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.

Department Store Parenting

PS3, Xbox, iPod, iPad, Hollister, American Eagle, and Aeropostle are all names associated with status and in many cases teen style, fashion, and entertainment, but recently something else has been taking my attention. The parents of todays youth are becoming more and more disconnected. The standard of parenting and promotion of values through the filter of the family is being replaced with meeting wants of our children rather than what is needed or in many cases desired.

In a recent conversation with a retired law enforcement individual, He shared the story of a young many who was arrested. As he sat in the holding room, his parents began the onslaught of insults and expressions of shame. The law enforcement gentleman stopped the onslaught and asked a very simple question. When was the las time you told your son that he mattered to you? When was the last time you embraced your son and told him that you loved him without having anything else attached to your conversation? This sparked a fire in the young man who immediately began to scream at his parents and say "tell them. tell them how long?"

I am not giving an excuse for bad behavior, but this is becoming the norm far to often. We have become so concerned with status and materialism that we have muted the actual influence that we have as parents. The Xbox will develop red ring. PS3 will get yellow light, and in the end the wears of the world will eat away at the designer clothes. What we need to realize is that the souls of our sons and daughters are eternal.

We must break the habit of running to the department store in order to satisfy our kids desire for stuff. Or to silence the requests for stuff. We must teach them what is truly important.... They are important. Their souls are more important than an ipod. Their daughters are more important than the latest fashions. In order for our kids to be bigger than our imaginations we must teach them that God is the one and his standards are the ones that lead to something truly bigger than our imagination.

He didn't know him

This morning as I was reading in the book of 1st Samuel, I came across an interesting passage that seemed to captivate my mind throughout the rest of the chapter. It was 1st Samuel 3:7 Now samuel did not yet know the Lord. The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. This passage struck several different notes with me.

Some of you who know me, know my background. My mother and father had me in church within days after I was born. I cut my teeth on the pews of the church on Highway 78 in Dyersburg. I took my first steps in a fellowship hall of church. My mom and dad were affluent members of the church. Dad was a deacon. Mom was a choir member and a kids church teacher as well. I think that over the past 35 years I may have missed 3 or 4 Sunday's. Many of you who are reading this can relate to that.

Here is what struck me so much about this scripture. Samuel was given back to Eli after he was weaned and he spent his time then being a servant to the "church" of that day. No doubt Eli had shared with him the workings of being a servant in the house of God. He gave him the rules to follow so others sacrifices would be accepted by God. This is where I want to belabor a point for a minute.

Samuel did not know the voice of the Lord. Therefore he did not know the Lord. He simply knew of the Lord. A danger that is facing the church today is people who have been in church a long time simply because it is the thing to do, but the do not know the Lord. The thought of my own children not knowing how truly great God is because they may somehow be riding on the fact that Dad is a pastor or youth pastor or deacon or whatever is a frightening one. That thought drives me to teach my sons and daughter about God and to show them his love every chance I can get. My oldest has accepted Jesus Christ in his life and so has my daughter. As for my youngest, he is still too young, but I look forward to the day I can pray with him as well to not simply hear about the Lord but to personally introduce him to a loving savior.

Being a Christian is not about simply showing up to a place where good things are going on. It isn't about how much you have done that helps other people. In the end, you must know the Lord. He is calling you. Place your name in the quotes from verse 6 "again the Lord called (your name here)" will you answer him and say "here am I Lord your servant is listening"? Once we get past the superficial, we begin to see the true greatness of almighty God. He is bigger than your imagination.

Obscure Objectives

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself concentrating on clear objective rather than vague ideas and premises. It is so easy for us as Christian men and women to take an idea and try to accomplish something without taking the extra time to break it down into objectives that are clear. This rings true in church many times. We want to meet the needs of people and take the shotgun approach to meeting needs. Many times the shotgun approach yields to bandaid programs for surgical wound needs.

I agree with the ready fire aim mentality, however God has called us to use the sense that he gives each one of us. We should be constantly doing for others and in turn fulfilling the great commission, but without a balance in our prayer life and spiritual life we are for all intents and purposes trying to earn something we cannot buy. The product is God's favor and acceptance.

We cannot buy salvation and acceptance from God. Simon the Sorcerer tried and was rebuked. He wanted the power that comes from the Holy Spirit in each believer. He recognized it as true greater power, but did not attain it due to the heart. Isn't it interesting that everything that we do for God is measured not by the accomplishments we achieve but rather the intent of our heart.

To truly experience God bigger than you could ever imagine, check your heart, go to God in prayer, and give him a whole effort. You will be surprised at the outcome.

Unrest

I have been watching the happenings in the middle east over the past month, and today one of the Fox News journalist made a remark that stuck in my head. They were talking about the political unrest in Libya and how this was going to effect the price of oil. Then, one of the US analysts said the situation in Libya is different than Egypt because there is no strong military in Libya and there is no one waiting in the wings to take the reigns of power for the country. There will be civil unrest unless someone takes control and provides stability.

This statement brought me back to a Sunday School class I taught about a month and a half ago. We talked about the stage setting for the antichrist to rise to power. There will be political unrest and violence happening, earthquakes, wars, rumors of wars, and the like. Can anyone see a parallel here? I am not saying the antichrist is about to arise but I am saying however that the stage is shaping up for him to make an entrance.

Should this freak you out as a believer? Absolutely not! It should motivate you to action. Jesus Christ's return is closer now than it has ever been. People are seeking a power that is bigger than themselves. They don't know what to call it. They are hungry for truth and the taste for the lies of the world is not satisfying them any longer. It is time for us as a church to wake up and understand that the divine power in each of us given by God to fulfill his purposes is screaming at us to wake up, wipe the sleep from our eyes, and get busy. This is the last push.

A revival bigger than we could ever imagine is coming. Are you ready to stand up and move and use what God has given you?

God's Timing

What do these things have in common? A man losing his job, a sick child, another man's dream of a place to help people, a college degree that doesn't seem to make sense, and a desire to serve God no matter what. The answer is quite simple. It is God's timing that brings it all together and works it for the good.

If you consider these instances individually then you cannot see the common thread. Please understand my point here. I am not saying God plans for a child to be sick or plans for a person to lose their job, what I am saying is that scripture is right when it says "and we know in all things God works for the good of those who diligently seek him." We are not promised roses and chocolates all the time in our Christian lives. We are promised in fact the opposite. Trials, tribulation and persecution are the items listed for the believer. So it is with that premise that I write this.

Last night, I watched as community members, local church youth groups, and skeptics piled into The Underground. The Underground is a youth center located in Spencer Iowa at the Spencer Dream Center. It was opening night. There were over 120 individuals who signed the check-in book. There were lots of laughs and games played. More importantly there were lives that were forever changed. Of the 121 individuals who signed in 98 of them made some commitment for Christ. Twenty four of the students accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and savior of their lives. The other seventy four students proclaimed that want to allow God to use them for His purpose in their lives.

So what do the items listed earlier have in common? That man is me. In January of 2009 my son Joel was born at 28 weeks and 2 days. You can read my blog about that. At that time I had to fulfill my obligations as a youth pastor as well as still be a father to my two older children, as well as, be a husband to my wife who was with our newborn 2 and 1/2 hours away, and take care of the house work and meals. I would like to take this time to thank the Kraft company for you never fail child favorite. I had gotten my teaching degree in music and education, but was not even coming close to using what i had learned.

The other man was from the west coast and a successful pastor. Answering the leading of God, he began to look for a position at another church. He interviewed in the middle of the mid-west. As he drove by the old hotel he had a God idea. The kicker here is that through a short intricate series of events things suddenly snapped into place. It lead me to interview a unity of vision. Last night that vision came to pass and the results earlier mentioned were the result.

God is truly bigger than we can imagine