Jon McCartie

Grandview

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:33:14 -0500

Grandview

Resurrection

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 11:52:22 -0500

Jesus is standing in front of the temple in Jerusalem
the massive gleaming brick and stone and gold house of God
and he says destroy this temple
and I’ll rebuild it in three days

the people listening to him said how are you going to do that?
it took 46 years to build this temple!
but he wasn’t talking about that temple
he’s talking about himself
he essentially says, listen
I’m going to be killed
that’s where this is headed
because you don’t confront corrupt systems of power
without paying for it
sometimes with your own blood
and so he’s headed to his execution
if you had witnessed this divine life extinguished on a cross
how would you not be overwhelmed with despair?

is the world ultimately a cold, hard, dead place?

does death have the last word?
is it truly, honestly, actually dark
and so whatever light we do see
whatever good we do stumble upon
are those just blips on the radar?
momentary interruptions in an otherwise meaningless existence?
because if that’s the case then despair is the
only reasonable response

it’s easy to be cynical

but Jesus says destroy this temple and I’ll rebuild it
he insists that his execution would not be the end
he’s talking about something new and unexpected
happening after his death
he’s talking about resurrection

resurrection announces that God has not given up on the world
because this world matters
this world that we call home
dirt and blood and sweat and skin and light and water
this world that God is redeeming and restoring and renewing

greed and violence and abuse they are not right
and they cannot last
they belong to death and death does not belong

resurrection says that what we do with our lives matters
in this body
the one that we inhabit right now
every act of compassion matters
every work of art that celebrates the good and the true matters
every fair and honest act of business and trade
every kind word
they all belong and they will all go on in God’s good world
nothing will be forgotten
nothing will be wasted
it all has it’s place

everybody believes something
everybody believes somebody
Jesus invites us to trust resurrection
that every glimmer of good
every hint of hope
every impulse that elevates the soul
is a sign, a taste, a glimpse
of how things actually are
and how things will ultimately be
resurrection affirms this life and the next
as a seamless reality
embraced
graced
and saved by God

there is an unexpected mysterious presence
who meets each of us in our lowest moments
when we have no strength when we have nothing left
and we can’t go on we hear the voice that speaks those
words

destroy this temple and I’ll rebuild it

do you believe this?
that’s the question Jesus asked then
and that’s the question he asks now

Jesus’ friends arrive at his tomb and they’re told
he isn’t here
you didn’t see that coming, did you?
he’s isn’t here
there is nothing to fear
and nothing can ever be the same again
we are living in a world in the midst of rescue
with endless unexpected possibilities

they will take my life and I will die Jesus says
but that will not be the end
and when you find yourself assuming that it’s over
when it’s lost, gone, broken and it could never be
put back together again,
when it’s been destroyed and you swear that it could never
be rebuilt

hold on a minute
because in that moment
things will in fact have just begun

—
Rob Bell
https://www.robbell.com/resurrection/

Taking Our Next Step (to San Diego)

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:20:00 -0500

Over the last eight months, Erin and I have felt a stirring — new passions and ideas for something brewing in our lives. After an exhaustive search inside LifeChurch.tv, we started to become aware that God’s “next” for us was actually outside of our current situation. This was an incredibly difficult realization for us to come to because LifeChurch.tv has been a truly life-changing place to work and serve. Over the last several weeks, after seeking out wisdom from our friends, LifeGroup, and some amazing leaders inside our church, we feel it is time for us to take our next step.

I will be starting a new job on the team of Ministry Centered Technologies: creators of Planning Center and Smart Events, and located in Carlsbad, CA. My last day at LifeChurch.tv will be Friday, April 6th and we’ll be moving to San Diego shortly afterwards. We’re incredibly excited to be moving closer to family and I’m excited to have an awesome job with a company that loves to serve the global Church.

More about MCT later — but for now, I want to talk about LifeChurch.tv.

During my time at LifeChurch.tv, I’ve had the opportunity to work on some incredible projects with some incredible people. But there is no amount of code I could write that could ever repay what LifeChurch.tv has done for me and my family. This is by far the healthiest place I’ve ever worked, which makes this an incredibly difficult decision to make. And yet at the same time, Erin and I both know that our time at LifeChurch.tv is coming to a close.

I would be remiss if I did not call out a few people who have had a huge impact on us. So, in no particular order:

Terry Storch — I feel ridiculous even trying to compress all that you’ve done for Erin and I. You took a huge risk on a guy with no programming skills, major pride issues, and who was afraid to work for a church. You knew my faults and shortcomings, yet you worked hard to pour into me. You taught Erin and I how to properly handle our finances and as a result, we are now debt free. You’ve helped Erin and I learn how to make good decisions and have always been available for counsel and guidance. You’ve completely transformed how I view myself, my work, and my family.
Jerry Hurley — You’ve been instrumental in our decision making process these last few months. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me (over and over and over) and for your encouragement and guidance. In addition, I want to thank you for the leadership and development culture you’ve built at LifeChurch. Thank you for making this place an incredible place to be — and a place that values who I am over simply what I can do.
Kevin Penry — Thank you for offering to mentor me back in August. After Erin, you were the first person I ever talked to about what could be “next” for me. What amazed me was the selflessness that you had with your time. You freely gave to me and I can only ask God that in the future, I can do the same for someone else.
Josh Turmel — Besides Terry, I think we’ve known each other the longest. I still remember talking with you before I got hired and telling Erin how much I wanted to work with someone like you. Thanks for putting up with my craziness. I credit you for teaching me the majority of my programming skills and for that, I’m indebted. You believed in me to take over the YouVersion website, and you patiently worked with me over many months to sharpen my skills. Thank you for your honesty, your teaching, and for your friendship.
Kevin Morey — Besides JT, you’re next in line for the “Puts Up With McCartie’s Crap” award. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve asked you for SQL help. Thanks for being patient with me and for teaching me so much.
Daniel DeMoss — Thanks for helping me understand who I am. With so many similarities between us, God knew we needed to be friends so you could help me along the way. Thanks for teaching me to be honest with my fears, to trust people more, and to trust God more.
Zach Foster — You were instrumental in bringing my family to LifeChurch. I still remember sitting on a bench in San Diego, talking through the decision to move to OKC. You were my first real example of how incredible and supportive the LifeChurch family is. I suppose you should probably get the “Puts Up With McCartie’s Crap” award, too. Thanks for encouraging me to work through my issues and for pushing for my best.
Adam Bouse — Thanks, fellow ENFP, for bringing your ENFP-ness to this area of the Digerati Den. Your insight and wisdom has been incredibly helpful to this entire process. Thank you for your friendship, and for working all this out with me.
Patrick Berry — Thanks for pushing me for excellence in all that I do. I love listening to you talk about LifeChurch.tv — to hear your deep love for what it is and for your gratefulness for being a part of it. Your passion for serving the capital “C” Church is contagious and I am grateful for its impact on me.
John Davis — You have made one of the largest impacts on Erin’s personal and spiritual development and I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for mentoring her. Thank you for reaching out to her and for changing her life.

If I’ve not mentioned you, forgive me. There are just so many people who have made an impact on me here — too many for this post.

To Craig Groeschel, the entire DLT, and all my family at LifeChurch.tv: thank you. You’ve made us family in a foreign land. You’ve poured into me and into my entire family. Thank you for letting me have a page in an incredible story.

"A saint doesn’t know the joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it."

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:03:59 -0600

“A saint doesn’t know the joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it.”

- Oswald Chambers
http://utmost.org/the-source-of-abundant-joy/

Grace Threshold

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:38:00 -0600

This past Sunday, I took my two little girls to the bagel shop. I sat my girls down at a table, ordered our food, then walked over to the drink station to fill up some water cups. An elderly man was standing there with his granddaughter, who had her own water cup in hand. She stared at the water machine, but didn’t act.

“Here — gimme your cup”, said the grandfather gruffly.

“No — I wanna do it”, she hastily replied.

“Well, you’re taking too long.” he mumbled back.

The grandfather looked up at me waiting behind them.

“Go ahead,” he said politely.

I quickly filled up my cup and turned to walk away.

The man leaned over slightly to his granddaughter, “See? He’s already done. Just hurry up and get your water!”

Sitting back down at our table, I stared at my two little girls and thought, “Man, what a jerk. Ease up, pops. That’s your granddaughter. Be patient. Give her a break.”

And then, of course, I soon became the guy I was so quick to judge. Within the hour, while buckling my kids into the car, I found myself barking at one of them for spilling their milk, and scolding the other for singing too loudly.

I half-expected a rooster to crow three times or something equally condemning.

I think I’ve got a “grace-threshold” problem. It’s so easy to excuse myself for all my many shortcomings, but when I see the same problems in others, I find myself quickly donning my “holier-than-thou” robes.

“But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”

- Ps 86:15

Lord, may we be more like you today. Slow to judge, quick to forgive, abounding in grace.

"There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks..."

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:19:39 -0600

“There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.”

- JFK

"God speaks in the language you know best— not through your ears, but through your circumstances."

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:50:24 -0600

“God speaks in the language you know best— not through your ears, but through your circumstances.”

- Oswald Chambers

"Are we experiencing the “much more” He promised? If we are not, it is because we are not obeying the..."

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:35:30 -0600

“Are we experiencing the “much more” He promised? If we are not, it is because we are not obeying the life God has given us and have cluttered our minds with confusing thoughts and worries. How much time have we wasted asking God senseless questions while we should be absolutely free to concentrate on our service to Him? Consecration is the act of continually separating myself from everything except that which God has appointed me to do. It is not a one-time experience but an ongoing process.”

- Oswald Chambers
http://utmost.org/look-again-and-consecrate/

"It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does..."

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:50:28 -0600

“It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. The motive is everything. Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act. All he does is good and acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For such a man, living itself will be sacramental and the whole world a sanctuary. His entire life will be a priestly ministration. As he performs his never so simple task he will hear the voice of the seraphim saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.””

- AW Tozer
The Pursuit of God

"Let the seeking man reach a place where life and lips join to say continually “Be thou..."

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:23:16 -0600

“Let the seeking man reach a place where life and lips join to say continually “Be thou exalted,” and a thousand minor problems will be solved at once.”

- AW Tozer

"God says, “Be still, and know that I am God,” and still He says it, as if He means to..."

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 10:21:22 -0600

“God says, “Be still, and know that I am God,” and still He says it, as if He means to tell us that our strength and safety lie not in noise but in silence.”

- AW Tozer
The Pursuit of God

"God is so vastly wonderful, so utterly and completely delightful that He can, without anything other..."

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:46:06 -0600

“God is so vastly wonderful, so utterly and completely delightful that He can, without anything other than Himself, meet and overflow the deepest demands of our total nature…”

- AW Tozer
“The Pursuit of God”

"What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the..."

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:09:41 -0600

“What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage.”

- Isaiah 58:7, 8 MSG

"All of man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone."

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:23:26 -0600

“All of man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone.”

- Blaise Pascal

3 Words For 2012

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 20:50:00 -0600

When I first started at LifeChurch, I saw a blog post from my new boss, Terry Storch: “3 Words for 2010”. I was new to LifeChurch (and LifeChurch culture) and I remember thinking, “Can he really be that clairvoyant? Can he really see 12 months ahead and know for certain that these words will define his year?” However, I’ve learned from Terry (and others at LifeChurch) that goals have less to do with the extrasensory and more to do with just being intentional.

So I join the ranks of fellow Team Digerati like Brian Russell, Terry Storch, Alex Tran, and Adam Bouse (link forthcoming, right Adam?!) and post my three words for 2012.

…think of how you want to be successful in 2010. Then, try to think in even broader terms. Extrapolate on the broader terms, and find one word to hang the idea on. -Chris Brogan

People | Pursue | Patience

(apologies for the alliteration in the 3 words — it just happened, I swear)

People

I write code for a living — lots of it. In 2011, I built 11 web apps (I’d worked on about 3 or 4 in all my years previous). Coding is not intrinsically an anti-social vocation (see: pair programming), however, it is for me. Because of the structure of our team, I’m usually the only programmer on the project. In addition, I have a few things going against me here: 1) I’m easily distracted, and 2)

As a result, I’ve learned to sequester myself in order to be productive. Unfortunately, this can lead to me ignoring a whole side of me — the side that loves people.

ENFP, woo, communication, empathy — I love people. I love talking. I love talking to people. But 2011 was about writing code — all day, every day. While balance is not always possible in all things, I think I need a little bit of it here. I need to better organize my day and my work such that I can be more of an asset to my team in the things that come more natural to me.

I know how “people” applies to my work, but I know it will extend beyond this sphere and I’m excited to see where it takes me.

Pursue

I wrote a post a few weeks ago about “cultivating” a relationship with God. I still don’t fully grasp all that I wrote, nor do I fully grasp what this will mean for me this year. However, I know that my pursuit of God is — as Facebook puts it — “it’s complicated.”

I once heard John Maxwell say that in the Church, “we’re educated way beyond the level of our obedience.” I’m living proof of this. I’ve worked so hard at “learning God” that I’ve completely muddled up what true relationship is like. As a result, my time with God is more akin to a business meeting than time alone with the Creator.

I want to pursue God — not learn more doctrine. I like how AW Tozer put it:

We must simplify our approach to Him. We must strip down to essentials (and they will be found to be blessedly few). We must put away all effort to impress, and come with the guileless candor of childhood. If we do this, without doubt God will quickly respond.

Patience

…or “slow down” as I’ve been referring to it recently. This one started to emerge all the way back in August of 2011. It kept showing up throughout the Fall and — despite my attempts to push it aside — it kept bubbling up. Ironically, I had to slow down to even understand what this meant.

I’m driven by change. I crave it. If something is not moving, I can spot it and get it moving again. This trait has served me well in several areas of my life, yet there is a nasty side effect — impatience. If I don’t feel like change is happening at the proper rate, I will try to “help it along.”

Everything in me resists the urge to slow down. Slowing down means stagnation. Slowing down means missing opportunities. But slowing down can also mean solid growth — not “flash-in-the-pan” bravado. Slowing down can also mean waiting for the “right time” — not just jumping at the best option available in my time.

I’m learning that some things just take more time than I’m willing to give them and this year I want to give them that time. I have the ability to make things happen just fine on my own … without God. My challenge is simply to resist this urge. To not step out in front of Him — to not feel like I must “help things along.”

This is terribly difficult for me — which usually means its worthwhile.

—-

Ok, now it is your turn…share your 3 goal words!

"Everything in the New Testament accords with this Old Testament picture. Ransomed men need no longer..."

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 09:02:56 -0600

“Everything in the New Testament accords with this Old Testament picture. Ransomed men need no longer pause in fear to enter the Holy of Holies. God wills that we should push on into His Presence and live our whole life there. This is to be known to us in conscious experience. It is more than a doctrine to be held, it is a life to be enjoyed every moment of every day.”

- AW Tozer
The Pursuit of God

"Father, I want to know Thee, but my coward heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them..."

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:56:45 -0600

“Father, I want to know Thee, but my coward heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting. I come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter and dwell there without a rival.”

- AW Tozer
The Pursuit of God

"Our woes began when God was forced out of His central shrine and “things” were allowed..."

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:10:15 -0600

“Our woes began when God was forced out of His central shrine and “things” were allowed to enter. Within the human heart “things” have taken over. Men have now by nature no peace within their hearts, for God is crowned there no longer, but there in the moral dusk stubborn and aggressive usurpers fight among themselves for first place on the throne.”

- AW Tozer
The Pursuit of God

"We must simplify our approach to Him. We must strip down to essentials (and they will be found to be..."

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 08:24:02 -0600

“We must simplify our approach to Him. We must strip down to essentials (and they will be found to be blessedly few). We must put away all effort to impress, and come with the guileless candor of childhood. If we do this, without doubt God will quickly respond.”

- AW Tozer, “The Pursuit of God”

"It is a solemn thing, and no small scandal in the Kingdom, to see God’s children starving..."

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:15:37 -0600

“It is a solemn thing, and no small scandal in the Kingdom, to see God’s children starving while actually seated at the Father’s table.”

- Tozer