Archive for May, 2008
Seven Things We’ve GOT To Do To Be Effective–Part Two May 30, 2008
#4 – We’ve Got To Dream Big – John 14:12
Out of all the verses in Scripture that both excite and confuse me–this one takes the cake.
However, I believe what Jesus said here is true…and so one of the things I always want to be accused of is dreaming big.
How about you? For some reason the children of the King are the smallest dreamers on the planet. In church would we have let Vegas and Hollywood outdo us–UNACCEPTABLE!
And personally..I’ve seen way too many people live for lesser dreams when God has an Ephesians 3:20 life that is merely a prayer away!
I personally think the church should be outdoing Vegas and Disney! I think we have not only the ability to create…but the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT! Having Him actually empowers us to both dream big and then accomplish the very dreams that He placed inside of us!
I believe God wants MORE for the church…and I wand to see what Jesus was talking about in this verse happen!
#5 – We’ve Got To Be Willing To Stay Connected – John 14:15, John 14:21, John 15:5
Jesus said if we love Him that we will obey Him…but the only way to do this is by staying connected with Him on a consistent basis.
I believe that satan doesn’t want to necessarily make us sin…he just wants to get us so busy that we don’t have time to consistently connect with Christ.
When I travel my computer will often flash up a message, “You are about to lose power–please connect to a power source and recharge your battery before you lose everything.”
DANG…I think Jesus was saying that same thing in John 15:5!
One of the biggest temptations of a pastor is to become busy. Most of us have cell phones and gadgets strapped around our belt…we don’t look like a pastor–we look like flippin’ Batman. I once heard Rob Bell say, “If I were satan I would invent a device that people carried that made sure their calender was always in front of them!”
The enemy can make us so busy that we don’t necessarily sin…we just don’t have the time to live our lives in complete obedience!
#6 – We’ve Got To Be Willing To Play Hurt – John 15:18
Life hurts…pastors and Christians are often carrying wounds with them…but–we CAN’T GIVE UP!
Jesus went to a cross…and took a beating before He went. The least we can do is endure a little criticism and being kicked out of the social club at work and school!
Pastors, if you are leading then you will be condemned and criticized…move on…play hurt…and talk to God a lot about it. David, a man after God’s own heart, did in the Psalms. He was so honest with God that it scares me just a little.
Pastors–we need to play hurt. If the devil takes us out it needs to be done in WAY more dramatic fashion that a blogger, and anonymous letter or a church member on his 4th church because “he can’t find one to meet his needs!”
#7 – We’ve Got To Be Willing To Be Spirit Led – John 16:12-14
One of the most awesome privileges of following Christ is having Jesus with me every single day through the presence of His Holy Spirit.
I am NEVER alone…and I do not have to figure life out all by myself.
I always advise pastors and Christians to take some time to pray…and then LISTEN. I believe that God is ALWAYS speaking…but many times we aren’t listening, thus being the reason that we miss Him at times.
I have made SO many mistakes in life when I didn’t listen to the Spirit’s leadership!
Those are the seven things–hope they help!
Seven Things We’ve GOT To Do To Be Effective–Part One May 29, 2008
Recently I shared with our staff seven things that I honestly feel each minister…heck, EACH CHRIST FOLLOWER must be willing to do if we want to have an effective ministry/lead an effective life.
(I took this out of John 14-16, some of the richest teachings of Jesus…in my opinion!)
#1 – We Have Got To Be Willing To Serve – John 13:1-5
I often joke with our congregation that I do not have the spiritual gift of mercy; however, that is not an excuse for me to be unmerciful in all that I do.
I remember once witnessing a really bad car accident. Lucretia and I were on vacation and saw the whole thing happen. Now…neither of us have the gift of mercy…but there was a NEED in front of us and so we parked our car and sprinted to the scene to see if we could help.
(When I announced that she was a doctor there was an immediate sense of peace with the people who had been in the wreck!)
There are times when we are called out of our comfort zone…and our gift zone…to serve people in a way we’ve never served them before.
If anything is “beneath” us…then we truly are not beneath Christ!
#2 – We Must Be Willing To Love – John 13:34-35
Christians fight too much–period!
Jesus said that the world will know we are His by the love we have for one another.
When someone doesn’t believe the particular brand of theology we embrace…we need to love them anyway. I am begging God to raise up a generation of leaders who do not feel that everyone needs to be the same…and who are secure enough to learn from people who do not believe exactly like them.
Jesus didn’t say they will know we are His disciples by the way we blog against one another OR attack one another…but by the love we have for one another. As I mature I am learning that I can love a brother or sister in Christ without having to agree with everything they say.
#3 – We’ve Got To Be Willing To Trust – John 14:1
If I could apply this verse my life would be so much better!!!
We live in a world that is completely out of control…and because of that we often make the mistake of thinking that God has lost control.
But reality is this (if you are in ministry) – God wants your church to grow more than you want it to! God wants your life to be abundant way more than you do…
One of the mistakes I have made so often is thinking that if I don’t preach well that the Kingdom of God is in danger…not true. One of my sins is that I take myself way to seriously. Sure, I need to spend time studying and preparing for the message…but at the end of the day I’ve got to trust that God is going to do all that I cannot do!
And so…there needs to come a point where we desperately trust Him…even though we may not be able to see Him!
The world needs way less of me…WAY more of Him! (John 3:30)
More tomorrow…
What If David Would Have Twittered? May 28, 2008
Continuing my thoughts about twittering…I think it would have been interesting if David would have had access to this…we might have seen something like this…
- Got a visit from Samuel today, he poured some oil on my head and called me a king! Really?
- Going to visit my brothers tomorrow–they are fighting on the front lines.
- Uh…my brothers are actually not fighting…they’re messing their drawers!
- Going to fight Goliath!
- Killed him, going to carry around his head for awhile.
- Wow…love my new role as a general…the people are making up cool songs about me.
- Uh…thinking that maybe Saul isn’t liking my role so much…and the songs people are singing seem to make him angry.
- Saul just threw a spear at me – he’s definitely angry
- Hiding out in a cave, around 400 people showed up when they found out I was here–looks like I have a church!
- Saul won’t quite chasing me! I wish someone would do something about this.
- God killed him–Saul won’t be chasing me anymore.
- Looks like the people want me to be king.
- Going to take Jerusalem…the enemy said it could not be done. Glad my life is not controlled by what the enemy says.
- Took my clothes off and danced today…what fun!
- Loving life in the palace!
- Bathsheba is looking hot today…might give her a call.
- Bathsheba is going to come by tonight so we can chat.
- Uh oh–we did more than chat…hopefully that’s the end of that though.
- Just got a text from Bathsheba–she’s pregnant–not good.
- Going to ask Uriah to come home…he will go sleep with her…problem solved.
- Dang it–he’s godly…going to have to kill him.
- Nathan is coming by to see me today–I love that guy.
- Not liking Nathan so much right now! But…he’s right.
- I understand God’s grace right now!
- Going to build a temple for God–woo hoo!
- Strike that–God doesn’t want me to build the temple–just raise the money for it.
- Going to announce that Solomon is to be the next King…I sure hope he is wise!
Those are probably just a few of the things he might have said. :-)
Two Things I’m Asking God For… May 28, 2008
One of the things that I seem to let get the best of me is life. Bottom line here…I am SOOOOOO spoiled (by the way…so are you) and God has been using a 10 month old little girl to point out the obvious to me.
SO…I’m asking God for…
#1 – To Point Out The Obvious
I know that one of my problems is that I tend to focus on what I don’t have rather than what is in front of me.
The other morning Charisse and I were walking around a pond and she kept saying the word, “duck!” I saw two ducks about fifteen feet away and all I said to Charisse was, “Look–duck!”
She immediately directed her attention in the direction I was pointing, clapped her hands and let out a squeal…then she turned to me and smiled.
All I did was point out the obvious. She just needed someone to direct her attention to what was already there…and so do I.
Many times I will get so focused on asking God for things I think He needs to bless me with that I lose sight of how blessed I really am. Here lately God has been pointing out the obvious in my life…and every time He does it overwhelms me.
I’ve got…
- An awesome wife
- A beautiful little girl
- A fabulous church
- A dream team of staff
- Incredible friends
- A nice home
- A dependable car
- A PS III :-)
- A healthy body
And so much more. If God NEVER blessed me with another thing…I’ve already been blessed WAY beyond what I deserve.
Try it…ask Him to point out the obvious in life…and then respond with thankfulness. Which leads me to my second thing…
#2 – To Maximize The Joy In My Life From The Little Things
After Charisse and I left the pond where the ducks are we went to one of our favorite restaurants – Chic Fil A. Before we left the manager gave her a blue balloon…which she played with for the rest of the day.
A balloon. She received so much joy out of a simple balloon. As I watched her throughout the day I could not help but ask the Lord, “Please fill me with that kind of joy over the simple things in life.”
Because I’m a guy…the simple things can easily pass me by. I want newer…faster…bigger…stronger. I want a new sports car. I want a wave runner (a REALLY fast one!) I want three televisions so that I can watch three football games at the same time…
I want…I want…I want…(and so do you!)
But…Charisse is a child…and a child can receive joy out of the little things in life. (Maybe that’s why Jesus told us to come to Him as a child.)
Things like…
- My wife’s smile.
- Charisse’s hugs
- A sunset
- Ice cream! :-)
- An encouraging note
I could go on and on…fact is we all know the bigger, newer (etc.) will not satisfy! BUT the simple things…those are the things we never forget.
That’s just what God is doing in my life right now…hope it helps someone…it did me great to journal it out.
Happy Birthday… May 27, 2008
Two quick things that pump me up about today…
#1 – Charisse is eleven months old!
WOW…has it happened that fast? She’s growing like a weed…and she’s smart. If she stays on her current trajectory in regards to her learning ability…she should pass me in about four months. :-)
#2 – I am eighteen today!
It was eighteen years ago today that I surrendered to Jesus Christ. I can remember it like it was yesterday…it is still SO REAL in my mind. I had no idea what a mega-church was…didn’t know Rick Warren or Bill Hybels, had only been introduced to the NIV two months earlier, didn’t know about the SBC…all I knew was that I was a sinner, Jesus Christ paid for my sins…and by receiving His payment by asking Him into my life–EVERYTHING CHANGED.
EVERYTHING!!! There is NOTHING good in my life that isn’t the result of knowing Christ…nothing.
And the greatest part about that is–He ISN’T through with me yet. I am a work in progress…there is still much shaping to do. At times He will do so with a chisel, sculpting out details that He sees as important…and at other times He will use a sledgehammer, shattering the things in me that need to be destroyed.
Either way…I am HIS…and there is no greater joy in life than knowing Christ!
Sunday Night Reflections May 25, 2008
Here are my thoughts on the day…BUT, before I go there let me say a HUGE THANK YOU to the veterans of our Armed Forces. Because of your willingness to serve we had the freedom to assemble today as a body of believers and worship Almighty God. AND a special thank you to the families with a loved one who paid the ultimate price for our freedom…they will never be forgotten!
Daniel Harper did an incredible job communicating today…here are a few of his main points…
- Excellent message–Obedience before sacrifice–wow!
- We can do “mostly” what God says and still live in disobedience.
- “We have made Christianity about doing right things rather than obeying Jesus.”
- “The ROOT of sin is that we value self more than Jesus.”
Here are a few other thoughts from the day…
- Like Dorothy said–there’s no place like home. I love this place!
- Charisse’s favorite color is purple!
- Greenville campus is ONE WEEK CLOSER…go HERE if you want more information OR if you want to connect with an incredible opportunity to allow God to use you through volunteering.
- Steven and I chat every Sunday…but we’ve not been able to connect for a couple of weeks until today. I seriously think every pastor should talk to another pastor once a week. (I didn’t say talk about another pastor–but talk to him!)
- God is REALLY stretching me…and during the past week He has shown me that my dreams are way too small…both ministerially and personally.
- SO…that means that I am BEGGING Him for bigger dreams…and He’s REALLY making me uncomfortable…in a good sort of way…Isaiah 55:8-9…wow!
- This is the LAST WEEK to help vote on the topic that you want me to preach about in July. So far we’ve had over 3,500 votes. You can go HERE to select your topic of choice.
That’s about it–except for my SHOUT OUT to the ladies basketball team that I helped coach this past winter. We had an undefeated regular season…but more than that…I had a blast just getting to hang out with them (and watch them put on chap stick and text message people in the middle of their games!) Tonight I was able to spend some time with them and we had dinner together–DANG, those girls can flat out throw down on some food.
Ladies…I really enjoyed hanging out with you. As you go off to college stay in the Word, find a great church and strive to be a Proverbs 31 woman!!!
Travel Highlights From Day Four… May 22, 2008
I am sitting in the ATL airport waiting to hop a flight to GSP…here are a few thoughts before I do.
- CHALLENGING week…six separate flights (no lost luggage), hotel beds, rental cars and totally out of my workout and sleeping routine.
- I REALLY missed ‘Cretia and Charisse–REALLY!
- Today was incredible…I do love conferences…but I love them just as much for the connections that I make as well as the lessons that I learn.
- I had a great lunch today with Scott Hodge!
Uh…that’s it…except…
NewSpring…wow…I just wanted to communicate that I LOVE THIS CHURCH! I seriously could not live this life…the one of planes and hotels. I know these weeks will come up in my future from time to time…but at the end of the day all I want to do is love Jesus, love ‘Cretia, love Charisse and love this church.
God has set me on fire…my mind is racing…I believe there are areas of potential that we haven’t tapped into yet…and I can’t wait to get my thoughts OUT on paper and then share them as they become more and more clear.
Jesus is up to something HUGE…and we get to be a part of it! Now…gotta go catch a flight!!!