My Big Struggle...Bit of a Rant

As I read God's Word, I'm never surprised at the new things I learn from a passage I've read over and over before. Yesterday's was no exception...

2 Corinthians 10:2-6 says EXACTLY what I struggle with regarding the church today. Not just FBC Poky, but with a majority of churches across this country.
The idea of Paul having to feel like he's defending his ministry is absolutely funny and sad all at the same time. But it's also a reality where we, as 'pastor folk', live regularly. It's not that people don't understand what we do...it's not that they don't like what we do (often)...it's not even that they don't like us - what they're doing is looking at it all wrong. They are looking at life through the lens of this world and not God's lens.

As a believer, we're not supposed to be living life according to what our culture or world tells us. And yet we do.
As a believer, we're not supposed to be fighting our battles the way the world does.
And yet we do.
As a believer, we're not supposed to be thinking like the world, following the latest whims.
And yet we do.

We've forgotten that what Jesus calls us to is so much more than this world can offer. His thoughts and His ways are much HIGHER than ours (Isaiah 55:9). In other words - we cannot stay where we are in our thinking and in our actions and go with God.

That's my big struggle. We SAY we love God, follow God, serve God - and yet we allow this world to impact our thought life, actions and lifestyle SO MUCH that we aren't any different!

We're not to think like this world thinks, live like this world lives, act like this world acts - we are to be so different that it should make people think we've lost our minds! And what an honor that would be!
I told our church last week that I take it as a compliment when people call me radical or 'out there' in my expectations of God-things. Why shouldn't I?

I want our church to understand that NO MATTER WHAT life hands us, NO MATTER WHAT people say or do, NO MATTER WHAT crisis looms in our life -- OUR GOD is BIGGER and GREATER than any of life's junk! And I pray for the day when excuses prevent us from experiencing God on every level. Allow God to BE God. Trust God for WHO He is, not what you read or hear in the media.

Devour His Word, get to know Him and you won't want or need anything else in life!

Has It Been a Month?

WOW! I didn't realize it's been a month since I last posted anything. How time flies when you're having fun?!

Just wanted to post a thought or two about our service this past Sunday and what God has been up to since then.

• Preached on obedience and how costly it is when we do it the RIGHT way, not our way. But also talked about how GREAT it is when we do it the RIGHT way and not our way. That part almost always gets overlooked in churches lately. There is GREAT JOY and AWESOME FELLOWSHIP with God when we walk in obedience with Him! Don't miss it.
  
• MANY folks stated that God was speaking directly to where they were that day and what they needed to be challenged in. Funny how He uses pastor-folk to communicate without us ever knowing the details!
• We had an opportunity in the community for some simple acts of service. We were hoping to announce it this week and next and get it covered...NO NEED TO! Following the second service, the need to provide a meal for an event in our city that is going to raise food for our food bank was MORE THAN 100% covered! In fact, we had the food covered, the hot chocolate covered AND plates, bowls, utensils...people just kept wanting to GIVE more!
• Some said it was a simple act of being obedient - God putting something in front of them and hearing Him say, "Get involved and serve." WHO KNEW?!
• We also have had some discussion from many people in the body who feel the need to open up FBC as a temporary, overflow shelter when it gets bitter cold here. It's nice to hear many other folks talking about it AND willing to do something about it! GO GOD!

Don't know what the future holds for FBC Pocatello. But we know that God has a plan and His plan is always perfect.

Pray for this church and your church, wherever you may be, to be THE change agent in the community this year. Don't allow what 'has always been done' to be the chant for doing ministry. That goes completely against what God calls us to. Instead, let's look at the things that people would say "That's a crazy idea!" and then go for it. God calls us to the 'impossible-in-man's-eyes' kind of ministry. Are you willing to risk it for Him? Are you ready to be obedient to the crazy, radical things of God?

I'm looking forward to what HE does in me, through me and around me. Hope you'll join the journey wherever you are!!!!

What If Jesus Said No?

What if Jesus said NO to the Father's plan. What if He didn't go to the cross and take our place? What if He chose not to come and redeem us? What if He decided not to give grace freely? What if He decided not to love us?

God doesn't know how to abandon His people. It goes against His very nature. God is love and God is a giving, gracious God.

And all He expects in return is for us to replicate that in our lives, in a daily way of living. So what do we do?

Many have chosen to do exactly the opposite of what God calls us, His children and His body, to do when faced with adversity:

• When things don't go our way, we quit serving, we quit giving, we quit attending.

• When we get uncomfortable we leave, we push back and some even come out swinging.

• When we get offended we go to other people and complain about it and wonder why it won't get better or get resolved. (God calls this gossip)
  

Do I always agree with the way things are being done? NO! And I go talk to the people who are involved and we come to some kind of agreement/understanding SO THAT the message of the Gospel of my God will NOT be hindered. But some have chosen to make excuses and leave the body holding a very full bag. And the appearance is, from my standpoint, that those folks don't care about the impact it has on those still trying to stand in the gap and fight.

Here's some cold, hard facts about the wake left when people quit on God and leave:

• Ministry still has to continue. That means that the remaining servants are stretched thin. This could lead to burn-out on many levels.
• If we don't have the people to do the ministry, we CAN'T do the ministry so we'll have no choice but to kill certain things until such time as we have the people.
  
• The overall impact on the community is minimized with every person that leaves. That means less hands and feet to go into the community and share the gospel.
• A sense of abandonment is left hanging around when people won't attempt to walk through their concerns.
  
• The 'buzz' in the church no longer is what God is up to, but it becomes what has happened to God's church?
• When you leave the body, it's much like amputation. Not only does the body suffer from not having the limb, but the one who is now detached is 'cut off' from the feeding, the healing, the nurturing and caring of the rest of the body.
  

Yeah, I'm pretty frustrated - actually really ticked off! (The words I'd like to use will get me in more trouble than this post will, so I'll clean up my language!)

Like it or not, if you are someone who is 'stepping away' from ministry, you're playing right into Satan's hands. He's loving it. And God is weeping.

Yes, I get that things aren't the same here. Bill is gone and lots of things are different.
But, did you ever stop to think that your leaving also adds to the problem?

I challenge you to spend time in focused prayer for the next few days. Ask God if He really intends you to abandon the body of Christ. Ask God if amputation is part of His plan. And I challenge you to join us on Wednesday, December 15th in the Worship Center as we, as a body, continue to seek God's will in prayer.

Ask God if your time of serving Him in this body is actually, completely over. I don't want to hear anyone tell me again, "I'll just wait until the next pastor gets here and then I'll come back." WOW! Way to doubt that God can still work here...

How about we just get over our little pity party and get back in the will of God?

Preach It!

Romans 15 talks about the calling to preach the gospel where Christ is not known (v. 20). I love the way that Paul presents it here simply because he is working so hard to bring the gospel to anyone who hasn't heard it.

ANYONE!

He doesn't go and look for people like him to share the gospel with the lost...

He doesn't go to 'safe places' to share the gospel with the lost...

He doesn't go TO CHURCH to share the gospel with the lost...

He doesn't wait to go through a 'class' on the 4 spiritual laws, the Roman road, etc. in order to share the gospel with the lost...

Those that don't know Christ are not just in some distant, far away land. They aren't just in another part of the state or the country.

The lost are right next door to you and me. The lost are in our own families in some cases. The lost work right beside you in the office. The lost are right beside you in the classroom. In other words...the lost are RIGHT HERE! And you and I need to be sharing the gospel with them wherever they are!

You don't need any special training to share YOUR story with someone:

• You need to be convinced of your relationship with Christ.
• You need to have an understanding of the Word of God that impacted your life.
• You need to have the courage to share that story with anyone who needs to hear it.

Notice what I didn't say. You don't have to be 'well read' or use big words; you don't have to know the Word inside out, forwards and backwards; you don't have to wait for someone to send you out. You simply have to be WILLING to SHARE your encounter with the Living Christ.

In other words, don't be afraid to PREACH IT wherever it needs to be shared. Let God sort out those who will hear and those who won't. You can't save them anyway. All you can do is LEAD them to an encounter with a God who loves them.

The question is are you willing to do this one, simple thing? PREACH IT!

Have a great and happy Thanksgiving!

WHAT Do You Believe?

If someone were to ask you, "What do you believe?", could you answer it?

Would your answer point to Jesus and His power in your life?

Would your LIFE back up your words?

John 14:23 simply says, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to Him and make our home with Him."

So think about that for just a minute:
1. If we truly love God, we will do what He says, what His Word says, what the Holy Spirit prompts us to do. That means we'll be influenced by Him in all our decisions, in all of our choices and it will show in our actions. Hmmmmm.....

2. If we truly love God, then HE makes His home in us. If that is true, then our lives are a direct reflection of His power, His passion, His mission, His purpose and His love, grace, mercy, conviction - ALL of who God is. Hmmmmm......

So, church, do our lives reflect any of this? Or do we look just like the world, and at times worse than the world?

Pastor, does your life reflect this? Or do you look the part on Sunday and on group night, but the rest of the week you just blend in with the crowd?

Fathers, does the way you shepherd and lead your home reflect the kind of father figure God is to us? Or are you lost in the cultures idea of what parenting, leading in the home should be?

What about you? If someone were to ask you what you believe, would your life be able to back it up - without words?

IF we believe in God and believe He IS who He says He is, then our lives HAVE TO be a direct reflection of that belief. Anything less is nothing short of hypocrisy.

On my face before an amazing God!

Hell Population Growing!

It's no secret that Satan will do whatever he can to move people AWAY from God and closer to an eternal destiny in hell. That's his job and he will stop at nothing to make it happen. Absolutely NOTHING!

That includes tearing couple apart, families apart, relationships apart - and even churches. In fact, he loves to destroy churches for a number of reasons:
1. So that the church will be ineffective in all that it does.
2. So that the community that watches to see what a church looks like will be discouraged. This way people can say, "Why would I want to be a part of that?".
3. So that the name of Christ will be nothing more than words that mean virtually nothing.

Well...guess what's happening to church all across the country right now. And it's happening here in Pocatello as well. When we, the church folk, get all up in arms about how church should be or how it should 'look', then Satan wins. We start fighting with each other, blaming each other, not talking to each other, avoiding the conflicts, and so much more. And all the while Satan sits on his butt laughing and cheering as we give him exactly what he wants - a divided, broken and selfish church.

The worst part? We've not led anyone to meet Jesus personally. Not one. That includes me. And there have been numerous people who have needed to hear about Jesus but didn't because we were too busy with OUR church and not HIS church. We've just added to the population of hell.

ENOUGH! Put on your big boy and big girl pants and deal with the junk you need to FACE TO FACE with the person you have an issue with. Forgive each other. Seek God's forgiveness. And then get on with the ministry that you and this church have been called to - to seek and save the lost, feed the poor, care for the widow and orphans! That's the Bible's directive - not mans!

I am choosing to move forward with what I know God is calling ME to do. What about you? Can you deal with your junk and move forward? Are you willing to let go?
Here's the deal - we're going to asked what we did with His Son when we face God in the end. If that were today, how would you like the answer you know you'd have to give?

Culture Shift for Churches

If you don't move to meet the needs of the culture you're trying to reach, your church will be, oh what's that word I'm looking for....oh yeah - DEAD!

You cannot continue to do the same ministry the same way you've done for 3, 5 or more years and expect to get different results each time. (That's the definition of insanity, remember?)

Churches that refuse to adjust their ministry to meet the needs of the community they serve will never be relevant to that community. You will be nothing more than brick and mortar. That really helps people meet Jesus, doesn't it?

CHURCHES, that means that you'll need to be training your people to DO the ministry that is right in front of you. You'll need to provide people opportunities to BE Jesus once you EQUIP them to.

Don't change the MESSAGE - but you'll need to change the METHOD! (Not new, just a good reminder for us all!)

Marvelous?

It's been a while since I've posted...been kind of busy and weird around here. But it feels like God is getting me back to the place I need to be in order to be all that He designed me to be.

As I was reading today in Zechariah, I was truly hit with so much that it brought me to tears. In chapter 8 God is reminding the people about what it will be like when the streets of Jerusalem are filled with people, with kids laughing and playing...all seems like it will be well. But then he asks this question in verse 6 - "It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it be marvelous to me?" declares the Lord Almighty."

I couldn't speak. All I could do was weep. Not exactly sure why.

I do know that it feels like this is where we've been living as a church, and at times where I feel like I've been leading from. It might seem like things are well, that things are going good. But what does that look like to God? Is it really 'good enough' for the things God has called me and/or the church to? Would God call what we're doing or where we're going marvelous?

To be blunt, I would have to say no.

What we see as marvelous is only what we can understand with our eyes. God's ways and plans are so much higher than ours - and yet we manage to shut Him out when we think we've got it all figured out or it 'feels like' things are good!

Especially now in our transition, I'm discovering that I've got to take time to truly seek God's heart. It can be real easy to become complacent in the ministry because it feels 'marvelous' (just heard Billy Crystal in my head!). And that's when Satan comes after us with a vengeance. We're weak, distracted with how great things are, perhaps caught up in the 'success' of the moment - all prime times for attack.

But if we're not careful we will miss out on the GREAT things, the marvelous things that God has for us. As I process all of this, I'm looking at the ministry to which I've been called and asking this question - is this my very best for God? Would God look at this and say "Marvelous"?

To be blunt, I would have to say no. I need to always be striving for more with God. I cannot afford to slow down and enjoy the view. Got to keep pressing on toward the prize...

What about you? Is your ministry or your walk marvelous in your eyes? Would God agree?

See ya in church...and in the blogs more often.

Praying For Our Church Leaders

When was the last time you prayed for your pastor, worship leader, childrens pastor, student pastor, leadership team member...?

Are you 'at odds' with a member of your leadership in your church? "How can I pray for them when...They've hurt me so I can't pray for them because..." How often have you even thought that, let alone DID it?

Let's be honest - there are times when we just don't feel like praying for our church leaders. And the only reason is because WE can't get over something. They don't know how we feel unless we tell them...they don't know they've 'wronged us' unless we say something...they can't read minds!

If you/we harbor bitterness, strife, anxiety, frustration in our hearts and DON'T confess it to God, our prayers are like Port-a-Johns - they're full of it!

I don't think God will hear prayers when our hearts are bitter. Until we give it to Him and then go to the person, we are 'full of it' and our prayers are like dung!

So, have you prayed today? Have you confessed and repented where need be?

Hey, if my life's gonna be a mess I at least should challenge others to join me on the journey, right?

Praying WITH you for our churches and leaders!

Where Will You Lead From?

We've all had those days where we wonder if we are leading from the right place, let alone leading at all!

It seems things don't 'fit' like they should. We speak - but no one seems to be listening. We go - but no one seems to be following. We do - but it feels like we're doing it alone.

It hit me this week as I returned home to my parents place for the first time since my dad passed away in January of this year - if I'm leading how God has called me to lead, and I'm following His Word for my direction, then all of that stuff I just spewed shouldn't matter!

As a leader, we simply need to lead with integrity, passion, conviction, purpose and A WHOLE LOT OF JESUS! I watched my dad lead this way. He was an expert at removing the 'emotion' of the situation, focusing on the actual need, proposing possible solutions and then moving folks to come to an agreement. In ALL of it, He was constantly listening for God, seeking wisdom from His Word and surrounding himself with people of integrity, character and wisdom. THAT'S where he led from.

There's a bit of chaos in my life right now and my nature is to get after it, fix it, put it in order and move on. But, I've been listening to my dad in my heart. I've begun to understand more of the life he lived and modeled for us boys, and later for our families. It was leading from a place of reflection, gathering, processing and then action. He never really 'reacted'. He was always prepared for whatever came, because he spent so much time with God getting to know Him and live for Him. THAT is the place I want to lead from. THAT is the heart I desire to have.

I want to make my dad proud - no surprise there. But I want to honor my Father in Heaven more.

Where do you lead from?