"Protecting the First Impression"

As I was walking around the campus of Olivet Nazarene University this morning, I saw a phrase that I really liked on the side of a Physical Plant van, which aptly articulates the mission of that unit of the University: "Protecting the First Impression!" Those who work in that area literally know that their role is to make the place look great, operate smoothly and efficiently, and to be "ready" for clients, customers, guests, and students.

Through the years, our emphasis of the importance of this function, and also of the fact that "first impressions are lasting impressions," has gotten us into some difficulty with some of our congregants and even some of our employees in the various places we've served. Not everyone sees the extraordinary value of such a focus, and of the resources necessary to make that focus a priority. Many have doubted and questioned the value and even the reasoning behind our thinking.

However, I will go to the grave in believing that "first impressions" are important, and that they make a very long lasting, indelible imprint.

Whether it's the way you're greeted when you enter; or the friendliness of those you encounter; or the cleanliness and presentation of the facility (especially the restrooms); from the time one walks, bicycles, or drives onto your parking lot, or enters your front door, they're deciding who you are...and they're determining whether or not you care that they're there or if you really can help them.

It's my renewed feeling that every business, church, Rescue Mission, University, store, office, and certainly every person working in or engaged in those organizations, would do well to be reminded of the importance of "Protecting the First Impression."  In fact, we probably need to be reminded of this focus on a regular basis, so we can constantly be observing the impressions we're making with"fresh eyes."

Regarding the ministry that I'm fortunate enough to lead, it remains our hope and our desire that the Evansville Rescue Mission in no way looks like, smells like, or in any way resembles the stereotypical image of a homeless shelter. Our belief is that such an impression begins with the very first impression that one develops when they arrive on our property each and every time they visit us. 

Perhaps it begins even before they physically arrive; maybe it begins when they learn about us in the community by the way we present ourselves through our reputation, our public engagement, and through our publications. Maybe we'll talk about that another day.

Why Talk About "Excellence" So Much?

There are times when I know that I drive everyone around me crazy by talking about “excellence” as often as I do. In fact, I drive myself crazy sometimes with my focus on the constant “battle” that is required to reach (and remain at) a state of excellence in all we say and do and are.

While at the annual Association of Gospel Rescue Missions convention in Phoenix last week, I found that many other leaders share the same thoughts that I do on why any organization, if it is to be the best that it can be, has to have and has to nurture a culture of excellence at all times.  While I’m not sure whether or not the other leaders we listened to and learned from are quite as picky as I am, for the most part, most of them seemed to really desire for their ministry organizations to attain a certain level of distinction for how they’ll operate their Missions on a day-to-day basis.

Now, why is this so? Why the fuss over things being nice, organized, managed properly, etc.? Why put yourself through the headache of constantly making sure the place looks good, smells good, is clutter-free, has maintenance issues cared for; that you’re offering the best programming and so on and so forth? Well, it’s simple: This place is God’s house, and this ministry is His ministry. Anything worth doing for Him, or in His name, should be done (in my humble opinion) in the very best way and in the very best manner that we can do it, and it should be done to the highest standards or levels we are capable of for His glory.  The old thought that a ministry, if it is to be real, has to just barely limp along and struggle constantly for its very existence, just doesn’t sit well with me. From the bottom of my heart, I believe that anything the world can do and can offer, the church and the ministries that support it, can do it better…and we can offer so much more of true (eternal) value in the process!

Sure, it would be much easier to just go with the flow and to not make waves by insisting that everyone in the organization adopts the same philosophy (which may, at times, be contrary to their own personal methods of management and organization) of operations and structure. But, for the little lady who is sacrificing each month by writing the $10 check (which is a lot of money to her), the expectation on her part is that we’ll be good stewards and utilize the resources she entrusts to us by making sure we take good care of the facilities we are required to manage, as well as making sure we take good care of the hearts we’re called to love and to care for.  See, we’re taking care of investments here: The investments of both ministry tools and of eternal opportunities.

So, to insist that everyone strives for excellence really is only asking people to take good care of the resources that God has loaned us to use to help reach and to teach people for Him, and it’s saying that we will not be satisfied until those resources, both human and non-human (and both tangible and non-tangible), are utilized in the most efficient, professional, and spiritually mature manner we possibly can use them. From my own personal perspective, which is hopefully the perspective of the ministry organization that I lead, to accept anything less is to, in essence, say that striving for something greater isn’t worth the time or the effort required. Again, from my perspective, to say that (either verbally or by one’s actions), would be a real shame, and it would be incredibly unfair and unfortunate because the Lord and His ministry is worth our very best efforts, and His Kingdom is worth our very best work.

I’m so thankful that, at the Evansville Rescue Mission, we have hopefully established a reputation for excellence that goes pretty far and pretty deep. Our team knows that our community, our resident clients and guests, and most certainly the Lord, is worth our very best efforts towards excellence in all that we say and all that we do every day. It’s a privilege to be a part of and to lead such a team.

The Ministry of Baseball

I realized, years ago, that our ministry life would take many twists and turns. There would never be one single ministry focus of my career, because there are too many interests and there are too many options for me to just have one, single ministry focus and then stick with that my whole life. I'm way too ADD for that...haha.  Without a doubt, that has proven to be the truth!!!

Here's the deal: I loved being a youth pastor. It was just an amazing time in our life getting to work in that capacity. Those kids meant the absolute world to me and Tammy, and we loved (almost) every second of our time doing that ministry. I still believe that the position of "youth pastor" is the BEST job in the church!  We also loved being a senior pastor in three wonderful churches. The time we spent leading those congregations caused us to personally grow by leaps and bounds, and thankfully, those churches did pretty well during our tenure, as well. And, the icing on all the cake has certainly been to have the privilege to lead the amazing Evansville Rescue Mission for almost five years now. If I could have written the PERFECT job and ministry position for me, the picture describing that job would be a picture of the ERM. I absolutely LOVE working there with our staff and with our clients and guests. Each and every day, we get to see profound life-change occur, and that is truly a special privilege.

But, someday when I'm old(er) and gray(er), I wonder if our greatest ministry might have just revolved around a little 9" white ball, a 90' path from base to base, and 9 guys baking in the hot sun for seven innings at a time. Yes, the ministry I am referring to is the "ministry of baseball," and all the opportunities the Lord gave us to help make a difference in the lives of the players on those teams, and their families. Specifically, I'm talking about the Blue Thunder; the Hurricanes; the Indiana Longhorns; the DC Eagles; the Indiana Bulls; the various teams with the word, "Newburgh" on the cap; and with those called "The Knights."

When we first got involved, I had no idea that we might have an opportunity to develop a "community" within the community with our fellow families on the teams. We had no idea that we'd be the only pastor some of those kids and their families had ever had. We had no idea that we'd be asked to perform weddings, visit hospital bedsides, attend funerals, preach sermons, lead prayer vigils, counsel broken hearts, love wounded spirits, and so much more...all because of a little white ball. Isn't that amazing?

May I say that these years have truly been awesome! We've loved the privilege of participating in the lives of all those players and their families in such a deep and a profound way.  It is I who feels privileged for the Lord to have entrusted us with so great a task, responsibility, and honor. Baseball came, in the beginning, at one of the most critical times in our life and in our ministry; and being a part of those families and those kids provided an amazing lift to our life, and it provided a focus to realize that our ministry was worthwhile and meaningful...that we were really called to make a difference, right here in our town...that moving here was not a mistake. Then through the years, being able to walk alongside so many wonderful dads, moms, coaches, players and their siblings...and being able to sit beside them in the bleachers while we watched our kids play both on and off the field, was just a magnificent experience. But, it was taken to a much different and higher level when the phone would ring, a text or a message would come, or the doorbell would buzz, and one of those players or their family members would just want to talk, or to pray, or to cry, or whatever. That we'd be asked to come to the hospital to sit with a player who's appendix needed taken out in the middle of the night while away at a tourney; or that we'd be asked to to preside over a family member's funeral...WOW!  What an honor! To think that they'd have the confidence in me and Tammy (and our boys) to be there for them during those special and important moments, is truly mind-boggling. Some of them had no other pastoral figure in their lives, and in some cases, they weren't even sure what a "pastor" was. They weren't always a part of our churches we worked at, but indeed, many of them started attending those churches and at times, the front row would be lined with the baseball players sitting there in their uniforms before heading off to play a Sunday afternoon game. However, that was never the point, at least in our hearts. We were actually trying to take the church to the baseball field, not trying to take the baseball field to a church building. If it happened, great!  If not, that was always OK, too.  We just wanted to show our teammates and their families the love of Jesus, and our love, as well. If that happened, then everything else was, well, the icing on the cake!!!

Now that those days are behind us, and our oldest son will be heading off to college pretty soon, I'm sure things will be very different. (I'm personally going to miss those days like crazy!!!)  But, I will go to my grave (hopefully a very long time from now) believing in my heart that "true ministry" comes in so many different forms, and if our eyes and our hearts are open to the doors that God will open, He will give us a ministry wherever we are. It can be that our ministry is in a factory; in a school; in a grocery store; in a hospital; making insurance adjustments; working in an office; working in a church; serving in a Mission; mowing a yard; and yes, our ministry can be in a gym or on a baseball field. I think the key is just being willing, being open, and being available for God to use you whenever, wherever, and however He sees fit. It's saying, "Here I am, Lord; use me!"

Your greatest ministry may come in a way that truly surprises you, but if you're willing, He's able!  From my heart I say, "Thank you, Lord, for this incredible journey and for this wonderful opportunity."   I will never forget these moments as long as I live.

The Most Important Thing A Dad Can Do...from my perspective

Tammy and I never thought we were going to be able to have children, and for the longest time early on in our marriage, that was a real bummer!  We tried lots of stuff, but finally, the Lord took care of everything, and He put together our family exactly the way He wanted to. Why do we ever doubt His abilities?  Oh well, that's a topic for another day.

Just today, someone asked me just an amazingly basic question, but it was one that has (and has had) amazingly profound consequences and blessings during my years as a dad. The question was something like this, "What is the most important thing I can do as a father as I raise my son?"  I LOVED THAT QUESTION!

Now, please...before we even go any further, understand that I am FAR from being a perfect dad. I'm really not even close to that level. However, there are some things that, looking back, I feel we've done pretty well. One of those, from my estimation, goes to the heart of what the question asked of me represents. (Again, this is from my own perspective. Someone else may very well have a totally different answer, and believe me when I say, their answer could very well be a better one than the one I gave.)

But, this is where my heart led me as I gave my answer. I said, "The most important thing you can let your son know is that he means everything to you. You've got to let him know that there's nothing more important to you than him." Sure, there are 'spiritualizations' we can all use to take this question someplace that it doesn't even need to go: Of course God is first!  Of course my wife is second only to God. I'm not talking about those two areas. But rather, I'm talking about the place our kids have to occupy in our hearts, and I'm talking about the fact that they must KNOW they occupy that spot.  (By the way, if you put God first in your life, and your life is all about doing His work, His ministry, etc., and you forsake your kids, I've got some really bad news for you...your priorities are possibly jacked, because God would never want you to do that).  Anyhow, I need to get back to the point...that was just a soapbox moment.  It just saddens me that too many ministry professionals are married to, and are the father to, their jobs...and the ones who matter most sit at home without them, suffering. From where I sit, this is a real tragedy!

For me, always knowing that Seth and Kyle know that they mean so very much to me has given me a level of peace that we're doing something right. They've always known that there's no meeting more important than their phone call (or text). They've always known that, if at all humanly possible, my rear is going to be in the audience or the bleachers to watch their games or concerts or competitions. They've always known that we'll move heaven and earth to spend one-on-one time with them ANY CHANCE we get. Now that my oldest is getting ready to head to college in a few months, I even wish there had been more of those times. There were times (and I am being really transparent here), when I was a pastor, when people had a FIT over the fact that I wanted to get out of the church service as quickly as possible on Sunday morning so I could get to the baseball field to watch Seth play. I said then, and I say to this day, that churches come and go (and that has been the case), but my family is here to stay. No regrets on this point. I promise you that!!!  Moving on...

Here's the deal: One of these days, those boys will be out on their own, and if God allows, they'll have kids of their own. It is my profound hope that they will, in turn, live their lives as dads in this same way as I've tried to show them by my own priorities...that their kids will go to bed every night believing that they hung the moon in their dad's eyes; and that they are at the top of the list of their dad's priorities. If I've instilled that in them, and if they in turn pass that along to their own children, then I'll feel as though (at least in this one area), we've been successful.  At that point, when that time comes, I'll go to bed at night as one happy grandpa, too. That better be a long way off though. I'm too young for that.

His Love Never Fails...

You know, our lives are so shaped by the things we encounter at a very young age. For instance, it's a proven fact that a child has a much better chance of showing love and compassion to his or her own children later in life if love and compassion was shown to him or her when they were young. By the same token, if a child was abused in some fashion when it was young, he or she has an incredibly high chance of continuing that very same abusive behavior with his or her own child some day.  We just learn so much from the adults in our lives, which tells me, once again, that our kids really do watch what we do, and they really do hear what we say...and how we say it.

When I was a kid, I honestly had a lot of mixed messages coming at me on a daily basis...as did my brothers. On the one hand, we knew that our mom was a strong Christ-follower who would give the food right out of her mouth for her kids if she needed to. She took us to church. She sacrificed so much for her boys. By the same token, my dad was a hard-working provider. He truly would work his rear off out in the cold to make sure his kids were properly cared for. However, what he neglected to show us, until much later in his life, was a picture of what a Godly man looked like. In fact, in many ways, he showed us the opposite of that growing up. He had lots and lots of struggles that were well-known by those who lived under our roof. I'm sure my brothers feel the same as I do, but I learned, again at a very young age, some attributes and behaviors that I wanted to make sure never darkened my life. I truly hope I've been successful in those endeavors.  To be honest, that's been one of the driving forces of my life...almost to a fault.

However, you cannot allow yourself to be completely pigeon-holed and defined by the negative experiences of your life. If I've learned anything, it's that I still am in charge of the things that are going to ultimately define me and make me who I am. Am I going to focus on the "bad" things, or am I going to find the "good" and the positive things, and think on those them?  Isn't that an age-old question to answer for all of us?

See, like Paul Harvey used to say, "And now, here's the rest of the story..."  When I was 15, my dad accepted Christ into his life and in a way that is more profound than in any person I've ever seen, he was truly changed!  I mean, it was absolutely PROFOUND!  The old habits were gone. The old language was replaced. His entire attitude changed. I'm being totally serious. It was absolutely the most amazing transformation I've ever seen, and in the way He does it, Jesus kept him until the day he took his last breath about 10 years ago.

Now, I have something more than the crappy old bad things that I saw prior to his life-change to focus on, and so do my kids (and even Tammy, because she never knew the "old" him). We have a picture of what can happen when Jesus comes into the picture to look at. For me, I saw the unfailing love of the Lord go to the deepest depths and rescue a guy whose life was absolutely messed up. I saw that God never gave up on my dad, even when my dad did very little to reciprocate for a very long time. God never ran out on John Gorman, and He has never run out on me, either. Honestly, it's a picture that I will never forget, and one I believe which ultimately gave me the desire to work in the ministry of rescue. See, what the Lord could do for my dad, He can do for any guy who walks through the front door of this Mission. Hallelujah!  He can do it!  He can, and He will change every life who will be open to His love, His forgiveness, and His salvation. This even works for a guy like my dad who had been in prison; who had a filthy vocabulary; who was addicted to stuff; who had cheated on my mom; and the list goes on. God rescued Him.  The old was gone. The new had come!

See, that night he accepted Christ not only changed his life, but it changed mine, too. Our whole family tree was changed, in fact. So, in a very real way, we are shaped by the things which happen when we're younger. Are we going to focus on only the bad things, or will we choose to remember some of those good times, and allow our lives to be positively impacted by those events? That choice is ours, and only ours to make. But, take my word for it (because I've seen it up close and personal), the Lord's love never fails; it never gives up; it never runs out on us. That's what I want to remember.

WOW! This community is amazing!

When my family moved to the Evansville / Newburgh area in 2001, we had no idea that we were becoming a part of something so special. Not only were we moving into a house in a town, we were also joining a "family" which would come to mean so much to us as the years have gone by since then. In fact, for a few years (2006-2008), we actually moved away for a period of time, but were very eager to return when the opportunity presented itself (although we met some great people while we lived up in the Muncie / Yorktown area...so, the time definitely was not wasted).

Anyhow, what I've learned about the Evansville / Newburgh community is, once you're in, you're in! Not only do you become a part of the lifeblood of the neighborhood, but you also become a part of the peoples' lives that you're actually sharing life with.  The people here look out for each other. The people here pray for each other. When there's a need that one in the "family" faces, everyone pitches in, and to the best of his or her ability, helps meet that need. We've seen that played out time and time again when our co-residents have faced illness, injury, financial difficulties, unemployment, heartache, and even the death of a loved one. Our friends have helped pick up the pieces all around and have joined one another in hoping for and in expecting a better day for all involved.

To say the least, there was no way we could have ever fully understood the phrase that Hillary Clinton made famous a few years ago, "It takes a Village," until we stood in leadership of a prominent non-profit ministry which relies on the generosity, hard work, prayers, and support of the community in order for it to be successful. But WOW!!!  This community amazes me all the time when it jumps in, donates, volunteers, prays for, and in so many other ways "gets its hands dirty" by being a part of the great work the Evansville Rescue Mission does on a daily basis. I mean, I am seriously blown away when I see the (literally) thousands of people it takes each year to make this place operate, and then I know that there are RARELY times when we don't have enough people to pull something off. That, my dear friends, speaks volumes upon volumes about the kind of community we live in, and also, it says so much about the level to which this community loves and supports the ERM.  It really does "take a village."

I was recently approached a couple of times about ministry positions in other cities. In fact, the opportunity was there a couple of times for me to return to pastoral ministry, as well as to work at a different, and substantially larger Rescue Mission in a really great city. Now, for those of you who know me, you know how much I loved being a pastor. I LOVED IT!  However, it was pretty easy for us, at this point in our lives, to want to stay right here in this community because we love it so much. We love the people. We love the values. We love the leadership. We love the vision; and we love the opportunities that we have, right here in the Evansville / Newburgh area, to help make a difference in people's lives both inside and outside of the Mission. Plus, speaking of the Mission, it would be difficult to find a place, anywhere, which has the profound backing and support of the community like the ERM does. (Now, someday Tammy and I might want to live in a warmer climate, but right now...home really is where our heart is, and our hearts are right here!)

So, thank you to the wonderful people of this community for truly being a great big, extended family for my family...and also for the 150-200 or so guys who live at the Mission who have no other family members close by. You welcome them and us (with open arms) into your lives, into your churches, into your businesses, and into your hearts. You do the same for so many others, and so from the bottom of my heart, thanks for all you do to help make this wonderful city so much more than streets, houses, buildings, and businesses. Thanks for making it OUR HOME! 

Because they deserve the best!

I was talking to some friends this week who asked me why we got involved in the renovation and relocation project for the Evansville Rescue Mission. What was the main reason for the move?  What was the catalyst which got us heading in that direction? Well, there are lots and lots of reasons why this big change made and makes sense: The old building was getting a lot of age on it, and the maintenance costs were outrageous; We were really running out of space on the property both for the Men's Residence Center and for the Administrative offices; Our big on-site events were definitely outgrowing our property (like the Gobbler Gathering); and the community was ready to further develop MLK Blvd., and the property we occupied was a key part of the future plans.  Each one of those reasons was a key reason, and all by itself was enough of a reason for us to make the change. But at the end of the day, the Board and staff truly felt like our residents, clients, and guests deserve the very best facility we can provide for them, and the new property offers so many more opportunities for the Mission to do ministry. There's more indoor and outdoor property to utilize for programming and for residential living. The new location provides amazing exposure to the community. The building is much newer than our previous buildings, so maintenance costs should be much better. Since the building is better built than the old building, our utility costs should improve. The same goes for having everything under one roof. That will help!  But the overriding and overwhelming reason we decided to take on this massive project, really goes to the 96 year old heart of this Mission: We love people, and truly want to provide a great place to help meet their needs. For some of these precious residents, this is the nicest place they've ever lived. We're so happy to see them enjoying the space. My prayer is that the facility will be a tool to help us provide the basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, spiritual development, and social interaction. So, I looked at my friend and said, "We did this because they deserve the very best we could offer." It's the truth. They do! There's no reason whatsoever to think that a Rescue Mission has to be some dark, dank, stinky, bug-infested, broken furniture filled, depressing facility. On the contrary! These folks are some of the kindest, friendliest, hard-working, well-meaning, God-fearing and God-loving people I've ever met. They deserve a warm, clean, cheery, attractive, comfortable, nice place to eat, sleep, and live while they're with us. For us to offer them any less would be a shame, but for us to be able to offer them this new facility is most certainly one of the highlights of my pastoral / ministerial career. It's been a privilege to work on this project for Jesus Christ, and for each person who will walk through those doors.  God bless each one who does!