Sticking Our Heads In The Sand

With all the different things that have been happening in the news over the past few weeks, the church has become virtually silent. It is almost as if it is afraid to make a stand. Even on issues that directly fly in the face of scriptural precedents and precepts they are still quiet. Why? Is it easier to stay silent and say nothing. Sure it is. Is that what we are supposed to be doing? Nope. Please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying use the pulpit for a propaganda machine. I am simply saying, the world needs the message of hope that is contained in scripture.

Sticking your head in the sand is easier. 

This may be true, but do you know what happens when you stick your head in the sand? The waves come up and takes your feet out from under you. We experienced this as a nation a few decades ago. We laughed as churches when someone took a case to the US Supreme Court and said we should not have directed prayer in school. Then the ruling happened and almost instantly we saw a pillar of the founding of education removed.

Just ignoring a problem is easier and for a while you will not even be effected by it. Many years ago, I had a vehicle that shuttered when I started it and shifted it into gear. I drove it for several years with the same thing happening. I would tell myself I gotta get that checked and still never do it. Then one day I could not drive forward anymore. I could drive backwards but not forward. My laziness to deal with an issue cost me a transmission. It also put my family at risk and caused extreme hardship on us for several months.

Looking the other way is easier but we have to remember that there is someone that is being hurt because of our inactivity. Loves response is not apathy. Loves response is action. Just because I choose to ignore domestic violence does not change the fact that daily it happens and the countless victims of it are increasing in number. We must unbury ourselves.

It is time we shake off the sand

We have fallen asleep standing up. The United States is still a Christian nation, but now more than ever before it is in name only. Christians have never been children of inaction. We serve a God of action that responds to the calls of his children. We are supposed to have his nature in us, so that means that sitting idly by is NOT EVER and option.

The church has to dig out but how.

1. Realize that Christianity is bigger than you are. 
Our message is a global one. We cannot stop and just be concerned about ourself. Church has became about the consumer rather than the prospective consumer. We got to have the lights right, the sound right, the look right, and the coffee has got to be just so or the church people with get upset and leave. Doesn't that seem backwards. Why do we set the lights and have the coffee just so? It is for them not you. I know that flies in the face of common practice but the sick need the physician. The message of Christ needs to be preached. The delivery can vary and that is good but when I realize that the guy off the street needs to hear this message and it is my responsibility to get him there. My place becomes obvious. "I AM SECOND"

2. We cannot compete with the world and assume we will not become like it. 
You must have protocols in place to keep the message of Christ the center of the ministry to the lost. Many churches have tried their best to make their Sunday worship encounter/experience/conclave/gathering/lifegroup/community/collective be like a U2 concert with a little Jesus and a lot of bass. Don't get me wrong I love bass. The more the better but I will take live change over experience any day. I have never been to a concert and walked away and said that concert changed my life. I have been inspired by what I have heard. The first time I ever heard the bass player for a heavy metal band that will remain nameless rip a bass solo for 2 minutes it made we want to go home and grab my guitar. There are some churches that you cannot tell where the world ends and the church begins. You see leadership of the ultra mega churches dilute the message to make it tolerable to the lost but in the dilution the conviction is diluted as well. A light design will not save anyone from hell. A 100,000 sound array will not draw anyone to Christ. It is what is coming out of it that does. The message of Christ must be forefront in all we do.

Am I against theatrical lighting and sound. Absolutely not! If you can provide the quality go for it. Just don't allow your quest for the bells and whistles overshadow you desire for the sinners hung the thorn bushes and thistles. The world desperately needs the message of Christ because they are toiling in the thorn bushes of life and it is gripping them so tight they are getting choked out.

3. Prayer cannot be a part-time activity.
The church must be in communication with God. It is not just about leadership praying. If the church is not agreeing in prayer with the leadership, the church will spin it's wheels and eventually blow out it's engine. A frightening statistic has emerged in the realm of evangelical Christian leaders. It was asked how many minutes a day do you spend in prayer. The common answer was 15 minutes a day. Do we really expect to hit the throne room of God and truly connect through 15 minutes a day? What if you talked to your wife 15 minutes a day? How strong would your marriage be? You more than likely would not have a marriage. We have to be quick to pray. We also have to be intensive when we pray. Put away the distractions. Leave your cell phone or iPad somewhere else and just pray and talk to God and ask for direction and how to speak.

The church has lost credibility because we have stopped getting results. The lack of prayer and connection to God is the reason we have stopped getting the results the world is looking for. We have what the world is seeking. We have a real supernatural God who is in control and still wants a relationship that is intimate and lasting with us. Unless we put the time we will still only get sporadic results.

I have always heard the church called the sleeping giant. It is time for the giant to get up, wipe the sleep from it's eyes and strengthen what remains.

Be Still And Know

I have 3 amazing kids. One of the things I notice at my house is the absence of noise when they are at school. I can hear every electrical sound. I can hear the sump pump kick on and off. I can hear the washer and dryer cycling and a wide variety of other noises that I never hear when my kids are home. There is a lot of noise at my house. Most of it is fantastic. Kids playing together and other noises that make me know my family is healthy and happy.

As I stood outside today, I noticed exactly how noisy it was outside. Sounds that many times I just stop paying attention to and accept as normal. Then, I went to go vote at our county auditors office. What I saw and heard made me know even more that the world is even more noisy. I saw 6 employees on their phones frantically texting and saw others in the office on phones and tablets as well. It really hit me then because my phone dinged and I immediately reached to check who was texting me. That text was followed by a Facebook notification dot that appeared on my Facebook icon. Then, my mail app refreshed and suddenly I had 9 email messages from different people. My life is noisy. Everyone of us could attest to that fact.

Our busyness and our need to be continually in the loop has caused something to happen in our spiritual lives as well. We are placing our same expectations of instant information from God. We are looking to God the way we look at our phones. We want that text tone followed by a cleverly worded message. We want God to answer our Facebook status or our tweets and then we become disappointed in him because he is not answering us as fast as we think he should.

There is a scripture Psalms the 46th chapter and 10th verse that says Be still and know that I am God.... When was the last time we actually took the time to do this? To quiet ourselves and put away the phones and the iPads and just be still and understand that God does not need our help to run the universe and he will do just fine without us for 5 minutes.

I was asked the other day why do I think that we do not see the miracles of the past occurring in church today. My response was this. We have forgotten the art of tarrying. We are so quick to stop and just accept no answer as the answer. God has called us to be vigilant in prayer and wait on him. Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. We have to get to the point of being still and knowing that he is God. We cannot understand him or his ways unless we ourselves are connecting with him. God is not superficial so he does not honor superficial things. He cannot take on things that are not his nature. We have to learn to be still again. So the question is how.

1. Force the issue: You have to be intentional about getting still. Set the time and keep to it. Leave your phone somewhere you cannot hear it or see it. Don't keep it with you and say I will turn it on silent. You know you will put it on vibrate and if your phone is like mine vibrate is louder than most of my ringtones.

2.Get accountable: Many times we do not even know how much we are under the mastery of our technology. We find ourselves sleeping with our phones. If it dings, we have anxiety until we see what it is. We need someone to ask us the hard questions. Then, they can work with us to develop a strategy for victory.

3. Use it as a tool for becoming more like HIM: In becoming more like him, I am not saying turn into super stalker and know everything about everybody. Use your phone to honor God. Read the scriptures instead of playing Candy Crush or Pearls Peril. Use it to send words of affirmation when REAL interaction is not possible for whatever circumstances. Master your technology do not let it master you.

I realize it may sound simple, but while you were reading this post, you got distracted by the banner at the top that flashed you had a Facebook or text notification. When was the last time you spent 5 minutes quiet before God without your tech? Set that time everyday. 5 minutes just being still. God will justify the time. Let him work and watch what he will do. He wants to reveal himself. The best things in life are worth waiting for. How would your cake be if you just kept opening up the door to the oven every 1 minute. It might eventually get done but it more than likely would look done but be raw and unfit to eat. We need to spend the time, see it as an investment, and reap the benefits of a true relationship with God.

Like It Is Our Last

Now that the planes of the US and France are on bombing runs in Syria, I have started seeing and hearing individuals talk about the prophecies of Isaiah as it relates to Damascus. You can read scripture and see remarkable parallels and sign of the end of the age. It is remarkable how accurate the term and even timelines are. There is however one thing that I must say.

IF YOU KNEW THE EXACT DATE OF THE RETURN OF THE LORD, HOW WOULD THAT CHANGE THE FOCUS OF YOUR MINISTRY?

Christ has never called us to be on the defensive. Why, because his truth can hold it's own. We are called to be on the attack ever pressing forward not biding our time until we see some great cataclysmic sign and know that the end is near. We have got to live and minister each day like it is our last. There are people dying and going to hell every minute and every second that we spend trying to figure out who is right about the blood moon or what eschatological timeline is correct, we are wasting precious minutes that we could be using to tell someone about the love a Christ and introducing them to the savior.

To me it seems like we are firemen who instead of running in a building and rescuing people are simply standing outside the inferno shouting "hey that building is on fire" "you need to get out" In the end, the fire still burns and the people still are trapped and eventually perish. Is there value in eschatology? Yes there is. It needs to be the warning sign that we as Christians need to get off our laurels of self righteousness and get to work about the King's business. The time is short. The end is approaching. The signs are all there. Shortly, the rapture will occur and when I stand in front of God, I am sure he will NOT ask me "Hey Dave, how close did you get to the date I was coming back/" I am sure he will ask me "what did you do with the time I gave you?" and also "who did you share my gospel with?" and "what did you do with my son Jesus?" Then, as I stand there in front of him awaiting his reply, I will know exactly where I stand with him. All of my best efforts here on this planet fall drastically short of worthiness to enter heaven. It is simply the grace of Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection that seals me.

It's not that I don't think prophecy is unimportant because it is important. I really just feel that we have gotten so caught up in trying to figure it out that the enemy has used it to make us lose focus of what will reduce perishing souls from hell. Prophecy can direct people to Christ and it does so importance is there definitely. Just simply live each day like it is our last. You will love ministry more,. Just go for it. Many times the reason we don't really feel like we have won is because we have strived for second place not to win the race. The time for pacing yourself is over. It is time to flat our run for the mark that Jesus Christ has set for us. All we have to do to win is finish.

Walking Wounded

This morning I was talking with a man that said something pretty profound. He asked me how our church services went on Sunday and I responded fantastic. We had new people visiting and even some people who had never really been to church before coming in and responding to the altar call. He then proceeded to ask, why is it that Christians are so bad about cannibalism? With a puzzled look on my face, he continued. You know Christians have a bad habit of eating their own. As I thought for a moment, I replied it is sad but we do have lots of walking wounded in our churches. 

Why is that the case? It seems that no matter what the church size may be or how diverse the congregations, we seem to wound those that are supposed to be standing with us. I believe that it is the enemies number one battle plan to attack churches from the inside out. In the military, it's called friendly fire.   Innocent people get into the crossfire and are wounded. 

What causes walking wounded? 

1. Not Knowing Our Enemy Many people are quick to pick up a cause. In every disagreement there are sides to every story. When we are not familiar with the enemy and his tactics, we can easily pick up a live grenade or step in the middle of a landline. We must be on guard of what we say and how we step. Seek God first and defuse the bombs the enemy would have you fall victim to. Communicate with each other. Follow Matthew chapter 18 for the proper model of conflict resolution so you can avoid the live grenade of gossip and slander. Side step the landline of negativity and instead pick up the standard of righteousness. 

2. Improper Use Of A Weapon Our military is the most well trained force on the planet. We spend time on tactical things that other countries wish they could. We have advanced weapon training and every soldier knows how to use his weapon to the best of its ability. We as Christians should be the same way but we don't. We are quick to unload both barrels and pull the pin of righteous indignation and explode all over someone leaving them staggering if not dead from the onslaught. Bible verses quoted out of context, false self righteousness, and forced holiness. Instead of restoring people gently, we restore them with extreme prejudice. 

3. Putting Our Armor On Someone Else In scripture we read that King Saul placed his heavy armor on David and then David rejected the armor of the king and took what he knew and went out to defeat the giant. It is easy for us to become judgmental and say because you don't look or act like me, you can't possibly be saved. We are placing our armor on someone else and it will NOT fit. 

We must stop the friendly fire. The phenomenon of walking wounded is destroying the church and its credibility. How can we be a witness for Christ and be his message when we are fighting among ourselves. We must strive for more. Uplifting and edification are just two things church is supposed to do. Yes correction is in the list but in the right context and process. 

Pretty interesting thoughts. 

Are You Afraid?

I'll admit it. I get a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach when I hear the news about beheadings and martyrs. My mind wonders when I read about some great mystery that has been revealed through a cosmic sign in the sky. I begin to ask myself how will I react? How would I react if placed in a situation like that? Almost daily I come in contact with people who say they are scared by all of these things. I have been asked what I think about these events and signs and wonders that are occurring. I get asked if I am afraid. My answer is yes I am afraid. What? wait a minute. Your afraid. Let me explain.

I am not afraid of terrorists or Blood Moons or polar shifts. I am afraid that the Christian community in the United States and the free world are responding out of fear of the unknown and there in lies the problem. We see so many things today that we can relate to the end times. We can read Revelation like a playbook at a football game. It can become so overwhelming that we find ourselves engrossed in trying to figure out Bible prophecy and end times timelines. We become fearful that some world leader is the new antichrist. Our eyes are fixed on the destruction of the world and freedom that we become frightened for the sake of fright.

One of the greatest weapons the enemy uses is distraction. The truth is nothing we can do will stop this one thing we know is true. Jesus Christ IS coming back and that time is very soon. You don't have to research many manuscripts and decode ancient languages to figure this one out. The end times are here. Satan wants us so engulfed in trying to figure out prophecies that we forget the true meaning of why we are here. OUR PURPOSE ON THIS PLANET IS TO WIN THE LOST! It is not to figure out some great mystery that will reveal that some leader is the antichrist or is the false prophet. We can use prophecy to propel and project a sense of urgency but we must be leading people to Jesus Christ. I do not need to give someone a history lesson on fire to let them know the building is on fire and the exit is this way.

The enemy wants to get us to forget that God has not given us a spirit of fear. He wants us to forget that the Holy Spirit was given so we could be bold in the face of adversity. He wants us to continually look into the face of fear until we see ourselves there. Please understand that this is not a bash Bible prophecy preachers or those who study the scriptures for even deeper realms of knowledge of God. It is simply a reminder that we must be the message of Christ and while part of that message is that he will come like a thief in the night the other is that he died to save them from their sins. He was their substitution on the cross.

Recognize what is happening in the world today for what it is. A sign of the end of the age. Let the prophecies and the correlations to world events we are witnessing first hand motivate you to speak the message of Christ boldly. Until the trumpet sounds be about his message and his purpose for your life and know that if you stand for him he will stand with you just like he did in Daniel chapter 3.

After The Win

Recently, we had a major event at our church. We hosted a men's conference that was planned for several months. The anticipation of the conference was so palpable in the atmosphere. It consumed our minds as to how to make it the best we could. We spent resources to market it and to promote to the best of our ability. Finally, we got to the days prior to the conference and the last minute details seemed to be too numerous to count. The conference day arrived and it was great. We had to adjust on the fly but who doesn't. Sunday came and the speaker gave his final address and then we took him to the airport dropped him off and that was it. Conference done. People saved and changed, budgets met, a big win for our church.

On the drive back home from the airport, I was talking to one of our deacons and a very big question came up. What's next? We sat in silence for a little bit and then something amazing happened. My deacon, who is the best one I have ever seen, said "this is what will make us or break us." My mind raced as I processed this statement.

So often, we get hung up in the preliminaries and planning that we forget to plan after the win happens. Thankfully, we did plan out after the conference. For us, we knew that this was a spring board for us to launch our men's ministry. But for many people, they lose the momentum because they failed to plan after the win.

After the win there are some vital things that must happen. Here are a few.

1. CELEBRATE. You and your church just completed a monumental challenge and walked away with energy and vigor that is difficult to manufacture. It is pure raw energy. Let the people see you smile and hear you give praises and accolades to those who were involved. One of the worst things to do is not to celebrate because you take on the worker bee mentality. It is just back to making more honey and then making more honey. Celebrate the win.

2. DON'T CELEBRATE TOO LONG. How long is too long? Celebration varies some situations call for longer and others for shorter. With this conference and previous conferences we have done, we celebrated and heard testimonies for a week or so, but we began to teach and talk on what we were going to do with the results from the conference as it applied to us. We wanted our congregation to see that the events have purpose but the end result was helping people not having an event. So, now we are navigating the nuts and bolts stage of men's ministry and how it will be the most effective. We are allowing the church to walk that journey with us and be a part of the process.

3. ARTICULATE THE RESULTS AND WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH THEM. If people can see that what has been done had purpose and is being acted upon, they will rally behind it. They may not even understand all the details. They are just happy to see that their time, talents, and treasure went to benefit people and the church as a whole.

It sounds simple right? Celebrate the win, don't hang out on it for so long you can't see the need to do anything else, and let people see why it was done in the first place. It may sound simple but many leaders will try to make things happen and they many times will succeed but they fail to bring their congregations along with them or place themselves in the position as dictator and the do what I say do individual. This never allows the purpose to gel in the hearts of the people. If the purpose fails to gel the actions of the people will be sluggish and they many times will come away with a feeling of being used instead of being valued. Be intentional in your words. Your praise means more than you know and your vague or sarcastic criticisms penetrate deeper than you may think as well.

Above all build relationships. Build the community. You are not about events you are about people. Be genuine.

Hard To Believe

Have you ever had one of those mementos where your faith in what God could do and then seeing him do it collided with each other? Today was one of those days for me. Many of you know that my youngest son Joel was born 3 months premature. For those of you who don't here is a brief description of his struggle. My wife's water broke completely at 16 weeks. Yes 16 weeks. We immediately went to the OB and he sent us immediately to a specialist who told us to abort this little baby because there was less than 0% chance of his survival. We called anyone and everyone who knew how to pray and decided that only God can decide life and death and so we went home praying that God would do something miraculous. My wife placed herself on bed rest and started drinking enormous amounts of water. In December, we went back to the specialist who were surprised that we were still pregnant. My wife was placed in the hospital and I became a single father and full time pastor for the next 3 months. Joel was born at 2 pounds 8 ounces on January 10th. He surprised the doctors at his progression and actually was released on oxygen a week before his actual due date.

That was a miracle. The doctors told us that his life would be less than extraordinary. He would have very little cognitive functions and very limited motor functions. They said he would more than likely develop CP or some other disorder. We received nothing but bad reports about him. But, we knew God had performed a miracle. Joel progressed and while he has had some difficulties and some struggles, he is functioning and doing well. That brings me to today.

My wife and I dropped my son off at school today for the first time. No tears were shed by my son. He was unbuckling his seatbelt to get up and get started with school. I took a snap shot of him holding his bear on the way to school. Beary will be sitting in the van today waiting for my son to come out of school. Joel hugged me said by dad and pulled away from me and was met by a teacher who was so excited to see him. He walked with her and as we pulled away did not even look back he just kept walking and went in to begin the next great chapter of his life.

That's when my mind flashed back through all the pictures of my son on monitors in the NICU. All the hours of therapy and stretching to make sure his muscles were loose. All the giggles and funny games we played together as he was growing up and surpassing expectations of physicians. It was in that moment also that God placed on my heart this one thought. "THAT'S WHAT FAITH DOES."

Faith enables us to walk without looking back. It helps us to overcome fear of the unknown. It strengthens us and brings us to a new level of confidence. Had we believed the doctors, my son would not be here. Had we believed the therapists, my son would be lower functioning and meeting their expectations instead of surpassing the expectations of man.

I shed some tears today as I watched my kids go to school. But, my faith was charged because I was watching the results of it in real time. Thank you God for your faithfulness and steadfastness. Happy first day of school.

Fighting Insecurity

Many of you who know me would say that I am a pretty secure person. I don't let doubt show in my face or my actions. I have been told I come across as confident and not at all shy. Let me admit something to you. I battle insecurity daily. It is only by the grace and strength of God that I am who I am. Lots of people just gave me an amen right there because you do the same thing. 

Insecurity is one of the hardest battles for anyone to fight. It attacks your very make up and structure. I battle this almost every day. I have tasks that I know must be completed but sometimes the thoughts of "why would someone listen to you? who do you think you are? Do you remember what you used to be like?" come in with such force, I have to stop and get my bearings back. Some of you have no idea what I am talking about and still others are again giving me an amen. You know precisely what I am talking about. So, for what it is worth to you, I want to give you some steps to overcome insecurity. 

1. Remember who made you. 

Seems simple remember that God created you. God is not bound by the circumstances of your birth or your life or your family. He created you in his image and the image of the creator is perfect and bold. When you feel insecurity rising in you, stop and say a prayer and remind yourself that you were created by God for his purpose and he has never and will never create junk. 

2. Everything you need has been given to you. 

I remember reading the first chapter of Ephesians where the scripture says all things have been given to you. Notice the word have. It is saying that what we need to succeed has been given to us already. We have access to them. We simply must take them and use them. We can battle with feeling ill equipped or ill prepared but we can be confident in knowing that God has given us what we need to succeed and not just to participate but to see it through to completion. 

3. The power is not yours it is God's power. 

At first, you may view this a a slight contradiction but in actuality it is a statement of truth that expounds on the previous point. The power to do has been given to each one of us who believe. But, it is not a fleshly power that has been given. It is spiritual power which comes from God and if we understand that supernatural power from the very hand of God is what we now have access to and full right to use then we can be confident and not be insecure. God is never weak and never runs, so we can be strong and courageous. 

When I need to get my head together, I stop and think on these three things and I feel the spiritual recharge. I do what scripture directs and take captive every thought that comes into my head and make it submit to the will of God. It is not my will but it is the Lords will. We can succeed at anything we put our minds to. Remember he has given you all the power you need to succeed and win not just merely get by. 

Finishing Well

Not many people want to talk about resigning a position. No one really wants to think about the process. In our minds, we think we have a formulated plan to leave. Today, I want to chat just a bit about leaving well. As a professional teacher and then as a youth and children's pastor I have navigated this process a few times in my career. The circumstances surrounding my transitioning were all different. There was one common thought that ruled my mind during those times and it is a thought that many forget about when faced with a transition either difficult or easy.  The thought is simply this. AM I FINISHING WELL. 

Scripture teaches us to run the race until the end. Most people will point out that the scripture is taking about life in general, but I want you to follow me with this thought. The periods of time in our life are like segments of a multi-leg race. If you do well in one station of the race and then poorly in the next it directly impacts how you begin the next section. That brings me to my point.

You begin the next season of your life or job like you finished the last one. 

I have many friends in ministry that have made a near fatal mistake of leaving a position because of anger. They leave in a violent uproar trying to inflict mass damage as they leave. What they do not realize is that when they arrive, if they arrive at another position, they will have to work through that situation again. I have worked for some great men of God. I have worked for seasoned pastor's and leaders and administrators. I have gleaned many what to do's in ministry and even more what not to do's in ministry. One thing remains I am not working for them. I am working for God and God has allowed me to be where I am and only he decides who I am.

That being said; I want you to understand that my career has had many twists and turns. I have experienced harshness, discrimination, bitterness, envy, and many other negative things from the mouths and actions of leaders. It is in those times where many get frustrated and enraged and then explode and leave a position. That is precisely what the enemy wants you to do. There has been a scripture that ruled my actions as a leader and teacher. Col 3:23 Do everything that you do as if you are doing it for God and not to please man. If you make this the keystone of your life, you will find success even in the most difficult circumstances. The mistake that so many make is undermining authority that God has placed over us for whatever timeframe he has us in at that moment. I heard recently that many time God offends our mind in order to reveal the condition of our heart. I find that to be true on so many levels. It is easy to get offended when you are corrected or something is scrutinized. But, examine your response and place it next to scripture.

So how do you finish well?

1. ALWAYS BRING HONOR TO THE LEADER/MAN OF GOD. 
I say this because most individuals who leave have a falling out or some sort of disagreement with the leader. They then try to gain support by trashing the leaders decision to disagree with them. It becomes easy then to be disgruntled and disillusioned. Then, absolutely everything the leader does never seems to measure up to your expectations. Always bring honor to the leader/man of God. In doing so, you will be finishing well. God can work things out a lot better and faster than you can. You can voice your disapproval or question the decision with the leader that made it. Not with your friends and supporters and especially not on social media. If you begin slandering and back biting your leader, you are sinning. Your leader may be completely in the wrong but if you start gossiping or slandering in any way you are just as guilty. Understand that God holds us to a higher standard as leaders. Here is one more thing that will help you. RESPECT IS GIVEN TRUST IS EARNED. Be respectful to everyone. Show respect for them as a creation of God and as a leader that God has placed there. It doesn't matter what your opinion might be of the leader and quite frankly it doesn't matter what your opinion is of the leader.  Don't speak ill of your leader. Do your best to speak of them in a positive light.

2. Develop a success plan. 
Most transitions are awkward at best. The development of a transition or success plan will help with the awkwardness. Write down and plot out what you do. Most people coming into a position will look at the way things were done previously and then mirror them to some extent and elaborate on them and make them their own. This is another area that can reveal the attitude of your heart. If you are unwilling to leave notes and plans for the next individual, why were you doing that job in the first place? Whose glory were your seeking your own or Gods? That may sound harsh, but especially in ministry we have to understand that we are in a constant progression of what God is wanting. If we are insecure in ourselves to the point of sticking it to another servant of God how can that be an attitude that God would have? Leaving a success plan shows that you truly do want the person and place to succeed and continue own to even more growth and health. Work with diligence to have things set up for the next person. EVEN IF YOU ARE ANGRY OR DISGRUNTLED. It sounds easier than it is, but if you do that even in those times you will find yourself letting go of your anger because you get back in touch with the real reason why you do what you do.

3. Pray
I know it sounds cliche but it is the most important thing you can do. Prayer will bring to light so many things. It can give you peace in your heart when you are troubled. It can ease anger. It can change perspective. Pray for your leader. Pray for your family and those that have connected with you as you have served. Pray for the future and for the next person that comes to be able to do more than you.

4. Don't laugh at failure. 
If you drive and see an accident on the other side of the highway, what is the normal response? You rubberneck to try to see what happened. In transition, you can do the same thing. Be careful not to rejoice in the suffering of others. There will be times you will see your replacement fail. Satan's quick attack is then to make you become prideful and fall prey to the attitude of they deserved it. I cannot tell you how devastating this is. I have watched as colleagues in ministry and in education laugh as their program failed. Then they became enraged at me because I suggested that perhaps if the predecessor had spent a little more time and invested a bit more in the transition it would not have failed. Our main goal should be to develop ministries  and positions that will last and be there and flourishing long after we are gone and forgotten about.

These four things have helped me so much as I have transitioned. Have I done them all with superior skill? Nope. Have I totally blew it in some? Yep. But, the desire of my heart is to please the Lord and bring honor to the man of God. I can do that. I can do that in the things I do and say. I can do that by the things I DON'T SAY as well. Finish well my friends. Please God in all you do. God Bless

4 Ways To Have A Humble Attitude

This morning I was reading an article on the attitude of humility that leaders should possess. Many people have seen the arrogant and self centered leader before. Most people don't care for the arrogant. The self centered leader will only allow certain people whom he or she deems worthy to have access to them. It makes for a very difficult relationship for everyone except those who have attained the audience.

As I read the article this morning by Tommy Barnett, I was impressed with what I saw. You see if anyone could be arrogant it is Pastor Tommy Barnett. He pastored a mega church, founded a Dream Center movement that swept the US and worldwide and has several other accolades that he could tout. Here are the 4 ways that he says to foster a humble attitude as a leader.

1. Come up with a series of phrases or comments that you can use in different situations to indicate you are nothing special or that your action deserves no special recognition.  
These phrases like "It would be my pleasure." I would love to help you with that." are self effacing phrases that show you place a value on people first and not your own agenda.

This struck me as I read it. For many leaders especially pastors, we have a problem sometimes with getting so hung up in our own agendas and fulfillment of our vision that we forget exactly why we are in the ministry in the first place. We are there for the people not an organization. The organization is supposed to be an avenue of help to people. Many times we get it backwards.

2. Get together with other co-workers, family, friends and groups with the sole intent of listening to what is going on with them. 
I recently was in a room of one uppers. You know the types of individuals that whatever has happened to you, they have had something ten times worse happen to them. It almost drove me crazy. We started talking about a guys sprained ankle and as others chimed in, the list of aches and pains was finally one upped by someone who had their back broken in three places and a major concussion along with the death of their cat. No joke.

As leaders, we have to stop and listen and not jump into I am going to be relevant mode and tell you why I am relevant to your situation that you just shared. What we are saying is that your situation or circumstance in nothing compared to mine. That kills the relationship value of the individual sharing. It makes them feel as though they cannot measure up. So leaders, in the words of Tommy Barnett. "put your own litany aside and listen"

3. Contact someone you had a disagreement with and admit you were WRONG.
No one likes being wrong, but a great leader will admit when they have made a mistake. What that does for the individuals you are working with and leading, is it lets them know you are human and you have the integrity in both positive and negative situations. Many leaders think that admitting mistakes makes them look weak but the opposite is true. Doing this also sharpens you because people will ask you to explain why. If you can;t explain why, should you do it in the first place?

4. Go out of your way to thank others for what they have done. 
The tragic flaw of many leaders is they don't affirm people. I have worked for some leaders who were excellent at this and I have worked for some that were not so good. Leaders usually will be quick to admit that affirmation is not their strong suit. What I would say to those leaders who openly admit that is it's time to get that suit out and wear it. Affirmation can be learned and it is vital to the success of an organization and a healthy life and family. Pastors and leaders alike hear a majority of negative but when they actually practice the positive affirmation of others, they are saying that they value the positive as much as correcting the negative.

James tells us to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and he will lift us up. Isn't that what it is all about. Being with the Lord. In Mark we read that Jesus chose the disciples to Be with Him and to preach the gospel. It is when we make it a habit of being with the Lord that we can actually preach with the fervency the world needs.

Just A Matter Of Time

It is amazing to me how busy things can get in my life. Between being a husband, father, and minister my calendar can look like a schematic to an aircraft carrier on some days. But, I am still able to accomplish the tasks that need to be done. As I talk with people, I hear about the busyness of their lives and how they cannot possibly add one more thing like going to church or volunteering to their schedule. I watch as parents become slaves to a students social schedule. It seems their is never any time just to pause and listen.

When we read scripture, if you have found the time to do that, we find a man named David. He was called a man after God's own heart. He was by no means perfect by the worlds standards but something made him worthy of that title. It was not his good looks or his skill on the battlefield that held him in high regard with the most high. It was not his full social calendar that brought him such clout with the heavenly father. It was one thing. His desire to be alone with God away from the noise of the world, thats what made him stand above the rest. He writes Psalms 91 with that in mind. 

Psalm 91

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

We have to come to the realization that a busy schedule does not mean a successful life. It means that we have a busy life. There is extreme value in asking yourself the question Is what I am doing bringing glory to God or separating me from him by taking another chunk of my time?

The enemy attacks in many ways. As we study scripture, you see a pattern. God blesses, we are content, we become discontent, Satan creates busyness, we lose our focus, Satan destroys our relationship with God.

We must look at our life and understand that God wants our time. The realm of time does not apply to God. He will justify the time that we spend with him if we allow him to. When we allow him to order our time, we will find that we have more time to use. 

Dare To Ask Why

Are you afraid of asking why? 

One of the hardest questionsthat most people can ask themselves is why? As a parent, I give my kids instructions and inevidably they ask me why. I find myself getting a little annoyed and the sound of my mothers voice plays in my head saying "Because I said so". But, I have to remember the power that question has. No honestly sometimes my kids are just trying to express dislike about my instructions but more times than not they are seeking an explaination. If I explain it to them, they will process it and hopefull put it into practice in their lives. If I cannot explain why, is it a valid instruction or something else. 

In our lives, we should ask ourselves the question why. I heard a story of a woman who constantly cut the end off of a ham when she cooked it in the oven. One day while her mother came over she prepared the ham and cut the end off. The woman was taken back by the mother asking why she cut the end off the ham. The woman replied that her mother had always cut the end off the ham. The mom laughed and told the daughter I cut the end off the ham because the pan was too small to hold the whole thing. 

Are we doing things just because thats the way we always have done them or is there a real logical purpose for what we are doing. It is not until we ask ourselves the question why that we can truly evaulate the merit of a particular habit or action. 

Churches are not exempt in this either. Many pastors and leaders will just fall into the pattern of how things have always been done. The danger in this mindset is it leads to stagnation and spiritual death. As a pastor, you are called to be a good steward not just of the finances of the church but also the energy and actions of the church. Evaluation starts with the question why do we do this. What is the benefit? What purpose does it serve? It is in honest reflection that we can geeet intune with the fresh vision and revelation of God that will bring life into the church. Dare to ask why.

Trying To Plug In

TRYING TO PLUG IN...

Maybe I am the only one who does this, but have you ever fumbled around feeling for a plugin. You can't really see where to plug in but that sudden dimming of your iPhone makes it an urgent thing to find. So you feel around and search and finally just when you think you have it...you have to flip the cord around and do it all over again.

Many people in church or to put it a little better who are not in church but used to be are going through the same thing. No, they are not trying to plug in their phones. They are trying to plug themselves in. When you attend a church for any length of time, you are encouraged to plug in. There is one question that churches have not been so good about answering. How do you plug in? Many people feel as though they should plug in but they cannot seem to find an outlet. So, they fumble around and just when they think they are about to get it, they are met with a protocol or procedure that was never explained and they have to begin again.

Sounds frustrating doesn't it. There are some very simple steps that you can take to get people plugged in.

1. Meet new people and get to know them so you can be the catalyst. 
I know. I know. You have heard it before. It is all about relationships and getting to know people. While this is no Earth shattering step, it is the most overlooked step by the modern day church. The normal way churches view individuals are in a numerical terms only at first. The greeter at the door has been coached in small talk instead of relation building and genuine interest. Ask questions that are a bit more than what they will or might fill out on an information card.

2. Make sure you know the others in your congregation so you can make an instant connection between two individuals. 
Again we see where a culture of relationship building is vital. It is difficult at first to cultivate but if you put in the time to get to know those that you are around you can help people connect personally and then it establishes a pattern of personal relationships. What does that do for the individual who wants to plug in or even just visits your church? It allows them to instantly be connected to another person instead of trying to connect to the body as a whole.

3. Don't just assume people know how to get connected. 
Be intentional about the information. If you require a probationary period, application, screening or some other prerequisite for getting involved, make sure it is readily available for people to read and make sure you and your entire church can explain why and how it relates to your vision. Also, offer times when people can ask questions about how to get involved or what opportunities are available.

4.  Set the length of time a person is committing to. 
Many people want to commit to a church and volunteer and connect. For most people they have an idea that if they volunteer they will continue to do that until Jesus comes or they die. Make sure people have an out. Imagine the thought of being 98 years old still weeding the grounds and mowing the lawn. That may sound a little out there but churches have had a bad habit of filling spots and not filling people.

5. Create a culture of honor. 
The recognition of individuals and groups of individuals are vital to people becoming plugged in. People can see the pastor and the leadership team, but who sees grandma Edna who has baked pies for sick people. Who knows about the transportation that the Sulliban family provides to 3 kids whose parents don't even attend church. What about your nursery volunteers? Are they celebrated? Everyone deserves to be honored. You must look for ways to do it. Not just once in awhile. Perpetual honoring creates long lasting volunteers and charges the atmosphere with the electricity of appreciation. Celebrate often.

There are many different things that can help people get plugged in. These were just 5 that seemed to stand out to me. Think about how you were able to plug in to a church or a community. What led you to do it? How did you keep connected? What about the negative? Have you ever just lost interest? What led to it? We have to get people plugged in. It will change their lives.