Determined to Grow!

Well, my summer is officially over. Tonight I start back to school again. But I don’t say that with any sadness or remorse, because I have discovered that I have a real love for learning. I’m not sure this was always true. As one of my elementary teachers said it so aptly in a conversation with my mother, “Chuck’s school work tends to get in the way of his social life!” Pretty sure that wasn’t a compliment. It is my guess that I have never lost my passion for enjoying people and being with friends, but today I have a real passion for increasing my knowledge as well as my understanding.

I had a great conversation with a friend from another state earlier this morning. It has been a few years since we spoke…but we seemed to pick right up where we left off. As we shared our experiences in life, I recognized that we had a common drive to grow (personally, spiritually, and mentally). I commended him for his unwillingness to become content with his past achievements and for following the words of Paul and “…pressing onward!”

If you’ll allow me, I would like to “spur” you on towards greater things.

It has been my experience that many people become lethargic in their lives (in nearly every area). But Jesus challenged us to love God with every aspect of our lives. None were left out. We should love him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Did you catch the part about loving God with your mind? Those were his words, not mine. The mind must be used if it is to grow. It has the same attributes as does every muscle in our bodies. If it is unused and not exercised, it will grow weak and ineffective!

I encourage you today to stretch your mind. Think some NEW THOUGHTS! Challenge yourself to read a new book. Expand your thinking, press on to great things and leave lethargy behind!

A Church by Any Other Name…

I recently ran across a great blog posting by someone who compiled a list of some of the more unique and interesting names that people are coming up with the name the churches. I will share the first 13 with you…but if you want to read the complete list of 129 you need to follow the link below. The notes in parenthesis are the comments of the blogger. Hope you enjoy — I did.

1. Resonate
2. Revolution (Where only senior pastors get beheaded.)
3. Radiance (Where the female vocalists all glitter like Mariah Carey.)
4. Elevation (U2 songs every bloody Sunday.)
5. Restoration
6. Renovation (You can do it! God can help.)
7. Mosaic
8. enCompass (Wii th-|-nk [outside] the box. We R crAtiVe.)
9. Epiphany Station (Next stop, Conjunction Junction!)
10. Soma (Our pastor knows Greek.)
11. Sanctuary
12. Rock Harbor (If your life hasn’t run aground yet, we can help.)
13. Journey (“Don’t Stop Believing” is our theme song.)

A Church by Any Other Name … | Out of Ur | Conversations for Ministry Leaders.

Jesus Does A Miracle at A Pagan Temple

Tomorrow I will be preaching on the passage in John 5, where Jesus heals the lame man who had laid by the Pool of Bethesda for some time. He had been paralyzed for 38 years and was desperate to be healed. What we often misunderstand in this passage is that this place was not a sacred place honoring God (the One True God), but rather a pagan temple of sorts honoring the false Greek god Asclepius (the god of medicine). In my research of this place I discovered so much that has brought this passage alive in my heart and mind. It is my hope to draw people closer to Jesus and His miracle working power as we study this passage together. What is worth pointing out here is that Jesus (upon entering the city of Jerusalem) takes the time to visit a pagan temple on the Sabbath (of all days) and then demonstrates His power over sickness and disease — trumping the superstitions in this false god’s ability. So at Bethesda (the House of Mercy) Jesus has mercy on one and changes his life forever.

For more reading on the pool of Bethesda — check out this link: http://readingacts.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/two-pools-in-jerusalem-bethesda-and-siloam

Thinking Aloud!

Do you ever catch yourself thinking aloud?

It’s been my experience that sometimes I do my best thinking when I am in conversation with a dear and trusted friend. Just today I had the opportunity to sit down to lunch with just such a friend and talk about the possibilities of doing something new in relation to the ministry I lead. As we began to talk, I felt as if the ideas began to sprout wings and take flight. The more we discussed the possibilities — the more my words sounded like dreams and hopes.

I share this with you, simply to encourage you to find that someone…that trusted friend and just share your heart. Share what’s on your mind. Talk about the dreams you’ve been carrying around on the inside for so long. Don’t you think it’s time you let them out?

As I was concluding our conversation — I recognized something special about this friend…this brother in the faith. He didn’t try to talk me out of my dream. He never once told me it was too big or that I was too small. He only encouraged me to think bigger, to color outside of the box and to let me dreams soar! As we prepared to leave I told him how grateful I was for his friendship. To man is a “can do” man. The question is never, “can you do really do this?” It’s always, “you can do this!” And for that I am blessed!

It’s my conviction that sometimes our best leadership thoughts are discovered when we “think aloud!”

Serving Others!

There’s something so rewarding about serving others. This past week I met with a couple in our church and we discussed this very matter. They’re being considered for a key leadership role in our congregation. As a younger couple, it’s been very interesting to watch them grow and mature in their faith over the last four or five years. As we sat down together we talked about the importance of understanding leadership from a Biblical vantage point. Now, from Christ’s perspective — leadership is influencing others by serving them at the point of their greatest needs. Unlike the secular angle of getting to the top as fast and aggressively as possible, the Biblical angle is all about providing genuine care and service to those in arms reach.

It rarely makes sense to the natural mind…but when the heart, life and mind of a person becomes totally transformed by the love of Christ it will begin to reflect the same character as God. That character change is critical to fully understanding and displaying genuine (Biblical) leadership. And that kind of leadership begins and ends with serving others. Once you begin to experience leadership in that way — you never want to return to the dog-eat-dog approach of our society. As I stated when I began this post, there is something so rewarding about serving others. So lead on — and serve well!

 

Thoughts for those Leading the Church…

 

Leading the Way!

This weekend was a special time for my family. The church I pastor took the time to schedule and plan a wonderful weekend where they honored us for our ministry. It has been their practice for a number of years to pause during the fall season and bless share their appreciation for our leadership and service at Trinity Fellowship Church. Once again, they went beyond expectations and made us feel so grateful to be doing life with them.

 

After returning home yesterday from all of the festivities I received a call from a dear friend. The church he has been serving for the past six months (in a temporary leadership role) elected him to the post of Senior Pastor. What is most amazing was that it was unanimous! What a blessing it is when the people of God function in the spirit of unity (sounds a bit scriptural, huh?). Well, after trading texts back and forth last night — my mind was filled with thoughts of his future. So, this morning I called him and we talked for over an hour about the joys and struggles of pastoral ministry. One of the things I offered him was a bit of advice from someone who has been walking the path he is now on. I think these simple – but profound thoughts may be beneficial for others as well. You decide.

My thoughts for those leading the Church:

1. Read Continually! Leaders are readers — always stretching their minds and growing their thoughts. It’s interesting to me that when Jesus was questioned about the “greatest commandment” in Matthew 22, His answer was to “…Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This was a reference back to Deuteronomy 6. And though we tend to focus on loving God with our entire lives, I think we often miss the directive to love God with our MIND as well. One of the best ways we can do this is by using it! Stretch you thoughts and increase your thinking. Read and grow and develop “as unto the Lord!” My personal goal is to read one book a week. I don’t always succeed — but I do pretty well. I think a good starting place for most pastors and church leaders would be to read one book a month. Just think of the growth of our minds when we practice such a great discipline.

2. Study Constantly! One of the mistakes many preachers make is to rest upon the knowledge they already have. When we do this, our preaching will suffer and so will those under our care. It is vitally important that we not give in to the temptation to only preach those passages that we are emotionally moved by or comfortable addressing. We must give ourselves to the practice of “rightly dividing” God’s Word. This will not happen at the last minute or by just skimming a shallow application of a text. Preachers should never just “wing it” – rather, they should give themselves to the deeper things of God’s Word and truly understand the context and the content that they will be proclaiming to others. There must be substance…and substance doesn’t happen without deep and consistent times of study.

3. Proclaim with Passion! Nothing of greatness ever happens without passion. For too long “preaching” has been tagged by its shallowest and lowest form. Rather than preaching being about one man scolding another…or worse, boring another — preaching ought to be about proclaiming the “Good News” of Christ with passion! Information alone can seem dry and unattractive — but when saturated within the live and passions of the one proclaiming it, that same information can be exciting and desirable. May those who stand in the pulpits and places of teaching always proclaim God’s Word with the greatest of passion!

4. Give it all away! As I spoke to my friend today, my advice was to let go. Just let go and release the tendency to have to do everything himself. One of the lies that we tend to but into is that we are the only ones who can “do it”! Whatever “it” is. Maybe it’s because we have bought into our own press and somehow believe that we are God’s Gift to everyone. Or maybe it’s because we think that no one else can produce the level of quality that we can produce. Or maybe we it’s because we feel the pressure from those in our churches to do everything because of our role. Whatever the case — God has called pastors to be equippers! Our calling is not to DO the ministry, but to equip the body of believers to DO the ministry. It’s time we as pastors let go of our Messiah Complexes and release the ministry to those around us. Together everyone accomplishes more (TEAM). Let’s build ministry TEAMs and then stop micro-managing those teams.

I have to admit, I’ve not always been the best at accomplishing all of these areas — but I do believe I am getting better. Hope this helps.

Lead on!

When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned…

Without a doubt, one of the most cherished verses of Scripture is Jeremiah 29:11. It says,

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

As great as this verse sounds at first read — it is ever more powerful when understood in the context of Judah’s history. Following the years of Israel’s greatness and power the nation imploded causing a division to take place. What was left were two “new” kingdoms — the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. As time went on (around 720 BC) the nation of Assyria came into power and wiped out the Northern Kingdom of Israel. A couple of hundred years later (around 550 BC) another nation was on the rise. This time it would be the Babylonians who picked a fight with Judah and won. Now, the only thing left was a remnant left where the Southern Kingdom had been. In fact, Jerusalem (the seat of power) was totally destroyed. And to add insult to injury, the best and brightest of Judah were taken captive and forced to live in exile in Babylon.

It was during this time that the Prophet Jeremiah came on the scene and penned these powerful words of hope. The thing is — at that time, the people in exile were certain they would be freed soon and their plan of rebuilding their former nation could resume. However, God had other plans. His plans involved the people in exile remaining in exile for another generation. And, His plan was that the people would learn to live and worship even in the midst of hardship and struggle. Listen to the words of Jeremiah 29.

4 “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the LORD. 10 This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:4-11 (NIV)

You see, even with their plans failing and their dream of being a great and might nation shattering — God was still God. And though their hearts were heavy and their situation difficult, God’s plan required that they continue to trust Him, follow Him and worship Him. We would do well to realize that even in hard times and disappointed dreams, God can still be trusted. Remember His words…

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

As leaders we need to be the first to demonstrate this principle of FAITH! For without faith, we know it is impossible to please God.

Lead on!

Instilling Confidence in Others!

It’s no secret — the economy has faced one of it’s greatest struggles in the past few years. It’s been weakened beyond belief and has touched nearly every industry across this nation. In fact, as I write these words I have to wonder if I’ve really under-stated the issue. The reality is that our economy’s problems have probably reached a far greater portion of society than I give it credit for. That being said, the business world isn’t the only place that’s felt the downturn. The Church has also been touched by this difficult season of finances and strained resources. For just over two years now I have been keenly aware of the depressed economy on a corporate level (as it has affected the very church I pastor). More than ever before I have had to become extremely cautious with the use and stewardship of the resources entrusted to our ministries. We have responded by going on the offense and not waiting until we are in a desperate situation. Therefore, we’ve chosen to operate in a very tight and guarded budget.

During this time I have noticed that one of the biggest impacts on the economy of the local church has to do with the confidence of the people or congregation. More specifically, the confidence they have about their own future (possessing the needed resources) and the confidence they have in those stewarding the gifts they invest into the ministry and local church.

As pastors and ministry leaders we must inspire hope! Now, I know there’s been much talk about “hope” from a political standpoint recently — but that’s not what I’m referring to. What I am talking about has to do with the way the leaders in the church present a “Biblical Worldview.” The truth is that sin is rampant and it’s curse has touched every area of life on this planet. However, the “Biblical Worldview” is that Christ has come and provided a way to experience life to the full (abundantly, life to the max). This is communicated of course through the “Gospel” or good news! And there’s a reason it’s called good news…because it is! Knowing this, grasping the truth of the scriptures and believing in Jesus should not lead us down a path of fear and anxiety. Quite the opposite in fact. Looking through the lenses of the “Gospel” should cause us to both possess hope and share it boldly with those under our care.

If you’re leading a congregation through these turbulent economic waters — then you have an obligation to not bombard them with worry and stories of doubt and disbelief. Instead, I encourage you to talk about the fact that all we have comes from Christ (not our own hands or employers) and we can trust God to meet all of our needs. This will put people in the right frame of mind — and will build confidence within them. Confident and hopeful people are givers — doubters and fearful people respond by hoarding and holding back!

Okay, one other area I want to mention as it pertains to confidence. As leaders and pastors, we must rightly handle that which people sacrifice to give. We must not waste the gifts of faithfulness from God’s people. This is called stewardship! But, it’s not enough just to manage His resources with honor and integrity. We also must share the stories of how the funds that people give are being used. This is called “testifying” or “vision casting”. You see, when we share the stories of how needs were met, ministry was accomplished, benevolence was offered, the bible was effective communicated, lives were changed, etc., etc., etc.,…people become even more passionate about participating. In essence — we must first be stewards of the resources, and then be stewards of the stories we gain from the gifts and ministry of others! When we do this, confidence will grow — and so will the generosity of others!

Lead on!

Courageous Leadership

Last night as I gathered with my wife and children after dinner, we grabbed our bibles and paused for our time of family devotions. We don’t typically do our family devotions after dinner — in fact, we usually do them in the morning before really beginning our busy schedules of school and work. But yesterday we were forced to enjoy our time of study and encouragement in the evening. So, as we sat down together in our living room — we turned to Philippians chapter 1. It was ironic to me that as we were studying this letter that the Apostle Paul had written to the church in Philippi while in prison was the same letter and passage referenced in a book I’ve been reading on leadership. In chapter 9 of The Character of Leadership: 9 Qualities that Define Great Leadership (by Jeff Iorg), the author addresses this passage in a conversation about handling fear. In Philippians 1:21, Paul says, “To live is Christ and to die is gain!” What a deep and powerful statement of courage!

In a message I recently listen to from pastor and author Francis Chan, he made the statement, “There will be no cowards in heaven!” This idea came from a study he had been doing on Revelation 21. And really, his point was that FEAR is not of God. Not that we don’t become fearful at times, or even battle with the feelings and emotions of fear…but that FEAR is not the spirit God has given us. We are supposed to be and act out of courage in faith. As leaders there will always be situations and moments of uncertainty. When these moments come we must not buy in to an attitude of fear, but rather find strength and courage in Christ and His promise to be with us as we lead.

When the Apostle Paul wrote the letter we call Philippians — he was sitting in chains in a dank and dark prison cell. Facing imminent death and great persecution — he still stood on faith and refused to cowardly backdown from his call to lead the church into faith and righteousness. And so, he makes the statement, “To live is Christ and to die is gain!”

My family and I labored to rightly understand such a powerful statement…and we concluded that when we operate in righteousness and with integrity to God’s Word and His Call on our lives…then regardless of what happens in the natural, we are still in His hands and have no need to fear!

I love what Mark Twain once stated, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” My prayer is that when fear comes my way — that I will respond with faith and resistance. May I master it rather than allowing it to master me!

Let’s remember Francis Chan’s words…”The will be no cowards in heaven!” Refuse to embrace anything but a life of faith, strength and courage.

Lead on!

The Pathways of Leadership

Yet again, I have been reminded of the importance of character and integrity in leadership. As the news hit the airways today about — yet another well-known pastor being accused of scandalous acts, I was once again burdened with the lack of integrity and prideful arrogance that exists in all too many misguided leaders. It seems that all too often, deceived leaders begin to believe their own press and buy into the lie that they are some how invincible or able to do whatever they want (right or wrong) in life. There seems to be many pathways of leadership — yet the only true path is that of strong moral character and high personal integrity.

The last chapter of J. Oswald Sanders‘ book – Spiritual Leadership, addresses this very issue. And again, the key issue to live within the light of all that is true and godly…essentially, to live above reproach. As leaders (especially those in ministry) we must never see ourselves as invincible. Leaders must never allow what they “do” for God and others to somehow elevate their own personal “worth” or “value”. When this happens, leaders fool themselves and they begin to do those things which they, under ordinary circumstances, would never do! And yet, thinking that somehow they are able or even afforded “special rights and privileges”, they suppress the conviction of the Holy Spirit and ignore their own conscience.

So, how do we guard our hearts and ensure we stay on the right pathway? We must saturate our minds in the Word of God and think on those things which are “noble” and right! The fall from honesty and integrity never happens with one thought or choice. The destructive behaviors always begin with small steps of diversion from the right paths. One unknown author put it well. I’ll end with this today. He (or she) writes:

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

- Author Unknown