more time to the blog, so I'm going to try to revive it. I'm hoping 2012 will be a House of Carr renaissance. We'll see if I'm all talk.

By the way, the blog title is a reference to my favorite YouTube video of 2011. Check it out here.

Chapter Two

After six years in one place, Echo Church is finally having to move. For the past two years, we have attempted to purchase the building we were renting. Our leadership went back and forth in negotiations with the Walnut Hill Christian Church, holding dozens of meetings about the property. But in the end, it didn't matter: the building was sold to a private owner who will renovate the edifice into a residence. We were notified last week that we need to be out of the building at the end of the month.

The process of purchasing the building was more exhausting than anything I could have ever imagined; I know that some time soon I'll put into words how ridiculous everything was (it will take multiple blog posts to be sure). We could've had the building if we had offered the right amount, but we were unwilling to leverage the future of our congregation by paying more than it was worth. My greatest sadness is that, when all was said and done, a building dedicated to the worship of God was treated with disrespect by its stewards. The dedication and desire of people who served over decades in this community was dismissed in favor of dollars. But we can walk away with heads held high, knowing that our leadership handled ourselves professionally throughout the entire process.

But that's all in the past. A great future now lies ahead of us

Echo Church is totally committed to remaining in Walnut Hills, our target community for ministry since our inception. And we have been blessed in securing a new location: starting December 4th, we'll be renting the Cincinnati Church of the Brethren at 950 Nassau Street in Walnut Hills.

The CCOB is a fifteen-year-old congregation which moved from the suburbs to urban Cincinnati in 2008. My wife and I have had the pleasure of getting to know their pastor and his family and we're energized by their dedication to this community; in fact, our two churches hosted a joint movie night last summer to reach out to the community. The Church of the Brethren offered us a generous rental rate that will help stretch our ministry efforts. We look forward to continued opportunities to partner with this congregation who is also dedicated to ministering in Walnut Hills.

Our current plan is to meet here on Sunday nights at 6pm, at least through next summer. We're viewing this location as a lay-over—providing us ample opportunity to take our time to search for a more permanent solution. But this building is a definite upgrade on our current location, with recently renovated amenities throughout. It'll take no time at all for us to settle in to our new home.

My sadness concerning the move is eliminated by thoughts of what will happen next. I've never been more excited about Echo. This little thing that we started in 2005 is going strong. I'm thankful for all of you who have bought in to our vision for ministry in urban Cincinnati. I ask for your continued prayers in our efforts as we move on to the next chapter in our story.

Wander Indiana

This past weekend I took a light run around Indianapolis. A 26.2 mile run.

I was a little disappointed after a somewhat soggy Flying Pig Marathon in the spring so I decided to go far a fall marathon. My two criteria: I wanted it to be nearby and I wanted it to be flat. Fortunately, Indianapolis' Monumental Marathon fit the bill.

After three marathons in my hometown, traveling to a race was a peculiar experience. I had to get up to Indy the day before, rent a hotel, and do a drive around town to familiarize myself with the course. Adding to the experience was that I encouraged the girls NOT to join me; obviously, I would've loved their presence, but the marathon expo closed early and we would have had to take Kaelyn out of school for me to make it on time. So I ran the entire marathon and saw absolutely no one that I knew.

Fortunately, the weather was almost perfect (just a little cool for my liking though), without a cloud in the sky. Some reflections of the day so I can remember it later on:

• It was cold in the morning. I was going back and forth whether to go short sleeves or long sleeves. It was just cool enough that I went long sleeves and I fully appreciated the decision. I just don't warm up well anymore.
• While the race was smaller/more simplistic than the Flying Pig, it was a pretty well-run organization. The crowds were fairly small, but they were incredibly encouraging.
• Indianapolis' downtown isn't as big as I thought it was. I'm often hanging out at the Convention Center, at the fringe of downtown, so running around gave me some good perspective. I'd say it's not any bigger than Cincinnati's Central Business District. Because of all the flat land, however, the homes near downtown had yards (something of a rarity in Over-the-Rhine).
• Most of my time in Indy has been around the suburbs, so I was very impressed with the beauty of the neighborhoods close to downtown. The northernmost portion of the course was in the trendy Broad Ripple area, but the surrounding neighborhoods were just as impressive. There were some beautiful old buildings along the course.
• My only complaint is that they didn't provide enough Gatorade. There was plenty of water to be had, but I prefer Gatorade early to store up for the end of the race. I avoided much of the water so I didn't get too slogged down in the middle of the race, but this left me slightly dehydrated at the end. My last two miles were by far my slowest.
• The race ended at the state capitol. There were people just past the finish line pushing petitions to change the state of Indiana back to the Central Time Zone. I walked on by, preferring to avoid such religiously charged political issues.

I finished the race with a personal best: 3 hours and 45 minutes. I was somewhat satisfied with my time. I had some a foot strain that prevented me from getting my long runs in, but I had no pain at all during the race. I'm figuring that I'm within ten minutes or so of my top possible speed. I just don't think my body is built for much more than that.

And congrats to my cousin's wife Michelle who ran the half-marathon and finished strong.

Not sure what I'll do next. I've passed that point where I'm trying to do something and now starting to explore what I can do. I'm sure I'll run the Flying Pig next year but after that . . . maybe more wandering.

Our Little (Town)House

Just a few months in to her public school education, we encountered our first parental objection to part of Kaelyn's curriculum. Kindergartners at Fairview-Clifton German Language School take part in a book reading program. Every day, Kaelyn brings home a library book that we are supposed to read together. Mostly, this has been an enjoyable endeavor; sure, there have been a few lackluster selections, but there's only so much you can do with a kids book. I'm starting to think that writing stories for children could be a great income source.

Last night, Kelly told me that she had previewed the book of the day and didn't want Kaelyn to read it. Curious of what kind of pagan ideology found in a kid's book could push my wife to advocating censorship, I took a look at it myself.

The selection was The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. It was published in 1942 (though I'm assuming it was actually written in 1941, before the start of the Second War World), but I can remember it reading it when I was a child. For those of you unfamiliar with it, the Disney Corporation made it into a cartoon in 1952 [accessible by clicking here]. Although the cartoon isn't totally faithful to the text, the concept remains the same: it's the tale of a small house on a hill in a rural area where life is great. The house secretly wishes it could partake of city life, but little does the little house know, the city would soon come to her. As roads come her way, an imposing society builds up around her, leaving her cold and lonely. All seems lost until the house is relocated back to the country. The concluding page of the book reveals the house's lessons learned:

Never again would she be curious about the city . . .

Never again would she want to live there . . .

The stars twinkled above her . . .

A new moon was coming up . . .

It was spring . . .

and all was quiet and peaceful in the country.

And this is why my wife did not want my daughter to read this book.

Now I've got to give it up to Kelly. I absolutely love that she's so passionate about our family's urban lifestyle that her visceral reaction was to protect our daughter from views that could disappoint her. But Kelly's not really the censoring type, and I figured if Kaelyn's urban school offered it, it couldn't be that bad. One of the things about city living is that you can't really cover-up the real world, so I went ahead and read the book with her this morning. After we finished, I eagerly awaited her response.

She asked for breakfast.

It might seem like much ado about nothing, but we get paranoid about raising our kid in the city. Kelly's upbringing was suburban, and mine was practical rural, with some 'burbs and city on the side. Since we both cherished our childhood experiences, we want to make sure she's not shortchanged. And for the past sixty years, the American dream has been contextualized as a suburban abode. Burton wasn't starting a movement with her kid's book, but was reflecting a reality that took off after World War II. So it really feels like we're swimming upstream here.

But the beautiful thing is that Kaelyn knows nothing different. She's been a city girl her whole life— always surrounded by people and noise, her only yard a public park. But the benefits have been innumerable. She absolutely loves the city; she tells us all the time.

So our little townhouse might be crammed in the little of the city, but I don't think she's sad. And unlike that weepy home, our family's urban curiosity is far from being satisfied.

By the way: here's the shirt that Kaelyn wore to school this morning:

I think that settles it.

p.s. A kid's book that I loved about the city was one that Kelly found. It's called Rose's Garden, and was inspired by the life of Rose Kennedy. A little video introduction to the book can be found here.

Disrespecting Math

Six years ago tonight we held the first worship gathering for Echo Church. In some respects, it's been a difficult trek; after six years, we're still not where I thought we'd be after two years. If 29 year-old Steve knew the road that awaited him in this endeavor, I'm sure he would have taken another route. But that guy was a moron.

The vast majority of us pastors are egomaniacs. If we pursue a minister endeavor, we feel compelled to justify that our work is significant. I do this often times with Echo, attempting to quantify how well things are progressing. But I soon realize how pathetic I am. I solely need to take comfort in the fact that God is using this congregation for His glory; I should leave the evaluation to Him, and Him alone.

I discovered some affirmation of this in some of my recent reading. In the late 19th century, a Japanese evangelist named Uchimura Kanzo visited the United States. After encountering our society, including our very Western incarnation of faith, he made the following observation:

“Americans are great people; there is no doubt about that. They are great in building cities and railroads. . . . Americans have a wonderful genius for improving breeds of horses, cattle, sheep and swine. . . . Americans too are great inventors. . . . Needless to say, they are great in money. . . . Americans are great in all these things and much else; but not in religion. . . . Americans must count religion in order to see or show its value. . . . To them big churches are successful churches. . . . To win the greatest number of converts with the least expense is their constant endeavor. Statistics is their way of showing success or failure in their religion as in their commerce and politics. Numbers, numbers, oh how they value numbers.”

He's correct. And he wrote this 100 years ago.

I need to cherish the fact that our numbers just don't add up. And I do. I just need to remind myself of this. Constantly.

I absolutely love Echo Church. I'm blessed with the opportunity to serve as one of her shepherds. And I'm grateful for the people who have joined us in this journey—both those here now and those who have joined us along the way. Greater things are yet to come. Of this, I'm certain.

And I love the fact that there'll be plenty more of these anniversaries to come.

End of an Era

A little more than six years ago my friend Aaron and I were driving around Walnut Hills on a weekday afternoon, looking for a place where we could start a new church. While driving towards our first potential location I took a wrong turn and we came across a beautiful, old church building. "Let's try here," Aaron suggested.

I was doubtful. It was a Disciples of Christ congregation, a cousin denomination to our own Independent Christian Church; our movements split over differing theological convictions decades ago. But with nothing to lose, we pulled into the empty church parking lot and knocked on the church door.

No one answered.

But as we were leaving, a car pulled into the lot. We introduced ourselves to the driver as two ministers who were looking to start a church in the neighborhood. We asked the man, the chairman of the church board, if his church be willing to rent out their facility to us on Sunday nights?

He seemed open to the idea and let us inside. We were in awe of this facility. Sure, it was dated and in need of some improvements, but the location and amenities would work out perfectly. Long story short, the very first contact we made about renting ended up being the place where we've been for the entirety of our church's life. We are indebted to the Walnut Hills Christian Church for renting us the space where Echo Church was born.

Over the years, we've tried to express our thanks to Walnut Hills Christian Church— we've worshipped with them, held joint church events, and even made facility improvements. I've preached there at least one Sunday a year since we started renting from them.

But next week, the Walnut Hills Christian Church is closing their doors. After 130 years of ministry, a declining membership/bank account has forced them to make the difficult decision to shut down. The situation with the building is still up in the air. We at Echo have put in a proposal that their leadership is still weighing out. Right now, I have no idea whether we will end up with the 90 year old structure or whether we'll have to find a new location.

Regardless of what happens, we want to pay homage to this congregation that facilitated our beginning.

So this Sunday, September 25th at 11:00am, I'm inviting you to join us at Echo Church in worshipping with the Walnut Hills Christian Church one final time. Thirteen decades of service to a community should be applauded. If you're able, I'd love to see you there.

Not Quite Lazy

Haven't had the chance to write much lately. In the past four weeks, the world at the House of Carr has been spinning even faster.

• Kaelyn started all-day kindergarten and a 13-year journey in public education.
• Kelly transitioned to life without constant Kaelyn presence.
• Kelly greatly expanded her volunteer role, with Echo and multiple other ventures.
• I wrapped up a sermon series on minor prophets, preached a sermon from the Apocrypha and am starting through the Gospel of Mark.
• I'm training for a marathon that I may/may not run in November.
• I attended a local conference sponsored by a young professionals organization.
• I took a new position within Cincinnati Christian University (teaser—more news on this soon).
• As a result, I'll be moving offices down the hall, forcing an array of logistical issues.
• I'm waiting to transition jobs until we get this current recruiting class enrolled next week.
• We had dinner with Papi and Heidi, our missionaries in Poland.
• I'm doing a wedding this weekend for Terry and Laura from Echo Church (our second Echo wedding).
• I'm doing another wedding in six days for some other friends.
• We're still negotiating to purchase the church building we're currently renting.
• Just in case Echo is forced to move, we're exploring other rental possibilities within the neighborhood.

I'm not complaining; a busy life is far from boring. I'm just justifying my lack of content as of late. I'm sure I'll have something more substantive to read soon.

Survived

I had no idea how crazy the first day of school experience would be. I think it was exacerbated by the fact that Kaelyn was attending all-day Kindergarten; the thought of her being at school for six-and-a-half hours a day, seven days a week is intimidating (at bedtime tonight, she whispered to her mother, "I wish we could just have kindergarten two days a week, just like preschool"). In the end, however, everything went splendidly, and we're pretty sure that she didn't cry . . . or at least not that much. She's going back again tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. My take away from today is that the parents were likely more nervous than the children. As we stood in line to get Kaelyn checked in this morning, the man in front of us knocked over a framed-needlework hanging on the wall. As it hit the ground, glass shattered all over the floor, and the professionally-dressed gentleman did his best to play it off. But the damage was done (both literally and metaphorically): things would never again be the same.

As Kelly and I stood in front of Kaelyn's teacher, listening to our daughter answer questions about herself, I felt a set of arms wrap around my leg. It was a five-year old Chinese boy. He looked up at me, expecting to see his father, but realized that he latched onto the wrong man's limb. He quickly jumped back, clinging for dear life to his dad's hand. His father and I looked at each other and just laughed.

Yep, nerves were high today. But change is a part of life. And today was a time to let go.

Yet Another Building Update

Friends, I apologize if it seems that all I talk about is our meeting space, but I want you to know the latest:

Since we started Echo six years ago, we've rented from the Walnut Hills Christian Church. They told us they were closing their doors and are trying to get rid of their building. Things are slightly complicated, however, as the church's pastor is trying to plant a new church out of this congregation and they desire to use the funds from the building sale to go towards the new church, so they will not gift us the building.

Last month we put in an offer. As the facility is in need of substantial repairs, our offer factored in these costs (this offer, by the way, permitted us to obtain the building without using bank financing). While our leadership firmly believes that our offer was fair, the Walnut Hills Christian Church feels that their property is much more valuable than we do. In a meeting yesterday, we were informed that they've decided to list the building with a realtor at a price $300,000 more than our offer. They plan to keep their church open for some extended amount of time (because the building is an existing liability that would need to be moved before closure) and suggested that they would keep it listed for at least six months.

We believe that market realities will make it very difficult for them to get anywhere near their asking price. There are multiple church buildings in our community which sit vacant not only because of the cost of renovation/maintenance but also because of the limited options surrounding them (zoning issues and peculiar layouts are a headache for transitioning use). And since the housing market has dried up, residential development on the plot isn't likely, so there is really no other use for this structures except for a church. And it's extremely tough to find a buyer because it's nearly impossible for churches our size to get financing.

Our leadership is more concerned with Echo's viability than with owning a building so we will not submit another offer. Our current offer will remain on the table so that, if nothing else materializes, we could still end up with the building. And we will be able to continue to meet there until it's sold so we probably wouldn't have to move anytime in the next couple of months. So, for now, it's business as usual.

We will continue to examine other meeting options in the neighborhood (something we've done throughout the past couple of years) to ensure that our congregation will have some place to gather.

So we're still in a holding pattern. We will keep you posted with any further developments. Thanks for your patience and your prayers. Again, Echo is and will be much more than a building. We'll keep ministering in the city regardless of where we meet.

Blessings,

steve

Just One

Lady: "So do you have any brothers and sisters?"Kaelyn: "No." Lady: "Oh, not yet? Kaelyn: [silence]

Next week, the daughter will begin a thirteen-year journey through public education. While we possess great confidence in the school to educate her well, Kelly and I are both a little sad that she'll be in kindergarten all day long. Sure, she did preschool last year (attending a couple of days a week) in order to prepare her for the experience, but this is just different. I suspect part of our anxiety is centered in the fact that Kaelyn's our only child; we're sending everything we have to this place.

We never set out to have just one kid. I assumed we'd have at least two, possibly three. Kaelyn's arrival was surprising and complicated, occurring two months premature. If Kelly hadn't been motivated to see her doctor when she wasn't feeling right (she was actually having contractions), our daughter may not be here today. Kelly then spent a couple of weeks in the hospital on bed rest, hoping to buy more time for the girl's lungs to develop; it was a trying experience. And then, after the birth, Kaelyn spent nearly a month in the Neonatal ICU. I remember clearly one afternoon when she called me from the hospital: another baby in the NICU had died. Kelly called me in tears, thoroughly shaken by how close our daughter had come to death herself. We were probably overtly careful during those first few months that she was home, worried that we might break our delicate baby.

It all worked out though.

And about two years later, Kelly was pregnant again. This time, however, it didn't work out. We lost the baby early on. We knew several friends and family members who had their own miscarriages, but nothing can truly prepare you for it. It was tough, but we made it through. And later that fall, Kelly found out she was expecting again. We had great hopes, yet we had a second miscarriage in the same year.

I'm not sure what exactly changed within us, but our perspective was different. One troubled birth and two miscarriages left Kelly exhausted, both mentally and physically; she struggled with the desire to risk it again, and I was right there with her. Honestly, I don't know how women do it. I couldn't imagine her going through all that pain and heartache again.

That's when we considered that Kaelyn might likely be an only child.

And since then, I've always felt obligated to explain this to people. You see, when you have just one kid, people assume that there are more on the way. And when you state that you have just one, people ask you about adoption or other opportunities; it's as if one child is unacceptable, like we've decided to raise an alien. I always find it interesting that having two children is normal, but having one less makes you peculiar.

But we've never felt the need to succumb to societal norms in any other aspect of our lives! And since there is no biblical precedent here, our consciences are clear; we've maintained a great peace about this.

For the past couple of years, Kelly and I have sought the counsel of people with just one child. We've asked them why, we've asked them about advantages and disadvantages. Perhaps subconsciously, we've explored whether or not we were doing right. Fortunately, God continually blesses us with some great examples of one-child families. We're confident that Kaelyn will be normal (whatever that means). And our family feels complete. I could never adequately express the joy I have with my two ladies.

I will admit that we are a tad paranoid about not spoiling the daughter. I'm likely tougher on her than she needs, but we refuse to raise an ingrate! Seriously, we try to be aware of the temptation.

I've been planning on writing this for over a year now because I'm hoping it's helpful to people reading this. I'm just suggesting that we all be considerate. The topic of children is difficult for many people, from those all over the spectrum. Perhaps they're physically unable to have children. Perhaps they come from a big family and want a slew of kids themselves. Perhaps they had a previous family experience that makes it a painful subject. Everybody has a story. So let's tread lightly. There's no "right" family size out there.

As for Kaelyn, I'm not worried. She's a thinker. She's compassionate. She's an includer. She's beautiful. She might not have siblings, but God's blessed her with a gaggle of cousins and friends that she can access.

I'm loving watching her grow up.

An Update About Our Church

This is an email I sent out to our church this evening. I'm posting it here because I know some of you on the outside might be interested as well. We'll appreciate any of the additional prayers you'd like to contribute. Dear Church,

For those of you who were unable to attend our gathering this evening, I wanted to share with you some news. Today Echo Church put in an offer for purchasing the Walnut Hills Christian Church building at 1438 East McMillan (the facility in which we've been meeting since our beginning in 2005).

A few weeks ago, we were notified that WHCC would be closing their doors at the end of September and are actively looking to dispense of their property. There is another congregation with whom they're negotiating and our offer is much less than theirs; this is purposeful, as we intend to purchase it without outside financing. We believe ours is a fair offer as there is quite a bit of repair and upkeep necessary to get the facility up-to-date. Our leadership will engage with WHCC leaders in the next week or two to discuss our proposal further.

As of now, everything is up in the air. But I'm asking you to pray. And, if possible, I'd like for you to head over the building this week to pray. Go with others if you like or go alone. Take a lap around the premises (or just sit on the front steps) and pray over this property.

I firmly believe that God led us to this location for a purpose. If we were to obtain this building, our presence in Walnut Hills would be cemented for decades to come. Real estate in the city is difficult to come by, especially for congregations like ours. So let's bathe this opportunity in prayer and see what happens.

Finally, understand this: as much as we love this building, it's only brick and mortar; our church will continue regardless of where we meet. We eagerly anticipate what God holds in store for us. So let's entrust him with it and see what happens.

Blessings, friends. I love serving with you in our ministry to the city, steve

The N.A.C.C. And Me

This week is the culmination of thirteen-month labor of love. From July 5th through 8th, the North American Christian Convention will take place at the Duke Energy Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati. For those of you unfamiliar with that of which I speak, I wrote up a brief explanation of what our (un)denomination is all about. Check it out here. A little over a year ago, I was asked to serve as a Local Arrangements Coordinator for the N.A.C.C. Another minister and I partnered with the convention staff to oversee the nearly 1,000 volunteers required to make the convention happen. I knew it would be a bit of work, but I was somewhat naive as to how much work it would require. I've attended a slew of meetings, had to call in a gaggle of favors, and almost maxed out my email inbox. But there's a light at the end of the tunnel now. We're a couple of days away from the convention and I'm looking forward to seeing how it will go off.

If you're curious, I'd invite you to attend. At least you can peek in on the main sessions. You can learn more about this year's convention at their website: 2011.gotonacc.org.. And if you can't make it downtown, you can watch it online. Click here for a link.

I'd love to see you there!

Urban Perception (Part Three)

"Hey! The newspaper!" I yelled loud enough down the street so he could easily hear me. "Oh, sorry 'bout that," he responded as he turned around. "I thought it was one of those free ones."

Um, yeah, it WAS one of those free ones. Someone else paid for it. He stole my neighbor's paper.

Staring out the front window of our house, stretching before my morning run, I witnessed this little theft. The funny thing is, I wasn't going to say anything at all. My neighbor continually leaves her papers out on the front lawn. Almost daily I throw it on her doorstep and they sometimes collect there for days. So why bother yelling at the man? I mean, if she's not really interested in it, why not let another guy read the paper?

I knew I had to say something, at least for the principle of it.

You see, just the day before, I wrote that letter to the editor of the Enquirer about the state of my community. I took offense to the fact that a reporter made Walnut Hills sound like Snake Plissken's New York City. But I'm pretty sure that newspaper theft is the least of people's concerns about Walnut Hills. But in some way, it too contributes to the safety complex. When people feel unsafe, they're unwilling to speak up. They will easily overlook obvious transgressions of others because they're afraid of what could happen.

So how do you make a community a safer, more livable place? The culmination of my urban perception series is to urge something that transcends the urban context. It's something that you can do anywhere that would assist in making all the world (city, suburban, or rural) even better.

Move.

I'm not suggesting that you sell your home and relocate. I'm saying that you need to do something. You need to stop standing on the sideline in fear. You need to be engaged. If you see something, say something. If action is necessary, you be the one to do it; if you don't, no one else will. You need to vanquish your fears and do what's best for those who cannot speak. You have the potential to redefine personal safety. And it's done by moving.

My challenging the guy who stole the newspaper is not the first time I've said something. Over the past six years, I've spoken to total strangers concerning their transgressions. For example: if I witness someone litter, I'll let them know I saw it. And if it's a child, I will make them pick it up. And they always do. They've probably never been confronted about it. You need to move, because inaction permits fear to set up shop. Could something happen to me? Of course, but I'd rather go out while moving than in a state of compliance.

You don't have to live where I do. You don't have to see the world the way that I do. But if you're going to complain about safety while cowering, then you've already lost.

Do something already. Stake claim to your own safety.