Our precious daughter Lucy Mae Tomczak was born on January 28, 2014.  As she entered this world, her heart was not beating.  Over an hour later, the doctors informed us that she never did gain a pulse.  With sadness, we grieve her loss and the loss of the memories we will never get to share with her.  However, with joy we celebrate that she is in Jesus’ arms, free of any pain, any sorrow and any fear.  We are so grateful for the overwhelming love and support from family, friends and strangers.  We are unquestionably in pain, but our hope and trust in our Savior will carry us through.  

Setting up Your Day for Success

Infographics are suddenly so hip.  Not only is the information usually pretty insightful, but the artistic styling and layout really draw me in.  Entrepreneur.com recently featured an article written by Catherine Clifford titled, “Let Go, Keep it Simple, Move Quickly: Secrets of Being a Productive Entrepreneur” (http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230606), which showcased a few infographics created by Anna Vital.  Each one is definitely worth checking out regardless of your entrepreneurial status.  However, here is my personal favorite...

I think each of us have the desire to be a successful person in all our endeavors.  The two things that stick out most to me on this list are to

“Visualize how you will make your day.” 

- Tony Robbins.

And to ask myself:

“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” 

• Steve Jobs.

Visualizing is something that I rarely think to do.  I suppose my greatest moments of visualization are on the golf course, when I am visualizing a shot (that doesn’t always mean it turns out the way I envision it).  I can’t help but think of the productivity potential by simply visualizing, even simply planning out my day.  However, as with the golf shot that may not work as we envisioned it, our days can take a completely different turn than we expected.  Visualization is a useful tool, but learning to be adaptable within the plan can be really helpful for your sanity.

Now the question that Steve Jobs proposes really is thought provoking.  For many people, they might answer this question “no”.  However, before you say that, I want you to think about the motives for why you are about to do whatever the day holds.  You may know ahead of time that it is going to be a hard day, and you probably would rather spend that day with your family or enjoying your favorite hobby.  But think of the consequences involved in ceasing to face the fear of a day, or ceasing to go to a job you don’t enjoy.  

Would you regret that decision?  

Tim Keller helps bring to light the importance of our daily work in his book Every Good Endeavor.  He states that, “Work of all kinds, whether with the hands or the mind, evidences our dignity as human beings - because it reflects the image of God the Creator in us” (p. 48).  Later, he talks about our motivations for work, “without something bigger than yourself to work for, then all of your work energy is actually fueled by one of the other six deadly sins” (p. 230).  The something bigger can be as simple as food for your family to eat, a roof over their head, which are all a gift from the Lord, that was given through the gift of work.  So, before you say “no, I don’t want to go,” think about what that really entails.  

However, for some of you saying “no, I don’t want to go” might be a great decision.  Continuing to do something that makes you miserable is probably going to affect every other part of your life in a negative way.  The financial benefit for your family may not be worth the emotional or physical harm.  Work is something we were created to do but, don’t be afraid to pursue a work path that may not be the norm and do something you love to do. 

Side note: (If it is TRULY my last day on Earth, I’m going to spend it with my family.)

Remember, whatever you do, do it well.  I’ll end with a great quote from Winston Churchill...

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

What I Learned from Pastor Mezack?

Do you have access to a Bible right now?  If you are reading this on the internet, then the answer is yes.  What about a print version?  

Do a quick count in your head, how many Bibles do you have access to at this very moment?  As I look around the room, I can see three print bibles, the app on my phone and the access I have on the internet.  

Now think about the cost of those Bibles... I paid anywhere from $10 to $30 for the print Bibles, the app was free, and then the internet Bible versions are free (if you don’t count the cost of my internet access).  Say you don’t have internet access, and are forced to turn physical pages.  How much did your print Bible cost?  Now, how much was it in relation to your monthly salary?  For instance, if you make $3,000 per month and you purchased a $30 Bible, it accounted for 1% of your monthly earnings.  How would you feel if that same Bible accounted for 20% of your monthly income?  What about 60%?

Last week, I had the privilege of meeting Pastor Mezack Nkundabantu.  Mezack was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a nation ravaged by war and corruption.  In Congo, Mezack met his wife, raised 5 children, and worked as a teacher.  In the mid-90s, as the Rwandan Holocaust left Rwanda’s borders and spilled over into Congo, Mezack picked up his family and moved to the now peaceful Rwanda.  Around this time, Mezack felt a direct calling from the Lord to use his talents as a teacher to teach others about hope and love found in Jesus.  Think about the difficulty of doing this in that country, at that moment in history (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_Genocide).  People needed hope and reconciliation more than anything.  However, the evils that just prevailed in that country included pastors turning over members of their congregation to be killed in the ethnic cleansing.  Talk about barriers to the Gospel.  Despite this, Mezack followed his calling and moved to Kigali. 

In addition to pastoring his church, Mezack is the Country Director for African Leadership (www.africanleadershipinc.org) in the countries of Rwanda, Burundi, and Southern Uganda.  As Country Director, Pastor Mezack is in charge of training and empowering church planters and ministry leaders with the tools to share the Gospel in their communities.  When it comes time for the graduates to head home and begin their churches and ministries, the majority of them are forced to start from nothing.  As the congregation at their respective churches grows, these pastors might make $50 per month.  However, a large portion of them do not even make that much.  Additionally, if these new pastors have children, the cost for a child to attend school is $10 per month.

Now back to the Bible discussion... the cost for Mezack to purchase a Bible translated into his native language is $10.  This is a barebones, no notes, no references, no concordance, no commentary Bible.  For a pastor with the responsibility of teaching and leading his congregation into a deeper relationship with God, a Bible with commentary would of course be helpful.  However, the cost of this Bible is $30.  For some pastors, this could be 60% of their monthly salary, for some more than a month’s salary.  

I don’t know about you, but I feel incredibly convicted by this.

  

First off, I want to help them.  The two best ways we can help from thousands of miles away are to pray for these leaders at the early stages of their ministries, and to help provide funding for these young leaders so they can afford a Bible that allows them to better teach their congregation.  The best way to do this is through African Leadership (http://www.africanleadershipinc.org/ways-to-give/).  

Secondly, I think about the value of anytime, anywhere access to God’s Word.  It is something I take for granted on a daily basis, without even realizing it.  Bible accessibility for us is easier than any other point in history.  Let’s stop taking it for granted and allow the Word of God to transform our lives.  

  

The End of A Chapter

Four years ago, I was given the opportunity to fulfill a dream of mine, to play guitar professionally in a touring band.  From the time I began playing music some ten years earlier, this was my goal.  So, when two guys named Dave and Ben presented me with this chance to tour the country sharing the hope and love of Jesus through music, I gladly accepted.  While I still do love to play music, and have no intent on stopping, I find that the Lord is prompting me in another direction.  A direction that allows me to spend a lot more time at home with my family. Through much prayer and searching, Michelle and I believe the best thing for our family right now is for me to step away from Sidewalk Prophets.  While I know and trust this is right, I will definitely miss a lot of the things that have gone into these last four years. 

First and foremost, I will miss the guys that I have had the privilege to live life alongside.  Justin, Cal, Ben, Dave, Matt, Ryan, and Mike B you guys have inspired me, pushed me, made me laugh, and been there when times were tough.  You all mean very much to me and while I know our stories together will continue, I recognize it will not be the same.  Always know that I love you each and will dearly miss our days together.

Secondly, I will miss our extended touring family.  From crew guys, to bus drivers, to road managers, to artists, you have left your imprint on my life and I thank you for that.  You and your families will all remain in my prayers, as I know firsthand how difficult it can be.

            

Lastly, I will miss the fans.  Your stories have inspired me, and your prayers have kept me going when the days were long and the travel exhausting.  Thank you.

            

As this chapter ends, I thank God for the friendships made, and the experiences had.  While the title of the next chapter has yet to be written, I will continue to pursue God and the calling He has for my life.  I know things will not be easy, but I am holding tight to the words of the Apostle Paul, “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).  I thank each and every one of you for the memories that I take with me. 

(Photo by Matt Hadley)

Fatherhood

(written 2/2013)

Fatherhood has changed me.

Sure, I realize that is an obvious statement.  Clearly, I went from not being a dad, to being a dad; but it’s much more involved than that.  I’m convinced that each and every sin committed in life is founded in the elevation of the ‘self’ over others, and especially God.  When Christ calls us to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31), He has no doubt that we love ourselves.  This is why loving God and loving others is considered ‘the Greatest Commandment,’ because it takes us above our natural tendency to simply live life each day for ourselves.  Having said that, fatherhood hasn’t taken away this daily struggle, but it certainly has helped it.   When my son was born last August I was instantaneously in love.  I knew that his survival was entirely dependent on my wife and I.  As soon as I felt this responsibility, my attitudes, ambitions, and aspirations began to be transformed. 

I have to write a disclaimer here because some of you will say, “what about when you got married?”  This is a great point.  Of course I want to elevate my wife above myself.  I want her to fulfill her every dream and goal, just like how she would say the same for me.  Our relationship is crucial to not just each other, but now it is crucial to how Oliver will view marriage, or how to treat a woman.  These are a few of the reasons that Paul speaks so strongly on the relationship between husband and wife in Ephesians 5.  He commands men to “love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” (Ephesians 5:25) and “let each one of you love his wife as himself” (hmmm… as himself) (Ephesians 5:33).  This is pretty powerful language and a challenge to every husband every day.  The key word is sacrifice, which of course involves selflessness. 

The difference between the impact of marriage on myself, and the impact of a son, is survival.  I love my wife and cannot imagine life without her, but if we didn’t end up together, we would both still be alive.  If we don’t place Oliver’s needs above our own, he will not develop or possibly even survive (not to mention Social Services would take him away from us).  This instantly puts him more important than my own endeavors.  His naps, eating times, development, joy, and happiness are more important than whether I get to read, journal, or write.  I’m not saying that my identity has been lost in my son’s life, what example would that be?  Not a very good one.  What I’m saying is that my life has been transformed into the life of a father, which has become a part of my identity.

Fatherhood has opened my eyes in new ways to the love and example of our Heavenly Father.  Think about how crazy it is that we get to call the Creator of the Universe our Father.  When you were a kid, or heck even today, did you ever brag about your Dad?  I totally did!  I loved coming into school and explaining math problems to my friends and couldn’t wait until they asked how I figured it out just so I could say, “my Dad taught me.”  Picture yourself as a 7 year old and say out loud “my Dad created the moon and the stars.”  That’s pretty insane!  God had the power to create whatever type of world He wanted, and He chose one in which He calls us sons and daughters, and we call Him Father.  If you have never had the chance to read the story of the prodigal son, go read Luke 15:11-32.  I believe that each of us are prodigal sons and God is the father who cannot wait to throw His arms around us and celebrate when we come home to Him.

I’m humbled by the fact that regardless of how much I love my son and want the best for him, I will inevitably let him down in some way.  This is just a fact of our human depravity.  However, it’s unfathomable to think that he, along with all humanity, can call the All-Powerful God of the Universe Abba, Pater, Daddy.