Archive for May, 2009
Sunday Night Reflections May 31, 2009
What a day at NewSpring Church…here are some of the highlights…
- Today’s message was what Matt Chandler often refers to as a “space maker!” Sometimes truth isn’t easily digested!
- To say that the room was tense for most of the day is an understatement. BUT…as a preacher I am understanding more and more that where there is no tension there is no truth!
- Personally…I thought the music today was UN-FREAKIN-BELIEVABLE!!! WOW!
- Gauntlet sign ups today were insane…LOVE the way the people in our church stepped up to the challenge and were generous!
- Yes, a dude really did tell me that his dad hates me…but then went on to tell me that he did not…that made me feel better! :-)
- As followers of Jesus Christ we are called to completely submit to His authority in EVERY area of our lives…we don’t get to pick and choose.
- The Gospel is not people in church telling people not in the church “you are bad,” but rather people who have met Jesus telling those who haven’t met Jesus, “I’m bad and your bad…and the only difference between us is that Jesus paid for my sins!”
- People that follow Christ out of convenience do more damage to God’s Kingdom than those who do not follow Christ at all!
- Yes, I did say that parents who allow their children’s sports schedules to govern their times of worship are INSANE!!! One day your child will stand before Jesus…and He will not be obsessed with how well he or she can kick a soccer ball!
- Everyone of us have broken every single one of the 10 commandments…we’re NOT GOOD…we NEED JESUS!
- There are too many Christians who are willing to wear a cross around their neck but not put one on their back and follow HIM daily! (Luke 9:23-24)
- Riley opened the door for me tonight…he’s learning!!! :-) NOW…can he do it on Monday?
- The call that Jesus places on the lives of people who surrender to Him is to make Galatians 2:20 a reality.
- When a group of people get radically committed to Jesus they are often referred to (by “churched” people) as a “cult!” Why is it that we equate “cult” with commitment and not “Christian?”
- MAYBE because Christianity in America has been reduced to, “live however you want…just show up at church every once in a while and you will be fine!” Uh…problem…THAT ISN’T ANYWHERE IN THE SCRIPTURES!
- WHO is preaching isn’t important–WHAT is being preached is…and we will always make sure that WHAT is being preached is JESUS!!!
- Met with the team to finalize the peeps for our coaching network this fall…REALLY excited about the guys that will be participating.
- I was overwhelmed with the number of people who responded…and because of the response we went ahead and made the decision to do a spring coaching network as well. (And it is already filled!)
- Sign ups for “One” begin tomorrow!
- We begin a new series next week – “God Is…” CAN’T WAIT!!!
NewSpring…I love you guys…I am so blessed to be here and serving as your pastor. I am BLOWN away by all that God is doing…and I can’t wait to see what happens next around here. Ephesians 3:20 is becoming more and more real to all of us…we serve an amazing God!
16 Questions That Will Help Me Make It In Ministry – Part Seven May 29, 2009
7. Am I Trusting Him To Provide?
In Matthew 10:8-10 Jesus clearly communicates to His disciples that He is going to take care of their financial needs.
The wrong question to ask when Jesus clearly commissions us to do something is “How much is going to cost?” because we can allow that question to lead us into a place of direct disobedience.
The only question we should wrestle to the ground, “Is this clearly what Jesus wants?” If the answer to that question is yes then we’ve got to understand that if it is God’s will then it is God’s bill.
God doesn’t give us as leaders worry-free guarantees because if He did the element of faith would not be necessary. If God has called you to plant a church, the resources for that church plant will be there. If God has called you to build facilities the resources for building those facilities will be there. If God has called you to pour into youth and children the resources to pour into youth and children will be there. There has to come a point when we trust Him to provide for our needs, even when we don’t see how it is possible.
God KNOWS how to take care of His people…but often times when He commands us as to WHAT to do the “HOW to do it” comes later–as we seek Him. He has all of the money in the world–heck–He paved His streets with gold! Bill Gates’ children don’t worry when their computers crash…we should not worry when our Heavenly Father gives us BIG VISION…because HE has the resources to make it happen!
One May 28, 2009
We’re getting pretty excited about here about “One.” (Here is the original post I did about it.)
Here are some random questions we are getting about the “conversation.”
#1 – When can I sign up?
Monday, June 1st is the date the website for signing up will go live. I will link the site here…and there should also be a link at the NewSpring Church website. And remember…we’re keeping it small on purpose…the first 100 people to sign up get in.
#2 – You said the senior pastor must attend…are there any exceptions?
Nope! Seriously…I refuse to foster an environment where youth and children’s staff and volunteers get absolutely fired up about a vision…but feel like they have to go and “fight” with the senior pastor to “make things happen.” When a church staff and volunteers begin to work as “ONE”…SO MUCH can be accomplished for the Kingdom!
AND…PLEASE be ethical about this!!! (It’s sad that I even have to write this!) BUT don’t sign up the sp…and then bring someone else claiming that “something came up.” It’s one thing if that really happens…it’s another if you completely lie about it!!!
#3 – Who should I contact at the church if I want more information?
You can contact Caroline Miller – her email address is Caroline.Miller@newspring.cc
#4 – Will there be any production, worship and such?
Nope–the entire format will be some teaching, roundtable discussions and interviews.
#5 – What is the purpose of “One?”
To assist churches in establishing a DYNAMIC vision that allows children’s ministry and youth ministry to be incorporated into the BODY…and not be merely a “babysitting” service. We don’t have a system to pimp…nor are we selling any products…we simply want to teach how we have managed to bring every ministry in the church under a common vision…and how we are working together to equip and empower the next generation to take this churches minisry and impact to levels that we could never even imagine.
There are too many churches where the youth and children’s ministry COMPETE with each other instead of COMPLETING each other. AND…there is WAY too much staff friction in churches because people think that they must “fight” to accomlish vision. We want to bring the right people around the table (thus the reason the sp MUST be there) and help begin the conversation.
16 Questions That Will Help Us Make It In Ministry – Part Six May 28, 2009
6. Am I Preaching What Jesus Wants Me To Preach?
In Matthew 10:7 He clearly told the disciples what to preach.
Let me make a confession as a preacher there has been many Sunday nights driving home from NewSpring that I begin to actually freak out about the next Sunday and worry about whether or not the message will come together.
There have been many Saturday nights before the next Sunday that I’m wigging out and I’m telling my wife, “honey the message just isn’t there.” She confronted me very lovingly but very directly one night and asked me, “Perry when was the last time that Jesus did not give you a message?”
Pastors I believe that we are worry about what we are going to preach way too much and don’t concern ourselves with who we’re preaching for and who we’re preaching to.
If we are walking with Jesus and we have the gift of preaching, He is always going to put a word in our heart to bring to the people He has called us to lead. Our job is to preach exactly what He has poured into us and not what we perceive will make the people in the pews or the chairs happy. We are preachers and prophets not prostitutes. We don’t get paid for a service that makes people feel good. We are called to honor God by preaching His word even when it is hard.
So…what is it He has called you to preach? If you KNEW you had one last message to preach…what would it be? If you knew you were only going to get to stand before your church one more time and preach…what would you say?
HIS Word IS living and active…and He will ALWAYS put a Word in us if we are seeking HIS Word on a daily basis! These guys preached out of the overflow…remember…they weren’t the religious elite…they had simply spent a lot of time with Jesus and then went out and said everything they had heard Him say.
We’re called to do the same!
I’m 19 Today!!! May 27, 2009
19 years ago TODAY Jesus power-washed my soul and gave me a brand new start!
He took all of my wrong, gave me all of His right…thus making me right with God. (II Corinthians 5:21)
He had plans for me (Jeremiah 29:11) and continues to reveal them to me as I try daily to seek Him with all of my heart! (Jeremiah 29:13)
I am learning…SLOWLY…that nothing is too difficult for Him. (Ezekiel 32:27)
When He called me…He did so wanting me to please Him…not man! (Galatians 1:10)
And after 19 years there are several things that still amaze me…like…
- He knew everything about me, past, present and future and still saved me when I confess Him as Lord!
- The way He blesses me…seriously…EVERYTHING good in my life is a result of knowing Christ! I would never have met and married Lucretia had I not met Jesus…and with no ‘Cretia there would be no Charisse–THAT would be sad!!!
- He allows me to be a part of the ministry of NewSpring Church.
- He has given me INCREDIBLE friends!
- He didn’t ask me to do ministry alone…He’s always with me!
Seriously…I’ve never forgotten what it was like to be lost. I’ve never gotten over the fact that JESUS SAVED ME…and I want SO MANY more people to have the same experience I had…19 years ago today!!!
16 Questions That Will Help Us Make It In Ministry – Part Five May 27, 2009
5. Am I Going Where He Wants Me To Go?
In Matthew 10:5-6 Jesus clearly gave the disciples specific instructions as to where to go and where not to go.
The question we must wrestle with as a leader is “Am I in a place that God has called me to go?” Are you looking for the easy road or the right road? One of the biggest myths we can believe in life is that if we are doing what God wants us to do then we will never experience any opposition or hardship. Going where Jesus commands us to go doesn’t mean the road will be smooth…but it does mean the road will be right!
One of the unfortunate realities is that many leaders will not go where God is calling them to go because it might mean sacrifice, pay-cut, or even a demotion. And…in the world that we live in, if something is not seen in the eyes of men as an advance then for some reason we don’t think it’s from God. The reality is this, God wants us somewhere and we must place ourselves before Him daily, get in the place that He wants us to be in, get in the position that He has designed us for and allow Him to accomplish more through us than we could have ever imagined.
She Has No Idea May 26, 2009
Charisse, my daughter, is a smart little girl.
She already knows her letters, colors, numbers and how to land a man on Mars. (OK, maybe not the last one.)
AND…she knows how to ask me for things such as when she wants a hug, or some water or to go outside. She knows how to ask me for what she wants in the moment…and she believes that I can do what she is asking of me…
HOWEVER…
She has no idea what I am capable of…or the things I do behind the scenes of her life that she benefits from…but remains unaware of.
- She wants a cup of milk…but I am making preparations for her to attend college one day.
- She wants to go outside…and I am working hard to buy toys that she can play with while she is out there.
- She wants to go to bed…and I do all that I can to make sure we have a safe house to live in so she can sleep.
I think you see what I am saying…she is an amazing little girl…but her mind just can’t fully understand right now how much I can do for her.
I was thinking about this the other day when I felt the Lord speak to my heart and say, “Now you know how I feel! You ask me for things, you often get caught up in the moment…but your problem is that most of the time you just don’t understand WHO I AM and WHAT I AM DOING!”
I am so glad that we serve and Ephesians 3:20 God. The Bible says in I Corinthians 2:9 that we literally have NO IDEA how much He has planned for us.
Just like Charisse has no idea what I am capable of…we have no idea how HUGE God is and what HE can do. BECAUSE…I believe many times we are caught up in what we want rather than who He is!
One of the things I am trying to do right now is become less aware of my perceived needs…and instead focus on continually discovering WHO HE IS. Because, in doing so I believe I will stop asking Him for “treats” and “snack” and be able to finally discover the feast that He has set before me!
HE IS THE MOST HIGH GOD! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM! I want to live like this is true!!!
Where this analogy breaks down is that one day Charisse will discover many of my faults and limitations…and I pray she will still love me in spite of who I am. BUT…the more we get to know HIM we will discover His POWER, LOVE and ABSOLUTE HOLINESS…and we will not be able to resist loving and serving Him with more passion than ever before!