Excuse Me…Are You Contagious? August 31, 2005

Some of my best friends have three children under the age of four. (They have obviously read the Song of Solomon!)

From time to time one of the kids gets sick, you know, a cold…or a stomach bug–all kids get that stuff. BUT inevitably it seems that when one kid gets it…sooner or later either one of the others, or at times even both get it as well. And then at times the parents are also infected with the “kiddy disease” of the week…and then there have even been cases where the parents come back to the office and someone who works with them gets it–it’s one of the craziest things I have ever seen!

Bottom line–the kid that started it all was contagious…and whatever he or she had made its way through a lot of people.

I think there is a lesson here…

Whether you want to believe this or not–we are ALL contagious in one way or another. Think about it–there are people in your life that you LOVE to be around…and then there are those people you meet that you would rather stick your head in a blender than to have a conversation with them.

Why is that?

I think, that for the most part, it has to do with the other person’s attitude…you see, we are all contagious!

I love being around positive people–go getters, people filled with energy and passion. People with a “we can do that” attitude. I was in the gym the other day about to pass out on this machine I was doing. It was one of those workouts where I was about to just give up…but all of a sudden I heard a guy behind me saying, “Come on man, you can do it–push it.” That pumped me up & I was about to thank him when I finished…until I realized he had been talking to himself–not me! But it didn’t matter–his passion for himself drove me!

It happened last week as I met with a dude named Gary, a pastor in Georgia. He posted some nice things about me on his BLOG; however, I got more out of the meeting that he did–I promise. You know why? He wasn’t a pastor on the brink of climbing to the top of his church and jumping off. No way man, this dude was on fire–and when you hang out with on fire people, well, it causes you to sizzle a little as well.

It happened last night as I spoke to my friend Terry on the telephone. Terry just became the campus pastor of one of Fellowship’s satellite campuses…and the dude is on fire. He was telling me about some of the things going on out there & how God was working…and I just about could not go to sleep last night. I was up at 4:50 this morning ready to go. Once again, Terry is on fire and that is contagious.

On the other hand–people can be contagious in a negative way as well. I have heard it said that many churches have a “cold water committee” that will extinguish any fire that has not gone through the proper channels. Don’t you know those people–the ones who are saved but look mad about it?

I will be honest–I steer clear of negative people…I have to. Why? Because they are contagious…and in the race that has called me to run I do not need anyone around me telling me that I cannot finish what God has called me to do.

I have also found this to be true–negative people tend to seek one another out. Hey folks, water seeks its own level!!! What is unfortunate is that many times a group of these people will begin to trap a pastor or a leader and say, “You know, a lot of people have been saying…” I always stop the conversation right there and ask for a specific number of people AND who they are…and if the person refuses to give that information then I dismiss them as a negative person and end the conversation right there. I simply do not have time for that!

So what type of person are you? How do people view you…positive or negative? Is the glass half empty or half full? I have made a discovery–people want to be around positive, affirming people…no one hates to hear, “great job” or, “I am glad you work here,” however, people do not like being around those who tear them down…unless they are one of those people as well.

You are contagious–what are you spreading…and is it good for people to be around you?

Wow–A Second Post August 30, 2005

I recently had the privilege of being interviewed by Sarge over at the Leadership Blog. Here is the link if you want to read it. There are quite a few pastors that have been interviewed so far…and they are all worth reading!!!

What We Depend On Will Eventually Show August 30, 2005

We had problems with e-mail in the office yesterday. I am not sure exactly what was wrong, and I am positive that I do not want an explanation of the problem…I would not understand it anyway. However, not having e-mail caused me to have a few thoughts on God and community–hope this makes sense.

#1 – I Realized How Dependant I Had Become On Technology.

Technology is not a bad thing; in fact, I love it! I love the fact that my home has air conditioner. I love the fact that I can talk on the phone anywhere I want (sometimes!!!) I love the fact that I can listen to hundreds of songs that seem to all fit in this little thingy called an I-pod.

BUT–yesterday I realized how much I depend on technology by the fact that I was frustrated because the computer would not work right. As many of you know–I am A-D-D, and a person like me cannot focus to well on things, unless it is a problem–and then we tend to hyper-focus. I guess I must have tried to figure out the problem about 15-20 times…and that is funny to me since I know nothing about computers.

I finally went home so I could send out some e-mails and check a few things…and there was instant relief. Technology was once again a part of my life and I could rejoice.

So I had this thought this morning…and I am pretty sure it was from God, “Hey Perry, what if you depended on the Lord the was you depended on technology yesterday?”

OUCH!

What if I were to be that dependant upon God? How would that look? I know that He is the Vine and I am a branch–but I was challenged to continually surrender every singe minute of my day and depend on Him more than my computer or cell phone–WOW–that could relieve some major frustration!

#2 – I Realized How Technology Is A Bad Substitute For Authentic Community.

I spoke on community this past weekend at New Spring, how we all need one another. However, yesterday, if I wanted to communicate something to someone…I had to actually remove my rear-end from the chair I was in, walk to their office, and have a conversation with them.

AND God used that to rock my world and challenge my leadership style!

It is so easy to sit in an office and fire an e-mail off to people…and I would argue that it is necessary at times; however, why do we choose to communicate in that manner with someone who is merely 20 feet away from us? Have we gotten that lazy…or do we fear face to face contact?

Technology has opened many doors for me, I have been able to meet some fabulous people through blogging and e-mail; however, I do not mistake my internet world for community. As a communications major in college I learned that the majority of communication, around 90%, is non-verbal.

I am basically saying this–it is easy to sit behind a keyboard and type. There is no one to hold you accountable for your actions. You don’t have to deal with any heaviness you may cause with your message. You can get it done quickly, without any interruption…however, it’s just not my style!

Jesus called us to love one another…and in order to do that I would argue that spending time with one another isn’t just a good idea–it’s essential. And when I say time I do not mean creating anonymous names in a chat room and being superficial with people you never meet. I mean getting involved in the lives of others! We have so many opportunities to touch someone’s life–and we choose to drop an e-mail?

Please don’t get me wrong…I am not boycotting e-mail! As I have said…I love technology; however, it just became very clear to me yesterday to not allow technology to substitute community!

Those are my thoughts–hope they help.

Should Sex Be Talked About In Church? August 29, 2005

I had lunch with a cool church planter the other day named Gary Lamb…he’s rocking things in the big state of GA & seeing some really awesome growth take place. In the midst of our conversation he told me about a series he was doing entitled, “Desperate Sex Lives.” (I love that title!!!)

We talked about teaching on the subject of sex from the stage & he told me that there were actually a few people who became upset over the fact he was dealing with that issue & had informed him they were not coming back to the church until he was through talking about it.

Quite frankly–that ticked me off!!!

SEX is a powerful word–it commands attention. When I speak to younger crowds & cannot seem to get their attention I simply yell the word “sex” and everyone ceases to speak and begins to look at me with intense interest.

And sex is everywhere…we see it on billboards, commercials (seriously, they have beautiful ladies doing commercials for laxatives…that is a thought I do not want to ponder!!!), no matter where you turn it seems that the old adage “sex sells” has been embraced by the modern media.

And to be honest–it is NOT easy to be a godly man in a society like that. There have been many times I have had to change the channel during a COMMERCIAL…not because there was a raunchy scene in a movie…but because Hardee’s was trying to convince me to eat a burger by placing a barely clothed lady on my television set. (Yes, they did pull that commercial…but not before every major news network had shown it at least a dozen times to try to prove the point that there was controversy around it.)

And don’t even get me started about what students in school face today. And it’s not just in high school…or even middle school…but elementary schoolers KNOW about it…and many ARE involved in sexual activity. (To the clueless parent that does not think this is true…stop drinking a cup of stupid every morning and wake up & smell the Starbucks!!!)

As I have said–we are bombarded with the “sex” message everywhere. Addiction to pornography is at an all time high–marriages are ending at alarming rates because men and women believe the grass is greener somewhere else…

AND PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THE CHURCH NEEDS TO REMAIN SILENT ON THE SUBJECT OF SEX???

To the person who would make this assertion…my question to you is…do you EVER read your BIBLE? God is the one who invented sex!!! (Thank You Lord!) It was HIS idea…it isn’t like He caught Adam & Eve in the garden “doing it” & got mad about the whole thing!!! He designed sex to be enjoyed–He designed it for one man, one women…in the bonds of marriage! (There is no other successful strategy for sex–God designed it for marriage–that’s it!!!)

Have you read the Song of Solomon? That is a book about sex! Please don’t hand me your weak interpretation about how that book is just a metaphor about Christ and His love for the church! Go back and study the Hebrew language and culture of that time period–uh, Solomon was singing the song, “Let’s talk about sex, baby…”

The church has been silent on the subject for too long…and because of that the world has taken its cue from Hollywood about how sex should be handled. Uh, hello Houston, we have a problem!

I am sick and tired of weak, pathetic pastors who refuse to address the subject because it might offend someone in their flock! Did you ever think it might help people to present a biblically based sermon on the subject…to speak the truth about the matter. I promise it is something that everyone is thinking about!

I am preparing a series for singles this fall entitled “Hitch” & I promise there will be a message on sex! Yes, I will speak about sex to singles, telling them that it is wonderful, but encouraging them to WAIT! (I have had people tell me, “I have never heard a pastor say that sex is wonderful.” My response to them is, “Maybe you have never had a happy pastor!!!”)

Those of you who are reading this…it is our obligation to teach on the subject–to present the whole council of Scripture…and not to duck issues because they might make us feel uncomfortable. We don’t have to be crass…but people want to know what God & the Bible have to say about sex…and if people leave–they leave! (There are backdoor revivals you know!)

So there is my challenge…hope this helps…and if you are around New Spring this fall I promise the series for singles is going to rock!

Passion Leads To Action (Super Cool Person of the Week!) August 26, 2005

I got a call from this dude once who “wanted to ask me a question.” After listening to him talk for five minutes (actually, he rambled) I finally asked him, “Hey man, did you have a question for me?” He paused for a second and it seemed like he was trying to make up something. I threw an answer his way and got off the phone as quickly as possible, labeling this guy in the “weirdo” file & praying that I didn’t have to speak with him again.

Fast forward a few months…there is this dude working with our elementary school kids–I begin to see him there every single week, showing up early, staying late…and really going for it when it came to getting the work done. I didn’t really know who he was–but I thanked God for this guy because the kingdom was advancing and kids were being reached.

Then I found out something that rocked my world…the guy who was going all out working with the kids, the one giving his time & energy without being paid a cent…was the same guy who had called me on the phone that day & could not stop talking. It hit me that I had mentioned to him something about if he was passionate about reaching people that he just needed to get involved doing something. He took those words of advice and immersed himself in the children’s ministry–and has been making a HUGE difference since that day!

Yep, you guessed it–my Super Cool Person of the Week is “Pudge” Huckaby!

Pudge volunteered at New Spring for a long time–then we brought him on as a part time employee because the children’s ministry was growing so much…then after he graduated we hired him full time (even though he often put in full time hours as a part time employee!)

The thing I love about Pudge is that he is passionate about reaching kids for Christ on a level that they can comprehend. He doesn’t baby-sit kids on Sundays…and he doesn’t just throw things together for them either. I am amazed at the amount of planning and creativity that goes into the weekend just for his area!!! He really wants kids to learn and have fun at the same time! And he and his team have designed a way for that to happen.

Lucretia and I do not have kids yet…but when we do one of the things I am looking forward to is having them get into the children’s ministry at New Spring–especially when it comes to the passion, leadership, and creativity of Pudge. He’s not in children’s ministry because he views it as a stepping stone to something else one day…but because he LOVES kids.

Pudge, you rock–thanks for all that you do–keep up the awesome work, because of what you do entire families are being transformed! Kid’s matter–thanks for your hard work…you are Super Cool!

Where Did The Day Go? August 25, 2005

Ever had one of those days–things just happened to FLY by? Today was that day–studying & prep time for Sunday was this morning…yes, I take Sunday’s very seriously & studying is NOT an option!

Then there was lunch with a dude name Gary Lamb–he started a church in Georgia about a year ago and they are already averaging over 400 people–wow! You go Gary!

We had an interesting conversation about people getting upset about pastors talking about sex in church…he’s in a series entitled, “Desperate Sex Lives,” and we are preparing a singles series for this fall called, “Hitch.” I will be posting my thoughts about teaching on sex in the church this Monday…you might not want to miss that one!

After that we had several meetings…one of which was the final run thru for this Sunday…and some things concerning next Sunday as well. (We will be showing a video next Sunday of things NEVER seen on the screen @ Newspring!)

And now I am preparing for Home Groups…and I am pumped…I have an awesome HG!

That’s about it for today…maybe one more random thought before I turn in tonight! God bless, see you tomorrow for Super Cool Person of the Week!

A Perspective On Your Critics August 25, 2005

If you are doing anything worthwhile–anything life changing–anything that really matters…then you will face criticism.

And believe me…it isn’t always easy to maintain your focus or have a positive attitude during this time. Several years ago I heard a message by Bill Hybils, who shared a quote by Teddy Roosevelt that I have hanging in my office to this day…it helps me out when times get tough…maybe it will help you!

“It’s not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena. Whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions–and spends himself in a worthy cause. Who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement, and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat!”

It helps me–hope it helps you!