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New Year Brings A Change In Ministry

January 3, 2010 in change, family with 15 Comments

This morning our Pastor announced to the church that the financial situation at the church has necessitated some major changes for the coming year.  We have had many families lose their jobs this year, and with that the offerings have also suffered.  With that news, it was then announced that two of the full-time staff pastors would be leaving to find new positions.  I am one of those.

We have been here in Wichita for right at a year and a half.  We have loved the opportunity that we have had to be involved at Glenville, and have learned a lot in the time we have been here.  The people love God and love others.  I would have to say this church is a great example of what a grace-filled church is all about, as they are so very accepting of people.  The staff has also been a blast to work with.  We will miss everyone dearly.  This has been a great experience for us.

Our next steps do not simply include a change of churches to serve in.  After a long time of prayer and seeking counsel, I feel that God is moving me into another direction in ministry as well.  I love music, that will never change, but that season of ministry is coming to a close.  I will be seeking a church in which to serve as their Lead Pastor, or some other Administrative/Executive Pastor role.

As I said, we will miss the people that we are currently serving along side with.  It is never easy to move on. But we are excited to see what God is going to do with us in the future.  I love what Job said in Job 23:13-14:

“But he alone is God, and who can oppose him? God does as he pleases, and he will do exactly what he intends with me.”

We covet your prayers for our family as we take our next steps.  We hold on to the knowledge that God knows what He is doing with us.  We just want to hold on and go for the ride!

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2010 in change, holiday with 0 Comments

May this be the best year you have ever lived!  And if you make just one change this year, make it this one!

What will you do next year? Part 3

December 31, 2009 in change with 2 Comments

Well, this is the very last day of the year 2009. I hope you have taken the time to look back over the last year and evaluate how you are different this year compared to last year at this time. That could be good or bad depending on the changes you made in your life. If you are different, it is because you chose to be different in one area or another. If you chose to do good in your life, you reaped good results. If you chose to do bad things, you had to face the consequences of that.

We are the product of our choices, good and bad. We should not try to blame shift or point fingers for our actions. We did them, and we have to face the consequences of those choices. When we choose a path, that path will lead us where it goes. If we want to end up in a good spot, we have to choose a good path to follow. (Of course, I believe the right path to take is clearly outlined in the Bible, and is found in being a Christ follower)

The path we choose to take is based on the priorities we set up in our life. If you want to have a great family, you cannot constantly ignore them and not invest time into them. If you want to be successful at work, you have to be a diligent and ethical worker. If you want to be a Godly, spiritual individual, you have to spend time with God by doing the spiritual disciplines (reading your Bible, praying, attending church, serving others, etc.).

Choose the path that will take you where you want to go, not a path that seems most convenient, more fun or just is plain easy to choose. If you want to grow spiritually this year, you have to choose to do so, and then walk the path that will get you there. We all have next steps towards God. They are different from one another, and no one else can make you take that next step. It has to be a priority in your life. So this year, will you live a life that is lived on purpose, or will you live a life that just happens along the way. The path you take is up to you and the priorities you set in life. Choose wisely!

What will you do next year? Part 2

December 30, 2009 in change, serving with 0 Comments

Yesterday I said that I think the single most important thing you can do to change your life is to read your Bible.  I believe that with all of my being, so if you only make one change, read your Bible. When you read your Bible, it will change you.  It will motivate you to take next steps in your relationship with Christ and with others.  Others is what I want to talk about today.

If you want to see your life change, get involved in serving others. Volunteer to serve in a ministry through your church or at a local shelter or food bank. Make it a priority in your life to be Jesus to someone.  It is so easy to get wrapped up in the things that are going on in our life that we start to think that everything is about us… well guess what, it isn’t!  There are so many people that are out there hurting and just longing for someone to love them with the love of God.  It will be uncomfortable and inconvenient at first. Giving part of yourself away always is.  The rewards though far exceed the temporary inconvenience.

This is part of what being in a local church is all about.  Serving together, meeting the needs of one another and reaching out to those outside of the church are all ways for us to communicate the love of God to others. If we want to be fulfilled in our own life, it has to include serving others.  Our 41st President, George Bush, said,

“…any definition of a successful life must include serving others.”

May we make it a priority in the next year to take time out for others.

Philippians 2:3 “Don’t be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves.”

What will you do next year?

December 29, 2009 in change with 3 Comments

At this time of year, most people are thinking a lot about changes they will make next year.  I always love the start of a new year.  The new challenges and opportunities excite me and allow me to grow and hopefully do things better. There are all kinds of changes to be made, whether it be physically, emotionally, relationally or spiritually. I think every one of those areas needs a good evaluation so that we are not fooled into thinking we are better off than what we are. That brings me to the biggest and most life-changing thing you can do to make changes in your life, and really, the reason for this post.

It is easy to have a desire to change.  We all have good intentions.  But, good intentions are at best, good intentions unless acted upon.  Do you want to change your life?  Do you want to make changes that will stick? Then here is the single biggest thing you can do: read your Bible. It holds the answers to life.  It is the road map that God has given us to make great change… change that will last. Do you want to know God better?  Read His Word!  There is nothing  that will change you more than that!

To help you, Lifechurch.tv has a great web-based Bible reader that has many versions to choose from, called YouVersion.com.  They also have several different reading plans that will help you to keep on track for the next year.  You can choose plans that will last an entire year, a few months or customize your own plan.  It is a great tool to help you as get into God’s Word.  There are other options on the web, in book stores and even likely at your church that you can get a hold of and get started.  It doesn’t matter what you use, just do something!

If you could only make one change for the year, this would be the one: read God’s Word!  More tomorrow…

One Of My Favorite Quotes

December 8, 2009 in change, church philosophy and methods, leadership, the church with 1 Comment

I was going through my Evernote notebook clips last night and came across a quote that I found on a blog a couple of years ago:

“The greatest opposition to what God is doing today comes from those who were on the cutting edge of what God was doing yesterday.”
- R.T. Kendall, pastor of Westminster Chapel

This had two implications for me:

  1. A lot of the people that I was taught to revere and respect as I was growing up were actually fairly progressive in their approach to ministry (for their time). What they did may not be considered progressive today, but it was then!  In fact, today most churches have been there and done the things that were considered progressive back then.
  2. I am still just under 40, but I never want to be the opposition to God’s moving in this (or any) generation.  Who has the right to say that God was done working in the 50′s. 60′s or 70′s?  Who has the right to say that the 90′s Praise and Worship music was the ultimate sound that God wanted.  None of us do.  We need to allow God to work today just as He did in those decades.  Creativity did not reach its pinnacle. Evangelism and preaching did not reach its final end.  Things continue to progress. Things continue to change.  They will until Christ returns.  In fact, we will even sing a “New Song” in heaven.  Some of you will not like that song either!

Catalyst Take-Aways #5

October 20, 2009 in change, leadership, the church with 0 Comments

Ctlyst

Take-away #5 from Chuck Swindoll

“You will have people that worship you and those that criticize you.  Neither deserve much of your time.”

  • The first thing I thought of was a statement I heard in my first ministry; “Praise is like perfume, it smells nice, but you don’t want to drink it!”
  • Praise from people is something we all like to hear, but none of us like to admit.  It is good to get a pat on the back once and a while.  We all need that, and as a leader, I should make sure that I do that regularly.  But, the end results of the day are not how many atta-boys we get, but how many lives are changed.  That is all that matters.  How well we did or did not do is of no consequence.
  • That does not excuse proper preparation.  We need to prepare as if it is the last message we will ever speak or sing.  But the results are up to God, not us.
  • The praise of man can be dangerous, almost intoxicating.  But it means nothing if we are not speaking what God tells us to speak.  We should never prepare a message for the atta-boys!  We should prepare it for life change in people.
  • In the same way, criticism can not the strength out of you.  It can take away any motivation that you have to serve people and make you think that you are making no difference or very little impact for the Kingdom.
  • The difference in critiquing and criticism is this: criticism is based on a preference that someone has and a motivation to make you what that person wants; critiquing is a desire to see someone succeed and become what God wants you to be.  Getting advice and counsel from people is wise.  The wisest man to ever live wrote a lot about getting counsel.
  • We must be careful that we do not base ministry direction on the criticism of people.  We must do what God calls us to do.  It is HIS church, not the critics. (That does not discount wise counsel, but wise counsel does NOT come from someone who constantly criticizes, no matter how much they may give or how much influence they may have.)
  • At the end of the day, we have to answer for our obedience to God’s plan for our life, not the critics plan and not the plan of the person who constantly praises us.

Disturbing…

October 17, 2009 in change, church philosophy and methods, the church with 0 Comments

All I know is that I get sick of hearing and seeing stuff like this.  I wish I could apologize to the community this church is located in…

Comments?

Catalyst Take-Aways #4

October 16, 2009 in change, church philosophy and methods, Conference, leadership, the church with 0 Comments

Ctlyst

Take-away #4 from Chuck Swindoll

“Tradition is the living faith of those dead passed down.  Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living.”

(Yes, another one from Chuck Swindoll!  I have one more from him, as he is such a well of wisdom!)

My thoughts:

  • I think too many people buck tradition because it is tradition and no other reason.  I used to work for a pastor that said,  “tradition is good, if it is good tradition.”
  • I also think too many people hold on to tradition just because it is tradition.  Not all tradition is good.  Just because it was done does not mean it should still be done.
  • When your focus is on Jesus, and helping people take steps towards Jesus, you will hold on to some tradition.  Even if you are a progressive, contemporary church, you will still have some tradition, and you will create your own tradition.  That is not a bad thing.
  • The difference between tradition and traditionalism is where it lies in your worship.
  • Tradition is good when it is used as part of your worship.  Traditionalism is taking tradition and making it the object of your worship.
  • Is does not matter if you use hymns or contemporary music, whether you dress in a suit and tie or wear blue jeans; both extremes can be a focus of traditionalism.
  • The key: Keep your eyes on Jesus and be who God called you to be.  Realize that there are differences.  Learn to celebrate the differences and be glad that those differences allow us to reach different people. And remember, God is the focus of our worship.
  • Use tradition to worship Him, but do not let it become the focus or our worship and turn in to traditionalism.

Catalyst Take-Aways #3

October 15, 2009 in change, church philosophy and methods, commitment and surrender, Conference, leadership with 0 Comments

Ctlyst

Take-away #3 from Chuck Swindoll

“When God wants to do an impossible task, He takes an impossible person and crushes them. Leave room in your life for the crushing”

  • If this is true, then I should welcome the valleys and struggles in my life as opportunities for spiritual growth.
  • It is easy to plan everything so well that we forget to include God and His plan in things. We plan for all kinds of success, but very rarely plan for tough times.  They will come!
  • With this take-away in mind, Chuck also said, “Brokenness and failure are necessary.”  That hurts to hear.  That is not what I want. It is not really what anyone wants.  But we grow more in the hard times than we do the good times.  The good times show us how good we can be.  The times of brokenness allow us to see how good God can be.
  • This also reminds us that God’s way is better than our way.  Our way would be easy, God’s way is never always easy, and often causes great pain.
  • Chuck also said, “It is painful to obey.  You will be giving up your way for the cross.” Man, that is tough to hear, and harder to practice!
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