Hands up

On Saturday night we had the return of our Saturday night services.  I really missed that time.  It is different than a Sunday morning.  Not better or worse—just different.  There were quite a few young people in the group.  I asked a question, “How many of you want to EVENTUALLY get married?”  Almost every hand went up.  I followed up the question with another…”If I told you that getting a handle on ONE area of your life would increase the percentages of you staying married through at least the first 7 years by 90%—-how many of you would want to conquer that area NOW?”  Again, hands went up.

 

On Sunday morning I changed the question, “How many of you know someone that has had huge adversity in their life due to a lack of control in their personal finances?”  Guess what?  Every hand was up.

 

Dave Ramsey has been bringing us fantastic teaching the area of finance.  You know what excites me most about this series?  Not the knowledge but the application.  If we, as believers, begin to apply what we are being taught then our ability to bless our community will GREATLY increase.  I can’t wait to see what this next week holds.

Gabe’s Day

Today is Gabriel’s birthday.  He is turning 7.  We had such a fun conversation at the breakfast table.  We were remembering stories of how he and Ian were so different.  God has great plans for both of my boys.  My prayer is that they will be two boys who will grow into some of the greatest men of God of their generation.  Men who will follow God even when the cost is high.  Men who are quick to love—quick to give—quick to laugh—quick to protect those who need protected—quick to fight the good fight…men who love beauty and righteousness.  They are both GREAT guys.   In ways they are as different as two people could be…in other ways they are as close as brothers could be.

Who is Gabe?

Gabriel is a boy who loves people.  His idea of a great birthday outing was to go to McDonalds and go bowling.  I promise that one didn’t come from me.  Gabe would rather roll around in the floor and wrestle with dad than watch tv.

Gabe is sensitive—he doesn’t like when people aren’t getting along.  Gabriel is a boy who will watch the animal planet with Ian and get angry with the way that people treat each other and animals.    He works to be a peacemaker.  I can truly say that Gabriel works to do the right thing.

Gabriel is smart—he loves to read, examine, and learn.  He loves art.  Our family is not going to go out and buy lots of presents this year.  We are going to give more than that.  We are going to give our presence.  We are going to make presents together.  His artistic side is on overdrive.  He is so excited about being together and lovingly creating gifts for each other.

Gabe is on loan to me.  Like Ian, he belongs to God.  I’m crazy blessed that God gave me the wife and kids that He did.  I know that it’s my job to teach Him the way he should go.  Often times, it is Gabriel who is teaching me.  Happy Birthday Gabe!

How do you know when it’s GOD?

There are some really exciting things happing at Emmanuel.  I’m having some of the best conversations that a pastor can have.  People are talking to me about topics like moving to another state to be equipped for ministry, starting new outreaches from a small group by using sports, starting new outreaches that focus on specific generations, going overseas on mission, starting a God-focused new business, and even starting a church.  These are the conversations that make all pastors giddy.  Yes, I do sit in my office doing a little jig after I have had the opportunity to see God working in the lives of His people.

Wait.  What?  GOD working in lives?  How do we KNOW that it is God working in the pits of our stomach and not just last night’s frito chili pie?  I’m sure you have asked the question.  I ask it a billion times a day.  Is this idea for a sermon series something that will simply get butts in the seats or is it a message that He is giving?  Is He telling us to go here or there for missions?  Do I respond to this or that situation with firmness or an outpouring of grace?

Then is the really big question—does God really care?  I don’t mean does He care about us.  Does it matter to God where I eat for lunch?  Is He open to me preaching anything I want on a Sunday as long as I throw Jesus into the mix?  You see the implications….yes?  Either God has a plan for you, your family, your money, your time, your present, and your future—-or He is more hands off and lets you just figure it all out on your own.  How are you supposed to know the difference between what He may or may not be telling you and gas pains?

I want to, briefly, tackle this one.  I’ll show my true colors by breaking out a few points:

1. God IS calling you.  The question you should ask is—to what?  Jeremiah 1:4-5 – the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  You are uniquely and wonderfully made.  You are so different than anyone else.  You have gifts, talents, preferences—you are different.  Did you really think that was JUST for being the “strange” one around your family and friends?  He has a calling for you.  It is something that you were formed and created for.  The fun is figuring out where that place is.
2. LISTEN!  Don’t be prideful and think that you have a burden to figure it all out on your own.  Did you read the first part above?  People LOVE to be part of this journey WITH you.  It isn’t a burden.  Proverbs 15:22 “Plans fail for lack of counsel but with many advisers they succeed.”  If you feel that God may be moving and speaking—then start to find wise guys around you.  Not the mafia types…rather, those that you have seen evidence of their own faithfulness in the journey.  While you are listening (Be still and know that I am God) do NOT discount the Holy Spirit.  I’m not sure why we baptist have such a hard time with Him. We either don’t want to talk about the Spirit or we want to debate about who He isn’t.  If that made no sense to you — the point is to ask…seek….knock….ask…seek…knock.  Then you be still and listen.
3. You got to move it move it!  Yep, I was singing in my best Madagascar voice just then.  Consider this scenario: Ian REALLY wants to go ride his bike with friends.  I tell him to go for it.  He then knocks on my office door to ask again.  I smile and say, “Ride like the wind, son.”  He follows me outside and continues to plead to ride his bike.  The story is already getting old isn’t it?  The point is this—STOP SCREWING AROUND.  QUIT playing a church game.  There are no paradigms that God MUST play within—why do you think that the plans He has for you MUST fit into what He has done for the past 45 years?  Dang—that isn’t even a good litmus test of what Christianity is about.  We have 2000 years of tradition…not 50.  When God moves in your heart it then becomes your responsibility to move with a reckless abandon.  You don’t need to worry about the voice of the crowd, the danger, or cost.

If the creator of universe—who is so personal He knows the number of hairs on your head—-if He has blessed you with a passion or a burden…if He has challenged you, stirred within you, commanded you, urged you, whispered to you, shaken you, breathed into you—-then celebrate and intersect the lives around you to the glory of God.  Do, whatever it is, to His glory.

Haunting…

I know that Halloween is over.  I didn’t talk about thoughts that haunt a pastor.  More specifically I didn’t talk about what really haunts me.  This post is probably meant more for me to be able to release some of this from my mind and less to try to inspire, challenge, or lead those that read it.

I’m getting ready to head to a finance meeting.  No, that is not what haunts me.  We will be talking about the 2010 budget.  For the first time I will release some of the long range plans.  I am faced with reality.  Where are our dollars spent?  Where are we planning on spending them?  We have already concluded that there are MASSES around us that are unchurched.  In 2005 there were 28,000 people within 7 miles.  That number has only gone up since 2005.

It haunts me to say this—but we are NOT currently at a place where we are willing to do WHATEVER it takes to reach the lost with the gospel.  We ARE willing to make some efforts as long as we can keep it as close as possible to the way we like it.  I know it doesn’t sound nice.  I promise there isn’t a mean spirit to this.  Think about it like this—-if we REALLY believed our task was to share the gospel—-no matter what the cost…..would a pastor EVER need to talk about the tithe?  Would we blink if asked to get rid of pews/chairs and put in couches?  Would we EVER EVER EVER say “I don’t like it like that?”  Would we try to figure out ways to use less of the budget on the saved and more on those that need desperately to hear truth?

I don’t think I have ever ached for Wagoner County like I have today.  I look at the plans for this next year and, sadly, I feel they are shooting too low.  I don’t feel worthy to be given this task.  It’s overwhelming.  Have you ever felt like “I didn’t ask for this task?”  I admit—I would love to raise my hand or tag someone else to be it.

Haunting—what if I wasn’t faithful?   What if we all just checked it in?  No, of course we can’t do that.  We DO have a task.  We haven’t arrived.  We ARE on a journey.  The love of God is blowing through this place.  There are going to be love encounters from Him this week.  Lives are going to be touched and eternity changed because of faithfulness.  We ARE going to be known by what we are for.  He is making Himself known to all the people—including those of Wagoner County.