Lessons Learned

Here are some things I wrote in my journal during my recent trip that I want to share with you today. They are in no particular order and I will pose a question to you for each point. I hope you will enjoy…

Leadership principles transcend culture. We had a great time speaking into Jerry’s life regarding the power of vision and leadership. Whether it is with his business or his team, you have to take the reins of what God has placed in your heart and get out front to lead. People will unwittingly try to steer you away from the dreams placed in your heart. If you need people you can’t lead people. We all face the danger of settling for the good instead of God’s best. One of the highlights of my trip was the four of us discussing staffing and leadership.

Question: Are you being true to the calling and vision that God has placed on your life?

My faith has become so sophisticated that at times it is no longer faith at all but some misguided form of intellectualism that pushes back the glory and miracle working power of God. God showed me this, and it was neither comfortable nor pretty. This imprudent kind of belief attempts to box God in and push his wonder out. Because of this I have become more of a “religious cynic” than someone who rejoices at the miraculous hand of God in the lives of people. I will talk about this more on Sunday but God is looking for people who have the audacity to believe in his wonder working power. I want to be one of those people and I will need God’s help to change.

Question: Have you knowingly or unwittingly tried to fit God into the “box” of your human understanding?

Heaven’s Heroes serve in relative obscurity. I met a lady who has given 19 years of her life dedicated to God by following her calling to make a difference in the life of a minority people group. She is single and serves alone, doing what she can to make a difference in the life of others. As I listened to her life story I began to feel smaller and smaller. Things that seemed so important began to look trivial and self-absorbed. I wish I could share more details of her story with you. Truth be told there are hundreds and even thousands of people that serve in this way. They literally forsake all for the mission of Jesus Christ. No limelight or recognition in human terms but in God’s eyes they are his front-line heroes.

Question: Do you seek for human recognition or limelight or is can you serve for an audience of One?

Trip Surprises

I’m home safe and sound. Because of all our recent travel with my Dad’s illness, Buddy and I felt like we should cut out trip short so we came home two days early. I surprised Michelle and the kids when I walked in last night. I tried but I couldn’t stay awake to watch American Idol with them. It is great to be home today. “There is no place like home” might be cliché but it is very true. I missed blogging while away and look forward to getting back into it this week. I plan to post everyday between now and Easter. By the way...comments are back on...I had them turned off while I was away. It will be good to hear from you...

Here are some trip takeaways that I would like to share:

What surprised me?

• The Chinese people…they were very friendly and hospitable. For some reason I thought they would be more reserved or guarded. I could definitely live and work with the Chinese. Great folks!


• I stink at chopsticks. Might be a good diet plan though…today, I am thankful for forks!


• I like “American Chinese food” better.


• Basketball is the favorite sports passion for Chinese. It’s everywhere. I’m so used to soccer being the dominate sport outside the U.S., but not in China.


• I have never seen so many people. Talk about mass humanity.


• The traffic is intense. You should see my sister Kristin drive in the crazy traffic. She is the bravest woman I know.


• Hong Kong has the largest airport I have ever seen. Unbelievable.

China Part Two

What an incredible last two days I have had. It is difficult to explain in words what I have experienced. Thursday we travelled to the most remote area I have ever been in my lifetime. The roads were incredibly bad as we travelled through the mountains. At one point I had the thought that the entire Cremeans clan could get wiped out here…but Jerry did a great job of driving and navigating.

We were introduced to some minority people who have their own distinct culture and customs. They have some incredible costumes and headdresses and their hospitality was off the hook. We could really learn hospitality from the people here. I believe it is becoming a lost art in the US as our lifestyles continue at a mad pace. To see the way these people live and work was humbling to say the least. I wish I could say that I was more adventurous in the area of culinary culture, but I just couldn’t do it. Jerry joked with us that we were going to have to eat Yak testicles! So far my stomach has held up well and I will probably gain some weight before this trip is over.

On the way back into town we saw some guys playing basketball and pulled off to play a little hoops. We ended up playing 3 on 6 and we represented our country well (we were also about 2 feet taller than the guys we played against). About 20 minutes into the game I asked Buddy and Jerry if either of them had the same burning lung sensation that I was experiencing and they didn’t reply (now I know it is because they couldn’t talk). The elevation was about 6500 (felt like 10,000) feet high. We gave high fives, thanked our hosts for losing, and headed home but the burning lung sensation turned into one of the worst coughing fits of my life. I went through 4 cough drops and a couple of bottles of water to get back to normal. Buddy is still coughing…says he has “red lung”…he can be a wuss at times…

Yesterday I toured a Buddhist temple and was invited in for lunch. Again, I politely declined but I sure did appreciate the hospitality. It was surreal to look through the temple and see their statues and altars. This was a new experience for me as well. On the way back into town we saw a giant (and I mean giant) Buddha statue on the side of a mountain. It had nineteen hundred and ninety nine steps leading up to it. After some serious consideration of getting a closer look I decided to just take a picture instead.

Last night we enjoyed dinner with some of Kristin and Jerry’s western friends in the city and had a great time. It’s cool to see how people adjust to the culture here. Speaking of culture…it seems like every other word I hear in Mandarin sounds like sh** or the N word. Crazy! I’m having the time of my life and can’t wait to get home to see you all.

I called home and found out that Michelle and Emmy are down with the flu. Alli is away for the weekend babysitting so that bummed me out a little. I hate for them to be struggling while I am away. I am really blessed to have a wife who supports me the way Michelle does.

New Baptism Video

Here is the video compilation of our last three baptisms. It is so exciting to see the life change that has taken place in the last 12 months at Fellowship!

Watch Video Here

In China

After 30 long hours of travel in trains, plains, and automobiles, I am in Kunming, China. What a beautiful country! I am travelling with my brother Buddy. We met at JFK and have enjoyed hanging as we flew half-way around the world. We are both joking (kind of) about getting the bird flu...a bunch of people on the plain were wearing surgical masks! Can I just say the obvious in that Buddy and I don't fit very well on airplanes. We have never made a trip overseas together but have always dreamed of it.

We are here visiting my sister Kristin and brother-in-law Jerry. They have lived here for over 5 years now and it is great to see their incredible life here. They both have learned the language and adjusted to the culture in an amazing way. To see them engage and interact with the people is amazing! The Chinese people are some of the most engaging and friendly people I have ever interacted with outside the US.

It is difficult to describe the feeling I get when I watch Kristin and Jerry here. My sis is speaking in Mandarin Chinese! She was trying to get me to use chop sticks at dinner last night but I went with the old faithful fork because I was ready to chow down. I'll work on the chopsticks some more today.

Buddy and I keep looking at each other and saying..."Can you believe we are in China"? It is surreal to say the least. To think of three kids growing up on Elmwood Avenue in West Chester being in China together is crazy!

We are headed out into the villages shortly. Kunming is a huge city of around 5 million people. People are everywhere here. The traffic was the most intense I have ever experienced between the cars, buses, mopeds, and bikes. Oh yea, and no bike helmets. I saw a dad, mom, and toddler on a moped with no helmets! Anyway, we are taking about a 2 hour drive out into a smaller city and then to villages an hour and a half further away. So more travel! l will keep you updated as I have access.

The Power Of One

Preaching has three phases to it...you have the time and thought that goes into the preparation, then of course their is the delivery phase...that is the part that you guys see and hear each week. The part you rarely hear about is the post preaching second guessing that happens as I reflect and pray back through Sunday. This past Sunday I really wish I would have talked more about the power of one...

You see it is all about lives changing one heart at a time. It is about the one. The one that is far from God...the one who is down to their last attempt...the one who is desperate for a new start. Every week they come and every week they hear about the life changing love of Jesus Christ. Churches can dial into programs and numbers but it is, and must always be, about the one.

In a consumer dominated society it is difficult to sustain this kind of focus in the church. So many people walk in every Sunday with the focus on what church can do for them instead of how they can serve and reach that one person. How is the church meeting my needs and the needs of my family?

Fellowship is about redefining church in the Delaware Valley one heart at a time. That is why we greet...that is why we create environments that inspire and capture the imagination...that is why we leverage our culture in a way that relates to where people are living...that is why we will do anything short of sin to reach someone for Jesus!

There is power in reaching one person. There is a ripple effect because of the lives they touch...their friends, neighbors, coworkers, and family...the people that they interface with each and every day. Tomorrow, I hope to have the baptism video that we showed Sunday on my blog. It shows the power of one...over and over again!

Sunday Random Musings

Had a great day today in church talking about Fellowship's Vision and our personal vision in life. Remember you have to be the keeper of your own vision.  If it is easily explained we have to be asking ourselves whether or not it is a God-vision.

A quick update on my dad - He got his staples out this past Friday and is making small improvements every day.  Thanks for praying for him.  He still has a long road ahead of him.

Life on the farm update:  We now have five baby ducks/ducklings/duckettes/small ducks/baby ducks (not sure what they're called). Sounds crazy, but it's pretty cool to watch.  It's crazy that something as silly as a little duckling can remind me of what an incredible creator we serve.

On another note,  I'm excited about the Eagles two new pickups so far.   

Hope you have a great week.

New Stage Look Is On The Way

I am really excited about our stage makeover that is in the process. Here are the trusses that came in today. Lights and some cool fabric cutouts are on the way. The truss that you see will have different shapes of fabric stretched across. The fabric is specially designed to absorb lighting. As you can see we have two sets of trusses. The screen will be in the middle with a section of truss on either side. We also got a platform to raise our drums and give a little more depth to our stage. Lighting is an area we have just been getting killed in...the black curtains on the stage now make it very difficult to change the environment with lighting...well, not any more! We hope to have these up and running by Sunday March 9th. It is going to give us a great "look" for Easter!

The ducks are coming! I thought I would give all you nature lovers an update on life down on the farm. I told you a couple of weeks back that Michelle had some duck eggs in an incubator…well, they are doing great. Several of the eggs are moving (how freaky is that?) and you could actually hear a chirping noise coming from one of them. Twenty-eight days Michelle has invested in these things…I’m hoping all goes well and I will have some new pictures for you soon.

Random Musings From A Sleepy Pastor

I am battling the flu right now…as my Mom used to say, “I have my days and nights mixed up.” It is 3:00 AM and I can't sleep so I might as well blog since I will probably be sleeping when most of you read this later today.

I spent a couple of hours on e-mail tonight…not sure if that is the best use of my time. Thanks for not forwarding me stuff... my favorite closing line in emails is “you don’t need to respond to this”. I am really hoping that blogging can be my way of staying in touch and I can transition away from so much e-mail.

I could watch our baptism videos over and over again…I smile so much watching them that my face starts to hurt by the end of the video…please no "does your face hurt"…"well it’s killing me jokes here!"

I want you to check out this blog link for Pastor Gary Lamb. I don’t know Gary yet but he is a blogging freak! One of the best pastor bloggers you will read. Gary pastors Revolution Church in Canton, Georgia and he is kicking it! He recently wrote a post entitled “Eliminating the portability excuse” that I want you to check out. It is a must read if you are part of Fellowship or planting a church.

One thing that keeps me awake at night is what is next for Fellowship…a second campus at a Delaware location or build a building on our campus. Either way I think we need to be somewhere between the 800-1000 range before we do either.

I do know we are called to build people not necessarily buildings. Moving into the school almost 3 years ago really launched our church as we know it today.

Cremeans Couch is starting back up on Buddy’s blog…you should check it out every Monday.

Buddy lost one of heaven’s heroes last week at Northway. Check out his post and remember to pray for his team. Heaven’s gain was their loss.

Still having C3 spiritual afterglow!

American Idol Update: I forget his name but I am predicting that the 17 year old dude that blew away the John Lennon song tonight will win it all. That kid is sick. All my girls (Michelle included I think) have a crush on him.

Going Public!

You have to love seeing people go public in their faith by being baptized. If you missed it Sunday check it out. If you are like me, I can watch this over and over...it is why we exist. People are identifying their lives with Jesus! It is all about God changing lives one heart at a time...it is Fellowship redefining church in the Delaware Valley! Great job putting this together Ben! Get your friends and family to check this out!

Watch Video Here

More Top Quotes

Here are some of the top quotes and questions I took away from C3...

• Honor the old and promote the new.
• You can’t lead out of the negative experiences of your life.
• Practice taking second place (Rom 12 – The Message)
• The enemy wants us to believe that want we do doesn’t matter.
• God is preparing you for what he has prepared for you.
• The enemy doesn’t want the church to take “turf” for the kingdom.
• The loudest boos come from the cheapest seats.
• Pit happens…It happens.
• God allows us to break down so we can break out!
• Betrayal separates the “players” from the “posers.”
• You can’t institutionalize accountability…it is born out of love.
• (leadership) If you love people you will measure their performance.
• The cost of leadership is conflict.
• You can’t lead people who aren’t thirsty.
• God never gives bread that hasn’t been broken.
• God is bigger than your background.

Questions:
Are you praying high risk prayers?
What are the barriers that are keeping our church from being unleashed on this world?

The Big Day

This is a big day for the Cremeans family. Allison Nicole Cremeans turns eighteen years old today. Unbelievable! I love all my kids deeply but today is Alli’s day and I want to brag on her. She is my pride and my joy. I call her my “honey-bunny”. Even at 18 the “little girl” in her smiles through when she hears me call her by her “special name.” Some of you might not get this part but it is all good either way because she is Daddy’s girl. For the record…Emily is my “princess” and Gracie is my “angel”.
One of the things that makes Alli so endearing to me is all of our marriage junk she has had to live through. God has been so good to Michelle and I to say the least, but I can think of two distinct seasons where we were in a crisis and detached mode…maybe a better term would be the survival mode. There wasn’t a lot of emotional energy left over at times. I remember when Alli was about 4 years old and Michelle and I were going through a 9-month separation. We would take turns like divorced people do at spending quality time with Alli. As personally devastating as that season was for me I will always treasure my time with Alli. I would pick her up late in the evening after I got off work and we would make a taco bell run and head home to watch David Letterman. The next morning we would make waffles and then go swimming.

One of the tragedies of marriage struggles is that our kids suffer. One of the blessings of God is that his grace can cover so much. The joy that that little 4 year old injected into my life while I tried so desperately to grow up and be at least part of the man God wanted me to be, will never leave me. I can still see her chubby cheeks and her squinty eyes (the eyes were due in part to my limited hair dressing skills – I am told that I pulled her pony tail way too tight) and the giggle in her voice. It puts a lump in my throat as I write this. I hate it that she had to go through that.
I love Alli’s smile and I love her heart. I saw her grow up in Russia as she learned for the first time that God could use her to make a difference in the lives of children. She has been making a difference ever since. I got to watch her sing with Donny at Fusion last week while Emily played the guitar. I am glad to see her finishing up her youth group days strong! I love watching her working at guest services, seeing her smile, joking with Shari, helping and greeting newcomers. I love taking her out on dates.
I love her loving her God. One thing I have tried to drive home to her is that if statistics hold true she will spend more time on this earth with her heavenly Father than her earthly Father. He will love her and never fail her. Pray for Alli as she searches for what to do next in her life. I think I would love to have her end up in the “family business” at some point but that is in God’s hand.

Alli, I am so proud of you honey. I couldn’t imagine having anyone but you to be my introduction to being a Daddy. I will always love and support you in whatever endeavor God has for you. Keep dreaming big dreams Alli. I believe that God will use you in a way that goes far beyond what your mom and I have done. I believe in you…I think you are beautiful and I am moved by your spirit…and I see God’s hand all over you. Remember, you are God’s masterpiece that is still being completed. You have done it…EIGHTEEN YEARS! Can you believe it? You are on your way baby. Give your best for your master because he gave everything for you.

Still Downloading

I was scheduled to speak at Northway Church in Malta, NY tonight but my flight was cancelled due to the weather we had yesterday. I was really looking forward to sharing with Northway but the alternative is that I get to be home with my family and our Fellowship family. I am still soaking in everything from the Creative Church Conference. I had the blessing of listening to nine messages in two days and I needed to hear every single one of them.

I am humbled by the opportunities that God gave me to meet some great leaders of churches that are getting it done for the God’s Kingdom. It really was God’s favor that opened up the door for me. Today I was looking at some of their church web sites and I’m in awe of what God is doing through these guys. They were just gracious and humble guys that treated me like one of the group even though most of their churches were so many times larger than ours. To see what God is doing through them inspires and encourages me for the future of Fellowship.

This was the third year in a row for Michelle and me to attend C3 and it just seems to get better every year. Ed Young is one of the most kind and gracious pastors you will ever meet.

I come home more burdened than ever for the Delaware Valley and the Northeast. The best is yet to come for what God is going to do through Fellowship Church. We have so far to go but make no mistake about it…we are on our way. God’s hand is on us…and remember, He is a mighty God…He is mighty to save!