More Than I Can See

By Mike Yaconelli
It doesn’t take much to make most of us realize that we have become too
serious, too tense, too stressful. The result is that we have forgotten
how to live life. It seems like the older we get, the more difficult it
is for us to enjoy living.

It reminds me of a description of life given by Rabbi Edward Cohn: “Life
is tough. It takes up a lot of your time, all your weekends, and what do
you get in the end of it?”

I think that the life cycle is all backward. You should die first, get it
out of the way. Then you live twenty years in an old-age home. You get
kicked out when you’re too young. You get a gold watch, you go to work.
You work forty years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement.
You go to college; you party until you’re ready for high school; you go
to grade school; you become a little kid; you play. You have no
responsibilities. You become a little baby; you go back into the womb;
you spend your last months floating; and you finish up as a gleam in
somebody’s eye.

It’s hard to imagine we were a gleam in someone’s eye once. What happened
to the gleam in our eye? What happened to that joyful, crazy,
spontaneous, fun-loving spirit we once had? The childlikeness in all of
us gets snuffed out over the years….

The sign that Jesus is in our hearts, the evidence of the truth of the
gospel is … we still have a light on in our souls. We still have a
gleam in our eye. We are alive, never boring, always playful, exhibiting
in our everydayness the “spunk” of the spirit. The light in our souls is
not some pietistic somberness, it is the spontaneous, unpredictable love
of life…I believe it’s time for the party to begin.

Copyright 1989 Mike Yaconelli. Permission is granted to send this to
others, with attribution, but not for commercial purposes.

Below you will find Russ Blowers’ obituary. 

The summer before 9th, I heard Russ Blowers’ preach a sermon from Nehemiah 6, “Do you know why you’re here?”  I listened to it dozens of times.  It was one of the most important sermons I’ve ever heard.  My passion to live a life that matters was sparked by that sermon.

When I emailed the news of Russ Blowers passing to my brother, Phil, do you know what he remembered?  Playing basketball with Mr. Blowers.  No, my brother isn’t shallow.  He remembers the sermon, as well.

But, Phil’s response was a strong reminder of what matters.  As a preacher, we hope people will be changed by our sermons.  As parents, we hope our kids will listen to our instruction.  As professionals, we hope our work will matter in some significant way.  But, when all is over, what people may remember more is…. playing basketball with them.

Russ Blowers, who in 45 years of ministry increased a local congregation 30-fold through his love for people and passion for spreading the Gospel, has died of an undiagnosed illness at a Northside hospital.

Russ Blowers

• Age: 83.
• Hometown: Zanesville, Ohio.
• Education: He attended Ohio State University on the GI Bill, studying journalism and commerce before realizing he had a calling to attend seminary. After getting married, he moved to Indianapolis, where he did his graduate work at Christian Theological Seminary.
• Military career: Joined the Army Air Forces when he was 18 and was assigned as a ground crewman for the 55th Fighter Group Association based in Albuquerque, N.M. Served in World War II.
• Church career: He served as pastor of East 91st Street Christian Church for 45 years. He retired to take care of his wife, Marian, who developed Alzheimer’s disease in the mid-1990s. She died in 2004.

He was 83.

Blowers, who died Saturday night, was the longest-serving minister at one of Central Indiana’s largest congregations, East 91st Street Christian Church near Castleton Square Mall. He was a nationally known leader in the Christian community.

In 45 years with the East 91st Street congregation, he shepherded the church’s growth from about 150 members in 1951 to the nearly 4,500 who attended services Sunday.

Over those years he performed thousands of weddings, baptisms and funerals and molded his congregation into a “mission-minded” church with a focus on international outreach, said his younger son, Paul, 52.

A friend of Billy Graham, the Rev. Blowers led the way in bringing Graham to Indianapolis on three separate crusades and was invited by the minister to speak in North Carolina. He counseled politicians from Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., to former U.S. Rep. Andy Jacobs, D-Ind.

Family members and friends say Blowers’ gift for ministry stemmed from his keen people skills. He rarely forgot a name and spent countless hours making hospital visits and helping parishioners solve problems. Though in later years his congregants numbered in the thousands, he had a knack for making personal connections.

“Everybody in the church felt they were his friend,” said Bob Walters, a close friend of Blowers’ who joined the church six years ago after hearing him give a sermon. “What compelled so many people over the years was his ability to connect.”

Blowers was born in Zanesville, Ohio, in June 1924, the same month and year the congregation he served throughout his life was started. He grew up in White Cottage, Ohio, among a blue-collar family of non-believers.

He served in London in the Army Air Forces during World War II and returned to meet his wife, Marian, who introduced him to his faith. They married in 1946.

Blowers came to Indianapolis in 1950 to attend Christian Theological Seminary.

Walters said Blowers was the 19th pastor to lead the small congregation that would become East 91st Street Christian Church.

Back then the church, called the East 49th Street Christian Church, was in a ramshackle building south of Broad Ripple. Later that decade, the church moved to a larger building across the street and in 1977, cramped for space, it moved to its current location on the Far Northside.

Derek Duncan, the church’s current senior pastor, said Bowers had a passion for the Gospel but conveyed it in a manner that was more akin to a teacher than a fire-and-brimstone preacher.

“He had the heart of Billy Graham, but he was a local shepherd,” Duncan said. “He loved Indianapolis, and he just wanted to shepherd the people here.”

After more than four decades with the congregation, Bowers retired in 1996. He remained an active leader in the church and community.

Many said his post-retirement ministry was serving Marian, who was stricken by Alzheimer’s disease in the early 1990s. After she went to live in a retirement home in 1997, he visited her daily to share meals and sing to her. She died in 2004.

His older son, Phil, 56, said one of the greatest lessons he learned from his father was the importance of a faithful relationship with his wife.

Last summer Blowers, his two sons and his grandson, Colin, 17, took a trip to England and Normandy, France, to visit the sites of his World War II days. When they returned, Blowers fell ill and never recovered.

Despite several tests, doctors could not diagnose his illness. In the last three weeks before his death, his condition worsened, and emergency surgery caused him to deteriorate further.

Life is fast AND we know we need private time with God. In April, a friend told me how he captures time first thing in the morning. Before he gets out of bed, he spends a few moments thanking God for blessings and committing to God the day ahead.

Then, he almost apologized, saying that he knew it didn’t sound very spiritual…. Spiritual people get out of bed, get onto their knees, and…. do things like spiritual people.

Since then, I’ve been doing the same thing. When I wake up, most mornings my first thoughts are something like: “Thanks God that You are with me. I don’t know what’s ahead today, but thanks that You do. Thanks that You’re already there. Prepare the way for me.”

To be open with you, part of me has felt a little unspiritual that I’m still on my bed, not on my knees. Well, in my devotions this am, I read the following:

Psalms 41:4, “Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.”

Either the Psalmist was as unspiritual as I am, or it must be a good thing to chew on life with God before getting out of bed! For me, it’s the first step in my day of being a disciple of Jesus.  Does it work for you?  Let me know!

Our Saturday morning men’s Bible study focused on Nehemiah 3 this week. Read it lately?

“The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. ⁴Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him…”

It’s as exciting as reading the phone book. But, one of the guys summarized how we all felt by the end of time together, “This is a great chapter, but I never would have gotten any of this out of it just reading it on my own.”

Me, too. If I hadn’t been preparing for a group, I would have run past this chapter’s dry litany.  But, as a group, we gleaned that…

· Big tasks CAN get done if God’s people work together

· Everyone matters

· There’s a role lots of different kinds of people

· Goldsmiths and perfume makers have to get their hands dirty, if the wall is going to be built

· There will always be “nobles” who think putting their shoulder to the wall is beneath them

· Spiritual Heritage inspires (think how it would feel to have this passage read in the synagogue if one of the names read was your great-grandfather)

· Organizationally, put people to work “close to where they live”

Reading the Bible on your own is essential to spiritual self-leadership. However, something powerful happens when we study together in groups.

Are you in a group?

If not, talk to a friend who’s in one, or contact Josh Burnett at joshb@newlife4me.com. God speaks when believers seek Him together!

In a rapidly moving world, changes happen every nanosecond. We can’t avoid it. We can’t stop it. We either learn to respond to it, or lead it, or it steamrolls us.

So, if you are breathing in 2007 (which I’m assuming you are if you are reading this blog—you may be bored, but that still counts), you will either be an agent of change or a victim of change. Windshield or bug? Your choice.

Last week, I rediscovered another old booklet, Business as Unusual, filled with great stuff on change. For instance:

· Be positive—“Anybody can be cheerful when things are rosy.” See change as opportunity, not enemy

· Focus on short-range objectives—In a rapidly changing world, 6 months is long-term planning. Build wins by taking smaller, immediate hills.

· Establish clear priorities—Who are you? What matters most? Don’t lose focus.

· Get resistance to change out in the open—Expect resistance. If there is no resistance, you are too stable or too complacent.

· Encourage risk-taking and initiative

· Don’t try to cover all your bases yourself—Teams. Teams. Teams. Read Nehemiah 3. Is the objective building a wall or building people?

· Rebuild morale

· Go looking for bad news—Don’t fear problems, threats and obstacles. Find them. Let God use them to make you and your team stronger.

· Create a supportive work environment—In uncertain times, we need safety more than ever. Jesus handed the 70 a dangerous assignment, then gave them a safe place to return to.

I hope you had a great summer.

For me the great thing about summer isn’t that life slows down, but it allows us to “get away” from routines. The last twelve months for me were dominated by our building campaign. It’s been wonderful in a James 1 kind of way. I’ve seen God at work. I’ve heard God more clearly. I’ve never been more excited about walking in lock-step with His leading—even when I’m not sure exactly what the road ahead may look like.

By May and June, I felt more energetic for ministry than ever; yet, I knew if I didn’t take some time to step back during the summer, I would be like the guy who tried to run the 400 meter race like a 100 meter sprint. “You will break the bow if you keep it always bent,” the American Indian’s used to say.

So, I spent a week at a national Christian convention. Great stuff. We’re going to be part of another church plant out of that convention.

I took a week of vacation.

I worked a week at home preparing for camp, writing sermons.

(This tells you how my heart beats: I wrote four sermons this summer! That was one of my first goals, and I made it!)

I spent a week at Junior camp. Cindy O’Conner is a great Dean. New Life kids (we have about 50) are great kids. New Life adults are fun, creative, and need to go to be earlier!

I worked a couple regular weeks in the office in August. Preached a couple times (Anyone still lookin’ for an easy life?).

Laura’s family offered us a free timesharer in Williamsburg—we spent about 3 days there. Precious memories with just our family. I feel so blessed. Lots of laughter and free miniature golf.

We spent a few days at the lake with family. (You’ll hear more about this is weeks to come, sorry!) It was Crawford County Fair week. I gained 10 pounds on Fair food. (My Dad left a message on my cell after we got home. “Brett,” he said, “that’s my childhood.” Dad loves to take the kids to the Fair. I do to—he pays for all their stuff!)

Now, we’re back and I’m energized to go.

Read Mark 6 the other day. John the Baptist gets beheaded. His followers are spent. Exhausted. Disillusioned. Weary. They come to Jesus for answers. Jesus’ response is classic:

³¹And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. ³²So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.

Jesus doesn’t given them answers. He says, “Let’s get away and rest together.”

Years ago, I was advised to take time every summer for a study break. Rest needs to be proactive, not just reactive. (That’s why Sabbath was a command in the top ten, not just an application later on.) Rest does not always mean doing nothing (that would drive me crazy). Often, it means a change of pace. Go to a conference. Spent more time reading. Get away with significant people in your life. Or, if you’re like I am, write four sermons.

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold    

In settings of silver. (Proverbs 25:11)

I spent a few hours Saturday rearranging some of my books, trying to re-establish some order in my home office. In the process, I picked up some of those “I’ve got to read this” old books.

One book I picked up was a collection of old Peter Marshall sermons entitled “Apples of Gold.” Other than reading the Bible, nothing encourages me more than reading old sermons. (perhaps, this is why I’m a preacher?)

One line from the first sermon was an “apple of gold”: “The solemn thing about words is that before you speak them, you are their master. After you speak them, they are your master.”

(The next time you get into an emotional discussion, the next time someone is pushing your buttons, or the next time you type an email you’re not sure you should send, those are good words to remember.)

Got any old books you’ve been meaning to read? Perhaps, God is prompting you as He prompted me to pick them up. New books are great, trendy, fresh. Old books are time tested and may hold some apples of gold for you today.

Parents, you have more influence than you realize—even with your teens.

“The Associated Press and MTV conducted a joint online survey on ‘the nature of happiness among America’s young people’ in which they posed over 100 questions to 1280 Americans between ages 13 and 24. The results… just may shock you.”

“The most frequent response to the open-ended question, ‘What one thing makes you happy?’ was spending time with family….”

“It gets better. It’s not just family in general; parents are the primary factor. If you combine the responses which selected one or both parents, 73 percent said their relationship with their parents makes them happy… When asked to name their heroes, nearly half of the respondents mentioned one or both of their parents.”

–Katie Favazza, writing in “To Everything, There is a Study,” at Townhall.com

Laura and I have just spent the last week and a half doing family stuff. We’ve played Putt-Putt, walked through the Crawford County Fair, and sat around the piano singing old hymns with four generations of family. We’ve enjoyed many moments we’ll cherish for life.

Now, as I gear up for the Fall, I’m thinking about all my discipleship activities: Saturday men’s study, Sunday night middle school life group, Monday AM life group, Wednesday discipleship group, and coaching staff. Then, I read this MTV (!) study that says kids want to spend time with their parents!

I’m reminded…making disciples begins at home. Zachary, our oldest, is 15 years old already… Growing up so fast.

I’m reminded… our calling is to make disciples. Nothing matters more than that. And, our calling begins with our children. The great news is that our kids want our time. Our kids want us to lead them—even when they don’t show it on the outside.

So, as I plan for the Fall, I’m asking myself about the plan for my most important life group this Fall—family.

Quick ideas for discipling your kids:

1) Worship together every Sunday

2) Pray together at least once a day

3) Set an example (do your kids see you reading the Bible? Serving in the church? Sharing your faith?)

4) Talk about spiritual stuff (talk about the church, about missions, about ministry, about spiritual questions)

What ideas do you have for discipling children? Teens? Write in and let me know.

We stayed in a hotel in Cranberry PA last night we’ve stayed in 3 or 4 times before. Sometime since we last stayed here, the hotel experienced a moderate makeover. Flat screen tvs bigger than a coffee table replaced old-fashioned 25 inchers. Big, puffy pillows replace flat, ordinary-people pillows. Out with anything plastic looking. Dark woods and ceramic is everywhere. Upgrades galore.

What strikes me this morning, however, is the most significant upgrade: customer service. Walk in the door, the front desk people approach you, asking how they can help, offering to get you a cart. Walk past the desk, others behind the counter look up from their work to offer a friendly smile (as though the person walking past is more important than the work on their agenda in front of them… I could learn something from that). When I asked where to put my flatware, rather than pointing me to another room, the man behind the counter says, “I’ll take care of that for you.”

As I observe the staff, I’m impressed that someone has impressed on them one attitude: humility.

A nice building with fancy ornamentation is nice. Friendly, helpful, humble service makes me want to come back.

Thinking about the church. What makes people come back? A cool building will be great. Solid preaching and consistent music will draw. But, humble, friendly people make the difference.

Northern VA is not known for friendliness. Want to be a bright spot in a dark place? Just be friendly, helpful and humble with newcomers on Sunday morning and in your Life Groups.

When Laura and I announced we were expecting our first child, do you know what many parents said?  “Welcome to the real world!  You’re not really married until you’ve had children.” 

I was always a bit put off by that because children are a blessing from the Lord, but I understood the intent.

I had two interesting conversations on Wednesday.  One was with a highly respected, large church, minister in Indianapolis.  He asked me how things were going.  I said, “We feel very blessed.  We have scrapes and bruises like everyone, but very blessed….” Then, I added, “We’re building.” 

He laughed.

He said, “Welcome to the ministry.  You’re not really in ministry until you’ve been through a building program.”  Then, he shared his experience– great challenge, great risk, great reward.

Later that same day, I talked to a friend who’s doing a great work in Baltimore.  He’s taken a 100 year old church that was stuck for years, and turned it around to reach over 500 people every week.  But, he sounded discouraged.  He told me how some core families were moving a way, and one leadership couple looks headed for divorce.  And… he’s in the middle of building.

What’s going on?  Whenever you attempt great things for God, Satan is right there.  He opposes.  He wants to knock down.  He doesn’t want to kingdom to advance. 

So, this is a reminder to keep praying!  I’ve never been more excited about the church than I am today!  I’ve never felt a clearer sense of God’s confirmation than I do today.  For the past six months, every time I’ve prayed for God to confirm our direction, He has answered!  (I’m looking for a time to share a couple examples with you… perhaps, some Sunday morning, soon.)

Pray.  Be Joyful. Pray. Be Thankful.  Pray.

God isn’t building a building; He’s building the church.  He’s building us in the process.

1 Peter 1:6-7, In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.