Random Ramblings of A Country Pastor

When You Have To Practice What You Preach

2012-02-27T21:12:00.003-08:00

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2 - 4

I love being a Pastor and I love God's Word. However sometimes I don't always like being a Pastor who has to practice what I preach from God's Word. I say this only half jokingly. Recently I began a series on the book of James. This Epistle was written to Christian Jews who were being persecuted (not to the point of death but more like being ostracized from society). James (probably the brother of Jesus) tells his readers in the second verse of chapter one to count it all joy when they meet various trials. This is, for me, probably one of the hardest passages to preach on because I have a hard time actually doing it and I also know that after I preach on it various trials will come my way.

Recently I have been facing some trials in my own life both physical and spiritual and am finding it difficult to find joy in all this. I am encouraged as I continue in this passage as I am reminded that when I do find joy in trials my faith ultimately is strengthened or as James writes the testing of faith produces steadfastness. Steadfast is defined as, "dutifully firm and unwavering". I need to be completely reminded that in my trials I will emerge a stronger and better follower of Christ. I think this truth is the only thing that helps me get through my trials.

The Confusing In-Between

2012-01-19T12:20:00.000-08:00

As many of you know I have been reading (slowly) through Pete Scazzero's EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY SPIRITUALITY and it has been a HUGE blessing in my life recently. As I have been reading through the chapter entitled "Enlarge Your Soul Through Grief and Loss" he introduces the concept of "Wait in the Confusing In-Between". I love when someone gives a name or title to something that I have been feeling but am unable to articulate. Scazzero writes, "My greatest challenge in following Jesus Christ for over thirty years has been waiting on God when things are confusing." To that I say amen.

As a person I tend to be wired as a "fixer". A fixer is a person who tries to fix something when things don't go the way he/she plans (especially when they are out of his/her control). Simply put, I am a man of little patience and I dislike not being in control of certain situations. I know and believe Psalm 37:7 (Be still and know I am God) but I find it hard to flesh out in my life. I don't like to wait in general but I really don't like waiting when I am uncertain of things around me. The confusing in-between is a place where I find myself often and I need to have patience in this place. Peter Scazzero writes, "The confusing in-between resists all earthly categories and quick solutions. It runs contrary to our Western culture that pervades our spirituality."

Lord, give me peace and patience in the confusing in-betweens so I may truly be still and know you are God.

Some Excellent Free Resources

2012-01-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

I came across two resources from Pastor John Piper that I would like to share with you.

The first is John Piper's new book BLOODLINES which is a fantastic read on race, racism and Christianity. Dr. Piper gets very personal with his upbringing as a young Christian in the south and how God dealt with his racism. Click the link below to download a PDF of the book.

John Piper's New Book Bloodlines Ebook

The second is a four minute video clip on fighting bitterness. This clip challenged me greatly and hit the core of my need to learn forgiveness and overcome bitterness. Be prepared to be challenged by this...

Fighting Bitterness

Like A Ton Of Bricks

2012-01-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

I have been reading the book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero for nearly a half year. The reason it has taken me so long is because there is a LOT of meat in this book to chew on. I have been trudging through it slowly so as not to miss any morsel that God has placed on my spiritual plate.

Today I read one FULL chapter (yes it was so good I couldn’t put it down) and I was completely blessed. I feel led today to share one area where God really hit me today and share it with you. The Chapter title is “Going Back in Order to Go Forward: Breaking the Power of the Past”. In this chapter Scazzero talks about how our past directly shapes our future. He uses the family as the crux of his chapter as to how we need to deal with some of our baggage from the past (or “imprints” in our lives that cause us to act a certain way) in order for us to move forward.

Without getting into the full details of the chapter I want to focus on one section titled THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF YOUR FAMILY. He writes, “We often underestimate the deep, unconscious imprint our families of origin leave on us. In fact, my observation is that it is only as we grow older that we realize the depth of their influences. Each of our family members, or those who raised us through childhood, has ‘imprinted’ certain ways of behaving and thinking into us. These behavioral patterns operate under a set of ‘commandments.’ Some of them are spoken and explicit. Most are unspoken.”[1]

As I chewed on this I not only read it in the context of our biological family history and baggage but I also read it in the context of the following “Ten Commandments” that are ingrained in our hearts and minds can also be said about our Church family we are part of as well.

Many of these “Commandments” are “hardwired into our brains” that we so often bring these expectations to our family (church) and ultimately it shapes (not in a healthy way) who we are and how we fit into the body of Christ.

MONEY

Money is the best source of security.
The more money you have, the more important you are.
Make lots of money to prove you “made” it.

CONFLICT

Avoid conflict at all costs.
Don’t get people mad at you.
Loud, angry, constant fighting is normal.

Sex is not to be spoken about openly.
Men can be promiscuous, women must be chase.
Sexuality in marriage will come easily.

GRIEF AND LOSS

Sadness is a sign of weakness.
You are not allowed to be depressed.
Get over losses quickly and move on.

EXPRESSING ANGER

Anger is dangerous and bad.
Exploding in anger makes a point.
Sarcasm is an acceptable way to release anger.

FAMILY

You owe your parents for all they’ve done for you.
Don’t speak of your family’s “dirty laundry” in public.
Duty to family and culture comes before everything.

RELATIONSHIPS

Don’t trust people. They will let you down.
Nobody will ever hurt me again.
Don’t show vulnerability.

ATTITUDES TOWARDS DIFFERENT CULTURES

Only be close friends with people who are like you.
Do not marry a person of another race or culture.
Certain cultures/races are not as good as mine.

SUCCESS

Is getting into the “best schools”.
Is making lots of money.
Is getting married and having lots of children.

FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS

You are not allowed to have certain feelings.
Your feelings are not important.
Reacting with your feelings without thinking is okay.[2]

As time permits I would like to look over the next few days/weeks each commandment and write a little bit about them. The end goal is to see how we can have a healthy spiritual and emotional view of the church thus becoming an emotionally healthy spiritual church family.

[1] Scazzero, Peter, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (Nashville, TN Thomas Nelson, 2006 ), p.90

[2] Ibid 90, 91

Healthy Leadership

2012-01-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

5 Signs of Healthy Leadership Teams.

1) They trust one another - Without trust a team cannot function effectively.

2) They engage in healthy conflict around ideas - Contrary to popular belief conflict is not always bad as long as it is healthy. If you do not trust one another there will like be unhealthy conflict or apathy.

3) They commit to decisions and plans of action - The key word here is commit. Teams make decisions together and they stick to them.

4) They hold one another accountable - With trust, healthy conflict and commitment present then teams will have the freedom to hold one another accountable.

5) They focus on achieving collective results

Year End Thoughts

2011-12-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe 2011 is coming to a close. It seems the older I get the faster the time goes. It is hard to believe that my family and I have been in Spring Valley for close to four and a half years. God has been faithful to us and I pray for his continual faithfulness in the year to come.

As we enter 2012 there are a lot of things I am believing God will accomplish. My number one prayer request for the year would be for our church health altogether. I am really excited about the new series I am starting in December called Christian Idols and my prayer is that this series will be an entry level series for the future health of our church. My purpose for this series is to look at the idols we Christians put in our lives that many times we fail to see as idols because they are not necessarily bad things. However anything that we place above God in our lives are considered idols no matter how good they may be. The Bible is clear that God will not tolerate idolatry among his people so as his children we need to recognize what things we have in our lives that are hindering our true worship of God. I hope you will join us on Sunday mornings as we go through this eye opening series.

In October the Deacon and Trustee boards met with the 4-C’s Director of Conference Care and Church Development John Kimball as he introduced to us a the Natural Church Development (NCD) and Vista Assessment surveys. Vista is a an assessment tool designed for the leadership of the church to help determine the mission, purpose and Spirituality of the church. The NCD is a 20 minute survey that is to be taken by active members and non-members of the church and evaluates Eight Key Principles of our church. The Principles are…

1) Empowering Leadership

2) Gifts Based Ministry

3) Passionate Spirituality

4) Effective Structures

5) Inspiring Worship

6) Holistic Small Groups

7) Need Oriented Evangelism

8) Loving Relationships

John Kimball proposed and the boards concurred that we do both the Vista Assessment and NCD. The Boards are currently determining the date we would like to administer the NCD and it is important if you are an active attendee of Spring Valley Congregational Church to be willing to take this survey. After taking the survey the results will be compiled and areas of concern will be addressed. Please keep your eyes open for the date and time for this survey as we need about 30 to 40 participants in order for us to get an accurate look at the health of our church. If you would like more information on this process please feel free to contact me.

I would like to invite you to join with me in praying for the coming new year and ask that God would provide all we need in order to have a healthy and effective ministry here in Spring Valley. Join me in thanking God for his blessings on the youth ministry and in his blessings of our new members which will be installed by years end.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! I look forward to celebrating our Saviors birth at the Candle light service and Christmas morning.

Book Review

2011-12-05T11:13:00.000-08:00

If God Is Good: Faith In the Midst of Suffering & Evil
Randy Alcorn
Multnomah Books

I don’t know how many times I have heard people say, “If God is so good then why does he allow suffering and pain?” but it is a lot. I think it is a good and valid question and is not easily answered. There are a number of books out today that deal with this question and as far as I am concerned most of them are not very good. They spend so much time making excuses for God or use philosophical analogies that don’t necessarily pertain to the trueness of God. However, when I picked up Randy Alcorn’s “If God Is Good…” I found this book to be one of the best, most comprehensive and honest books on the issue of suffering and evil. Alcorn brings a fresh and biblical perspective to these issues and does so in an easy to read format that is loaded with scripture references to back up his findings. He also uses many examples of men and women throughout history whose lives have been affected greatly by pain, suffering and evil and still have a faith (although challenged at times) that remains stronger than ever.

“If God Is Good…” is an excellent read for anyone who is struggling with the question of why God allows suffering and pain. It is also a great companion for those in the midst of suffering and trials in their own lives presently. It’s not a light read as it is nearly 500 pages but is worth the time investment.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Book Review

2011-10-27T08:45:00.002-07:00

Enemies of the Heart
Andy Stanley
Multnomah Books

In Andy Stanley’s book Enemies of the Heart he writes about “The Terrifying truth of what lurks in your heart”. As I read I was reminded of many things concerning our hearts. There are two types of heart spoken of in the Bible. There is the physical muscle that pumps blood through the body, and the Spiritual (or nonphysical) heart which is “that mysterious, wonderful confusing part of you that enables you to love, laugh, fear and experience life. It is the sphere in which relationship happens. And it is the sphere in which relationships are broken.” This is the type of heart Jesus spoke about throughout the Gospels. Both hearts are equally important in regards to life and both are the central command center for healthy living.

Both hearts have one thing in common and this is the dreaded heart disease. Pastor Andy Stanley defines them as the “four enemies of the heart” which are anger, jealousy, greed and guilt. Each enemy has the potential to eat away at relationships, moral fiber and most importantly our relationship with God. Any of these symptoms in our lives is a sign of an unhealthy heart.

According to Stanley, “The world is full of outside forces that have the power to disrupt the rhythm of your heart… the inevitable pain and disappointments of life have caused you to set up walls around your heart… but the truth is your heart is out of sync with the rhythm it was created to maintain.” Jesus states in Matthew 12:33 – “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” One of the ways we can check our hearts is by checking the words we speak or the way we treat others. Do your words and actions match up with the Savior you proclaim?

Like most heart disease, it doesn’t just appear overnight. Usually it is the result neglect and allowing impurities into our systems that causes damage to our hearts. In the same way, our road to a healthy heart is not an overnight process; it will take some hard work and time to get back on the road to health. The first step to recovery is identifying the problem and taking action from there.

How are things with your heart?

“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”

Wall Quotes and Picture Frames (Part 5)

2011-08-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

“It’s one thing to dream, but when the moment is right, you’ve got to be willing to leave what’s familiar and go out and find your own sound.”

Howard Schultz

The above quote is from chairman and CEO of Starbuck’s Howard Shultz and it really hit home when I read it. I think what Schultz is saying is it is important to dream but there is a time when one needs to go from dreaming to doing. As a church and a pastor we/I need to dream about the future. It is important to make plans and have a vision for the future and I/we must realize that in our dreaming, visioning and planning there will be a time where we need to make the jump from dreaming to doing. As the quote says, “You’ve got to be willing to leave what is familiar…” This usually involves change.

What does it mean to find your own sound? Personally I think it means you have to be willing to go out and become who God created YOU to be and not what people think you should be.

As a church I believe it means that we have to become what God wants us to be and not what we or others think we should be. This may and probably does mean we need to be willing to seek God’s plan and purpose for us and not try to fit a human made definition of what is called “the church”. It means we should be more than just a service or program on Sunday morning. We need to be more about being and not just showing up and doing. We don’t attend church we are the church. We are to be a group of believers who unashamedly love God, loves people and are disciples of Jesus who go out and make disciples of Jesus. This is the dream I have for my life and our church.

Are you willing to leave behind the familiar to pursue your own sound? Are we as a body of Christ willing to leave the familiar? I know we like the familiar. We like safe. We enjoy the “norm”. We like to sit in the same pews week after week. But is God calling us to a familiar, safe, normal sit in same pew kind of faith day after day? From what I read in the Bible God/Jesus is continually commanding/asking us to leave what is familiar and safe to follow him and sometimes that journey is unknown, dangerous and wild. We see this is the cases with Moses, Joseph, Abraham, Jonah, all of the disciples, and so on. May we learn from these men of faith. Let’s not be afraid to dream in our lives and in our church. May we be willing to leave the familiar and allow God to work in us so that we can find our own sound.

Wall Quotes and Picture Frames (Part 4)

2011-08-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

"The sovereign selection of God gives great confidence to the Christian workers. We can truly say, ’I am here neither by selection of an individual nor election of a group, but by the almighty appointment of God.’”

J. Oswald Chambers

“How did you end up here?” This is usually the response I get when I am asked by a local why I moved from Western PA to Spring Valley, WI. I always answer, tongue in cheek, “I still haven’t figured out how I got here yet.” The truth is (and I always say this after my joke) I am here not because I chose to come here; nor am I here because I was the one person selected out of many to be the pastor of this church. I am here simply because God has appointed me. This truth gives me great confidence in where I am personally and as a pastor. I am here because of God. This truth should give the members of the church great confidence. Why? Because if God is the one doing the appointing then nothing and I mean nothing can change the fact that we are in his will. In Romans 8:31 the Apostle Paul writes, “If God is for us then who can be against us?” He answers this hypothetical question in verses 35—39 God is in control of all and victory belongs to those who are in Jesus Christ. In these verses he goes through a list of possible “things” that can separate from the love of God. He concludes that he is CONVINCED there is NOTHING that can separate from the love of God. This is where my confidence lies and should give you great hope and confidence

The quote from J. Oswald Chambers is probably one of the oldest quotes I have had on my wall. For over ten years I have read this (almost daily) to remind me of why I am where I am today. There are times when I question my calling as a pastor and all I need is to be reminded… I am not a pastor in the Upper Midwest because I chose or was chosen by people, I am here by the sovereign selection of God. This means I will remain here until God has revealed both to me and the church any different. This gives me (and hopefully you) great joy and confidence that we are right where God wants us. There is nothing better than being right smack dab in the middle of where God has put us.

How about you? Are you confident God has put you where you are? Can you say that you are where you are not because you or anyone else put you there but because God in his sovereignty selected you to be where you are today?

Wall Quotes and Picture Frames (Part 3)

2011-06-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

"If you want to make enemies, try to change something."

Woodrow Wilson

Human beings are very resistant to change. We like our routines, traditions, and predictable lives. If you don't agree then do as the quote from Woodrow Wilson above and you will see he and I am right. As a pastor I could tell you story after story about how resistant to change the church can be. In my 17 years of pastoring I have seen people leave churches because they changed the music, the hymnals, versions of the Bible, decorations, facilities, order of worship and so on. Believe me, I am well aware of the enemies one can make by trying to change something. Why are churches so resistant to change? That's a good question and I bet there are thousands of answers. Maybe the better question to ask is "Why does the Church need to change?" (Pause...Open can of worms). I don't think I want to go there today.

One of my frustrations as a pastor is meeting resistance to godly change and/or even worse apathy to godly change. What do I mean by godly change? Simply, changing something that needs to be changed so God may be glorified (because he is behind or in the necessary change) and not merely changing something for the sake of change. I know and have read about pastors who have been fired from their churches because they pushed for unnecessary change and I am not talking about this kind of change. I also know personally, pastors who have been fired for instituting change that God was in.

The truth is when God moves in a church body or an individual we need to re-adjust our lives and church bodies to fit God's plan and purpose. I find it maddening when people knowingly resist godly change simply because they refuse to change. In my mind resistance to God is futile; it's a losing battle from the get go. What gets to me even more is when people say, "Do what you need to do pastor; but don't expect me to re-adjust because I am fine where I am right now. Things are going well for me, life is good and I don't want to mess with that. You go ahead but I'm going to stay right here." What these people are saying is, "I really don't care where God is heading or what he has in store I am fine right where I am."

Sometimes we pastors push for change because we REALLY want to see God come alive in our church bodies and in individuals lives. We promote change because we see God in the change. I encourage you to read Isaiah 43:18,19 to see that God also does new things because he cares for his people and wants to bless us. I know I can come across as the enemy when I promote change, but realize I promote godly change because I desire godly change in my life. I promote it because where God is I want to be... want to come along?

Wall Quotes and Picture Frames (Part 2)

2011-05-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

"What we are in secret is what we really are."

N.T. Wright

This is probably one of the most convicting quotes that hangs on my wall. It is a short sentence with few words but it packs a punch. I am a pastor and people (whether I like it or not) have expectations of me. I am expected to be moral, pure, genuine, caring, truthful, trustworthy, a lover of God, a man of prayer, a counselor, a comforter, an encourager, a preacher of God's Word, or in other words I am expected to be one step shy of Superman (at least a Spirit-filled one).

As I stated, these are some expectations people place on me... But what am I when I am alone in my office, at home, or at a place where no one can see what I am up to? If you were to observe me in any of these settings it would speak volumes as to who I really am. Do I read God's Word when nobody's watching? Am I kind to my family when it's just the six of us? Do I pray when I am alone? The list goes on.

I know you know that I know I am not even remotely close to being a hint of perfect. I also assume (you know what that means) that that you know I don't sit around and pray, read the Bible and preach at people all day long either. I am a man who is human and I have flaws (more than I care to share with you). I don't always pray when I should, nor do I study God's Word as diligently as some and I definitely have moments of doubt and questioning.

So what am I in secret? My prayer is that I am the same person when I am around many people... a flawed individual who is striving by the power of the Holy Spirit to live a life that is pleasing to God and reflects the Jesus who is in me. Some days I do this well and other days I fail miserably. However when I do fail I am constantly reminded by this 8 x 10 black picture frame that hangs on my wall "What we are in secret is what we really are."

May my secret life be the same as my public life.

Wall Quotes and Picture Frames (Part 1)

2011-05-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

"Sin disunites the most united hearts: It is the bane of holy fellowship."

George Whitefield

I love quotes. I mean who doesn't? I peruse Facebook and read quote upon quote day after day of friends statuses of meaningful quotes. I think I may be a quote hog? Whenever I read a book (generally non-fiction) I like to keep a pen or highlighter in hand to note quotes that really speak to me. I am not a person you would probably want to borrow or buy a book from because of all the underlining and notes I make. Quotes really make me happy.

If I come across on I really like I will open up my ancient version of Microsoft Publisher on my computer and copy the quote into the program. Then I give it a fun colorful font (with a shadow or outline for curb appeal) and tape or tack it up on my wall. I have been doing this for years. In fact for fifteen years I have been in ministry I have only acquired about two handfuls of quotes that have made the honorable transition from book to eye catching MS Publisher document that hangs on the wall.

This past weekend was my 41st birthday and for a present my wife bought me six picture frames and put some of the quotes in these frames so I could hang them on the wall in my office. This was a very thoughtful gift and I just (moments ago) finished hanging them (hopefully I didn't bug our youth pastor too much with all the hammering). As I was positioning these special quotes in just the right places on my wall I thought it would be fun to blog about them and how they impacted me so much. So, Lord willing, I would like to post a quote throughout the days and weeks and write about it and share with you a little of my heart.

The quote above from George Whitefield is probably one the most (definitely in the top three) favorite quotes simply because of the truth factor and reminder of the horrible consequences of sin. Since the creation of humanity sin separated fellowship between us and God. It was because of sin man and woman were cast out of the garden. It continues today to put up barriers between God and humanity. Sin not only creates a barrier between God and people; it also the main factor that ruins true godly fellowship we have with each another. I am often reminded of what the presence of unrepentant sin in one's life has done to sever the fellowship I have had with those who I love. Whether it is my own sin or the sins of others it is without a doubt the main thing that has broken holy fellowship between myself and others. This is why I hate sin.

On the contrary the unsettling thing for me is I claim to hate sin, yet it seems I find myself running to it more than I from it. Why is that? I wish I had the answer. I do know that when I allow sin to run unchecked in my life I feel distant from God and separated from other believers. I also acknowledge the destruction and hurt sin can and does produce in a family, church, small group or individual, yet I/we allow it to run rampant in our lives.

Only by the grace of God can I find forgiveness in Him and pursue the life of holiness He calls us all to. I will never reach sinless perfection in my lifetime but through the power of the Holy Spirit I can (and Lord willing) and will allow God's presence in my life to overshadow the temptations of sin that are ever before me. Words cannot express how much I enjoy fellowship with God and with fellow believers and I am thankful we have the privilege of having both. My hope and prayer for my life is for unity with God the Father and unity among fellow believers. Will you pray for and with me as I seek more joy in fellowshipping with God and believers than I do in pursuing the "pleasures" of sin.

Next Christians (Part 2)

2011-03-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

The second category of Christians are called Cultural Christians. According the Lyons there are two sub categories that make up this second group of believers according to how they interact with the current culture.

Cultural Christians - "They don't obsess about the afterlife and generally believe heaven is reserved for most, everyone, except for awful folks..." These groups tend to focus more on social justice and not being too Christian (which many believe can be harmful to the face of Christianity).

BLENDERS - These are individuals who who identify themselves as Christians but culturally they try to "blend" into contemporary culture and try not to "look" or "act" to Christian. The author writes, "Blenders have one concern: being like everyone else." It seems as though these people desire to be Christian but do not want to come across as "holier than thou" or seem like a bible thumper so they become Christians incognito. Lyons identifies many "blenders" as individuals who believe they "inherit their parents' religion - It's a generational hand me down."

PHILANTHROPISTS - These are Christians who emphasize working on making the world a better place to live. Often these individuals are heavy on "doing good things for the better of humanity" and light on the Gospel. They take seriously Jesus' command to serve the needy and one another but often neglect the Great Commission.

With these two groups we can see that Separatists do everything in their own power to disconnect from the world and its evil while the Cultural Christians concern themselves mainly with engaging the world, becoming part of it and doing social justice. Both groups have an exclusive feel to them... Separatists may view the Cultural Christian as too liberal and the the Cultural Christian may view the Separatist as too conservative, strict or judgmental. While both have good qualities about them they do ultimately miss the point of the Gospel of Jesus.

The Next Christians (Part 1)

2011-03-08T08:18:00.001-08:00

Today I started a book entitled THE NEXT CHRISTIANS by Gabe Lyons and after reading 50 pages of it this morning I am finding it extremely insightful. Below is a summary of some insights Mr. Lyons made in regards to the "different ways Christians Interact With Current Culture" (What do they emphasize? How do they interact with the world? Where did this mentality come from?) It is broken down into three categories with sub categories for the first two... 1) Separatists 2) Cultural 3) Restorer

Today I am going to share his/my insights about the first group...

Separatists - This group of people take seriously the call of Jesus to bring the light to the world at any cost irregardless (sometimes) of how they come across to others. Many believe that

1) INSIDERS - these individuals "earn their label from the spaces they choose to occupy - or perhaps the spaces they avoid at all costs." This group tends to immerse themselves into the Christian culture and separate themselves from the world. According to Lyons, "These Christians spend the majority of their time in Christian communities - 'safe' places." I (Jeff) call these people "Bubble Christians". They live in a bubble of safety and protection from any influence from the secular world.

2) CULTURE WARRIORS - This group "often hold an underlying view that America and Christianity are deeply intertwined." They have waged war on culture because they believe that modern (or post modern) thinking is the demise of America and ultimately the Church.

3) EVANGELIZERS - Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is their main goal and to these people is the ONLY "legitimate Christian activity in the world." They are passionate and motivated for spreading the Gospel (which in itself is not a bad thing it's actually part of our commission) however they can come across as judgmental, rude and loud. "For them, the ability, courage, and boldness to witness - in hopes of winning converts - is the defining mark of the truly faithful."

While the author may come across as critical towards these people he does say that many of these people's motives are pure... they just may not be the most effective way to reach the world for Jesus. The times are changing and so our method of sharing the message of Jesus may have to change just as well. Now this does not mean the MESSAGE (The Gospel of Jesus Christ) should change but the METHOD or way we share may have to in order to be more effective for Christ.

He Must Increase

2011-02-23T10:26:00.001-08:00

As I was studying the text this morning for Sunday's sermon the words of John the Baptist have struck a chord in my heart today. "He must increase, I must decrease." Such a simple, yet profound statement. As I prayed this morning I said, "Lord make my attitude be that of John the Baptist."

The church and ministry that God has given me charge over has nothing to do with ME and increasing my influence in the world; it has all to do with Jesus. I do not want to waste an iota of my time trying to promote myself because none of what I do has anything to do with me and advancing my agenda. I want to promote Jesus and His Kingdom... God has given me charge to point this congregation and all of my friends, peers and relatives to Jesus.

Lord, I continue my prayer today... "You must increase in my life, ministry, family, relationships, work, recreation etc. and I must decrease because all I do I want to do for you."

A Pastor's Success

2011-02-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

"A pastor who feels competent in himself to produce eternal fruit- which is the only kind that matters- knows neither God nor himself. A pastor who does not know the rhythm of desperation and deliverance must have sights only on what man can achieve... We are called to labor for that which is God's alone to give. The essence of the Christian ministry is that success is not within our reach." John Piper (Brothers We Are Not Professionals)

The above quote really hit me this morning. I love the last sentence, "The essence of Christian ministry is that success is not within our reach." How true this is. As a Pastor I am called to labor in Christian ministry nevertheless success is not a result of my labor but because of God's grace. I am called to pray continually for the congregation, use my time wisely to prepare a message that is Gospel-centered and God glorifying, and love God's people. However the end result of my labors is not up to me, it is up to God. If He in His grace and sovereignty decides to bless us it is only because He will be glorified. No amount of planning, scheming and vision casting can MAKE God do what I want Him to do. Sure I can come up with some great programs that will appeal to the public, I can create a message that will tug at hearts, and create a vision that will encourage the troops to go out and take our little town for the glory of God. But if God is not in any of these things then it is pointless.

My success is not God's concern... His glory is. So I will commit my ministry, time and life to seeking His will and getting on board with Him for His glory. Lord, "Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." I will trust you and believe your will to be accomplished.

Super Bowl Bash

2011-02-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

I am not a fan of the Green Bay Packer's (this is no new revelation to those who know me) and I REALLY do not like the Pittsburgh Steelers (again no new surprise). However I want to congratulate the Packer's for a great game and for winning the big one. But what I really want to thank the Packer's for is a reason to get together with family and friends at the church, watch the game and have an AWESOME time of fellowship! We had a blast! It truly felt like a family gathering (minus all the drama and bickering).

Thanks to all who came and to those who didn't... Maybe you can join us next year when the Patriots make their next appearance in the big game.

A Pastor and Prayer

2011-02-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

This past week I attended the Desiring God Pastor's Conference in Minneapolis, MN. During this time I was encouraged, convicted and challenged concerning my prayer life. Below is a link to a message by Francis Chan that convicted me and encouraged me in the same way. I have never listened to Francis (I have read his books) and I was blow away. If you have some time check out the message. I have a link to the video and posted the outline below.

FRANCIS CHAN MESSAGE (Video)

Being Amazed at Answered Prayer (Message transcript from Francis Chan - Desiring God Pastor's Conference)

Pastor John gave me the topic of prayer as a personal journey. In my life, prayer has even rivaled the Scriptures in stirring my affections towards God. I know that Jesus loves me because the Bible so—God, you love me that much! But I know he loves me because of the way he answers my prayers. Just five minutes ago backstage, pleading with God, “How do I share what you and I have been through all of the years!? How do I communicate that? Do you love everyone this much? I see it so much in how you answer my prayers.”

Whenever I have money in the bank, I want to give it to people in need. But this one time I wanted to take my family on vacation and I pleaded with God and made it known. And I prayed and waited. A few days later my wife called me at work and said we got a cashier’s check in the mail for $2,000. All it had on it was a Post-It note that said, “Spend it on your family.” Wow! God is so good in answering my prayers.

Another time, my wife and I were talking. She was saying how she just loves our life and loves how simply we live. But she said, “You know, I just want to be more generous.” We have always wanted to be the kind of people who just write checks to people. We just are not those people though, so we prayed for wealthy people to be raised up in the church who just don’t care about their stuff. We also prayed that God would make us wealthy to give it away. And just last year, we made about $2M off of sales from Crazy Love. None of it comes to us but to a fund and we get to write checks to people.

Prayer is a way of walking in love. I love God so much because of how God has answered my prayers. Sometimes even we pray the wrong thing and we are so grateful and amazed that God did not grant those prayers. But when you look at Scripture, don’t we see that prayer is what sets us apart from other religions? The story of Elijah, God is the one who answers prayer. He is not a block of wood. He answers the prayers of his people.

One thing I have done is writing in prayer journals. I write my prayers on one side and then go back and write on the other side of the page when God has answered that prayer. It is so good to go back and remember how God has answered prayer. We so easily forget what God has done. This is a serious power that we have here in prayer.

Another time I was cleaning out my garage. I didn’t want to do it. I wanted to do something that would last for eternity. So I prayed that God would help to do something eternal in it. So I was cleaning out my garage and my neighbor stopped by. He said he had been wanting to talk with me and asked that I pray for him. It was great!

Believing in the God of Power

Every time I experience answered pray, I am just in awe of God. Why do I do anything but pray? The only thing that ever differentiates between me and some other religion is that God is my God who answers prayer. When I talk to someone on a plane or somewhere, I pray that God would show up in power, otherwise I will just sound like one of these other religions. He has to work and do something.

When an unbeliever walks into your church, don’t you want him to walk away saying, “Man, that guy, those people, are connected to God!” Is that what they see? Is that what comes across in your church? Isn’t that what we want? We want to show how great God is through our connection with him.

Yes, God is sovereign and he could use an unbeliever to preach the gospel with authority. But don’t you want to be connected to God so people are pointed to God? Remember Sunday School as a kid? You would walk out thinking and believing that your God can do anything! You would read and hear about all these great things God has done and would believe it. But now that we’re older, we are no longer amazed by the miracles that God does. Instead, we’re amazed by a communication style and by knowledge.

Maybe we need to get back to preaching those great stories of God’s greatness in the Old Testament. We need to remind our people that our God can do anything. Do you still believe it? Do you still believe that God is able to do anything? We have lifted up Moses and Elijah as super heroes but they were just men like us. They have nothing on us. If they were here today, we may be in awe of them. But they are no big deal! We have a nature just like them. They prayed fervently. We could pray that we could do that.

Cry Out, He’ll Answer

I am now getting so used to God answering my prayers that I have to pause think about it more when he doesn’t. I have to think harder about why he doesn’t heal that person. I have to think if I’m praying with wrong motives or if I’m not treating my wife well or what is going on. I want to point you to Isaiah 58:5-9.

There were people who were pleading with God for certain things, but because of their disregard for his commands, of course he was not going to listen to them. But as soon as they start doing them, he says, “Here I am.” There are times when I marvel at the Lord because I don’t pray as hard and long as some people. I feel spoiled because of how he answers when I just pray quickly or just think about it. This passage says he will answer. Just cry out.

If you abide in Jesus, he will abide in you. This is probably my biggest failure. It is so easy to get busy in the ministry and my prayer life just turns into, “Do this. Do that.” It lacks abiding in Jesus. It takes faith though to sit and abide in God. I neglect the most important thing, which is prayer as a way to walk in love. I fail to just commune and talk with God.

I fear that many of you focus so much on the work of God that you neglect the person of God. If you abide in him, there is much fruit. Think about it. The great things that have happened in your ministry—were they a result of your great planning or strategy or did something just fall in your lap? It is always the grace of God. Just abide in God.

The One Thing

I have camping out on this verse for the past several weeks, Psalm 27:4. What is the one thing you keep asking of the Lord? If I read a transcript of your prayers, what would I see is the one thing you keep asking for? Would it be, “Let me dwell in your house all the days of my life and gaze upon your beauty”? Is that what I would read? Joel said last night, “If you want to humble a man, ask him about his prayer life.” What would it be?

The context of this passage is danger and crazy things happening in the life of the psalmist. The Enemy wants us looking at all the things that are going around us and anxious about the future and all the chaos. If he can get us fearful and worried about the things around us, no one will be amazed by God. But the psalmist says that God is the stronghold of his life.

Other things become our stronghold. We rest on our great staff who can pull off anything. Or we look forward to a day off or vacation or a great conference like this as our stronghold. Maybe you come here not desiring God but you are desiring Desiring God. Or maybe you are desiring Piper. We begin to find our stronghold in other things beside God. But when you are alone with God and baring your soul to him, there should be sweet fellowship and abiding.

When you face the stressful and terrible things of life, you should be able to have a “Go ahead, make my day attitude.” You should have a confidence. Why? Because of the one thing you have asked of the Lord. Because you are in God’s presence, communing with him. Who will attack you as you commune with Lord? That’s ridiculous! Just dwelling with the Lord and things will be fine.

Think about it. If there is only one sovereign Being who is over all things in the universe, then if I just abide him all things will be taken care of. Right? We would say that we believe in the sovereignty of God, but the question is how is that fleshed out in your life. Does it result in a peace that surpasses all understanding? Even when it seems like there is nothing else going for you, you have the sovereign God who is your refuge.

Do you get to the point where you just want to stay with God and stay in his presence? That’s what this verse is about—just gazing upon his beauty and spending those sweet moments with him. It doesn’t have to be somewhere special. I spent two hours at an IHOP eating pancakes, communing with God. Sometimes in the middle of the night I will just count my breaths and be amazed that God has given me another breath. It should stun us that the God of the universe will listen to us in prayer. What is better than that?! He listens and hears and loves. Let this be the one thing you ask.

The Pitfall of Assumption

Everyone has been talking about me leaving my church in Simi Valley. I moved to San Francisco three weeks ago and everyone’s asking what I’m going to be doing there. But not one person has asked, “How is your prayer life?” It’s because everyone assumes that you’re doing that. I think people assume that I am doing that. Maybe they think it is silly to ask me if I’m praying. I wish more people would say, “I hope you haven’t started anything without praying first.”

We’ve all done that, right? We’ve made assumptions about staff people or congregation members. And then we find out later what they have been dealing with and wrestling with. So I don’t want to assume anything this morning. I don’t want to assume that you are walking closely with God right now. My prayer is that your boast is in God and that you are about God and that people see that in you.

It takes so much faith to abide in Christ and to dwell in the house of the Lord. I pray that you get there. That is what people want to see when they come to your church. They want to see a man of God who is connected. Elijah was a man just like you, just like me. He was connected to God. I want you to be connected to God like that.

Reading List for January and February

2011-01-22T17:51:00.000-08:00

Jesus, In His Own Words - Robert Mounce (B & H Publishers)
"An account of the life and ministry of Jesus that combines all four gospels into a single narrative and allows Jesus himself to tell us the story,"

God Is the Gospel - John Piper (Crossway Books)
All aspects of the Gospel should draw us closer to God.

The Inner Circle - Brad Meltzer (Hachette Books)
A great thriller that is quite captivating.

Undisputed - Chris Jericho
An autobiography of "The Lion Heart", WWE Superstar and Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho. I'm a sucker for autobiographies.

The Reformed Pastor - Richard Baxter
A very convicting and encouraging book on what it means to be a pastor.

Prayer, Professional Football and Planting

2011-01-12T09:02:00.000-08:00

Every month I travel about 40 miles to spend some time with fellow pastors for prayer and fellowship. This is the one part of the month I soooooo look forward to. Being a pastor can be a lonely and trying job at times (especially in a small church and town) so it is very refreshing to spend time with fellow pastors and pray for one another. I was especially blessed this month as one of the pastors invited a former Minnesota Vikings defensive back to come and observe our time together. I wasn't bless because there was a great football player in our midst who played in Super Bowl 4 but because this man has a heart to pray for pastors. What a joy and privilege it is to know that there are men and women in this area praying daily for us. What I really noted about this gentleman was his humble spirit. As we were sharing our struggles and requests I asked the man, "Is there anything we can pray for you about?" He asked that we pray for his wife to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. He has been praying for her for 30 years! That's right 30 years! Would you join me in praying for this man's wife? It doesn't matter who he is, I just ask you pray for her and for Jesus to reveal himself to her and lead her into a saving relationship with Him.

Another blessing of our time together is (after a hearty meal) we re-convene for our Northstar Church Multiplication Hub meeting. In our denomination we are really pushing forward with church planting. In the Upper Midwest we are praying God would establish new churches for his glory. I encourage you to go check out our web page here and read about what we are all about. The Northstar Center would appreciate your prayers as we continue to seek God in making decisions and assessing men and women for future ministry.

Lastly, I ask you to keep myself and our church leadership in your prayers. Would you pray that God would raise leaders in our midst so we may be the church God is calling us to be? I am also praying for God to send five (spiritually healthy) families or individuals to our church so we can continue to go out and minister to the community for the cause of Jesus Christ.

Rule Follower Explained

2011-01-04T07:14:00.001-08:00

In my post yesterday I think I may have failed to clarify that I am not implying that the "law" is bad and we should never keep the rules. This was not my intent. I came across a quote this morning in my devotional time and wanted to share it. I believe it says somewhat of what I was implying or at least it expands on it.

John Piper writes in his devotional A GODWARD LIFE, "Tragically most of us have been taught that duty, not delight, is the way to glorify God. We have not been taught that delight in God is our duty! Being satisfied with God is not an optional add-on to the real stuff of Christian duty. It is the most basic demand of all. 'Delight yourself in the LORD' (Psalm 37:4) is not a suggestion, but a command. So are: 'Serve the LORD with gladness' (Psalm 100:2) and, 'Rejoice in the Lord always' (Philippians 4:4)"(p. 23)

Following rules and christian duty are not bad things. However when we let them be our perceived righteousness then the law, morals and duty become a bondage. I think it's a sad testimony to the state of modern Christianity that we even have to clarify that works duties, and obligation will not make you right with God. Unfortunately the Church in the West is becoming more performance driven and man-centered that we are pushing grace, justification and salvation through Christ alone to the backburner. I think people fail to realize that when we submit ourselves to Jesus Christ and allow Him to be Lord of our lives then rule following and duty will come naturally as a form of worship and not as our righteousness.

Heart Changer or Rule Follower?

2011-01-03T07:17:00.000-08:00

Here is an excerpt from my sermon yesterday. I wanted to re-post this on my blog because I feel it is something God showed to me in regards to Christianity verses religion...

John the Baptist’s whole ministry (and life for that matter) was devoted to pointing people to Jesus. He was a heart changer. He knew his place in life. He had a humble (and strong) spirit to him. He was not about self promotion, he was about Jesus promotion. He had no agenda of his own. He had God’s agenda. He was more concerned with people being right with God by preaching a message of baptism of repentance and forgiveness of sins. Than he was about telling people how they should act or interpret the law. His purpose and goal was to show people a new way of life... a relationship with God through the Messiah (Jesus Christ).

The Jews (or religious leaders) were all about the rules, conformity and power. Their whole lives and ministry were about keeping the law and being pious. Their “religion” was more about doing than being. They were very much into self promotion and power simply by imposing rules and regulations on people based on their interpretations and beliefs. The clothes they wore were lavish and their attitudes were conceited. They had no concern for God’s agenda; they were more about God changing his agenda to fit their plans. There was no talk of repentance and forgiveness and submitting to God. It was all about the rules. Their righteousness was based on outwardly keeping the rules.

When I look at these two groups of people I am reminded of how these attitudes are still among us today. Thankfully there are heart changers in this world today. There are believers today who are caught up in Christ promotion and preaching a message of repentance and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. They understand that their spirituality or faith is not a result of keeping rules and pointing out the sins of others in a self righteous way. They are who they are because they are submitted to the one (Jesus) who has shown us the way to the Kingdom. A heart changer receives a new heart when Jesus becomes their Lord and Savior. They don’t just become better versions of themselves, they become new creations in Christ. The old has passed away and the new has come.

Unfortunately there are still people and attitudes among us today of the rule followers. These are individuals who depend on “doing” more than “being”. In their minds their fulfillment of duties and “being a good person” are all they need in order to be a Christian. They attend church on a semi regularly basis, they try to be moral (but like all of us fail every so often). They may put some (in some cases a lot of) money in the plate when it comes around. There is little to no change in heart; they are the same person they have always been. Maybe they have carved out a little compartment in their life for God (on Sundays or when they are in a difficult situation.) You get the picture.

The question I want to leave with you today is this… Are you a heart changer or are you a rule follower in your relationship with Jesus? Are you putting all your chips on the belief that you are a good person and follow the rules and treat others kidly as insurance for life? Or have you repented of your sins, sought forgiveness and given your heart completely over to Jesus to completely transform your life?

Morning Prayer

2010-12-31T07:29:00.000-08:00

Lord, give me strength and wisdom to get through this day and coming year. May I be a man who reflects the heart of Jesus. May your Word be alive in me and that I live my life today as your servant. Help me to be the husband and father you have called me to be. May the fruit of the Spirit be evident in me as I am loving, patient, gentle, and kind in all of my actions towards my family. I lift them up before you and intercede on their behalf. I pray my children will continue to follow you daily and you would protect them from giving in to the temptations of the world. Give them wisdom in their decision making, actions and in their friendships. As a father and husband may my I love be evident to my family the way it is evident in your love for the Church.

As a servant of your flock I pray for wisdom in leading this congregation in 2011. Shield me from the fiery darts of gossip, slander, criticism, anger, bitterness that may come my way. Continually remind me that I am here in Spring Valley not by the calling of man but by the divine appointment of you. Give me the courage to speak the truth in love every week and not words only to make people feel good. May the words of my mouth and the teachings I teach be acceptable to you Lord and inspired by You.

Raise up leaders in our midst who love you, are devoted to you and well grounded in your Word. I pray the Congregational Church will be a light in this town and we would be a reflection of You. Give us a passion to love you, love others and make disciples of Christ. Protect this flock from the lures of the evils of this world. Watch over our marriages and families. May your Spirit break through to the youth of our community and cause them to live their lives for you unashamedly. Keep our elderly close to you and continually remind them they are loved and cared for. For our widows, widowers and singles bring peace and comfort into their lives and fulfill the desires of their hearts. To the unsaved who attend week after week and hear the Word; break through to their hearts this week and may they enter into a love relationship with you.

God you are faithful and trustworthy. You have not failed your people at all. I put complete trust and all hope into you for this day and for this coming New Year. Pour your Spirit out plentifully on our church and in this community. Flood the valley with your Spirit and bring new life to us Lord.

I pray this all in Jesus' name.

Amen

Where to Begin?

2010-12-30T06:52:00.001-08:00

Well here it is the day before the day before New Years day. I never really understood why people make such a big fuss about New Years. To me it is just another day and (another) reason for people to go out and drink more than they should and drive when they shouldn't. Plus those new years resolutions! Oh how I hate those! I don't think I have had one stick since I began making them.

However the one thing I do like about New Years is the time I take to reflect on the past year and plan for the coming year. As I look back at 2010 I am surprised that I still have my sanity. A lot of things have happened this year and I am just waiting patiently for God to iron out all this turmoil and confusion around and begin moving in my life and church in a mighty way. God has been faithful and He will always remain faithful so I am not sweating it. As I look to 2011 I am reminded of what my goal for the year should be in John Piper's "Taste and See: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life" devotional. This quote struck me today, "We should pray for God to change hearts so that they (those with hardened hearts) can see the beauty of the truth and love it (even if the truth hurts)." I added the parenthesis statements .

My plan for 2011 is to pray for the hearts (of unbelievers and the hard hearted) to be changed, broken and reshaped to the heart of God. Two things I was reminded of this past year that led to this goal were

I cannot change someone. Heart change is God's deal.
Telling the truth can hurt (or better yet get someone really mad at you) sometimes but it is the right thing to do.

I know this isn't anything new and it certainly is not rocket science but it is something that I have to continually keep at the front of my mind. I pray today for the hard hearted, the apathetic heart, and the rebellious heart. May those who have these hearts hear the truth (God's truth) and love it.

Vision and Dream

2010-12-28T06:21:00.000-08:00

A vision should lead to action; a dream should lead to a plan...

I have been churning this phrase over and over in my mind for the last month or so and I feel it is time to put down on virtual paper my heart and my thoughts. I ask you pray alongside me as I contemplate this and find my role in seeing this happen.

Our Vision (for Spring Valley Congregational Church) is "To love God, love others and make disciples (who in turn love God, love others and make disciples)." Are we (or am I) doing this? What action steps are we (or am I) taking to do this?

The Dream (I have) for our church and community is to see believers living their lives for Jesus as though they do believe and unbelievers turning to Jesus as Lord and Savior.

I have been praying for the day when God breaks the shackles and strong holds of addiction, adultery (or sexual promiscuity in general), abuse, apathy and religion that has our community and congregations in bondage. What is the plan to help make this happen? The plan for now is to pray! Let us start praying against these strongholds and begin praying for the Holy Spirit to come and set people free. Pray that addictions (to alcohol, drugs, pornography, power and prestige) will be replaced with dependance on God. Pray that marriages would be restored and protected. Pray that physically and verbally abusive relationships would be transformed to respectful and loving relationships. Pray that people will begin to actually care about what is going on around them. Help them to get out of their "it has always been done this way" mentality. Finally pray that people would fall in love with a Savior who gave everything to us so we could have a relationship (not a mindless obligation) with him and the body.

Sure we can sit around and hope it does happen someday, but I don't believe it will if we do nothing.

Pray with me for Spring Valley (If you are not from Spring Valley then at least pray for your community). God is up to something and I can't wait to find out what it is.

Some Thoughts on Leadership from John Stott

2010-12-27T07:54:00.000-08:00

Six Qualities of Christian Leadership
John Stott

The Christian leader has a clear vision.

* Vision is a deep dissatisfaction with what is and a clear grasp of what could be. It begins with indignation over the status quo and grows into the earnest quest for an alternative.

The Christian leader feels deeply about his vision.

* It is not enough to see the present situation as displeasing to God and to discern how it could be changed. We must also feel both indignation and compassion.

The Christian leader seeks support from both God and human beings.

* Nehemiah is a good example… He was neither so super-spiritual that he cried only to God and considered human help superfluous nor so super-confident in human resources that he considered prayer to God unnecessary.

* Prayer and action are not alternative options. Nor are they incompatible with each other. They belong together, and either without the other is dangerously unbalanced.

The Christian leader develops a realistic plan.

* The dreams of the night often evaporate in the cool light of the morning. So dreamers have to become thinkers, planners and workers. People of vision need to become people of action.

* Thus in true leadership vision and action, a dream and a plan go together.

The Christian leader attracts a following.

* The authentic leader inspires people to follow his lead, for he sees his task as a cooperative enterprise.

The Christian leader refuses to be discouraged.

* Once a work of God begins, opposition can be expected. The forces of reaction muster, and hostility comes out into the open.

* Discouragement is the chief occupational hazard of a leader.

* Derision and slander are poisonous weapons in the hands of the enemy. But the true leader refuses to give in. He or she perseveres.

John Stott, Through the Bible Through the Year (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2006), 129 - 131

The Mortal Sin of Blogging

2010-12-23T06:25:00.000-08:00

I have committed the mortal sin of blogging. You may be thinking, what pray tell is the mortal sin of blogging? No entries in over TWO YEARS! I sit here red faced (from embarrassment) because it has been over TWO YEARS (did I mention that?) since I have entered anything on this site. If this blog were my child I would have been thrown into jail for neglect!

So, what is my reason for not blogging in over two years?
1) I haven't had anything to say in two years
2) I simply forgot I had a blog
3) Laziness
4) Why blog since nobody reads this anyway?

First off, if any of you know me personally you know I am never short for words or stirring up controversial discussions (especially in the arena of ministry and Christianity). I think providentually God kept me from blogging because I would have gotten in trouble with some of the thoughts, feelings and ramblings I would have posted these past few years.

Secondly, I did forget I had a blog page. I have moved into a new home since my last post. You know when you pack something in a box and a year later open the box and say, "Oh yeah, I forgot I packed this thing." That's kind of the moment I had this morning when I found this blog page.

Thirdly, blogging may not sound like a lot of work but it is when you aren't disciplined in this area. I am disciplined in my morning coffee (maybe obsessed is more like it). I am disciplined in keeping my iTunes collection updated and in order. I am disciplined in shoveling the driveway when it snows. However I am not disciplined in blogging. Most days it is just easier to say, "I'm not writing today... It's too much work and I don't have the energy to do it." Which leads to the fourth reason.

Why blog since no one is reading it? Honestly, that is probably biggest reason I don't blog regularly. The only thing worse than preaching one of your best sermons to an empty sanctuary is pouring your thoughts, feelings and ramblings out for the whole world to see and nobody (or at least hardly anyone) cares enough to read it.

If I feel this way (specifically #4) then why am I bothering even posting now? I don't know... But I guess I am going to give this another try. I am not promising a daily blog update. Sure I will probably have a lot of posts at first but it will eventually taper off and I need you (faithful reader, whoever you are) to keep me on my toes. A simple hello would be a good motivator, a comment now and then would be nice and the grand prize would be to become a follower (Wow, that is the Cadillac of motivations).

So maybe I will talk to you tomorrow... or maybe I won't.

Random thought: I repent for committing the mortal sin of blogging. I hope it is not too late and I can be forgiven of this treachery.

Speaking to Please God

2008-06-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

"but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children." (1 Thessalonians 2:4-7, ESV)

Saying what needs to be said from the pulpit is one of the joys and curses of ministry. I'm sure that anyone who has ever preached has had an argument with themselves when they are faced with speaking words that might offend. I know I have. There have been times where I was to speak about something that was sensitive subject matter and I had to determine in my heart... do I speak what I believe God wants me to speak or do I skirt the subject and go on to something else? In these situations I am reminded of the words above written by Paul to the Thessalonians when speaking from the Word of God. "so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts."(vs. 4)

We need to be reminded that preaching is not intended to please people. Hopefully the words we do speak from the pulpit do please people not because the pastor spoke with eloquence or tcreativity but because the truth was preached. The sad truth is he gospel message is offensive to many and if pastors continually preach it they will offend. Since this is the case we cannot let that affect the message we preach. Pastors have the great privilege to preach from God's Word, yet we are also held to higher standards in what we say BECAUSE we are "approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel."

However, this does not give us permission to be abusive or manipulative in the words we speak from the pulpit. We are to be "gentle" in our delivery and let the Word of God speak for itself. Our job is to deliver the Word of God to the people and if it offends some realize it's not because of us. They are offended by God and there is nothing we can do about that.

In conclusion, whether you are a pastor preaching from the pulpit or a believer who has been commissioned by Christ to preach the Word (As all Christians are commanded) then remember "Speak not to please man, but to please God..."

The Essentials

2008-06-05T08:51:00.001-07:00

In my sermon prep this week I have been contemplating the following thoughts about the essentials of Christ. In my thoughts, prayers and research I have come to this conclusion...

1) If Jesus were not born of a virgin he would have merely been an average boy born out of wedlock.
2) If Jesus only came to this earth to show humanity the way to heaven that would have just made him a prophet; a false one at that.
3) If Jesus only came to die on the cross that would have only made him a martyr.
4) If Jesus didn't rise from the dead that would make him a rotting corpse/skeleton tucked away in a desolate cave.
5) If Jesus never ascended to heaven He could not be God.
6) If Jesus never gave his Spirit then Christians would be powerless religious lemmings serving a distant God who does not care about us.

I find it hard to believe that people who once professed Christ can actually believe all of this. I am not a scholar, nor have I exhausted my research scientifically, archaelogically, nor historically to know if the Bible and it's claims are true. However I find the evidence overwhelming that God's Word is accuarate, and it ultimately boils down to faith in something or nothing.

So to confirm my faith I say...

I believe Jesus was born of a virgin
I believe Jesus came to the earth to show us the way to God
I believe Jesus died on the cross for the sins of humanity
I believe Jesus rose from the dead conquering death and sin
I believe Jesus ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father
I believe the Spirit of Christ dwells in all who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
I believe.

Serving God and the second coming

2008-06-01T05:55:00.000-07:00

"and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come." (1 Thessalonians 1:10, ESV)

Sorry, I went off track for a few posts. I have had a lot on my plate and I have been trying to hash out some thoughts with my previous posts. Now I'm back in I Thessalonians and glad to be back...

Since the Thessalonians have turned from idols and worshiped the "living and true God" they now anticipated Jesus' return. They were living with the hope that Jesus would return soon and they anticipated the day. I can understand how they felt. I too look forward to Christ's return.

I know there are a lot of "theories" on how and when Christ will return. You have the Premillenial view, Postmillenial view and the Amillenial view. Theologians have argued for years about how and when Christ will return and I have my beliefs and convictions. However there are people who have predicted dates and they have been wrong, others play it safe and predict an era or a generation when he will return and even others have made a nice living getting people all worried about the idea that we are living in the "end times". The truth is we don't know when Jesus will return. God's word says, only God knows the day, the hour and the time. We get our boxers in a bunch arguing about when, where and how and I think we just need to live our lives as though Jesus may return any day. I don't know if I am being irreverant or even blasphemous but I don't really care how or when Jesus returns. I just want Him to return and I live in anticipation of that day.

Will there be a rapture? Will it be pre, mid or post trib? Will Jesus come back tomorrow? Will He be back today? I honestly don't know. I have actually stopped filling my mind with end times scenarios. All I know is Jesus will return some day (as the Bible says) and it will be a glorious day for the believer and it will be horrific for those who do not believe.

Random thought: Don't worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself. Live your life in anticipation of the Lord's return today and be ready.

Should We Be Relevant?

2008-05-29T07:29:00.001-07:00

" So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you." (Acts 17:22, 23, ESV)

I am working on my Sunday sermon today and I have been researching and praying through Acts 17:16-34 and my "overall" theme is Christianity and relevancy. Is it important for believers and/or the Church to be relevant? Was Paul using relevance in his preaching to the Athenians or was he merely giving a "fluffy" message to the Athenians?

Personally I feel Paul was setting an example for how we are to engage non Christian individuals. In my studies I came across a quote from John Stott where he writes, "There is an urgent need for more Christian thinkers who will dedicate their minds to Christ, not only as lecturers, but also as authors, journalists, dramatists and broadcasters, as television script writers, producers and personalities, and as artists and actors who use a variety of art forms in which to communicate the gospel."

Christians need to engage in culture so we can spread the gospel of Christ to the world yet we must be careful not to embrace the culture forcing us to compromise our walks with Jesus Christ. Ajith Fernando in his commentary on Acts writes, "What is most important is faithfully proclaiming the gospel. If we can find points of contact withour audience along the way, we should use them, but the gospel is always what is primary." In other words, if you can engage a non-believer in a conversation and use culture as a means to share the gospel message then go for it. However we must not compromise the biblical message of salvation for the sake of relevancy.

Random thought: Go out in the world and find "creative" ways to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ but remember to always communicate the truth of Scripture without compromise.

Rough Draft

2008-05-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

This is the rough draft for the newsletter article for our church newsletter. I'd like to have your thoughts, comments and suggestions about it. I have always wanted to write an article concerning the importance of Church attendance but I want it to be one that is challenging, stirring and encouraging. So you can either email me or write a comment with your thoughts and suggestions.

I Don’t Wanna Go!!!

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near
Hebrews 10:24, 25 (ESV)

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning as you sleep in your comfortable bed when suddenly the alarm summons you to arise from your slumber. Annoyed by the disturbance of your sleep you reach for the snooze bar and silence the ear piercing squealing of your alarm. Approximately 3 minutes later the screeching resumes awakening you from an even shorter doze. You repeat this process a number of times. Finally you silence the alarm indefinitely as you turn off the alarm and roll over and say, “I don’t wanna go to church today! I’m too comfortable; it’s too nice of a day. I can miss one Sunday no one will notice and plus God doesn’t care whether I go or not.”

Have you ever felt this way? I know I have. Yes, even “perfect” pastors have mornings like this. As I read the words of Hebrews 10:24, 25 I wonder if people felt like this in past Church history. Can you imagine the Apostle Paul saying, “I don’t feel like preaching today, it’s too nice outside? I think I’ll skip synagogue this morning and spend a day at the beach. I deserve it don’t I? I mean in the past year I have been beaten, shipwrecked, thrown out of numerous cities, threatened, and there is a band of Jews plotting a way to kill me this very day.” Thankfully he never did. Did he ever feel this way? I’m sure he did (However, I have no biblical proof to back this up though).

It is so easy to justify and make up excuses for not attending church. The truth is you won’t go to hell if you skip church occasionally. It is true some people may not even notice or acknowledge your absence. The fact is the pastor probably won’t even call you to see where you have been (unless he hasn’t seen you in a looooong time). So why bother? Right? WRONG!

Let’s look at the words of Hebrews. In the text above the author writes, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, NOT NEGLECTING to meet together, as is the habit of some…” It’s funny; this verse proves that skipping church was a habit of some people even in the early church. Some people (we don’t know who) had a habit of skipping church! Apparently this was a concern because the author or Hebrews acknowledges this trend of some and he feels he should address this. Why did he believe missing church was not a good thing? Why did he feel church so important?

First, when they met together they stirred one another up in love. They were encouraging one another to show and live in the love of Christ, they stirred one another up in fellowship and worship. Second, they roused one another up for good works. When they worshipped together they came up with ways to show and do good works for the glory of God. By gathering together they cared for the sick, helped meet the needs of the needy, comforted the lonely, took care of widows and orphans, fed the hungry, shared the Gospel message of Jesus, and so on. Last, they encouraged one another in the Lord, especially in regard to his return. When the church met together they also encouraged one another by praying, reading Scripture, singing hymns all in anticipation of the Lord’s return. Much like today the early church prayed for Jesus’ return so He would establish his Kingdom here on earth. That day never came (and still hasn’t) but lived their lives in hope that He would return soon and this hope encouraged the believers to keep strong in the faith.

As you can see meeting together for worship (or church) was not an option for the early church. It was a priority because attending church wasn’t based on whether they “felt” like going or not. They didn’t decide to neglect worship because they didn’t like a certain aspect about the music, worship service or the pastor. They even understood that worship wasn’t about what “they got out of it”. Instead they knew that it was about what they were able to give back to encourage and strengthen the body of Christ and his kingdom. The bottom line… Church was an important aspect of the believer’s lives.

As I conclude, I’m sure any of you reading this article are either encouraged, offended or indifferent. I pray it is one of the first two. However my intent is not to offend I am merely using the powerful Word of God to challenge believers to be ACTIVE members of the body of Christ. Whether it is at Spring Valley Congregational Church or any other local church body I pray you will see the need and importance of gathering together with other believers to encourage and care for one another and strengthen one another in faith as we anticipate the Lord’s return.

Starstruck

2008-05-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

1 Thessalonians 1:9 (ESV)9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

We are such an idolatrous society. We worship everything (by worship I mean we adore with great affection and honor over the true God)! We elevate people, things and relationships above God with such frequency that often we don't realize we are idolizing. We are shameless in our idolizing people (I mean we have a TV show that advocates our idolizing in American Idol). We put movie stars, sports figures and men and women of power on pedestals and honor them unconsciously as "mini gods and godesses". Now, you may be reading this and say, "I'm a Christian, I don't have any idols." I hope this is true, but I would ask you to think... really think; are you maybe a "little guilty"? When you see some sort of famous person do you like to brag a little to those around you? I was in the city the other day and I saw (fill in the blank of a celebrity)! Or have you ever stood in line to get an autograph of a person? Maybe this famous person was even a Christian! Let's be honest we all idolize a little. Is this ok? I think the scriptures are very clear on God's views of idolatry, even if it is a little bit. He doesn't like it and He will share his thrown with NO ONE!

This is another quality about the Thessalonians that I admire. They turned from idols to serve the "living and true God." They weren't star struck with royalty and celebrities. They didn't allow money or possessions to rule their lives. They had forsaken all of that for the living God.

Take a look at your heart. Do you have idols in your life that you have placed before God? Are you idolizing your family, or maybe your finances, possibly a relationship, how about a celebrity or (Lord forbid) a television show? Is there a preacher , Christian author or Christian musician that you are elevating above God and his word? If so, take some time and repent and seek to put God back on the throne of your life... right where he belongs.

Random Thought: Turn from your idols and serve the living and true God.

Preaching the Gospel

2008-05-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

1 Thessalonians 1:8 (ESV) For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.

As a church it is important to be and be known as a church that preaches the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately too many churches today spend so much of their time, energy and resources trying not to be too "churchy". They want to be a "cool" and "hip" place to go where people don't feel like they are in church (personally I don't think it's horrible for churches to do this but I do feel they soon lose their identity as a place of worship when they focus too much on trying to be relevant). However there are also some churches who don't want to be too preachy because it will not attract people. Or some go so far as to eliminate words like sin, salvation and Hell because this is too archaic or "not relevant" to this post modern society. It's funny how we as humans have complicated the Church institution.

I think Jesus' plan for the Church was/is much simpler than what we have made it. We often think of the churh as the building and forget that the Church is not necessarily a physical place but a gathering of fellow believers who set out to live and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know for the church I pastor, I would rather be known as the body of believers who "sound forth the word of the Lord" instead of being a church with a nice building and "keeping up with the times all the while neglecting the Word of God".

I should note that I am not saying if you have a nice church and relevant worship you aren't preaching the Gospel because it's possible to be both. What I am saying is as soon as we start focusing on our "worship style" and neglect preaching the life changing Gospel message of Jesus Christ we will become a Church that has no impact on society. We will become a Christian club designed to make our patrons happy.

Random thought: Preach the Gospel, it never goes out of style.

Affliction and Joy

2008-05-17T04:40:00.000-07:00

1 Thessalonians 1:6-7 (ESV) for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

Affliction and joy; two words that you rarely see together in a positive manner. I have been doing nearly a year long study in the Book of Acts with my church and one common thing I see happening throughout the book is how the Apostles and followers of Christ were able to remain joyful during times of trials and persecutions. For example the Apostles get a beating and they leave rejoicing because they were considered worthy of the cause, Paul and Silas were singing in the prison... Singing??? There are so many times that we read that the believers rejoiced after or during trials and persecution. I think about persecution and the church in America today and we are far from the example of the early church. We have become sort of "whiney" in America. If we face injustice we cry out to the public and shout, "NO FAIR!" Our name gets dragged through the mud and we call the lawyers to fight for us. We face any kind of trial or persecution and we immediately question why God is allowing this to happen to us.

I want to imitate the Thessalonians and no matter what I face, I want to receive the word of God with joy of the Holy Spirit. I pray that when I am reviled, made fun of or physically harmed for my faith that my response will be joy; because God is worth it. Does joy mean I will be happy and have fun in these times? Not necessarily. It means I will rejoice because I am counted worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ.

Random thought for the day: Seek to be filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit in all circumstances of life.

Imitate Christ

2008-05-16T04:25:00.001-07:00

"And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit," (1 Thessalonians 1:6, ESV)

The evidence of salvation in a person is a changed life. Paul writes to the Thessalonians that after they received the Gospel by word and through the power of the Holy Spirit they became imitators of them (Paul and his travel companions) and imitators of Christ.

There are a number of times in the Bible where Paul tells his readers, "Imitate me". Most of the time he writes, "Imitate me and the Lord." He actually equates the two, he essentially says, "If you imitate me, then you imitate Christ." I don't think Paul is exalting himself by saying these things. I think he was simply saying, "Do as I do because I am imitating Christ." Imagine for one moment that your life was so dedicated to Christ that you could honestly tell others to imitate you what that would look like. How would that change the way you live your life? If you knew people were watching you and using you as an example what would you do different? What would I do different? Would I change the way I talk? Would I change the way I treat others? Would I change the way I drive? The list goes on...

The fact is, people are watching us and they are not impressed. It's a sad thing when I hear the reason someone does not want to be a Christian or attend church is because "they are all a bunch of hypocrites." They look at us and see we don't always practice what we preach. Our response is often, "Hey don't look at the actions of God's people, look to God." This is unfortunate that the people who supposedly represent Christ here on earth say, "Don't look at us, we are merely human and imperfect" (which is true). I know I long to be like Paul (and I am a long way from being like him) so I can say with an honest heart, "Imitate me because I am imitating Christ."

Random thought... Strive to be imitators of Christ; not for our benefit but for his glory.

The Chosen One

2008-05-15T04:18:00.000-07:00

"For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you," (1 Thessalonians 1:4, ESV)

How is that for reality? For we KNOW that God has chosen you. Do you know this and believe it? God chose YOU! Do you ever "feel" like your not worth much? Remember God chose you! Ever think that no one cares? Remember God chose you! Isn't God good? I'm going to stop here because I don't want you to think I am going to get into this fluffy rant about, "How special you are" and so on. That's not the point. God didn't choose you because you are special or because you are a likeable person or even because he saw a great potential in you to do great things for the Kingdom. So why did God chose you? Because He is God and He is good. In his grace He reached down and saved you, FOR HIS GLORY. Why did He choose you and not your neighbor next door? I would answer, you don't know that he hasn't chosen your neighbor next door. This is why we are to take the Gospel and preach it. We are to plant the seeds of faith and then let God do the rest. We certainly cannot save anyone, but we can certainly introduce them to the saving faith of Christ.

People have problems with knowing that God chose them and not vice versa. I guess I don't understand why, maybe because they think it takes away free will? However Jesuse said "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you." (John 15:16, ESV) God chose us unto salvation. He gave us the faith to believe. We are saved and redeemed. Now we are truly free to choose! We have the freedom to turn our backs on sin. We are free to choose to do good works. We are free from the bondage of sin and Satan. Through God's sovereign grace I am now truly free.

I personally don't have a problem with theological issues like sovereignty, election and predestination because they are biblical. Nowhere have I found in the Bible the doctrine of us choosing God, everywhere I look in the Bible it talks about God choosing us. You may not understand why but take comfort in knowing this. God chose you! I love what Warren Weirsbe wrote, "A seminary professor once told me, 'Try to explain election, and you may lose your mind. But explain it away—and you may lose your soul!”

Random though of the day... God chose me by His grace. This does, in many ways, make me special.

Chosen in Christ,

Jeff

The Source of Our Strength

2008-05-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

I Thessalonians 1:2, "We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers."

Aren't you glad people are praying for you? I know I am. I believe the reason I am a pastor today is because someone has been praying diligently for me. Nothing makes me happier than knowing someone cares enough about me that he/she would take time out of his/her busy life to lift me up in prayer. Isn't that mind boggling? Maybe it's not to you but it certainly is for me.

I am sure most of us desire to have someone like Paul in our life; to have a man or a woman who constanly lifts you up in prayer. To have a person who says, "God, I don't know what Jeff (or insert your name) is up to this day or what needs he has, but I want to mention him to you today and ask you bless the heck out of him and his ministry" is so much more valuable than any riches in life.

Prayer is such a powerful tool and I think we as Christians don't utilize it nearly as often as we should. I am as guilty as the next person concerning neglect of prayer, but I know that this is one avenue that God has given me to keep in communication with him and I must be disciplined to maintain that line of communication. I think God must be in heaven scratching his head in wonder as to how I must be disciplined to make time for him. I can get so consumed in life that I forget to talk to the Creator and the one who matters most in life. I forget!? How often I neglect my primary source of power simply because I either forget, don't want to or we think I don't have the time.

The reality is I don't feel like praying everyday. I don't make time to pray. I sometimes think prayer boring. Nevertheless I think it is an important and necessary part of every believers life. However God constantly reminds me of the words and actions of Paul and the Apostles in the Scriptures. I'm sure when they were in prison for a crime they never committed the last thing they "felt" like doing was praying... But that's what they did. I'm sure when the mobs were surrounding them and beating them they didn't have the time to pray... But that's what they did. I am also sure that there were times when they would have rather been out doing something other than praying... But praying is what they did. WHY? Because it was their lifeline and they saw the value of prayer. That's where I want to be in my walk with the Lord.

In conclusion, what is my random thought for the day? It's time to MAKE TIME and PRAY.

Prayerfully yours,
Jeff

Welcome To My World

2008-05-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

Thank you for visiting my blog. As you can see this is my first blog. Now this is not actually the first blog I have ever written as I have unsuccessfully made many attempts at blogging all to see them wind up in black hole of the internet and never seen again (by me).

So what makes me think I can make another attempt at blogging and maintain it successfully? Well... nothing. I gues I will just hope you, the reader, will find this page interesting enough to keep coming back and giving me your two cents on my "random thoughts".

I am a pastor. I have been a senior pastor for a small church in WI for close to ten months. Prior to that I was a youth pastor for 14 years (yep you read that right 14 years!). I enjoy pastoring and I love to read God's Word. One of my "jobs" as a pastor is to read, study and communicate God's Word to others so they may be encouraged, edified and challenged. Hopefully this is what will happen as you read these posts.

The purpose of this blog is three-fold...

1) It is important, as a pastor, to stay rooted in God's Word and this blog is basically going to be random thoughts that I have concerning the Scripture that I am reading; so it is going to be sort of an open journal for anyone to read in regards to my thoughts on the scriptures.

2) To encourage and hopefully challenge you, the reader, to dive a little deeper in God's Word and see how it is still relevant for us today.

3) To spout off about whatever is on my mind at the time of writing.

Well, I guess that's all I have right now. I hope you enjoy and come back often.