Reason for Church Hopping?

Recent Statistic found on the web:

A 2007 survey conducted by LifeWay found that fully one-third of American Protestants were contemplating attending a different church in the future, and of that group, only one in four said it would be important that their future church belong to the same denomination as the one they currently attend.

Serve or Find The Door

As I was working on some memory work, I ran across a verse I had not seen before, or had not noticed. It's found in 1 Timothy 4:15, which states, "Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that others may see your progress."

Immerse. What a word! To be immersed in the practice of godliness and teaching. This is not easy, but takes WORK! A friend of mine, Dan Caputo, had a great idea for a shirt for our church. "Serve, or find the door!" Pretty good stuff. As we move closer and closer to a new way, a new vision, it will take that very attitude. A lifestyle of Godliness that shows that people are in training. They're living out godly speech, godly conduct, godly love, godly faith and godly purity.

To lock arms as brothers and sisters, as the family that God calls us to be, we move forward with incredible hope and expectancy of a great plan God has for Southside!

Incredible View

As I look at this photo, I'm not in awe of the view, I'm in awe of the person, my wife. This is where I proposed to my bride over 11 years ago. I love ya honey! You still captivate me!

Rebecca St. James and Junk

If any of you know Rebecca St. James or her music, you know she is extremely passionate about her faith. She's had a hard climb within the Christian music industry. But her impact on me as a student still remains. I remember going to her concert as a youth and one thing she said stuck in my mind. As she opened up the Scriptures on stage, (how many Christian bands do that now??) she encouraged the teens to "get the junk out" of their lives, and then they would be able to focus more clearly on following Christ. I had never heard it put that way before, in trying to be transformed to the image of Christ. Getting the junk out was such a graphic way of saying that the stuff that's in the way of your relatioship with Christ, is of no value, and it's junk and it needs to go!

Today I "got the junk out" of my office. It allowed that thought of the concert with Rebecca St. James to pop into my head, and Romans 12:1-2. which states,

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, [1] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. [2] 2 Do not be conformed to this world, [3] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect

I'm also reminded of those crazy reality tv shows that go into a person's home or room, and clean house. The host works with the owner to "get the junk out". How do they do it? They're encouraged to assign value to things. Pack rats have a problem with this. (Of which I confess, I am one, albeit a small pack rat, maybe a pack mouse?) So we put off assigning value to things which should have been dealt with along time ago. Instead, they just stay around, taking up valuable space and energy from our lives.

So in our lives, what is it that needs some value adjustment? We need to hold to things loosely. Christ should be the most valuable person in our lives. God's Word should our most valuable earthly possession. I'm also reminded of a place elsewhere that junk is spoken of:

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ --Philippians 3:8

So, anybody got any junk. 1-800-Got-Junk. Let's do some soul house cleaning.

Here's a current video of her, talking purity for teen girls, one of her passions in her ministry and music.

Some will not want to follow

A valuable lesson in leadership--Some may not go where you want to lead them, but you still must lead them.

Putting a child to bed can be a testing of wills. But I know my son needs rest, or else he won't be any good for the next day. So I lead him firmly. "Son, get in the bed NOW." He says with a voice that understands that if he doesn't he knows what's coming next, "yes sir daddy," and climbs in to bed.

Wow that was easy. No. Raising a child to obey out of a desire to do it just because Daddy or Mommy said so takes time and patience.

Aren't we like children when it comes to following our Heavenly Father, or the authorities he puts over our lives? God knows what we need. He leads us gently but firmly, yet disciplines us when we stray. Good leaders do the same. Gasp! Discipline? You say? Yes. It's absent in most churches, perhaps that's why many struggle as they do.

But for a church to realize that its leaders mean well, and God gave them to lead that church, when the two enmesh and walk together and seek to do God's passion, then the church begins to grow up! It's morning again at our church. I love our people, God's doing some amazing things through them, and the lesson here to me is that I must lead. Our staff are impassioned, and empowered by the Spirit for a new work.

Tonight our youth worship service was amazing. We have began the process of team assigned leadership. Simple yet profound. Each team leader shared about their area of ministry, and students responded! We had more students respond tonight to serve on teams than we ever got from just announcements and personal invites! The worship rocked! I heard more comments about the band tonight than ever before. Hats off to them for raising the bar! Two newcomers even said to me, this is better than any other youth service we've been to! I'm glad to see the bar being raised. It will continue to do so. As our leadership fleshes out the vision for our student ministry, God's gonna move even more!

Chicago Here We Come!

Did I mention recently that I was excited? Yes, I am! We're hopefully going to the Innovate Conference at Granger Community Church in a couple of weeks, and it really gets me going to think where our church could be headed, where our community of believers is going, where like minded hearts in Wilmington will soon join us. It has been an amazing journey. Everyday has new opportunities and obstacles, and we meet them afresh on our knees as a church, as a staff, as a community of faith wanting to do more than survive and maintain.

In my quiet time this morning I was reminded of the Spirit's control in our lives. The command, "Be filled with the Spirit" is an ongoing, daily refilling of the Spirit's control in our lives. That's what "filled" could be translated as: to be controlled by. How much more then would we be in tune with God's plan for our lives if we sought this daily refill? It's a submission of our will to his.

As we seek to "Innovate", I pray that the refilling continues, that our wills are bent towards the will of the Father.

Apologetix was awesome!

Some kids and kids at heart having some fun on stage!

I was so amazed at how many people came up to me tonight and were excited about the unchurched they had brought with them! Family members, neighbors, friends, co-workers, so many stories and so much excitement! The band did a great job clearly presenting the gospel and we trust God for the rest! And to finish it all off, after the concert, the lead singer sang to my wife a personal request she had!! (I tried to harmonize with the bass player!) Hey, it made her smile! That's great! Love you honey! You've gotta check out this Christian parody band, ApologetiX!

The media crew behind the scenes did an awesome job helping to set up and video the entire show. The IMAGs were awesome! Go Travis and Worship Arts team led by Pastor John!

The Well

Thanks to Rachele for pointing me to this great idea from a church that's been around for well over 100 years! That sounds a little familiar! The ideas keep flowing! And by the way, can't wait to go to this conference in a few weeks in Indiana! It's late...I have to get up to go to Mentoring Men, if you haven't gone yet, you should really consider going!

The Death of Denial

In order to follow Jesus, he asks us to do something contrary to our nature. We must die. In a world full of endless pursuits of vanity and fortune, this is still contrary to our nature.

All kinds of things pull at our ability to deny. Our stomachs crave to be satisfied. Our bills cry to be paid. Our friends starve for our attention. Our minds race with what might lay in the future for me IF...

In my quiet time this morning, I'm reminded that denial is in short supply apparently. America is a wealthy nation. The churches in America, by any standard, are busting with riches. I just heard a survey on the radio of the average salary of pastors (of which I am one), and the average, seemed, normal for the average American. But according to what standard? The lessons of denial are long and hard indeed.

How does one learn denial in a life of plenty? Sacrifice. Even writing about denial is challenging because everything my eyes see shout back at me "not denying enough!" But yet, God is moving me towards denial of self. The cross calls all to a giving of their very lives--so that they may not be dead bumbs, but effective living sacrifices--after we give it to God, we become the living dead.

Sounds radical. Dead only to self. But alive ONLY to Christ.

"And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" --Luke 9:23

Exciting Times

I'm so charged up right now! I am so excited at what God is doing in the life of our church! We've had an incredible opportunity to respond to the needs of a faith community in Brazil! Having a missional focus, a focus not on how I can be served by my church and by my world, but on how can I serve my God through any and all means possible? Those means are becoming clearer and clearer. One, God has made it clear that the heart of our church is once again connecting with a new group of believers a world away.

One thing is very clear. Many doors are being swung open as we take such a focus. Doors for incredible ways to help others connect with Christ in our own community, doors to reach teens, doors to reach children, and doors to reach the families all around the Pine Valley area and beyond.

Thousands of cars drive by our church everyday. Do they notice? Would they notice if we were to shut our doors? Respond or someone else will respond. God is rising up many to do just that. The question is, which one will our church be?

Very exciting times indeed.

Perception

Tonight I watched the Truman Show. What struck me the most was the perceived reality by Truman, and the actual reality. I've been exposed to a lot of talk about reality recently, in my own life and in others. Truman stayed in his world for how long? He fought to get to the truth. He was used to a lie for so long it was almost impossible to go back to the truth.

We must be careful of our perception: In relationships, in decisons, in our walks with God...

Sometimes the perceived is not the reallity. That can be good or bad, but oftentimes it turns out we see our weakness because of the revelation of truth. Truth exposes all the lies. Even the ones we create and believe ourselves.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? -Jer. 17:9

Refinery

Isaiah 48:10 states,

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried [1] you in the furnace of affliction.

I ran into a friend today, and he was telling me of some incredible ministry experiences he had while living in Wake Forest. One thing that struck him though, as he emphasized to me numerous times, was the fact that many, if not the majority of ministers he had encountered, had gone through major trials in their lives. He said I had a tough job, and he didn't want to be in my shoes (or any pastor's for that matter!) I wasn't surprised by this, for I hear this quite often from people. And, looking back on my life, he's right. But I believe that every believer is refined by God, to be purified, to be made holy. Sanctification is an ongoing process. You can't NOT be a believer and be free of trials. God is in the purification business.

Although he didin't say it, my friend was going through a tremendous trial of his own. He spoke of his faith and trust in God to see him through. After today's encounter, I came away with a sense that God has a desire for me, and that desire is for me to passionately pursue Him in a relationship, through the trials, through the pain, because we all go through the refining process if we are truly born again.

Creative Like My Father

Picture of my first guitar given to me by my grandfather at age 13. He played for so many years on this guitar, I was so honored when he gave it to me .

In many ways, I come from a creative family. My grandfather played bluegrass on the radio in Nashville, Tennessee. My father actually sang with the Tams while he was on vacation one summer. The lead singer had to take the mike away from him! My dad is a bit of a ham. But it shows that he's just creative musically like his dad. I'm no different. Well, I'm definitely not a ham, but I do have a heritage of music as I see it, albeit a small heritage.

But my creative heritage goes way back. Back to the moment when time began, when the earth began spinning. God, Creator of the universe, made man in his image. That image included the ability to be creative. To imagine things, to come up with ideas, all derived from an ability given to us by God himself.

Why then should it be a surprise when we read of Jesus' dad being a carpenter. A man who indeed put his mind and talents to work. It's not too much of a stretch to see Jesus working in the workspace with his father. To see your son, beside you, knowing full well that one day he would fulfill his destiny in the cross. In the cross we see the Creator God crafting his master plan to bring his sons and daughters home. No one took Jesus' life. He gave it willingly. God gave his Son willingly, that we might be redeemed.

Redeemed. That's an amazing God-sized idea, that only the Creator God could accomplish. We as his creation, made in his image, have the means also to be creative, and such creativity is best used in response to the wonder of God's plan to bring us home.

Our church has continued to reflect such creative wonder at the cross and the empty tomb. You can see our worship arts ministry here. and the creative worship that God is using to touch so many lives in our community.

Just watched a neat movie, August Rush, and the subtle theme throughout the movie was that music, or rather our creative ability, is God given, and when used and explored, such a gift can become something unimaginable.

So Jesus, the carpenter's son, ultimately dwells in the believer now, through the promised Holy Spirit. We are the church, his dwelling place. I love it when I see a glimpse of the Creator God through his body, those I serve alongside, and, Christ in Me, the hope of glory.

The Dreamer

I find it amazing that one man can dream as God calls him to. A man who looked up to heaven, acknowledged the person of the source and power of what he saw...and believed. Are there men today that will dream from the inspiration of God himself? Will they dream because God spoke a word, and that's all that mattered? Our generation needs dreamers who dream God sized dreams. The metaphor breaks down, but simply put, we need men and women of faith, to take up the call, to see the potential, the wonder of what God can do. In Genesis we see the faithfulness of an obedient dreamer:

15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue [1] childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son [2] shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

May we dream the God-sized dream, and the God-directed dream!