Archive for December, 2010
Two Tensions A Leader Must Manage December 8, 2010
#1 – I Must Be Available To Everyone
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, the leader who is always available to everyone at all times is seldom available to God.
Too many pastors/church leaders have what is commonly known as “The Messiah complex”…they feel like they are the only ones who can meet with people, pray with the sick, solve the problems and do all of the counseling as well. (AND…in most cases I do NOT blame the people but rather the leader who has a need to be needed…who is more dependent on the people that he/she is the power and presence of God in their lives.)
I’ve heard it said before…and I will say it again, if you NEED people you can’t LEAD people.
We cannot be available to everyone at all times…JESUS WASN’T! Luke 5:16 (as well as numerous other verses) talk about the fact that Jesus OFTEN sought solitude so that He could simply pray, reflect and focus on the Father…we’ve GOT to do the same if we are going to be leaders that IMPACT God’s Kingdom.
#2 – I Can’t Be Available To Anyone
The problem in many cases when we try to fight lie #1 is that the pendulum swings to the extreme opposite and we actually believe that the leader could not and should not ever be available to anyone…at anytime…for any reason. Thus the pastor/church leader becomes more of a king than a servant and completely loses touch with the people he is called to lead.
Jesus was the PERFECT model for this…if ANYONE had a packed and important agenda it was Him. He knew He had three years…He knew He had a job to do, and yet we see Him quite often in the Scriptures taking time to hang out with little children, heal the sick, have dinner with some “sinners” and have a conversation with a woman who had a pretty bad reputation (see John 4).
We’ve GOT to listen to the Holy Spirit on this one…we’ve GOT to allow HIM to shape our agenda…and, if our agenda NEVER includes the people we are called to serve…then there is a good possibility that we are pursuing our agenda, not His.
A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church December 7, 2010
Howdy NewSpring Church…wanted to share 10 things with you as we continue to prepare for our Christmas season.
#1 – Sunday was amazing, honestly, I don’t think I will ever be able to sing the song “Hosanna” again without thinking about the fact that Jesus RESCUED me…and that I am to be about the business of partnering with Him in the rescuing of others. (See II Corinthians 5:16-21) We live in a world that is screaming “HOSANNA (please save, save now) and we have the answer…I can’t wait to see what God does as we continually embrace this mentality.
#2 – I tweeted this last week…but wanted to say it again, until we are willing to embrace the uncomfortable we will not experience the supernatural. As I read the Scriptures and study about the life and death of Jesus I am more convinced than ever that the last thing church people are supposed to obsess over is their personal comfort level on Sunday’s. Jesus embraced the uncomfortable to reach us…HE LEFT HEAVEN (which was huge), came to earth as a baby, lived among us for 33 years, went to the cross (uncomfortable) and took our place so that we could be reconciled to God! AND…as followers of HIM we should be willing to give up our personal preference DAILY in order to reach a world that simply does not know Him. (Take a look at Galatians 2:20, Acts 20:24 and Luke 9:23).
#3 – We can never allow church to become a place where we obsess with keeping the “rescuers” happy, thus neglecting the very ones that need rescue. (Keep in mind…there are over TWO BILLION people on the planet that have never heard the Gospel…and it isn’t because the church lacks the ability to go and share it…it’s because, once again in many cases…doing so would cause us to be…UNCOMFORTABLE.) Let’s continue to do whatever it takes (read Mark 2:1-12 again) to reach people far from God.
#4 – If you haven’t already…PLEASE get your tickets for the Christmas services here. Many of them are already getting close to full…and we want to try our best to try and make sure that everyone who attends has a great experience. Use these tickets to invite the people that you know need to hear the Gospel…and…don’t forget, we’re giving away a free ipad at every campus in every service…and are doing so by drawing out of a box that people dropped their ticket into before they entered the service.
#5 – I KNOW it’s uncomfortable to invite people to church…but…as I have said over and over, statistics show that people are more likely to attend church at Christmas time than any other time of the year. So…go for it.
#6 – Don’t forget to wear your Hosanna bracelet this week…and as you do so pray for our Christmas services, that THOUSANDS will be drawn to Jesus and surrender their lives to Him.
#7 – And…also, don’t forget that we will NOT be having church at any campus on Sunday, December 26th…we are taking that Sunday off so that our staff and volunteers can rest after an intense Christmas season. We will resume church on a normal schedule on Sunday, January 2.
#8 – Christmas offering started out GREAT…continue to pray and ask the Lord what He would have you give…and then just do whatever He tells you to do.
#9 – THIS SUNDAY is going to be amazing as we talk about the letter O in the word H-O-P-E and deal with the OPPORTUNITIES that EVERYONE has when they surrender their lives to Christ. Jesus didn’t just die to save us from hell…He also did so to save us from a meaningless life…and we will DIVE into that more on Sunday!
#10 – I’ve got my shovel…I’m digging, thanks to everyone who is doing the same. I LOVE MY CHURCH!
Football, Attitude and Idolatry December 2, 2010
Here me when I say I LOVE college football…LOVE IT!
I get giddy every year before college football season. I go into a mild depression when the season is over. I watch games sometimes between teams that I care nothing about.
I really do love college football.
More specifically…I LOVE the Clemson Tigers. (I think all true followers of Jesus should!) :-) I’ve been a Clemson fan as long as I can remember. My very first Clemson game I ever attended was on November 21, 1981 at Williams Brice Stadium…where they beat the Gamecocks 29-13 on their home field! AND…the next Clemson game I attended was in Miami, FL at the Orange Bowl on January 1, 1982 where they beat Nebraska 22-15! (My dad got 50 tickets for that game…true story!)
Just being honest here…the way Clemson performed on the field on Saturday used to literally impact my entire week. If they won then I was happy and really nice to everyone…and if they lost, well, I was a complete rear end to anyone who was near. There were times I literally became so angry with the way they played I lost sleep. (AND…every time they lost on a Saturday and I had to preach on a Sunday I always wanted to change my sermon to something to do with either hell or the wrath of God.)
BUT…something began to change in me…and it was actually on Saturday, November 4, 2006. Lucretia and I were going to the Clemson versus Maryland game with some friends…I got up that morning, went to the gym and had a great workout, came home, took a shower…and Lucretia came up to me and gave me a gift bag, I opened it and the book inside was entitled, “The Expectant Father!” She then showed me the pregnancy test she had taken that morning…it was positive…and I was ruined.
We went to the game that day…and Clemson lost 13-12…and, for the first time since I could remember it didn’t bother me. In fact, when Maryland hit the field goal with time expiring that day and it hit me that we had lost I immediately had this thought, “there are other things in life that are way more important than this.”
And…I literally made a decision that day that no longer was I going to allow the performance of 18-22 year old guys dominate the way I thought, felt and how I treated others.
Let me be very clear (speaking from past experience)…if the performance of your favorite football team impacts your attitude to the point where you are hateful towards other people, impacts your worship of Jesus the next day at church OR even effects whether or not you attend church…then you have an idolatry problem.
It’s NOT wrong to pull for a particular football team…but it is wrong to love them so much that we allow them to dictate our attitude.
AND…trust me when I say that every college football team in the country gathers worshippers every Saturday. We’ve all seen it…people spend THOUSANDS of dollars on parking places, tail gaiting supplies (some even have plasma TV’s and satellite dishes AT their parking place) and so on. AND…please understand…I’m NOT saying that any of that is wrong, unless of course someone happens to be donating more money to the cause of their favorite college football team rather than the causes of Christ. (Which, in that case, it’s idolatry!)
And idol is anyone or anything that we love more than Jesus–period.
I love college football and will continue to do so. I will always be a Tiger fan and I will cheer for them until Jesus calls me home. I’ve gotten to know a lot of the coaches and players at Clemson…and so the games have taken on a whole new meaning for me.
BUT…at the end of the day Clemson’s win/loss record at the end of the season is a temporary thing of this world that is going to pass away and one day no longer matter when it compares to eternity and all it holds.
So, my prayer for all of us as this college football season wraps up is that we can enjoy the things in this world without actually worshipping them. Our worship should be reserved for THE ONE who took our place on the cross, who absorbed God’s wrath so we would not have to, who brought us from DEATH to LIFE, who reigns over all and who is one day going to return and take all who are His to be with Him in eternity.
Enjoy this world…but WORSHIP Jesus!
15 Books That Have IMPACTED Me Personally December 1, 2010
I’m asked quite often about the books I’ve read that have impacted me the most…here is a list of 15, these are not in any particular order as it would be IMPOSSIBLE for me to actually rank them. BUT…what I can say about each one of these books is that God used them at a particular place and time to not just inspire me…but IMPACT me significantly. Here goes…
#1 – Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley - this book is LOADED with leadership stuff that is revolutionary, trust me! I’ve read it at least three times…and each time God uses it to disturb me in the best sort of way.
#2 – Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas – hands down the BEST book on marriage I’ve EVER read. Yep…I said THE BEST, I meant it.
#3 – Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels – every pastor should put this on their “must read” list.
#4 – Good to Great by Jim Collins – in my opinion this is one of the best leadership books EVER written, tons of takeaways for church and non church leaders.
#5 – The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus – this is the first book that I ever read and then immediately read it a second time.
#6 – Choosing to Cheat by Andy Stanley – EVERY dude on the planet should read this book–period!
#7 – Confessions of a Reformission Rev by Mark Driscoll – I literally laughed and cried out loud while reading this book, every pastor should get it right now, trust me!!!
#8 – The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell – the longer I lead the more I realize that every law in this book is absolutely true!
#9 – Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership by Gary McIntosh and Samuel Rima – TRUST ME when I say every person on the planet should read this book, it is one of the most eye opening, sobering things I’ve EVER read…it literally COULD save you from a lot of unnecessary pain and frustration! Warning…it is NOT a comfortable read as it forces you to deal with the biggest obstacle in leading…YOU!
#10 – Chazown by Craig Groeschel – this is a book that will NOT allow you to be comfortable where you are!!!
#11 – Integrity by Henry Cloud – If someone refuses to make integrity an issue then it will one day be an issue!!! Believe me when I tell you that this is a MUST READ!!!
#12 – The Blessed Life by Robert Morris – Hands down the BEST book I’ve ever read on Biblical stewardship…and it challenged me in ways when it comes to finances that I’ve never been challenged before.
#13 – The Grace of God by Andy Stanley – I’m reading this book now…and it is the BEST book I’ve ever read in dealing with God’s grace!!! I fully believe that if we fully grasped the concepts that Andy writes about in this book…the Gospel would EXPLODE and reach the entire world…people are desperate for GRACE!
#14 – Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren – Hands down the absolute BEST book I’ve ever read on dealing with how to start a church. When we first started NewSpring in 2000 there was not the one squillion books that there are now on church planting and such…this (and the one I mention next) were the only two I read before we took the dive. AND…I still say that this one stands the test of time!
#15 – Rediscovering Church by Bill Hybels – Hands down the most transparent books I’ve ever read on planting a church! I just happened to pick this book up once because so many of the people I knew at the time were highly critical of Bill…I wanted to see what they were critical of so I got the book, thinking that I would hate him too…I WAS WRONG! God used this book to wreck me and it was a major catalyst that HE used to fuel the fire in me the begin NewSpring Church.
This is my list…hope it helps.