Comfort vs. Volume

As you can see from the photo above, I have been engrossed in Francis Chan’s new book, Forgotten God.  In a nutshell, the book talks about the Holy Spirit and how some of us have in a sense “forgotten” this person of the trinity.

Lately, I feel like God has been really teaching me a lot of things.  I try to read a little bit each day from this book and then today I read something that I will probably read over and over again throughout my life.

So many of us will say, “I never hear from God” or “I’ve never experienced the Holy Spirit”.  Francis talks about two reasons this could happen.

#1.  Comfort – Francis states that sometimes we just live life too safe.  He goes on to say that the Holy Spirit usually “comes” in tough situations by using the reference  of Luke 12:11-12 as his back-up.

#2. Volume – Francis then goes on to say that sometimes our life is too busy.  This keeps us from being still which he goes on to explain is a spiritual discipline.

Folks, I’m learning more and more that ministry is more than a full-time job.  One thing that sometimes suffers in my life is my quiet time.  Why?  Because I’m always doing something.

Other times, looking back on life, God has given me opportunities that may have slipped away from me and I chose to live in comfort rather than getting out of my comfort zone.

So, what do you struggle with?  Comfort?  Volume?  Or maybe both?

This Is Why I Love My Job…

Every week, I prepare for lessons.  One for Wednesday and one for Sunday.  Occasionally I will prepare two for Sunday.  Either way, I love my job.  I’m sitting here today, preparing for my Wednesday Evening lesson and I’m terribly convicted.  I sit at my desk and I read, research, and piece together a lesson.

We are currently in a series called “The Battle Within:  Understanding Temptation”.  We are in the 3rd week and this week we are talking about sometimes we try to “fix the fight” by manipulating God.

As I was preparing, and still am, I always try to reflect on my life.  This lesson has hit me super hard.  A question is asked at the end of the curriculum and it got me good.  It states:

“Are you a cooperator or a manipulator?”

I would like to say I have NEVER tried to manipulate God, but as I look back in my past, I have and it breaks my heart!

I share this with you because if it wasn’t for this lesson series and particularly this lesson, who knows if I would have ever caught this.

So, I ask you…are you a cooperator or a manipulator?

How About A New Holiday?

I was unaware, as I usually am, and I found out this week through a card in the mail that it is “Clergy Appreciation Month”?  Anyways, it’s always crazy thinking that we of all people should get not just a holiday, but a month to appreciate us.

BUT, may I make a notion that we need a new holiday/month?  I suggest with have a PASTOR WIVES APPRECIATION MONTH!

Why?  Because they are the unsung heroes of our ministry!  Let’s face it.  Being in ministry would be so much harder if it wasn’t for my wife.  She is awesome!  So, even though it is “Clergy Appreciation Month”, why don’t we as “clergy” (I put quotes around it because I don’t like the term) appreciate our wives.  Why?

• Because they support us!
• Because they put up and deal with our busy schedules!
• Because they usually tend to do a lot within the church!
• Because they are patient with us when we have vision casting sessions in the middle of the night!
• Because they hurt when we hurt!
• Because they are the best gosh darn thing that’s happened to us since SALVATION!

I promote that this month of October should not only be Clergy Appreciation Month, but “Clergy Wives Appreciation Month”!

Who’s with me?!?!

What is the Church? (Part 2 of 2)

Yesterday, we took a look at the passage in the book of Acts to share what the church ACTUALLY is.  Today, we’re going to take a look at what the church is NOT.

Many will disagree with what I’m about to do.  It is not very theological and, to me, that’s OK.  I am going to look at what the church in the book of Acts doesn’t say.

So what is the church not?  Or maybe should not be…hmmm….

1.  It is not a building. Many people will agree that this is true.  Some people still believe that the church is a building and not the people within that building.

2.  It is not full of preferences. You may have read my previous blogs about preferences.  One of the reasons I think God blessed that church is because they knew the real reason for what they were doing.  They were there to WORSHIP GOD.

3.  It is not a place for the selfish. I believe Scripture is clear when it talks about selfishness throughout.  Another reason I believe that this church grew by the day is because everyone helped each other out.  They did not keep to themselves and they served one another.

4.  It is not a place for gripers. You see, in the church in the book of Acts, people were grateful for what they had.  They were not bitter because of what they did not have and look how God blessed them.

Folks, I do not write this post out of anger.  I love the church and I believe what Bill Hybels says when he states, “The local church is the hope of the world”, but we have to face the facts that church is for worshiping our Almighty God and to help others out.

Why is this so hard to grasp?

I will be the first to admit, someday when I pastor a church, it will not be perfect.  But can we at least look at Scripture and see where we can improve?

What is the Church? Part 1

In today’s society, it’s so easy to get caught up in what the church is and what it should be.  I personally get caught up in it and if you are in ministry, I’m sure you do too.  I think it would be best if we go back to the Church in Acts to see what a church really is.

⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

So, according to Acts 2:42-47, what is the church?

1. A body of believers – A church is a body of believers (people) who make up a congregation.  This can be seen in verse one when seeing the word “they” or in verse 44 seeing the words “All the believers…”  just to site a few.

2. Devotion – The church is a bunch of people devoted to certain causes.  In these verse they are devoted to “the apostles teaching, fellowship, and breaking of bread”.

3. Servants – The church is a bunch of people who are servants and serve each other.  Verse 45 states, “selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.“

4.  Grateful – The church was full of grateful people.  They were grateful with what they had.  They were grateful for each other.  They were grateful to help even if it meant losing something of their own.

So where did we go wrong?  In chronological order, this obviously was after the fall of man.  Where did we go wrong?

Why do we see church as a building?

Why is it so hard to find devoted people anymore?

Why are the same 15-20 people (in a small church) doing all the work?

Why aren’t we grateful for the things we have as a body of believers?

Let me explain myself, by saying that I am all about strategic planning.  I listen to the likes of Andy Stanley, Bill Hybels, etc., and I agree with them 99% of the time.  I am all about growth.  I am all about doing whatever it takes in a biblical context to see people come to Christ.  My question is what happened to the church? Why are we so ungrateful?  Why is it so hard for people to serve?  And why is it so hard for people to serve one another?

Tomorrow we will look at what the church is NOT.

My Heart Breaks…

I know I said I wouldn’t post until after the fair, but I’m home for lunch completely and totally distressed.  Why?  Not because we’re not set up yet, but because of all of the disaster in Southeast Asia.

I understand that God has everything under control, but you can’t help but think of these people during this time.   In case you are reading this and unaware of what is going on so far there has been:

• A typhoon
• A Tsunami
• An Earthquake

Multiple people have been killed, many injured and here I am at home eating a bologna sandwich and chips with a roof over my head.  I know that after all is said and done my human nature will downplay how I’m feeling right now, but can I ask you who are reading this one thing?

PLEASE PRAY!  THESE COUNTRIES NEED OUR PRAYERS MORE THAN EVER.

Fair Week…

Well, I haven’t posted in a while and I probably won’t post again until next week because this week is a very special week…it’s FAIR WEEK!!!

Our Student Ministry has a stand every year that sells Apple Dumplings, Chicken Corn Soup, and Hot Dogs along with drinks.  It has been a “tradition” that we do every year to help the teens raise money for Momentum and other youth group activities.

Please be praying for us as we make connections in the community and love on people by selling food at the fair!

Preferences, Part 3

Today, I conclude with a preference that is not debated much, but is still out there.  The topic is on evangelism.

Some prefer the tract approach, some the megaphone approach, and others the relational approach.  I think we can all say that we have a preference in this category.

God calls us to GO and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), we all know that.  The kicker is he doesn’t say how.  That’s for us to figure out.  Methods have been shared over many years.  Some have come and gone and others have stuck.

So where do you fit in this preference category?

I leave you with a quote from our friends at CE National from their blog.  It states:

“The best method of evangelism is the one you use!”

Preferences, Part 2

As was stated yesterday, everyone has preferences.  I have preferences and you have preferences.  I also stated that more and more I’m learning that with being in ministry you hear a lot about preferences.

Today, I want to go into another topic.  That is the topic of Traditional Sunday School vs. Small Groups.

If you are a believer, we believe that God created us for community.  Adam couldn’t be without someone, so God created Eve.  That sounds like a strong argument for Small Groups, right?  Well, I also believe you can have community in Sunday School too.

See, we are in a time right now in ministry, where Small Groups are the “thing” to do.  While I absolutely love the idea of Small Groups, we find that some people dispise the idea.

For example, recently a local church in our community shut down their Sunday School ministry and started Small Groups.  While the church is larger in size, many people left because of this change.

Great arguments can be made for both cases.  Both have positives and both have negatives.  I believe that most churches are heading in the direction of Small Groups.  To quote a great man, my mentor, he believes that Small Groups are a “trend”.  What will happen 20 years from now with Small Groups?  Will we grow out of them?  Will I be writing another preferences blog?

Just a thought..

Preferences, Part 1

What are preferences?  According to Webster’s Dictionary a preference is:

the act, fact, or principle of giving advantages to some over others.

So what is a preference is our language?  Well, it’s to have and hold to a certain position on a certain topic(s).

I’m finding after 4 1/2 years of being in ministry that a lot of people have preferences.  I knew that coming in, but I REALLY know it now!  So I want to discuss a few of them with you over the next couple of days.

Today I want to start with a topic that will upset a lot of people.  That topic is worship as it relates to music.  This could quite possibly be the one thing that really gets people frustrated, disgusted, and angry the most.

Before I begin, let me be clear that I am trying to look at both sides of the story here.  I am 24 years old and I enjoy both hymns and contemporary worship music.

I love Psalm 29:2 which states, “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.”

Why do I mention this verse?  Because no matter if you are pro-hymn, pro-contemporary, pro-gregorian chant (just kidding), what is the ultimate purpose of our praise and worship?  TO WORSHIP THE LORD IN THE SPLENDOR OF HIS HOLINESS!!!

We all have preferences.  We all like our style of music.  But no matter what your preference is, why do you have that preference?  I’ve had to look at my heart to see if I am singing just to sing or singing to worship our Almighty God.

Will you check your heart too?  Maybe your preferences will change once you know why and who you are singing to!