In ministry, we do more funerals than most people will do in their lifetime. It comes with the job and it's something I take very seriously.
At each funeral, whether for the saved or unsaved, I listen to people speak of the impact that the person had on their life. And it sometimes is echoed in more than one persons comments.
But I attended a funeral of someone who was, I think, a believer. The highlight of the memories and stories revolved around her card playing ability and her lingerie shopping sprees (hey, I can't make this stuff up!)
And I sat there thinking, "Really...is this the summation of this woman's life? Cards and bras? Is there nothing more to that in her life?" It crushed me - and made me think:
What will they say about me when I'm gone?
What will my legacy be for my son, for my daughter? What will my brothers remember about me (and be willing to share!)? How will others know that my life made an impact for the Kingdom? Will they know how much I loved Jesus? Will there be fruit?
I've been hit with this reality lately:
Live each day as if it were my last!
Who in my life needs to hear about Jesus? Who in my life needs to surrender their life, career, family, bank accounts - everything to Jesus? Am I telling them or am I just blogging about it?
If we have the truth - and we do - then we have a responsibility to share it. We are NOT promised tomorrow, so are we taking the opportunity to live like it for Jesus?
I'm working on it in my life, and some days it's just ridiculously hard! Other days, WOW! I see Jesus moving and directing around and in my life.
So, if you were gone tomorrow, what would they say about you? Will your life confidently point people to Jesus - or not?
Just thoughts at 11 clock on a Wednesday night...
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday Thoughts...
We serve an amazing God! He never ceases to amaze me - never.
As I got ready to deliver the message that God had given me this week, He allowed me to have an encounter that would clarify what the message was that I needed to bring. It was a simple encounter, one that involved listening, prayer and an open spirit to allow God to work so that I could love like Jesus.
- We have to love people like Jesus loved people - period. We don't get to chose who deserves it. He said to love God, others, neighbors AND our enemies. Whose left?
- Married couples - love each other the way that Christ loved the church. DON'T EVER GIVE UP - DON'T EVER QUIT ON EACH OTHER!
- Yes, I did say "It pisses me off when Satan wins the divorce battle in our families." I'm tired of people being 'okay' with that.
- And yes, I did say the men, "Grow a pair and fight for your marriage. Loving like Jesus doesn't involve being a coward or a quitter."
- Challenged people to love Jesus by sharing their successes and failure in the area of marriage and parenting.
- Had close to 15 "marriage coaches", 4 "newlywed coaches" and 2 "parent coaches" sign up.
- I have NO IDEA where this is going - but God calls us to love others with the gifts, skills, abilities and experiences we have. So we'll see where He leads us!
- WOW! Over 20 people signed up to help meet real, practical needs. Grocery shopping, prescription shopping, cleaning, reading/visiting - these are the simple acts of love that people were willing to do for COMPLETE STRANGERS! Oh wait, that would be neighbors!
- We have a couple of decent sized crews converging on the project house, including an electrician that can help us determine what we REALLY need to do next!
See ya in church...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Lessons From the Geese
It's good to be home!
I've been away at a worship leaders summit in St. Louis this week and did not have access to my stuff online. Thanks to a stupid computer problem, I wasn't able to email or to blog and it just about killed me!
On the other hand, it was also good to not have the distraction and go quiet for a while so that I could hear what God had for me!
The place we were at, Sojourn Christian Retreat, was in a nice setting and was very comfortable in every aspect. In the middle of the complex they have this serene, gentle lake with a few geese.
As I sat outside my room one morning, I watched these two adult geese 'herd' their 7 little munchkins around. You could see they weren't very old and just trying to figure out this new, giant and fascinating world.
I watched one little guy begin to venture out further and further from mom and dad. Curious, confident, daring, eager, wondering what might be out there that he hasn't explored just yet.
Just as he gets a little too far, he looks back to see that mom and dad didn't go with him - he's alone (sort of). As soon as he realizes this, he runs hard back to the safety of the family - safe, secure and loving.
As I sat there and watched this unfold, I realized that I am that little gosling. I get so far out in front sometimes with curiosity, eagerness, wonder and confidence that I forget to check in with Dad. I 'get it' sometimes and think I need to be ahead of what God is doing. Sometimes so much that He gets left out of the mix completely. And then I realize it and come running back to Him, usually crawling back to Him in shame and embarrassment for what I've done.
I know that God is ALWAYS with me. I know that God is ALWAYS leading me. I just need to remember that He is leading me, not the other way around.
See ya in church...by the way - hang onto your shorts for this Sunday. God's up to something BIG and AWESOME!
I've been away at a worship leaders summit in St. Louis this week and did not have access to my stuff online. Thanks to a stupid computer problem, I wasn't able to email or to blog and it just about killed me!
On the other hand, it was also good to not have the distraction and go quiet for a while so that I could hear what God had for me!
The place we were at, Sojourn Christian Retreat, was in a nice setting and was very comfortable in every aspect. In the middle of the complex they have this serene, gentle lake with a few geese.
As I sat outside my room one morning, I watched these two adult geese 'herd' their 7 little munchkins around. You could see they weren't very old and just trying to figure out this new, giant and fascinating world.
I watched one little guy begin to venture out further and further from mom and dad. Curious, confident, daring, eager, wondering what might be out there that he hasn't explored just yet.
Just as he gets a little too far, he looks back to see that mom and dad didn't go with him - he's alone (sort of). As soon as he realizes this, he runs hard back to the safety of the family - safe, secure and loving.
As I sat there and watched this unfold, I realized that I am that little gosling. I get so far out in front sometimes with curiosity, eagerness, wonder and confidence that I forget to check in with Dad. I 'get it' sometimes and think I need to be ahead of what God is doing. Sometimes so much that He gets left out of the mix completely. And then I realize it and come running back to Him, usually crawling back to Him in shame and embarrassment for what I've done.
I know that God is ALWAYS with me. I know that God is ALWAYS leading me. I just need to remember that He is leading me, not the other way around.
- Need to stay true to who He called me to be.
- Need to stay true to what He called me to do.
- Need to stay true to the ministry He has blessed me with.
- Need to stay true to the leader under who He has placed me.
See ya in church...by the way - hang onto your shorts for this Sunday. God's up to something BIG and AWESOME!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Trust-N-Seek!
As a kid growing up, much like many of us, I played many games of hide-n-seek. In the yard, in the house, in the church - anywhere that was accessible to good hiding spaces. I was pretty good at it as a kid. I was almost always the last or one of the last ones to be found. I hid well!
As an adult, I still sometimes play this game, only not in the sense that I did as a kid. I play it with God. I screw up and go hide until a) He convicts me and I come out of hiding, or b) I pull my head out and come crawling to Him begging for forgiveness for being so stupid.
We all do this. We don't like it, but we do it and it hurts our Father when we do. The silly part about it is He is always there waiting for us. Psalm 9:10,
"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."
We have to trust in Him to take care of our screw ups and our mistakes. We don't run and hide when things go wrong. We have to be constantly seeking Him in all aspects of our lives, no matter what they are, and we have to truly TRUST that He knows what's best and let Him do it.
So you're not doing well financially. Are you talking to Him about it or trying to fix it on your own (another form of hiding)? You don't have the relationship you want with your family, friends or others. Are you bringing it to Him so He can bless the situation? Are you struggling with something in your life but not willing to talk with Him about it?
Remember the verse - those who KNOW His name will TRUST in Him and will SEEK Him! Don't run from God. Run hard to Him and let Him bless you and take care of you the way He wants to.
Hiding never helps. It just keeps us in the dark longer!
Chasing hard after Him...
As an adult, I still sometimes play this game, only not in the sense that I did as a kid. I play it with God. I screw up and go hide until a) He convicts me and I come out of hiding, or b) I pull my head out and come crawling to Him begging for forgiveness for being so stupid.
We all do this. We don't like it, but we do it and it hurts our Father when we do. The silly part about it is He is always there waiting for us. Psalm 9:10,
"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."
We have to trust in Him to take care of our screw ups and our mistakes. We don't run and hide when things go wrong. We have to be constantly seeking Him in all aspects of our lives, no matter what they are, and we have to truly TRUST that He knows what's best and let Him do it.
So you're not doing well financially. Are you talking to Him about it or trying to fix it on your own (another form of hiding)? You don't have the relationship you want with your family, friends or others. Are you bringing it to Him so He can bless the situation? Are you struggling with something in your life but not willing to talk with Him about it?
Remember the verse - those who KNOW His name will TRUST in Him and will SEEK Him! Don't run from God. Run hard to Him and let Him bless you and take care of you the way He wants to.
Hiding never helps. It just keeps us in the dark longer!
Chasing hard after Him...
Monday, April 13, 2009
Idaho Workshop POSTPONED
As much as I hated to do it, I had to call our friends today and postpone the Worship Workshop. We just weren't getting enough registrations and were actually getting more "I'd love to bring the team, but we just can't that weekend. We'll come later."
So, that's what I had to do. We'll try our best to keep the cost at/around the current $45. We are shooting for a late August or mid to late October. I will update the site as soon as the team gets a date that works for them.
FOR THE IDAHO/UTAH/MONTANA PEOPLE THAT READ THIS BLOG - help me out. Is this something that you would bring your teams to? Is training for your teams a value that you would invest time and money into? Our desire is to be a help to churches, so whatever input you can give us would be GREATLY helpful. Shoot me an email at karl@fbcpoky.com or post a comment here. Let's put together an event that will help equip, encourage and grow the worship ministry of the local church.
Keep living for the King!
So, that's what I had to do. We'll try our best to keep the cost at/around the current $45. We are shooting for a late August or mid to late October. I will update the site as soon as the team gets a date that works for them.
FOR THE IDAHO/UTAH/MONTANA PEOPLE THAT READ THIS BLOG - help me out. Is this something that you would bring your teams to? Is training for your teams a value that you would invest time and money into? Our desire is to be a help to churches, so whatever input you can give us would be GREATLY helpful. Shoot me an email at karl@fbcpoky.com or post a comment here. Let's put together an event that will help equip, encourage and grow the worship ministry of the local church.
Keep living for the King!
Post Easter!
What a weekend!
John said that "He must increase, and I must decrease." (John 3:30) That requires obedience to His will, commitment to His way of life and a boldness to follow through no matter what. I strive for that every day, but don't always make it. Thankfully I serve a God who loves me, forgives me and picks me up so I can get after it again the next day. More of Him, less of me.
Hope you start to decrease this week as well...
- 4 services that rocked it for Jesus.
- At least 3 decisions for Jesus - does that EVER get old?
- TONS of new faces.
- An excitement about the right things and the right person!
- An Easter meal that left me full, happy and very content!
John said that "He must increase, and I must decrease." (John 3:30) That requires obedience to His will, commitment to His way of life and a boldness to follow through no matter what. I strive for that every day, but don't always make it. Thankfully I serve a God who loves me, forgives me and picks me up so I can get after it again the next day. More of Him, less of me.
Hope you start to decrease this week as well...
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Take The Poll!
I have found a really cool FREE site to mess around with. PollDaddy.com is free site where you can create unlimited polls and surveys.
For as long as I can remember, churches have had issues with getting people to serve, to do something for the Kingdom of God. While we are growing, we are seeing a better than average number of people serving, but still a large number who are not. The national trend is still around 20-25% of the people doing the majority of the work, not including staff members.
No WONDER the church isn't effective. It's full of selfish people who don't think they have the time or energy to serve! How would we feel if the God we serve didn't have the time or energy to send His Son to die for our sins? He's just too busy, just too tired...
Service can be as simple as opening a door, folding bulletins, cleaning the bathrooms or, yes, even teaching kids about Jesus. The opportunities are endless in the church as well as outside.
Take a minute to answer for you or perhaps share the answers you hear from your church. Just want to try and get a handle on it so we can help other churches, as well as ours, be more effective for the Kingdom of God.
See ya in church...
For as long as I can remember, churches have had issues with getting people to serve, to do something for the Kingdom of God. While we are growing, we are seeing a better than average number of people serving, but still a large number who are not. The national trend is still around 20-25% of the people doing the majority of the work, not including staff members.
No WONDER the church isn't effective. It's full of selfish people who don't think they have the time or energy to serve! How would we feel if the God we serve didn't have the time or energy to send His Son to die for our sins? He's just too busy, just too tired...
Service can be as simple as opening a door, folding bulletins, cleaning the bathrooms or, yes, even teaching kids about Jesus. The opportunities are endless in the church as well as outside.
Take a minute to answer for you or perhaps share the answers you hear from your church. Just want to try and get a handle on it so we can help other churches, as well as ours, be more effective for the Kingdom of God.
See ya in church...
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Battle Cry!
One of my favorite movies is Mel Gibson's "We Were Soldiers". If you haven't seen it, find a copy and watch it. It really is a great story. As he is preparing his troops for their deployment to Vietnam, he gives an incredible speech - one filled with candor, conviction and sincerity.
There is a line that could be taken directly from 2 Corinthians 10:3 - "...we go into battle against a tough and determined enemy..."
I love how scripture paints a picture of war for us in this chapter. Though we live in the world, Paul reminds us, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world...they have divine power to demolish strongholds! WOW! The weapons we use can demolish strongholds - it can take them out completely!
It's interesting that Paul begins this chapter speaking about timidity and boldness in being Christ to the world, and then speaks about the power at our disposal to destroy strongholds. Hmmmmm....
What does he use to deter you? Perhaps you are timid, afraid of the response of people. Perhaps you have an issue with material things and can't find a way to give so others may come to know Him. Perhaps you have an addiction that you don't feel God could ever forgive.
Listen, if you believe that He CAN destroy strongholds - start living like it! Don't rely on human ability and understanding to help you with your problem. We're only human! HE is divine! Trust Him to help you win the battle.
Knowing that you have at your disposal this incredible power, and we're fast approaching an awesome weekend, what do you need to do to tap into that power?
I would gladly stand with you. I would gladly fight beside you. Are you ready to see what kind of God we serve?
Hope to see you in church...
There is a line that could be taken directly from 2 Corinthians 10:3 - "...we go into battle against a tough and determined enemy..."
I love how scripture paints a picture of war for us in this chapter. Though we live in the world, Paul reminds us, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world...they have divine power to demolish strongholds! WOW! The weapons we use can demolish strongholds - it can take them out completely!
It's interesting that Paul begins this chapter speaking about timidity and boldness in being Christ to the world, and then speaks about the power at our disposal to destroy strongholds. Hmmmmm....
- Churches - are you being bold in being Christ to your community? Are you confident in the knowledge that God is our refuge, our strength and our rock? Do you believe it and does your life reflect that you believe it?
- Individuals - same question!
What does he use to deter you? Perhaps you are timid, afraid of the response of people. Perhaps you have an issue with material things and can't find a way to give so others may come to know Him. Perhaps you have an addiction that you don't feel God could ever forgive.
Listen, if you believe that He CAN destroy strongholds - start living like it! Don't rely on human ability and understanding to help you with your problem. We're only human! HE is divine! Trust Him to help you win the battle.
Knowing that you have at your disposal this incredible power, and we're fast approaching an awesome weekend, what do you need to do to tap into that power?
I would gladly stand with you. I would gladly fight beside you. Are you ready to see what kind of God we serve?
Hope to see you in church...
Monday, April 6, 2009
Easter Sacrifice!
This coming weekend is Easter...I know, it's a shocker to hear that!
Seriously, if you are coming this weekend, who are you going to bring with you? We have four service times - Saturday at 5 and 7 p.m and Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m. - so you can stop making excuses as to why you can't make the Sunday services!
What's it going to take for you to invite someone this weekend? You've all heard the statistics - 80-85% of people asked would COME TO CHURCH IF THEY WERE ASKED! Pastor Bill reminded us of this yesterday, stating that it would take you up to 10 people to invite before you got 1 and a half NO responses!
So, what's it gonna take? Will you have to sacrifice your 'rep' to invite someone? Will you have to sacrifice some event or quality time to invite someone?
Keep in mind that God only sacrificed His Son to make it possible for you to have an eternity with Him.
Seriously, what excuse can you possibly have to NOT invite someone? Get over yourself and get inviting. People need to meet Jesus and let Him change their lives. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?
See ya in church..
Seriously, if you are coming this weekend, who are you going to bring with you? We have four service times - Saturday at 5 and 7 p.m and Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m. - so you can stop making excuses as to why you can't make the Sunday services!
What's it going to take for you to invite someone this weekend? You've all heard the statistics - 80-85% of people asked would COME TO CHURCH IF THEY WERE ASKED! Pastor Bill reminded us of this yesterday, stating that it would take you up to 10 people to invite before you got 1 and a half NO responses!
So, what's it gonna take? Will you have to sacrifice your 'rep' to invite someone? Will you have to sacrifice some event or quality time to invite someone?
Keep in mind that God only sacrificed His Son to make it possible for you to have an eternity with Him.
Seriously, what excuse can you possibly have to NOT invite someone? Get over yourself and get inviting. People need to meet Jesus and let Him change their lives. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?
See ya in church..
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