Archive for March, 2007
The Final Four March 21, 2007
The Final Four basketball tourney will be in ATL this year…and I WISH I could go–how awesome would that be?
The drive to the arena would be SO exciting–we would discuss basketball–talk about the past tournaments we have watched…and maybe talk about some stuff we would LOVE to see.
Traffic would be crazy…but heck, what would you expect…it’s the Final Four…no one would expect traffic to be EASY; in fact, the traffic would add to the excitement.
The walk inside would be incredible–you would see fans of various teams yelling and screaming…and it would be obvious who was pulling for what team.
Once you got inside it might be a little intimidating; after all, everybody would not know everybody–but heck, the purpose of being there is to share a common experience with thousands of other people…and I would still experience community with the people I came with.
BUT…what if I went alone…well, no matter…conversations are always easily started in environments like this.
The anticipation before the game would be intense…the bands would be playing & the noise would be getting louder and louder. NO ONE would be late–in fact, for an event like this you would MAKE sure you were early.
Once the game began–IT’S ON! People would be fully involved and the excitement level would be through the roof.
AND if the game went into overtime–WOW–that would be AWESOME.
AND…when the unexpected takes place–well, that gets talked about for years. (Jordan’s jumper, Chris Webbers timeout…)
Leaving the arena would be bittersweet…after an experience like that you would want to savor that moment forever & you want WANT to go back again!!!
Yep, I wish I could go to the Final Four…
BUT…the scenario I just described MAY happen in ATL in a couple of weeks–but it will be happening at NewSpring on Sunday! Be there!!!
It’s Not How You Start… March 20, 2007
I want to finish well.
The fact is that people don’t remember how you started–but they do remember how you finish. Take for example my beloved Clemson Tigers. In football they set a blazing trail and at one point were 7-1 and ranked #10 in the nation…but they wound up going 8-5 & were highly criticized by the fans and the media. NO ONE was speaking ill of them when they were kicking butt–but because they didn’t finish well the beginning of the season was forgotten.
And it wasn’t just in football…look at the Clemson basketball team…a 17-0 start and a top 15 ranking, and then they hit a skid and had to settle for an NIT bid. AND…the same fans that screamed their praises at the beginning of the season were talking about bad they were by the end. All because there was a bad finish.
(By the way…I am STILL a HUGE Clemson fan…always have…always will be–go Tigers!)
I am 35 years old and have YEARS ahead of me; in fact, I think my best years are still ahead. However, I have seen more than one young man in the ministry who seemed to have an awesome future BLOW IT by making a stupid, immoral decision that wound up costing him way more than his ministry.
AND so…my passion is to finish well. I seriously want to pastor NewSpring for the rest of my life…live in Anderson, SC…do conferences…encourage pastors…and IMPACT the upstate and eventually the world. However, I am not the only person who has had dreams like this.
I am encouraged by the words of the Apostle Paul in II Timothy 4:6-7…and every time I read those words I pray out loud, “I WANT THAT!!!” And not only do I want it for me…I want it for Lee, for Ken, for Jason Wilson, Jason Moorhead, David Nimmons, Paul Marshall, Shane Duffey, Tony Morgan, WOW, I could go on and on. (And not only do I want it for them…I want it for their families as well!!)
SO…how does one finish well? I have been doing a bit of reflecting lately and have decided to do a series of posts addressing this subject…the category will be finishing well.
Oh yeah, by the way…this ISN’T just for those who happen to be in full time ministry–it should be the desire of all our hearts to finish well…you know, to live such a godly life that the pastor doesn’t have to lie about you at your funeral!!!
For those who pray for me…pray that I will finish well. I’ve had 35 great years…and I feel the best is yet to come.
Read This–Or I Will Punch You In The Throat!!! March 19, 2007
Several times I have said from the stage and on this blog that someone has made me mad enough to want to punch them in the throat…and EVERY time someone sends in a comment about how a “godly” man would NEVER say something like that.
So I ask–is it ever ok for a pastor to be passionate…to use STRONG language–heck in some cases even to be offensive in what he says? Some people say no–and that is because their desire is for their pastor to be passive, wear sweater vests and listen to Clay Aiken.
HOWEVER, Jesus said in Matthew 11:12 that the kingdom of God is forcefully advancing…and FORCEFUL men lay hold of it. There are some times that the gloves have to come off and the vision MUST be communicated with passion…and in some cases it WILL be necessary to use strong language and offend some people.
Take a short walk through the Bible with me and see what I mean. (And PLEASE save your e-mails…I do not have the time to list every reference of forceful leadership. I know that after this some of you will desperately want to accuse me of using only a few passages–STOP IT!) :-)
How about Nehemiah? By far one of my favorite men in the Bible–a leader–a PASSIONATE leader! Take a look at Nehemiah 13 sometime, now there is a dude who GOES OFF when things were not in line with God’s vision. For example…
- In Nehemiah 13:4-9 he has a temper tantrum and cleans house!
- In Nehemiah 13:10-12 he CONFRONTED things when they were not being done right.
- In Nehemiah 13:21 he flat out threatens to whip some rear end if people kept ignoring the Sabbath! (I love this guy!)
- In Nehemiah 13:23-25 he completely loses his mind–cusses people out and PULLS OUT PEOPLE’S HAIR! (I actually think this is the first business meeting in the Bible!)
- In Nehemiah 13:28 he chases a guy away from him!
This guys was a flat out freak!
How about the apostle Paul? Was he a “godly” man? Did he ever use forceful words? Was he ever offensive? Let me hit one example and move…
How about in Galatians 5:7-12 (especially verse 12) where Paul is dealing with people who say that accepting Christ is NOT enough…you also have to be circumcised. (I am guessing this really cut back on the number of converts!)
By the way…don’t we do the same today? Many are teaching that not only do you have to accept Christ…but you have to do all sorts of other things…wow…we’ve really progressed in 2,000 years.
Anyway, Paul is ADAMENT about the ONLY way for a person to be saved as Jesus. AND there were actually people saying that they were better than just “normal” Christians because they were circumcised. It was like someone saying, “I in the A league–you are in the minors.” And basically Paul says in Galatians 5:12, “Hey, if you are in the A leagues now–why don’t you just cut the whole thing off and be an all star?”
Like it or not–that is what he is saying…YES, it’s strong! YES, it’s offensive…and YES, it needed to be said. If it had not been needed the I am sure the Holy Spirit would have NOT allowed it into Scripture.
How about Jesus?
Surely we can ALL agree that He is godly! :-) A simple look at Matthew 23 will prove the point–here He goes OFF on the Pharisees! He calls them hypocrites, blind guides, whitewashed tombs, serpents (which put them on the same level as the devil…every Pharisee KNEW what He was referring to–where is the first place in Scripture that a serpent appears? Genesis 3…the devil tempting Eve.)
Like I said–this is just ONE section–there are others. And I am sure if the bloggers had been alive back then that they would have posted how ungodly Jesus was because He actually had the nerve to offend some people.
All I am saying is this–there are times when a leader HAS to come strong–and many “churched” people just are not used to that. SO…as a result, when a pastor comes across that way he is labeled cocky and arrogant.
I don’t even fight that fight anymore. I can’t–it’s useless! BUT I have made God a promise that I will do what HE tells me to do and say what HE tells me to say. In my opinion there are WAY too many preachers out there who are freakin’ SCARED to do what needs to be done and say what needs to be said…and our churches ARE DYING because of it
Let me be clear about this…if someone IS cocky and arrogant then THEY take credit for everything. Folks, I am NOT SMART…I am a walking example of an Acts 4:13 guy…I made a 790 on my SAT, I dropped out of seminary…but what I do KNOW is God’s vision for our church–and I will do what He says to do and say what He says to say…and NO ONE will EVER stop that–EVER! He has set me on fire–and it’s just starting to get hot!!!
SO…that’s how it is. Call me cocky and arrogant…say that I am a control freak…say whatever, but NewSpring will keep on growing, lives will continue to be changed, families will continue to be put back together again, addicts will continue to find hope, the poor will continue to be served…and Jesus will continue to get the glory for it all! He reigns!!!
WOW March 15, 2007
A huge thank you to several people…(or GROUPS of people)…
#1 – Those who attended Unleash!
I was BLOWN away that we had right at 900 people here at NewSpring…and the energy level was through the roof. The last 10 minutes of the last session was INCREDIBLE…one of THE most awesome things I have EVER experienced in ministry–EVER!!! We will be doing this again next year!!! We were honored that you attended!!!
#2 – Our volunteers
You guys & gals ROCK! Seriously, NewSpring could not function without you. Every pastor and church leader I spoke to today were ALL blown away by how awesome your attitude was & how you served with eagerness. I can’t say “thank you” enough for today and EVERY Sunday! I love serving with you!
#3 – Our staff
I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! There is NO ONE in this world I would rather be doing ministry with! God has brought us so far…and there is so much to be done! He won’t let me forget the names on the walls…and I know you won’t forget them either. We’re going to reach them–every one of them–and so many more! Thanks for being willing to work with an idiot like me. :-)
#4 – Our critics
When I got home tonight I noticed some people already taking stabs at us on the net. Well…that’s awesome…I love you guys–seriously, because of you I feel MUCH closer to Jesus. AND–to be honest, satan God uses you to inspire me to keep doing what I am doing–to reach more people–to see MORE people meet Jesus. SO…you can keep hating…keep putting down…but were not going away, we’re here for the long haul…and if the rapture takes place then please take care of things for us down here; in fact, take over our building–we won’t need it then! :-)
NewSpring Stealing Church Members? March 15, 2007
One of the things that churches like NewSpring often get accused of is “stealing” church members from other churches…which I have always found humorous because that statement implies that people would actually be attending here against their will. Seriously–do people think we have a team of men who go out on Sunday’s and abduct people on their way into another church? :-)
BUT…I will say that people from other churches HAVE came to NewSpring…and they have joined…but to my knowledge it was by their own choice. Seriously–we didn’t “take” anyone.
I do have two thoughts on the accusation of “stealing” church members…
#1 – Why is it that if someone leaves NewSpring and goes to another church then God must have moved their heart…but if someone leaves their church and comes to NewSpring it is because we are thieves? Things that make you go hmmm.
#2 – We have seen “churched” people come to NewSpring…people who have been in church all of their lives…and guess what is happening to many of them–THEY ARE ACCEPTING CHRIST!!! It has been an amazing discovery–we have noticed that while many churches have obsessed with who to ordain, predestination, the rapture and the boycott of Disney…they neglected this ONE thing…JESUS! Maybe if MORE churches would preach Jesus and His Word then people would be drawn there…lives would be changed…and God’s kingdom would be enlarged!
Just a thought…
I CAN’T SLEEP… March 14, 2007
Several things have been running through my mind lately…and I can’t sleep…so I thought I would share…
#1 – I am going to be a dad!!! WOW…this hit me right between the eyes yesterday morning in my quiet time. Deuteronomy 6:1-7 ROCKED my world as I had this thought, “It is my job to teach my little girl to fear the Lord.” She is MY responsibility…and as I prayed for her I wept. It was crazy…wow…I am having a little girl…I am SO screwed!!!
#2 – My wife is a SEXY pregnant woman! :-)
#3 – Unleash is tomorrow...and we are at almost 900 people. Holy cow!!! My biggest prayer for those attending is that God will enlarge their vision of HIM and HIS church…and that through this experience tough conversations will be had…and thousands of lives will be impacted for the Kingdom.
#4 – Charter cable has the absolute worse customer service on the planet…and they make me want to use bad words!!!
#5 – I am about to meet with THE MOST AWESOME STAFF ON THE PLANET!!! I love the people I serve with…and we do an all staff meeting once a month to celebrate what God has been doing and then do a little vision casting. People always ask me where we get such awesome people–well…about 95% of them were members who never even thought about working in a church…but then God rocked their world and here they are.
#6 – Gary had a great post today…and every pastor needs to READ and APPLY what was said.
#7 – The vision for where God is taking NewSpring is HUGE…what He has been laying on my heart has NEVER been attempted by any church in the Upstate…and NOT ONLY are we going to attempt it…we are going to succeed. Don’t miss May 6th…I will be sharing some stuff there that will FIRE us UP!
#8 – My Mahi-Mahi at Outback was awesome last night!!! I know, I know…it’s a steak house…but don’t knock their fish until you have tried it!!!
#9 – The video AND MESSAGE for Sunday is going to be awesome!
#10 – My workout from yesterday KICKED MY REAR END!!!
Yep, that’s about it…have an awesome day!!!
You Can’t Just Ignore It… March 13, 2007
A few years ago Jason Moorhead and I were on our way to the airport in Atlanta…and I will have to admit that we might have been fracturing the speed limit. (Fracturing sounds so much better than breaking!)
I HATE being late to anything…and so I was stressed. Combine that with the fact that I think it is easier to have a kidney removed than to get through Atlanta’s airport and you sort of know the pain I was feeling.
We got off the interstate and began slowing down for the actual airport exit when we heard this minor “explosion.” At first I didn’t think about it–heck, we WERE in Atlanta! But soon afterwards OI began to hear this sort of whining noise.
I had this thought, “Maybe we blew a tire.” But then I quickly dismissed the idea; after all, if you deny that a problem exists then eventually it goes away, right?
Well…the noise did not go away, actually it got worse–and I began to notice that my car was pulling to the right a little. I asked Jason to roll down the window and look at the tires. He shot a look at the front one–no problem. BUT then he looked at the back rear tire and said, “Dude, your tire is basically gone!” It was shredded!
I did not want this to be happening…so, instead of pulling over–I kept driving. I guessed it would hold together for another 3-4 miles. We barely made it to the place where you get your ticket to park…and once we were inside the gate I had to pull over–there was literally no way we could go any further…the tire HAD TO BE REPLACED.
Now keep in mind that this was NOT the most convenient time to be fixing a tire! We were in a hurry…I have discovered that airplanes WILL take off with or without you. BUT we could not just leave the car there and “hope that it would just work things out on its own.”
SO…Jason jumped out of the car and went to work. Literally, he took over…so I stood there and prayed for him. :-) I felt like we were in the Daytona 500…he was a flippin’ machine…and had the spare on in a matter of minutes. I literally could NOT have done it without his help!!!
We DID make our flight…and the trip was A LOT better knowing that we didn’t have a car with a flat tire waiting on us when we got home. We did not ignore the problem–we addressed it head on…and life was much better because of it.
I told this story basically to ask this question…what area of your life are you ignoring & just hoping it will get better? What area of your life is there clearly a problem…but instead of acknowledging it you just deny that it is even there? Are you traveling through life with a “flat tire,” and deep down you know that, if something doesn’t happen soon, you are going to be stalled out on the side of the road?
For example…
Maybe it’s your marriage…on the outside everything seems fine, but on the inside things have been unraveling for months (or years!) You know divorce is wrong…but you see no way out…there has been too much hurt. Why not acknowledge the problem and ASK for HELP? Ignoring the issues will not make it go away.
Maybe it’s your porn addiction. It started innocently, maybe while browsing on the internet…but now it is an obsession. You are paying for access to websites, watching movies…and you just can seem to shake the habit. You don’t WANT to do this…but it just keeps happening and you KNOW it is destroying your life. Why not acknowledge the problem and ASK for HELP? Ignoring the issue will not make it go away…and take it from me…I was a porn addict for years…but God set me free from it in 1999…if I can overcome it…so can you.
Maybe it’s your food addiction. Like it or not–gluttony is a sin. (We don’t talk about that one a lot in the south…especially preachers!!!) You know you have issues…the deal with gluttony is that it is a sin you can’t hide. You have tried to deny the problem, heck–when I used to be fat I would lie to myself and others saying, “This is just the way that I am,” and, “I don’t think there is anything wrong with me.” But finally I had to address the problem–ask for help...and overcome it. Trust me…this sin will NOT just go away by itself…but you can beat it!!! I did!!!
Maybe it’s that relationship. You’re single…you KNOW you should not be with him/her…but your biological clock IS ticking…all your friends are getting married and you feel like the present still on the shelf on Christmas Eve. Then “they” call…you KNOW you should not go out…you know it’s wrong…but you just can’t say no because deep down you are incredibly insecure. Why not just acknowledge the problem…ask for help…and overcome this issue.
What is it in your life that is holding you back from who or what God wants you to be? If there is a problem (sin) in your life then it is NOT just going to go away on its own. You’ve GOT to acknowledge it–ask for help…and overcome it.
Oh yeah…one more thing…YES, you SHOULD ask God for help, but you must also ask others to help as well. You see…I could have stayed on the side of the road all day in Atlanta and prayed for God to fix my tire…and while He COULD have done it…He probably would not have. Jason and I had to get involved.
Swallow your pride…admit a problem…and get others involved. If they judge you–then THEY have a problem. Jesus died so that we can live…and if something is holding you back then get it OUT!
Thank you Jesus for freedom…I pray that all who are reading this will continually discover the abundant life YOU have promised…and will escape the habits and addictions that are holding them back from being all YOU created them to be…AMEN!