serve love pray

in transition...

2011-07-31T05:25:00.000-07:00

don't know if anyone actually views this blog anymore :( but for those of you who may not know, our family will be leaving the 6th Avenue Congregation to serve the Church throughout the Middle East.

Until then, we continue ministering with this amazing fellowship:

- Sundays, 10 am Worship Venue

- Wednesdays, (resuming August 17) $1 Dinner, UpTown kids, and Underground teens

6th Avenue will continue to Touch the World for Christ (in addition to our family, 5 young adults are pursuing a call to international Church service). they will continue to bless their local community. they will be doing it with the same values, just with new leadership. the "reigns" of this blog will be turned over appropriately for their consideration on how to best use this tool in the future.

For more on the Oldham family and their new ministry assignment, which should begin soon, follow their progress at this blog...

oldham-servant

6th AveNEW

2010-01-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

What's New at 6th...

we're well underway into 2010--we had a wonderful holiday season and we're continuing our focus on the Gospel of Matthew. we had been participating in the annual Christ Birthday Observance theme (as set by our national women's organization) entitled "Follow the Star." we used the beginning chapters of Matthew's Gospel to direct our Sunday Morning message series, and now, we're continuing there through Easter (which will be April 4).

we're looking at the Gospel a little differently than before -- Matthew records many of the questions asked by Jesus, as well as questions that were asked of Jesus, as evoked by his teaching and ministry. many of these questions begin with "Why," and so, we're looking at the texts to understand not only the answer, but what prompted the question.

and, during our Sunday morning worship services, we will be continuing to practice community prayer through new patterns or exercises. at 6th Avenue, we learn a different method or pattern of prayer each month to help us grow in the practice, peace, and power of prayer, individually and together as a Church. this first month of 2010, we're doing a series of prayers called, "New Year, New..." prayers:

New Year…New Hopes – and we’ll commit our hopes, our goals, our resolutions to prayer—asking God to bless our hopes; remember, “now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work in us” (Ephesians 3:20). pray with confidence: what is your hope for 2010?
New Year…New Risks – A better year may involve risks—let’s ask God to prepare us to risk change(s) for improvement. As we pray, we’ll ask God, in the spirit of the serenity prayer, to “grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
New Year…New Friends – The Gospel is best spread relationally, from friend to friend; so, we need to be continually open to beginning new friendships. There may be someone near you, or who will be, in this next year that you don’t yet know very well. Pray to be open and ready to share the love of God with a new friend in 2010.
New Year…New Growth – We want to pray along this theme in three areas: 1) in personal growth – how do you want to grow in your faith relationship with God? 2) in growth as a Church family – how can we better experience and express love toward one another at 6th Avenue? And 3) growth in number – how can we better invite and include others into our Church family?
New Year…New Missions; to that end, Julie N. will share about her recent trip to Trinidad where she visited the West Indies Theological College, where she may attend in preparation to follow God's calling to foreign missions. Zach, who is still waiting and praying through the process of going to serve the Lord in England, will share how we can all take up the mission of prayer and practical encouragement to imprisoned Christians around the world. AND, we’ll have the Lopez Family as special guests with us--they had been serving one of our sister churches in Falkville as youth pastors until recently; they’ve now resigned and are preparing to follow the Lord’s call on their lives as foreign missionaries. as we hear these testimonies, we will also pray for them, and be able to better pray for ourselves in pursuit of the mission(s) God would have us pursue in 2010.

Sunday nights, we're still taking questions that are raised by our own study and journey in our open Q&A times, as well as the questions that go with or come out of our discussion times. the discussion series for Sleepyheads is from Matthew 5-6-7, what is typically referred to as the Sermon on the Mount.

and, we're looking at creating greater community among our children, youth and adults through a new Wednesday Night format that will precede Kids Club, Underground and Adult Bible Study.

2010 is going to be a great year--we're off to a good start with great plans--we hope you'll be able to participate with us as we continually seek to "Glorify God by Touching the World for Christ," as we "serve love pray."

2009 Christmas Wish List

2009-11-24T15:14:00.000-08:00

some ideas for your gift giving and wish list consideration...

first, let me begin by saying that i distinguish between a wish and a prayer -- a wish is merely a hope that may be frivolous that i'd like someone to surprise me with; on the other hand, in prayer, i release my hope for God to fulfill.

this Christmas, i pray for peace for my friends ministering in the Philippines after all the rain and tsunami's they've incurred. i pray for health for Ms Jane, and Sarah, and Ken W, and so many others who've seen difficulty and scares increase within their current health. i pray for greater ability and resources to fulfill our mission to Touch the World for Christ--like a jet :) - but that could also be a wish, so it's in the box, too.

as for wishes, here's a few recommendations for you in giving or in seeking to receive:

the ESV Study Bible - i believe Andrew (our Worship leader) got one of these early, but it looks like it has great reference and study helps for really getting into the Scripture, along with a translation that is a nice mix of the literal and thematic
Bill Hybel's 2007 release of Holy Discontent was a great read for our staff in recent weeks -- it's great for anyone who in their desire for following Christ may feel that they're missing something. and, at $1.99 at Christianbook.com, it'll make a great stocking stuffer :)
Donald Miller's book Blue Like Jazz is growing in popularity as a new classic. His wit and honesty are refreshing as he confesses his way into leading the reader to re-think faith in Christ and the application of His teachings in our complicated world--i've found it to be widely appreciated by those young adults who are struggling with their faith or the current "traditional" church
Donald Miller's latest book A Million Miles In A Thousand Years is what Keli and i are currently reading--it begins slow, and random, and suddenly builds with reflective confessions of what it means to live a "good story" according to the design of the "author and perfector of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).

as for me, i have all the above, but there are a couple of reads i've been hoping to get to...

Made to Stick by Chip Heath looks like it will be helpful for developing and articulating vision and strategy
and i find Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell increasingly quoted by different leaders

i know, that's a pretty boring wish list -- no video games or gadgets, nothing that requires batteries (outside of the airliner), no mind numbing entertainment.

but, look on the bright side: no calories, no worry of breaking, no confusing instructions for assembly, you don't have to worry if it fits, and you won't even have to fight the Black Friday mobs if you buy online.

no matter what your Christmas wish or prayer, may you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, a blessed Christmas, and a faith-filled New Year!

God's Agents of Renewal

2009-08-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

every fall since becoming the pastor at 6th Avenue, i've shared messages as a part of an Old Testament series. we've studied:

Nehemiah
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
Joseph
Moses and the Exodus
Joshua

this fall, we're continuing from that previous progression into the book of Judges. the Judges arrived individually throughout Israel's history with the same annointing or purpose: to lead Israel back to God.

Israel had this up and down spiritual, and resulting national, history. at one time they're all following after God with all their heart, keeping His law for living well in community together--then, before you know it, they're all chasing after idols and pursuing the very things that were contrary to God's law.

enter the Judge--divinely raised up by God to bring the heart of God's people back to an awareness and submission to God's will. some were willing, others needed time to accept that role.

the point was, without that Judge, it wasn't long before the people settled back into selfish and shameful practices.

we are so like Israel...

left to ourselves, we settle into selfish, even shameful practices. we need leadership--His divinely appointed leadership within our lives.

enter the Spirit--Jesus says to his disciples, "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you...But when he comes, He will guide you into all truth." ( from John 16:7, 13). The Spirit is given by our Savior to continue to be God's divine and guiding presence in our lives so we will not fall back into selfish practices, but continue in knowing and following God's will.

the Judges were people, filled with their own imperfections and faults--yet the Spirit of God is perfect, ever-present, able to intercede, as well as intervene in our behalf so that we are truly "blessed in the heavenly realms with every Spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).

we invite you to join us any Sunday morning (9:30) this fall for our journey into understanding and applying the lessons of the Judges--for more information, visit us on the web at Visit6th.com

Favorite Psalms

2009-06-20T16:49:00.001-07:00

note: the blog posts here now correspond with our church's website Visit6th.com and the polls or events which are highlighted there. in this way, we hope to gain a better interaction between the user and the site, .

So, What's Your Favorite Psalm?

With a 150 to choose from, that's a difficult multiple choice question--i'm guessing the answer "other" will gain the most votes! Psalms were songs, though we're not certain of all their melodies or different instrumental parts, they were likely originally written to be sung and heard. in the current context, we may ask, "what's on your ipod?" or, "what song is stuck in your head?"

the Psalms are among the favorite books of the Bible, and a collection of some the Hebrew people's favorite songs for worship, celebration, inspiration, and instruction. the book of Psalms may be likened to a church's hymn book. their lyrical value has been admired from beyond the religious context and are often quoted and remembered in the best and worst of times.

as we began a series of messages on this topic, it's given me time to reflect on quite a few in preparation for messages & related discussions. in such preparations, i've had a lot of inspiration and challenge from 2 in particular--Psalm 22 and Psalm 23.

Psalm 22 is the one Jesus began to quote from the cross--the perfect place to start our series after Easter. given the excruciating nature of the crucifixion, it's possible that the entire Psalm may have been "playing" through the mind of our Savior--encouraging him to finish the redemption task for which He had been sent. the prophetic references are amazing in their own right, but contemplating how the emotion and inspiration may have aided our Savior on our behalf is truly awe-some.

Psalm 23 is perhaps the most quoted, beloved, and recognizable Psalm. it's often used in the context of comfort in times of challenge or grief (like in funerals). however, in my recent contemplation in preparation for a message on Psalm 23, i considered the source of it's inspiration--David's days as a Shepherd. that is, the days in David's job, his 9-5, his mundane routine. could it be that history's most comforting song grew out of one's work experience? as we contemplate the value the Scriptures place on work, and God's continuing presence with us (even at work), perhaps God has something truly comforting and encouraging for us within our own work context. perhaps, God has an enduring song that can transcend our 9-5 routine--and even bring hope to others

so, what's your favorite Psalm? we've explored several Psalms from Books I & II (that is, through Psalm 72) in our Sunday morning worship at 6th Avenue. this series (which began with Psalm 22 on April 19 and will continue through the end of July), obviously, won't be able to cover them all during this time, but we'll cover quite a few more.

we encourage you to join us each Sunday morning at 9:30 am as we discuss these psalms--you can also listen online at our website's "listen" page as the messages are uploaded. and consider taking time this summer to reload the "Psalms playlist" by reading one per day, and meditating on each one. leave your comments, thoughts, and questions from your readings here for others to read, be inspired, or to share answers from their experiences and studies.

as always, in all things, let us continue to serve, love, and pray to bring God glory...

nearly home...

2009-06-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

Keli, the kids, Cheryl, and Zach are all home safe and sound...and me, well...i stayed behind from our final leg home. we flew from Manchester to JFK just fine. getting through customs in New York was a little difficult--not for us--but for a guy who tried to bully his way through security, resulting in shutting down an area that our flight and 4 other international flights needed to access. so, we were re-routed back up through ticketing and through security, and to our gate, with just a few moments to spare before loading up for Cincinnati.

into Cincy was no problem (i think we taxied at JFK for as long as the flight was). once we found our gate, we heard "we need a volunteer for the Huntsville flight to take a flight tomorrow" -- having just heard a wonderful testimony of how such a moment prepared the way for a divine moment for Jim Lyon, we investigated. though it would have been nice to be home, i stayed behind with perks from Delta to allow me the opportunity for a future flight and a few extra skymiles.

knowing now that the family has made it safely. i too can call it a night and get some rest before the adventure re-begins tomorrow morning. sometime this week, i'll be posting some further updates, as well as some pictures, and a review of Chad Davenport's sharing with our church on Wednesday, June 3 about the Westside Christian Fellowship in Auckland, New Zealand.

worship, unity, and mission

2009-06-01T00:18:00.001-07:00

updating my previous Sunday update...We had a wonderful time of worship with our brothers and sisters at Egan Road. Pastor John began with reflections on this Pentecost Sunday, and led us in a few hymns and chouses highlighting the wonderful gift and person of the holy Spirit. Pastor John Larmar, who previously pastured the congregation, as did his father before him, led us in a Scripture meditation followed by prayer. Pastor Larmar has an amazingly sweet and tender spirit about him that just exudes peace.

I shared a message of encouragement for the congregation from Ephesians 3:14-21, Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians. We made it our prayer for Egan Road: 1) to Know Christ by faith and Grown in Him by the Spirit; 2) to experience and express His love fully; and 3) the blessing to dream.

The real encouragement is within that 3^rd element in the wonderful blessing of imagination—and that the Lord must be a bigger dreamer than we are—He doesn’t want any to perish, but all to come to life through His Son. It’s okay to dream, to hope for bigger and greater things, and to set our hearts and efforts to prepare the soil, plant the seeds, and providing the necessary water and Son necessary for growth—and in time, as we are faithful in His faithfulness, we will see a harvest (Galatians 6:9).

Sister Linda prepared a wonderful roast lamb and plum tart pudding (dessert) that filled us after a wonderful morning—a brief afternoon rest for most of us, but Cheryl and Linda took the boys to a local fair where they could see some local farm animals.

Sunday evening, 4 other congregations came to worship together at Egan Road--4 other congregations from across the Wirral area. 2 were different Baptist churches, 1 was a Chinese church (including Missionaries Daniel & Hannah Ng), and a 4th congregation. now, you'd expect quite a crowd for 5 churches meeting in one place--and they thought it was a lot of people and good to get that many together, even better than expected. i estimate about 65 were in attendance. it was just another indicator of how church attendance is declining in the UK.

Daniel Ng attended Emmanuel Bible College in the area with Pastor John years ago--though he previously pastored a Chinese church in Liverpool, he now spends his time in UK raising funds and awareness for continued trips into mainland China to encourage and share with the underground church. he is able to do this as a Hong Kong native, and as a marriage counselor--he shared with me that divorce and separation rates are extremely high and of great concern to Communist China, so he has access through his workshops. the information and inspiration he shared with us all in about 30 minutes was great--i'm going to be looking into more of what he shared, and be sure to share with others what the Lord is doing in China.

i spoke a message on Ascension to Revelation--reading from Acts 1 and Revelation 7, i shared the realization that the promise of the Holy Spirit was given to 1 small group of 1 small, insignificant nation--a group that most likely only spoke 1 language and had never likely been out of their own country. yet, from these who received and obeyed, the Gospel has extended into nearly every nation, tribe, and tongue. i also shared the application that it's our turn to come together for mission and to continue that work. i concluded with my own motivation, to be a disciple who comes back full of joy, and in turn fills Jesus with Joy (as the 72 did in Luke 10).

the message was well received, as was the singing and the fellowship afterwards. we all talked with more of our new English friends who said they loved our accents!

through this day, talks between Zach and John continued--continuing from conversations we've had over the years and through the convention, and through the week together. talks that i cannot rightly share here--that's Zach's story to Tell.

but let's just say this: the Lord is working in our continuing partnership--and we've much great work to do together for the Lord!

off to the airport -- pray for our safe return -- more updates and concluding thoughts to follow!

one last Saturday together...

2009-05-31T23:59:00.000-07:00

a Saturday in Chester was the recipe for inspiration and time together...Chester is located about 30 miles to the southeast of Birkenhead. originally founded as Dewa, a Roman outpost, more than a thousand years ago. the city wall nearly remains in tact after these thousand years, still surrounding about 3/4 of the original city. perhaps most famously known for the Rows, these Tudor style, 2 story shopping area is perhaps the birth of the modern mall as the variety of shops provide a galleria up and down several streets

what's great about this outdoor shoppers paradise is the artistry of the old colliding with the new--within the ancient walls that tourists can still walk upon, there's Gap, Starbucks, Apple, along with hundreds of quaint and posh British retailers. after the Town Crier gives the days announcements, commentary and comedy, the air is filled with the sounds of musicians performing throughout the city, as well as a variety of Christian groups proclaiming the Gospel, songs, or prayers

at the cities heart is the Chester Cathedral, dating back nearly a thousand years as well--Zach took some pictures of original walls that have been added to through the centuries. The Cathedral is a very active parish ministry with an emphasis on the arts, mission, and sanctuary worship.

we stopped into the bookstore to pick up a gift for our hosts, and then sat down in the Refectory that has been refurbished as a grand cafe to ''nourish the body and soul''. i had not previously been in this room, but was deeply inspired from the moment i walked in. here in this amazingly beautiful, ancient hall previously used for education and chapel services was now a modern food service area that still ministered to the spirit ever so uniquely. above you as you enter the room is a large tapestry, easily 10feet by 20feet, originally created for the Sistine Chapel in the 1500's, moved to Chester in the 1700's -- above that is a recently commissioned stained glass called ''Creation'' to commemorate the dawn of the 3rd millenium. as in the grand sanctuary, ever so discreetly along the walls, wiring had been added to provide lighting, sound system needs, etc.

so many other wonderful and inspiring sites within this one room--but i was reminded again, as i was upon the first visit, how we would rather create a monument to the past in such a place, rather than allow it to be changed as a vehicle for present and future ministry. Chester Cathedral continues to minister effectively today because it remains a movement of ongoing ministry, willing to change and be recreated for continuing needs and creating opportunity.

Wonderful Wales

2009-05-31T16:45:00.000-07:00

due south of the Wirral is Wales...the southwest corner of the United Kingdom--a land full of beautiful and majestic countryside, breathtaking views, quaint towns, and a lot of sheep! we took the road trip with Pastor John, Linda, Janet, Terri & Audrey--Pastor John and Janet are both at home in Wales as they are indeed Welsh.

2 years ago, John took us on a similar journey, but extended it this oast Sunday--and what a wonderul day--my first day in England where i desired sunglasses and bathing suit! so hot and sunny i forgot that i was in the UK

we began with a brief break at Bala lake--a nice ''photy'' (picture opportunity) as Linda would say. we then continued due south (2 years ago, we went inward to the west to Mt. Snowden) down to a panaromic view where a river emptied into the sea below us

i'll insert the names of these locations later :) -- the Welsh don't skimp on their use of letters, especially consonants which can double in all sorts of tricky pronunciations.

after lunch at that majestic point, we continued around the coast to H______ castle along the sea--we were so hot that we had to put our feet in and wade a bit, as well as looking for rocks and shells.

from their, we moved along the coast to yet another town and Cricketh castle (time for ice cream for the kids and tea for the adults) -- on from their to Caernaervon, the largest of the castles. we skipped Beaumaris castle as it was getting late in the evening and we were eager for our tea (dinner). but we had to stop in Conwy and take a walk on the Town Wall that wrapped around this beautiful town leading up to the majestic castle.

we soon stopped at a wonderful fish & chip restaurant for a late tea--but once overly filled, had to make our way to the Promenade--a very wide boardwalk type area along the east coast of the town of Londonier (?). as we watched the sun set we took more photies, collected more rocks, and refelcted on a marvelous day

my reflections began to consider this area of Wales--then of Northern Ireland, and Scotland, too. it's like whole states where we don't have a church work, along with declining church influence.

especially Wales, so close to the Wirral. once the site of the historic Welsh Revival, leaving a chapel in every community--unfortunately now, few active chapels remain.

surely, something can be done--surely, in the States, we would do something. why can't we? what if?

(pictures to come...)

concluding the UK convention...

2009-05-28T17:01:00.000-07:00

i didn't realize that i hadn't updated on the conclusion of the conference...the Sunday night with youth emphasis service was great--all the youth (children-teens) led us in songs, prayers, skits, dance and more -- Grace began the evening with a wonderful prayer (i got it on video and hope to post soon!) Pastor Jim continued to challenge the churches on the theme for the weekend, getting into his own history as an adopted son.

Monday morning, we quickly ate breakfast, packed and loaded up. we then hurried through a mens, WCG, and youth meeting prior to our last session. it was good to see the number of men in the session improve since last year. Keli shared as a part of the WCG meeting. Pastor Jim ended a wonderful weekend of challenge and inspiration, and we were off to one last meal together (we did A LOT of eating) -- then it was a long series of goodbyes to all our London friends

our record of this event won't be the only record -- we were thrilled to watch Pastor Jim and his son Andrew recording several of the participants for the CBH Viewpoint program. this broadcast is heard all over the world and streamed on the internet--these particular recordings will be heard beginning in July. among the interviews and subjects, me and the unique 6th Avenue mission and vision of Touching the World for Christ through global partnerships. i'm sure we'll put a link from our website when it comes up!

the journey to Birkenhead was not too difficult--of course, most of us slept most of the way. upon our arrival, we ordered tea (dinner) in -- Chinese, of course ;) it appears that sweet and sour chicken is a universal treat after a long drive.

from the west coast...

2009-05-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

things have been great and busy since our arrival to Birkenhead...we arrived on Monday evening, May 25 at the Manse (parsonage) where nearly all of us are staying with Pastor John and Linda -- Cheryl is staying around the corner at Linda's best friend's home (Audrey's).

we're being spoiled rotten--can't hardly lift a finger to do anything, and we can't buy anything so far either--Linda won't let us! they're beginning to plan to come and stay with us for a week next year in Alabama so turn about will be fair play!

Tuesday, we were taken up to the Lake District, specifically to Conniston on Lake Windemere -- just a beautiful area. more importantly, we were able to meet and spend some time with John & Linda's oldest Son Garreth, his wife Emma, and their two boys Noah and Isaac. Emma is the manager for the Sycamore Project's Christian Pub called Zac's (think Zacheaus) -- Garreth works there through the week helping a variety of different youth projects and needs. i've wanted to meet them for awhile so it was a delight to stop in on the way and talk with them--Emma is an amazing artist too with a home filled with wonderful photo's of her family and a few beautiful paintings. Garreth invited us back through for tea (dinner) -- and we took them up on it :) two types of wonderful lasagna and loads of laughter were a great end to the day.

yesterday, rain carried through the morning--Cheryl went to the WCG lunch club while Keli and the boys waited out the rain, giving her a chance to do some work. later, Keli and the boys went to a nearby park that actually has a view of the Liverpool skyline on the horizon. Zach and i walked through the town to the temporary home of Thompson's Mission to see Pastor John serving a few of the homeless men in the area.

last night, we took the boys to kids club where they had some good interaction with some English children--Grace came later for the youth meeting with Zach and i playing ping pong, billiards for an hour together after a great lesson.

today, i rested in the morning from all our coming and going. but Keli, Cheryl, Linda, Terry & Audrey took the boys to New Brighton--a retro beach area that reminded me of pictures of Coney Island. the boys loved the beach and the waves --no swimming, much too cold.

after some lunch, we hopped on the bus and over to Liverpool where John & Linda spoiled the boys and Grace at the ''home of world football'' (soccer) -- Anfield, home of the Liverpool Football Club. i didn't realize it on our last trip, but the club's biggest rival is in the same town (Everton Football Club--Pastor John wouldn't dare speak their name!) you can actually see their equally huge stadium across the park from Anfield! we also took a walk along the pier and near one of the more recognizable buildings, the Royal Liver (the two Liver Birds, like Griffins, are like a mascot to the city).

this evening, we gathered in a small room of the church and had prayer meeting. John led a song on the guitar, i shared a devotion, we prayed for the better part of the hour, and then we concluded with a hymn. it was a nice time together reminding us of the verse, ''my house will be a house of prayer for all nations''

so, tomorrow, we're off down into Wales for a day trip with Pastor John, Linda, Audrey and her husband Terry, and Janet. it will be a great opportunity to talk, encourage, and share together.

i'll work at getting some pictures here in the next couple nights. continue to pray for us (the Lord is hearing your prayers, blessing us abundantly, protecting and providing wonderfully for us--even down to the weather!)

Sunday morning worship and conferences...

2009-05-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

last year, Zach and i led a conference together...this year, we were each in charge of different conferences. Zach, caught by surprise, led the youth conference when the planned presenters were unable to be here. as i understand it, his leadership was great as different youth told me of their response and the responses of others.

i was asked to lead a conference on "winning through testimony," which was perfect, because i only teach evangelism by relationship and testimony. my participants represented a variety of backgrounds, ages, and church experiences -- but they all participated well and were encouraged through the process of learning to share their testimonies together.

now we're about to begin the feedback sessions. these conferences were not random subjects, but chosen that the participants may bring back to the national church action points that could be applied by the individual and larger church ministries in the UK. i find this to be unique--every conference that i've attended were usually for the benefit of the participants, with application points for the individual, not the larger group. but here, the group is eager to learn from one another and to figure out how to hold each other accountable to applying the lessons they heard.

as i finish this post, i'm aware that worship home at 6th Avenue is nearing a conclusion. i've prayed that Jacob and James' leadership and sharing were inspirational and encouraging to the gathering congregation.

here, earlier this morning, the worship was full and the time together was great. the choir shared another great song (Keli took some video last night and today--this post includes video from the Saturday night service). Pastor Lyon shared another great message, challenging us to help the blind to see--using the amazing story of Helen Keller (referencing Alabama in the process). once again, all were equipped and inspired to take the word of the Lord forward into our own communities and relationships.

i'll write more later based on our evening services--continue to keep us in prayer...

Saturday evening at the UK Convention

2009-05-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

what a wonderful time of worship we shared...the choir from Tottenham blessed us with an enthusiastic song, after the congregation warmed them up with great joy in praise, then Pastor Jim shared a powerful word and several related testimonies with us.

we are a part of celebrating 20 years of national conventions here in the UK. what a great time to continue our desire for partnership and cementing our relationships as being involved with the churches here to Advance the Kingdom throughout the UK and into Europe and beyond. the gathering wonderfully received greeting from 6th Avenue and cheered when i shared we also now will begin contributing to their national ministries budget. as i shared, we may not be a large congregation, but we have a large Mission & Vision. they have sincerely accepted our willingness to be in partnership and some are eagerly planning to visit us in Alabama as soon as next year.

then Zach shared a powerful testimony of what God is teaching him through all of this in the midst of his call. all were so glad to see and welcome Zach back to the UK--there may be a ministry here for him, yet ;)

i have to brag on how well the group is doing, not huddling together but reaching out in new conversations and experiences. even our kids are behaving :) and politely engaging in our conversations, kisses, and hugs with the saints.

Pastor Jim shared again from Isaiah 61/Luke 4 -- tonight on "preaching and proclaiming." all were inspired, challenged, convicted, and made aware of the divine responsibility we all have to carry the Good News, by the power of the Holy Spirit, beyond ourselves to our neighbors, neighborhoods, and the world. a great message for the Church at large, but truly timely in light of the meetings earlier today.

also, completely in line with the book i'm reading and processing on this trip -- The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch (sp?) -- perfectly what i need to complement what the Spirit is saying within my understanding and in our own stages of leadership at 6th Avenue and in partnerships around the world.

oh well, it's getting even later again--time to begin thinking of bed! i'll have more to share after a busy Sunday tomorrow, complete with a grand worship & communion service, workshops (i'm leading one on evangelism), an evening service, and so much more!

continue to keep us in prayer as we serve encouragement; love with our presence and not just words; and pray with and for the work of the Lord within and through our brothers and sisters here in the UK.

church meetings

2009-05-23T09:02:00.001-07:00

church meetings are universal--as surely as we gather for worship, there seems to also be a need to gather for business...and the Church in the UK is not different there. so today, i've sat in on much of their "general assembly" meetings with all 5 churches represented (there were only 4 at the time of my last visit, so the addition of the church at Kennington is good news).

and, like our church meetings in the states, there seems to be a continual question of purpose--not just for the meetings, but of the convention, and as a the larger church--what is our purpose? what are we here for? how often then should we meet? why do we need to meet again?

now, to the credit of the Church here in the UK, their meetings were much more mission and outreach focused: questioning the fruit of each congregations activity over the past year and whether or not they had anything to share for the benefit of the others, or any need for which they need help. Sister Theresa asked of my impressions--i told her that we never had individual church reports in our regional meetings, nor did we (and i doubt we would) feel comfortable offering correction, direction, and challenge from the larger Church to our individual congregations! not that this is bad--for there exists a much more family connection between these churches as they have historically birthed, rejoiced, prayed for, and mourned for one another over these past several years.

as for the meetings of this type, and i would agree, the purpose of the convention is for retreat, revival, and advance -- that we retreat away from our regular routines and surroundings that we may have a time to be refreshed, revived, and if necessary to repent. in the course of such activity, it's not to remain in the retreat, but to prepare to advance back out onto individual local church fronts again to carry the Kingdom forward.

Pastor John gave a great and impassioned plea for the larger gathering not to forsake meeting together annually for this purpose. but, an agreement was made that though they should nor forsake the annual meeting, the expense of full retreat and conference center would be every other year--in the even years, they would all gather in London (where 4 of the churches exist). but what about that 5th church, the Birkenhead congregation nearly 6 hours away? well, the other 4 churches would give not to their own convention fees, but to give to support the attendees of that church to be with them by helping with their travel, lodging, and meal expense.

now that's care unprecedented in our Alabama context. we usually just dismiss the fact that many from our furthest churches just won't come because of distance and cost. i venture to say that not once has the thought even crossed any one of our individual minds to supplement someone who is further. no, we think, "it's good that i live close so i can get there easily--too bad they live so far away." how sad for us that we do not know such community that we would sacrifice for a distant brother or sister to have fellowship with us.

the Church does exist for mission--to express the Gospel tangibly through and beyond ourselves that all may be saved. and the Church here wrestled with that as they considered, what is our vision? who is responsible to receive it and pass it on to us? and how can we select that group and have them present the goals for us all to aim for? the discussions were important, and i believe this group is on their way to accomplish this task of articulating how their mission will be accomplished in the next few years.

why all these meetings? the work of the church is organized so all can contribute and all can advance the Kingdom in an agreeable manner--this is good, but the organization of the church should never trump the church as a living expression of the life, love, and purpose of Christ. Pastor Jim spoke to this in the introductory address earlier this morning, and we're eager to hear him continue on this and related topics tonight and through the weekend.

so, more to come...and, once i get the camera back :), i'll attach pictures to these posts...

good to be back in the UK

2009-05-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

we arrived at Heathrow airport safe and sound...with no problems through immigration, we were on to make our currency exchange. that's when we found the rate had jumped about 20 cents away from our favor. that may not sound like much, but it may have cost us a lot multiplied over the entire trip. but, no worries, off into the city...

we found our hotel in a nice part of down town London--even though we made arrangements with the hotel staff in advance to let our large group use only 2 rooms, this was apparently against fire codes. but since we had already paid, they willingly gave us a 45pound upgrade to one of the rooms to better accommodate us--that was quite the blessing.

we parted with our luggage and went on a quick tour of London--first to Big Ben, House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the Cavalry yard, Nelson's Monument and Trafalgar Square--back on the Tube and to the South Bank of the River Thames, where we walked up on the London eye and took in an evening view of all we had just seen. a walk back across the river and the Tube back to the hotel made for a quick, memorable and exhausting trip. just what we needed to get to sleep and get onto this new time zone's schedule.

there was so much more i wish we could have shown my family & Cheryl, but that will have to do for this trip. early this morning, Keli went walking to get me some Starbucks--we were able to sit together before i went out to get everyone doughnuts and pastries. everyone else slept till 9 am or later, local time--we took our time eating, repacking and getting ready for the trip back into London.

we were able to get on the Tube and up to north London without much trouble, just a lot of walking. we made our way to the Community (Tottenham) Church of God--sister Theresa saw us and informed us that we just missed the early groups going to the conference, but we knew we were to ride at 2:15. she informed us that the next group (due to a minibus breakdown) wouldn't be until around 4. so, we got lunch nearby and returned for a picnic lunch on the side of the church.

Pastor Mascall came by to let us in; helping him in the process as he needed to go get Pastor Jim Lyon--we could stay and let others arriving for the conference trip. while we waited, we were entertained by a family of foxes that came into the church's back courtyard. really quite amazing to see them so large and so close. the time also gave us the opportunity to meet and reacquaint with several members of the church.

Pastor Jim showed up eventually, and we were able to reacquaint with him [pray for the family of one of Pastor Jim's friends (Howard) who came for this convention, but now has to go back tomorrow as his father passed away this morning. the rest of Jim's group will join us after they get him to the airport.]

sometime after 5, the bus arrived and we were off to the conference--crammed into the minibus and into Pastor Mascall's car. but--not so fast--it was rush hour through town, then the Motorway (similar to our interstate) had a traffic jam, then we got lost, and lost, and lost. sometime after 9:30pm, we arrived at the conference center.

the ride was draining--the arrival was invigorating--everyone eager to greet our groups with smiles and hugs, and a wonderful reunion with all our UK brothers and sisters--they were so glad to meet Keli, Cheryl and the kids. we were served a tea (dinner) and then plenty of sweeties (cadbury chocolate an a variety of gummies) and lots of laughter as we quickly caught back up. though all were glad to see us, Janet and Linda did not like my new hair and beard combo ;)

now, most are in bed--but i know i needed to get in this entry. check back and i will post some pics with this article

early tomorrow, we'll participate in prayer meeting and business meetings. the groups are eager for sharing and inspiration.

favorite sites in the UK

2009-05-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

returning to U.K. May 20-June 1!!! this will be my third trip to the United Kingdom, but my first trip with my family. i've overly enjoyed each trip in beginning relationships with the churches in the UK--i've been able to see some beautiful sites in the process--so which stand out to me? which do i want to be sure to share with my wife and children? which would i recommend to you?

all things London - in corresponding with my friend Nick Fiedler recently, he said that London is favorite city in the world. now Nick has just finished a year of travel in, i think, 14 different countries--a much more expansive experience base than i have--but i've been saying the same thing ever since returning from my first visit. there's so much to see and experience along the River Thames--the Globe theatre, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, the Tate Modern--and within a brief walk you could be at Picadilly Circus, the National Gallery, Buckingham Palace, Soho, and the list goes on and on. the ease of transportation through the London Underground (Mind the Gap!) subway system is unparalleled, allowing you to move freely through a city that has so much character and charm.

The Liverpool Cathedral, aka The Great Space -- AND -- the Chester Cathedral -- not too far from each other, these two represent one of the oldest (Chester) and one of the latest (Liverpool) Cathedrals constructed in the English Isles. Both have found a way to minister to the contemporary society even as tourist icons. Both have an appreciation for the arts, displayed by older and newer artists. Both have a continuing sense and sacrifice for Mission beyond themselves. Both were amazingly inspiring--not just personally, but as a pastor--not just as a pastor, but as a follower of Christ. their grandeur, and at the same time their simplicity, were refreshing.

Abby Road -- yes, the intersection made famous by the Beattles is worth the effort and the time to find (you won't find it on many, if any, tourist maps) -- but once you're there, you'll be trying to imitate the famous crosswalk album scene with your friends as many other nationalities all try to do the same thing. then, take a moment to read and sign the wall in front of Abby Road Studios--it's okay, they've allowed it to become a monument to the band ahead of their time.

and, a walk along the Thames Path -- on the north and south side of the River Thames is a wonderfully broad path allowing you to experience the unique London skyline, from Big Ben, Westminster Abby, Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, the Globe Theatre, the Tate Modern, etc. But also along the paths are an international gathering of tourists and locals, artisans and musicians, rich and poor, busy to loafing--the paths are alive and just a great place to get lost in thought.

we're leaving soon -- keep checking back for pictures and updates on our travels...

keep thinking about change...

2008-08-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

A great article on change

as we continue to think about, communicate, and implement change -- i think it's good to see and consider how others are trying to implement change. and since it's football season -- click on the link above to consider inspiration and imagination to change the way we think the game is played...

after 90 years, we're going out of business AS USUAL

2008-01-22T12:26:00.001-08:00

hello elders, deacons, and casual reader
just a note to all those who've read the blog in the past, i'm resuming the blog as a means of ongoing dialogue for our leaders on ministry meaning and methods. BUT You're Invited, too--feel free to read and respond as you desire--your thougths and insights can only enrich the discussion and broaden our own perspectives

okay, back to the title. as 6th Ave has heard me say, we're entering our 90th year of ministry on the same piece of property in Decatur, AL. i've spent a little time researching the histories of the church and Church of God in Alabama in thinking about this. several years ago, Mireta Sharp wrote down the history and it is still our best document about our beginnings. the ministry actually began after the Austinville Ch'o'G, and met in a social club on 2nd Avenue in 1917. the church was strategically begun in Decatur to minister to the common families who were only able to walk, having no horses or carriages. at times the group met in other places too, including one corner of 11th St. and 6th Avenue. the property was purchased in 1918--still searching for the exact date (i believe the deed for the original 2 acres is in the safe) -- and a simple cinder block sanctuary was built. soon after an education wing was built behind the building (i beileve this is the nursery, office, and old southern end of the upstairs). the old sanctuary was torn down when the new, present sanctuary was built in the 1950's. as i understand it, Rev. Crim was the one who did a lot of the interior design work in the 1960's to help the building look more like a sanctuary than a barn. as a few of you know, the present education wing was built in the 1980's.

so why the history lesson?

i once heard pastor/teacher Rev. Arlo Newell say this at an Anderson Campmeeting service, "we study history so we can live in the present and prepare for the future."

i've been thinking not just about where we've come from, but where we are, and where we're going. the history of our church has been one with change, risk and sacrifice. and so is our present a time of change, risk, and sacrifice -- i venture to say, so will our future be filled with change, risk, and sacrifice.

as i've thought about our present and future, i've also been challenged by the changing values and thoughts of our society. i'm convinced, in the spirit of our history, that we have to cease from "business as usual" if we're going to see the next ten years of ministry. here's some examples :

the Ch'o'G leaders brought a curiously new perspective to the understanding of Christian faith and practice to North Alabama in the 1890's--the meetings that resulted saw many drawn to the emphasis of salvation and unity and the practice of holiness. but in today's world, there's a growing distrust and unfamiliarity toward the church and Christianity in general. we need to work at our sincere relationships with those outside the faith and church--through theses relationships, we may earn the trust and opportunities to share the Gospel through our testimonies and examples of holiness (not just merely abstaining from "evil" but also embracing the activity of Christ)

how and where we communicate needs to enable sincere exchange and relationship building as well. Rev. Crim understood that the changing culture required a change to the simple "barn" sanctuary the church had. Could it be that our changing culture and need to interact more relationally is calling for an interior design change as well? moving from pews to chairs (that can be easily rearranged), and a change of lighting in our sanctuary (that can be dimmed or less obtrusive to our viewing) may be steps toward helping this dynamic.

continuing to embrace new mediums of teaching. while reviewing some of Lee Billions' papers on the church, i found an invitation leaflet from the 1950's that listed Sunday School after the worship service (apparently, it's not necessarily "traditional" to have Sunday School before Worship). I believe reverting back to this process could be one step toward a more inclusive fellowship, in which those who are new to the church could more easily become acquainted and a part of a small group. you may have noticed that i've been listing "S.S. groups" on the bulletin--i think moving to facilitated groups incorporate Bible "Study" and personal, applied "Sharing" will further enable connection among our growing church family

continuing to embrace new mediums of worship. while searching for church history documents, i've discovered several chorus booklets, including "sacred choruses" a nicely printed pamphlet with a picture of the church from (i'm guessing) 1960's on the cover. the hymns are great and will continue to be great, but the Lord delights when His children offer a new song in Spirit and in truth

the common families around us have much more than the families of 1918, but we're coming to learn that many around us still need transportation to church. thinking about a transportation ministry is long overdue

there's more that could be visioned and shared, but the article above is long enough for now. leave your thoughts, your questions, your experiences, hopes or dreams--feel free to answer any of the following questions or add your own:

do you see that some of these changes i think we face are not altogether new, but sometimes a return to what has been?

what are some of the changes you think we may need to make?

what obstacles do we need to address in looking ahead?

what sacrifices need to be made?

BOARD OF ELDERS meeting on Saturday, February 9, 8:30 am, at the church
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Mission UK: a few pics

2007-08-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

www.flickr.com

More of servelovepray's photos

Mission UK: a successful start

2007-07-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

we're back after a full 24 hours plus of traveling (27 hours for Zach and i)! you can view our latest updates and reflections at our trip site

leave your comments here (or there) -- send e-mails of questions or desire for more information in Touching the World for Christ through these missional partnerships with Guyana, UK and...

ready, set, mission:United Kingdom

2007-07-19T07:04:00.000-07:00

i'll finish packing today and spend time with my family--one more night of trying to sleep before the long travel day to the UK. we're all eager to meet with Pastor John of the Birkenhead Church of God and all the other brothers and sisters of the congregations there.

traveling with me will be Zach Langford, Andrew Scollard, Michele Murray, and Linsey Gates (all of whom went on the Mission Sophia trip) and rookie Kimberly Janeway.

we will be meeting with the people, pastors, and learning about the ministry highs and lows. we will seek to discover a particular need that we can bring a team back to serve in the future, hopefully next spring.

we're in for a lot of surprises, English accents and dialect, driving on the left rather than the right, and summer temperatures that are similar to our winter! we should be experiencing a 20-25 degree temperature difference, as well as a lot of rain! follow the weather below.

for updates on our trip, with pictures and more, go to our trip site

thank you all for all of your support and prayers -- continue to pray for our safety, wisdom, favor, and the encouragment we can bring to our brothers and sisters in the U.K.

Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar

dining room

2007-05-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

moving from the front door to the dining room is the next step. as we continue to use this home imagery to help us employ our ministry strategy of love, we can think about our own dining rooms

many dining rooms are reserved for guests, not often used by family unless its a holiday or special ocassion. in addition to the host and guests, there's the third element of the meal around which the interaction is structured with a definite beginning and ending. in between, the interaction takes place. the dining room is a place to entertain others, allowing an opportunity to get to know one another better. we said that the front door wasn't the place for relationship building; but at the dining room table, long silences can be more than awkward because there's the opposite expectation.

at the front door, we learned that hospitality matters to God.
at the dining room, we need to learn that how we socialize also matters to God.

in Luke 5:27-32, we read about Levi (aka Matthew) coming to follow Christ, and in the process introducing his friends/co-workers to Christ.
After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

the guests at Matthew's party and maybe even the disciples were there for the food, the friends, the drinks, or whatever -- but Jesus wasn't simply there for the social, but the spiritual. the Pharisees only saw the socializing -- Jesus sees the strategic opportunity to relationally make a difference in their lives.

relationships are a two-way street--it takes both sides being able to come together. in this meal, we see that Jesus was a likeable guy whom "sinners" didn't mind sharing the table with, but Jesus was also a guy willing to get close to "sinners" so that he may impact them spiritually.

we have to begin seeing our opportunities to socialize as more than just a social, entertaining, possibility. we have to look with strategic sense of entering into relationships with others so that we have the opportunity to have Christ visible through us. so whether its a church pot luck or an office lunch date, we interact in a way that reveals our Saviror.

our church has several social events and activities. not just the special carry-in meals or picnics, but the regular, monthly activities such as Ladies Night Out, Ladies Bunco Night, Men's Breakfast, and Men's Night In -- (not all our activities are gender specific, it just happened that we have several like this) -- we also have Dinner for 8, and the not-so-spontaneous out for dinner after service moments. these are all "dining room" opporutninties. we have to get into the mindset and practice of using these opportunities beyond just the social time together, but to use them strategically as a means of moving others from our "front door" to these opportunities. in these opportunities, we need to share our lives with others as we get to know them. in doing so, like Jesus, we add value to their lives by including them and taking the time to be with them--we also open the doors for sharing what a difference Jesus has made in lives (not just in our words, but in our lifestyles and choices).

another way to view our interactions strategically is to practice what Bill Hybels calls "strategic consumerism" (Becoming a Contagious Christian). an example he gives is consistently going to the same restaurant at the same time, sitting in the same section so that you begin to be known by and to know your server. we had a family in Tennessee that all used the same hair stylist so that they were all scheduled every Thursday and they could regularly talk to her about her family and their lives, while also consistently extending her an invitation to a church event or service. for this practice to work, you have to be committed to the long term relationship building of trust --not just 1 or two visits and lowering the boom on them with an aggressive evangelistic appeal (of course, that could be what the relationship and Spirit calls for) -- but the practice is about entering into someone's life and allowing them to get to know you in the process so that they can see Christ alive in you.

whether in our own homes, at the local restaurant, or at the hair salon -- we have opportunities to interact positively and strategically to make a spiritual difference. how we socialize matters to God. let's make the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:16).

front door

2007-05-02T19:11:00.000-07:00

let's now turn our attention from the larger ministry strategy to specific tactics for each strategy component. for now, we'll focus on the love component of serve love pray. let's answer the question, 'how do we move people into deeper love relationship with God and with each other?'

to think tactically about this love component, i'm gonna borrow some inspiration from the Northpoint Church in Alpharetta, GA -- they use a process they call "foyer, living room, kitchen." though i understand the generalities of their strategy, i've not studied it in depth -- i know that's how they help their folks and newer attenders understand how they progress in deepening interpersonal relationships. based on what we've been doing, and what i think the Lord is leading us to do, i've tweaked the process for our love component tactics and put my own spin on it--we'll use "front door, dining room, family room"

the front door is that place where people gain entry into your home. it's usually only used by those who don't know you, who aren't family--because if they knew you well enough, they'd use the back, side, or garage door entrance. at the front door, you make the determination whether or not to allow someone to come further into your home, to stay longer, or to send them away from the front door. sometimes the guest at the front door makes this determination based upon what they sense from you.

lasting relationships are not formed at the front door. the front door is formal interaction with a definite boundary--someone is in, someone is out. the front door leaves the insider with power and control, and the outsider uneasy and distant. what happens at the front door determines whether or not the relationship can continue--largely depending on whether an invitation to come in is given and received.

at church, we have front door opportunities -- moments when someone comes up to where we are comfortable, where we abide. what happens at these opportunities determines whether or not the guest will be back, or whether or not they will accept our invitation to come in further, to stay longer, to become a part of the family.

i think the dominant front door opportunity is still our Sunday morning worship. it's formal with definite boundaries, and has definite insiders and outsiders. strong intimate relationships are not formed within Sundary morning worship (but unfortunately, it's attendance is how we inappropriately judge the success of a ministry). it's a moment when decisions are made on whether or not to come in further and stay longer--a moment when hospitality has to be extended.

sometimes, front door opportunities happen at events, services, activities, and interactions that you wouldn't have classified as a front door moment--sometimes it's not about the place or program, it's about the person's stage of involvement with that church family. so hospitality isn't something we can just turn on for certain times, it has to be an extension of our love and service at all times.

Let's think about hospitality. hospitality matters to God -- it is an extension of love through grace and mercy. hospitality has been extended to us, allowing us to become at home in God's family due to the richness of his love lavished upon us, that we may now be called children of God (1 John 3:1). James 2 exhorts churches not to show favoritism to those who come into our midst. if we are not intentional about hospitality to all, we will unintentionally demonstrate favoritism to a few.

so, as the Church, we need to understand where/when our front door opportunities are so that we can demonstrate love through hospitality -- especially within our church where the love component is central in our very simple and visible minsitry strategy.

so, let me offer three things to help us better apply hospitality at the front door:

1. preparation -- if you know company's coming, you get ready. at our house, it's trashed or on the way to being trashed most of the time. so when someone comes unexpectedly at the front door, i usually just talk with them there--i'm not ready to receive a guest! but on Tuesdays in particular, the clutter is put away, the tables and countertops are cleaned, the floors swept, kids toothpaste residue is removed from the sinks, the toilets are scrubbed, the dishses are done, coffee is made and the cookies are fresh--why? because we know we'll have guests for the 20-something Bible study that meets in our house (and if they haven't eaten, i'm ready to cook 'em dinner). we need to take the same kind of care and mindset within our churches -- on the look out for guests, ready to help them feel comfortable and welcome, ready to demonstrate the love that God has shown to each one of us.

2. invitation -- you would think it rude if you were greeted at the front door by the host, then left standing there while the host went about their life through the house. yet we do that to Sunday Worship guests, and at other front door opportunities, all the time. we have to extend the invitation when we greet the guest, to come on in, stay longer, go further into the House. there are more opportunities for involvement and interaction--the guest has to know we sincerely want them to be a part of those other opportunities.

3. include -- when the guest is invited into the house, if there are others there, they need to be introduced. those who have been inside need to make room on the couch, get to know them, share their lives with them, and let them in on the subjects of the previous conversations. again, you would do this at a dinner party--why is it so difficult to do at our churches? the invitation may be the response of one to a guest, the including is the response of all the rest when the offer has been accepted. if the inclusion doesn't take place, the guest knows where the front door is, and they're likely to use it again going in the opposite direction. but if the invitation has been made and accepted, and inclusion has begun to take place--the guest may just be willing to join you in the dining room (but that's for next week).

what front door opportunities can you see within your own church ministries?
what is your current level of preparation--how can you help improve this?
how can you prepare yourself and others to be ready to invite and include?

ministry strategy & values in one

2007-04-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

as we began speaking with this congregation years ago about the possibilty of leading them as their pastor, i began trying to seek what the Lord what have me to teach, to lead, what vision did He have for me to impart to the people. the Lord's reply within the stillness of my heart and mind was not a new mission/vision, just to help them accomplish the one they had--to help the congregation engage the world in a way as if Christ were moving through them.

as i prayed and thought, wrote and dreamed, the verse from Micah 6:8 continually came to my heart, "He has shown you, o man, what is good. and what does the Lord require of you? but to act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

as i medidated on these three godly requirements, it became increasingly clear to me that these would become the strategy, the means to which every member could commit themselves individually to fulfill the mission, and the framework around which we could focus our existing ministries or build new minsitries. the challenge became, how can we communicate these godly requirements strategically, creatively, simply so that anyone could remember them, but also in a way that it reminded them to act on them. so i summarized those three requirements in these three words, serve love pray

i never thought that these three words would make such a mark on my life -- i wanted them to mark our congregation, and be embraced by them to fulfill them, and thus fulfill our mission. i never anticipated how the linking of these three terms would resonate with others and become a source of inspiration and conviction. i never imagined simply typing these three words in a search engine would lead to our ministries. those things weren't on my radar -- i simply wanted a plan to help the congregation know how to do the thing they felt the Lord impressing on them to do.

to act justly means to bring about justice (equity, fairness, righteousness) in an area which lacks or is suffering from injustice. to do this means to get involved--to serve the need. but when you get involved in injustice, you're getting into a mess. you're getting involved in some "stuff." you're not going to be able to walk out clean -- you'll get dirty, you'll get challenged, you'll get broken. you can't make a checklist of injustices and start planning your palm and calendar around how long it will take to correct or bring it to justice. it's a day-to-day, relational, involved process -- often 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Just as God sent the Son out of glory to step into our mess, so we as his ambassadors with his servant-heart ought to likewise step into areas of injustice. acting justly may best be imagined through muddy feet.

to love mercy is to love completely. it's easy to love with grace--many believers and churches exel at love with grace, but fail in the area of mercy. as i've written on this blog before, grace begins the relationship. grace says i'll accept you with a clean slate and begin relating to you. but when there's a wrong, an error, a mistake, an abuse, or the mundane, routine -- mercy steps in and keeps you in relationship. mercy doesn't write you off, but it doesn't excuse away the wrong, either. mercy says, 'you're valued, this relationship is valued--let's begin again, but figure out how we can continue better than before." our God is rich in mercy, according to the Scriptures; so when we, His church/His people, are called to love as He loves us, then it ought to be a complete love, including both grace and mercy. if acting justly is best depicted by muddy feet, then loving mercy may be the extension of warm hands.

to walk humbly with your God, is perhaps the most beautiful and complete Scriptural imagery. i love the idea of walking with God -- that we're not just sitting on a hillside, basking in the sunlight. no, God has places to go, people to see and love, and we get to go along and participate--we're moving with Him. humbly--that is, not defiantly, not proud, not independently--when we recognize who God is, and who we are in relation to him, the result is humility. as i've said before, i say again, "if our relationship with God can be likened to a walk, then prayer is the road." prayer is communicating with the Lord to know where He's going, what He desires, what He's up to -- prayer is also the humble recognition that we need God. to not pray is a proud and defiant posture to His presence, that's why it should become a natural expression, as Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica, 'pray continually' (1 Thessalonians 5:17). the final imagery then is with calloused knees.

God's instructions are always so complete--these Godly requirements that have formed our ministry strategy, also form the beginning of core values. we value service to the needs of others. we value loving one another in accountable relationships. we value prayer--individually, corporately, for others and with others--prayer of all types for all seasons.

so, we've seen the mission give way to the vision. we've seen the ministry strategy and the core values--but that's not it. if it were, it would still be just good intentions. there are other levels that have to be fleshed out so that the intention becomes practice and the practice become reality. the next level is the tactical level -- what tactics go along with each strategy to help create the reality. the tactics become the filters -- what are we doing, how does it fit through the filter? if it does, keep it--if it doesn't, tweak it or toss it.

over the next several weeks, we're gonna lay the foundation of tactics for the love strategy--specifically, how do we move people into deeper, accountable relationships with each other and with God. we could easily lay out all kinds of tactical projects/programs/services/events for the serve strategy -- we have many, and many are talked about each week. but how do we move folks into relatiohship, because that's what the love of God desires and what the church should facilitate. if we can begin laying this foundation, and begin filtering our ministries and our efforts, then as we serve we can also take the few that come in and want to know more, who want to connect, and help them know our Lord and one another.

these tactical strategies wll be based upon a home--they're loosely based upon the imagery of the Northpoint (GA) Church's assimilation strategy known as "foyer, living room, kitchen." the serve tactics will be under the "welcome mat" category once we start elaborating on those. the love tactics will be "front door, dining room, family room," and we'll start speaking on these next weekend.

Support Mission:UK

2007-04-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

Mission UK is quickly approaching, July 20-30 -- it's quickly approaching because i have to set our reservations in the next month and i've not yet raised all my funds!!! i'm not doubting i will be able to go, i would just like to ask again for your help.

i of course need prayer for our group - we need prayer for preparation spiritually, relationally, politically, and financially. pray for our spiritual preparation as we get ready to learn about the challenges of ministering in western Europe--the lessons learned here will help us in preparing a strong missional partnership with our UK brothers and sisters, while also encouraging our own witness here in the states. pray for our relational preparation that we can overcome any cultural, linguistic, or preference barriers that the enemy may use to discourage us or our hosts. pray for policital preparation that those still awaiting passports to clear may see that quickly issued. pray for our financial preparation as we raise our funds, secure the best airfare and other expenses that we'll be facing.

to support financially, please send a check payable to "6th Avenue Church of God" to 716-6th Avenue S.E., Decatur, AL 35601. indicate "Mission/pastor" on the Memo line of your check. we will send you a receipt for your contribution that you can use in the preparation of your tax returns next year.

to add some motivation for your support, i will send you a gift based on certain donations. look at the list below and see how you may want to contribute. supplies are limited, so please act quickly...

$15 donation - first 5 donations at this level will receive the book "Know Him, Serve Him," a helpful book connecting the love of God and the love for others (paperback)

$25 donation - first donation at this level (1 book available) "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell -- a great book with a unique perspective on faith and discipleship (paperback)

$100 or more donation -- Framed motivational prints -- each of the pictures are poster prints with a metallic frame. The first four donations of $100 or more, will receive one of these prints -- you can indicate your preference, but i can only send what i have left. the quotes on each of the pictures respectively are:
Leadership - A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, shows the way (silver frame)
Teamwork -When we all work together we all win together (black frame)
Possibilities - The only way to discover the limits of the possible are to go beyond them into the impossible (gold frame)
Challenge - Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction (gold frame)

thank you for all your prayers and support

onward pt1

2007-04-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

over the next several weeks, we're going to be laying the ground work to share a new tactical strategy to how we move ourselves and others into deeper love relationships with God and each other. this strategy will become the filter for how we construct ministries to fulfill the "love" component of our overall ministry strategy, "serve love pray."

but before we start talking about the ministry strategy, we've gotta begin on the foundations of that strategy--the mission, the vision, and then remembering what the big picture of that ministry strategy meant. then we'll start looking at how we can fulfil the love aspect.

so each week, i hope to re-write parts of the Sleepyheads message, maybe with more detail and examples than that service time allows. if you would like to listen to any of those messages and the resulting dialogue, you can always go to the Sleepyheads site. eventually, parts of these will show up on our church visit6th site.
so here's the schedule based on the Sunday date,
April 15 - Mission/Vision
April 22 - serve love pray
April 29 - Front Door
May 6 - Dining Room
May 13 - Family Room
May 20 - Conclusion

so, the mission and the vision...
before i get into explaining all of that, consider the following Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 5:13-15, 18-6:2; Romans 10:13-15
If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. ...All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.
...for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

the mission of 6th Avenue Church of God, as we've recently re-written it is "To lead believers, individually and corporately to Glorify God, by Touching the World for Christ." Parts of this pre-date my leadership by many years -- other parts have been added to help clarify the how and why. (we've recently put all of this together as a part of the work our leadership has been doing). the mission of the congregation is the big picture frame, that part which shouldn't change regardless of changes culturally, in leadership, or personalities within the congregation. we were drawn to 6th Avenue's statement of "touching the world for Christ" -- we wanted to know how they were doing this? what international partnerships existed? what difference was being made in their local world? after not getting very clear comprehensive answers, we knew a large part of our leadership would be to help them pursue and meet the purposes of the mission they felt called to fulfill.

with leadership comes vision. how does the leader receive and perceive the picture of what this large, gaudy mission frames. in my mind, through my understanding of the congregation God has called me to lead as a part of His revolutionary Kingdom force in Decatur and for the world, this is how i see our vision: "that others in our world, from Decatur to every continent, would be able to see and know God because we got involved strategically, creatively, and compassionately."

so, let's break down that mission and vision...
when an editor prints text on a page, he knows it is only legible if the reader is close enough, and gives attention to reading the text. but if the editor wants people not to miss the story, they will add depth, thickness, and size to the text so that it is considerably larger, and the mere passerby wll be drawn to the message of the text and desire to read more of the fine print. in the same way, to glorify means literally to "add weight, or increase worth" -- we are called as amabassadors of Christ to make the message and image of God through Jesus Christ so clear, so unmistakeable, that people will be able to recognize, come to know, and receive Him.

Touching the World for Christ, that is continuing the ministry of Christ to Glorify God, is a BHAG--Big, Hairy, Audacious, Goal--especially for a congregation of 40+. But i want to be a part of trying the impossible, and watching God make up the difference because we were willing to risk, willing to reach, willing to step out for His name's sake.

the first part of Paul's words quoted above essentially say, if we're talking crazy, attempting the irrational--it's for God. i want to risk all for Him who gave all for us. but the second part of Paul's statement essentially says, if we're speaking rationally, strategically, it's for you. as a leader, i cannot just hang the BHAG out there and expect it to be fulfilled -- i have to continually, patiently, and tactfully help each to understand why, how, when, and where the different aspects of this vision can be fulfilled -- i have to help us see this strategically, which brings us through the vision and eventually to the ministry strategy.

from Austin to East Acres, from Alabama to South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and New Zealand (for the Australia/south Pacific rim) -- we want to be a part of ministering and partnering with ministries that makes people in those areas say, "i have seen and know God because these people got involved."

we need to do this strategically -- each aspect of our ministry strategy (serve, love, pray) needs to be further broken down into doable, measurable, and filtering tactics so that as the strategy is fulfilled, so too the vision will be fulfilled. each part of serve love pray touches the others--enabling a recycling of effort and activities. i'm having us begin in the middle with love, for that is how others will know we belong to God, represent God, and draw others to God as well as holding us firmly in unity. we'll explain new aspects of that strategy in afew weeks. we have to likewise be strategic internationally -- if we want to have worldwide impact, we need to be in missional partnerships with a church or group of churches on every continent -- we're attempting to that by 2010 (now that's really a BHAG)!

we need to do this creatively--if we keep doing what we've always done, we'll always get what we've always got. we cannot fulfill the definition of insanity (doing the same things over and over and expecting different results) on the way to touching the world for Christ. we have to understand the people in our immediate and surrounding communities--we need to understand their needs, their preferences, their language--we need to begin, as Jesus did, where they are, with what they understand, and lead them to the truth. Sleepyheads is an example of trying to creatively speak into a part of our community that has given up on church or never tried church. our use of technology and internet are also creative attempts -- we're not experts, but we're not going to wait until we are, either. similarly, we hope by sharing international perspectives, we can learn from and be encouraged, while similarly encouraging our brothers and sisters across the world, to see creative solutions to the obstacles to the Gospel.

and, we need to do this compassionately -- acting in the compassion of Christ, along with the character of Christ, is the wholeness of holiness. through such service, the love of God is fulfilled in our company and through our conduct, bringing Glory to Him. Angel Food has become an avenue of such compassion: as we serve our community, we meet them, develop trust, learn about each other, and we can offer further service along the way. our international missions trips also provide opportunities to act compassionately.

that is our mission; that is how i see the vision. our corresponding ministry strategy "serve love pray" will give us the means to fulfill them both--more on that next week...

Mission: United Kingdom

2007-01-31T19:57:00.000-08:00

(Some of the following information is summarized from the book Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture, by Michael Frost. Special Thanks to Zach Langford for bringing it to my attention.)

In the book, Post-Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strange New World (2004), author Stuart Murray writes about the decline of the church in the United Kingdom, “the Methodist Church will have zero membership by 2037…the Church of Scotland will close its last congregation in 2033…the Church in Wales will be unsustainable by 2020.” By such numbers, Murray indicates that the United Kingdom is in the grip of post-Christendom which he defines as follows: “Post-Christendom is the culture that emerges as the Christian faith loses coherence within a society that has been definitively shaped by the Christian story, and as the institutions that have been developed to express Christian convictions decline in influence.”

One of the five Church of God congregations will be closing down this year. One is a new congregation beginning out of a home Bible study in London. The Church in the United Kingdom is definitely at a crossroads.

Is America too far behind? George Barna reports that only 13 % of adults and 7% of teens make decisions based on Biblical principles (The Barna Update, February 2006, “Americans Are Most Likely to Base Truth on Feelings”). Dan Kimball, in his book Emerging Worship, states that there is a growing restless with the increasing reality that the majority of our churches are 35 years and older, while asking where have the younger generations gone?

Our Church’s Vision has been “Touching the World for Christ;” to accomplish this, we want to be in missional partnerships with a nation on every continent by 2010. Working with and learning from the congregations in the United Kingdom help us not only create partnerships to Europe, but could help us increase our ministry effectiveness within the U.S. as well.

We invite you to come serve, love, and pray with us. reply to this post with your e-mail address to receive more information.

reflections on Happyness

2007-01-30T10:36:00.000-08:00

my wife and i recently saw the Colombia Pictures' movie "the Pursuit of Happyness" starring Will Smith and his son. we had been anticipating the movie for awhile, and were afforded the opportunity to see it a few weeks ago during our anniversary date.

i recently heard someone say that they didn't like it because the preview was better, that is, happier. in fact, the movie may be the best titled picture of the year because 99% of the story is about the pursuit and you only get 1% of "happyness".

that 99% may be the most emotionally gripping cinema that i've seen. again, that i've seen. it was more than Hotel Rwanda largely because i anticipated the tragedy and that seems still so distant. it was more gripping than Schindler's List because of years of education of the atrocity of the holocaust. but what gets you in "the Pursuit of Happyness" is this is America, and this is today--more people are grinding, crying, dying for that one bit of elusive "happyness" today. there are so few success stories, and when there are success stories, we'd rather focus on the 1% of their story. oddly, in this way, this movie reminded me of Erin Brokowich (starring Julia Roberts).

at one point, Will Smith's character reflects on the words "pursuit of happiness" from the Declaration of Independence. he essentially points out the genius of Jefferson to use that word "pursuit," indicating that happiness could rarely be obtained or contained beyond fleeting moments.

that's what makes the Gospel such GOOD NEWS

unfortunately, some push it as a means to happiness, but the Gospel offers something better, lasting, and life changing--Joy. The Gospel (literally, "Good News") is that God loves us and offers us life in Christ. some may say, "i am alive." but actually, we're all dying, as this life is only temporary. in Christ, we will have life forever, but we also have the fullness of life now (with peace, hope, and love) which allows us to face all things with joy. and possessing joy is greater than pursuing happiness:

happiness is fleeting, based upon circumstances. but joy is lasting and based upon Christ.
happiness is a feeling based on the external; joy is an attitude based on the internal, or perhaps better said, the eternal.
sources of happiness can be taken, but joy can be chosen, despite what is lost.
so few are able to reach moments of happiness--all are given the opportunity to find joy in Christ for all time.
happiness happens when you accomplish or achieve something--joy happens when you accept someone, Jesus Christ. consider the apostle Paul's words from Philippians "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (4:12-13).

"the Pursuit of Happyness" reminded me of all i have to be thankful for: wife, kids, roof, clothes, and so much more. but it also reminded me to lovingly pray for and act justly for others--because, i'm in the "business" of spreading and sharing joy.

2006 in review

2006-12-28T06:52:00.000-08:00

finding some time to type is nearly as difficult these days as finding something worthy of typing :)

in times past, a lot of my inspiration came from insights discovered in preparation for recent messages. but retyping content of recent messages seems odd since we now have our audio available on www.visit6th.com and www.myspace.com/worshipforsleepyheads. why make people read it when they can listen?

but it's now the end of the year, and, like a lot of people, i like to look back and reflect on the year that was:

January/February -- started off in typical new year ritual. i was excited about the new group of leadership and ready to get out of stalemates and into make decisions for the better. we began with four goals that we wanted to begin investing heavily in: 1) youth leadership, 2) Sunday night outreach, 3) Community Outreach ministries, and 4) Hispanic ministries. by the end of February, we were looking ahead to summer youth leadership, building momentum for the Sleepyheads (Sun p.m.) service, and beginning a partnership with a local Hispanic church plant. little did i know that 2 of these 4 positive steps would lead to so much trouble...

March/April -- we were preparing to call for a business meeting at the end of March that would make a decision to bring in Josh Weiger as a summer youth intern. but, after the second Sunday in March, my wife and i went away for a scheduled retreat in Florida. when we returned on that Friday morning, i began to get news of a few disgruntled folks preparing to leave the congregation. i polled the leadership to find out what they knew--no one knew of any such talk. but on that the third Sunday of March, we went to talk with the class in which the rumors were originating from. when we arrived, we found a couple of our older men being hugged by a couple remaining ladies in a classroom that had not only been deserted but removed of pictures. when i asked them what was going on, they were shellshocked--they said their friends were disbanding the class and leaving the church. we went from there into morning worship, oddly enough, we were scheduled to preach on Matthew 18 (conflict resolution) in our continuing Gospel of Matthew series. a few from the class stayed for the message and hugged us as they said they had to stop attending, with no reason given. i spent the next 24 hours trying to speak to several of those who left, also with little explanation. i'm thankful for the wise counsel of Doug Talley whom we had met at the retreat just a week or so before. he directed me to care for the remaining members who were also shellshocked. we were able to regroup through letters and phone conversations, and then together at the previously announced meeting for summer youth leadership. Easter that April was a little strange with so many familiar faces curiously missing--but attendance was still high. i'm grateful for our eldest members Brother Lee and Sister Evelyn who not only stayed with the congregation, but were vocally supportive of our leadership and the ministry direction. i'm equally thankful for several middle-aged members who have continued to stay and remain not only supportive but increasing their lay ministry involvement in the absence of so many who left. when it was all said and done, from December 2005 to August 2006, nearly 30 members left our congregation for other fellowships.

May/June -- spring came not only with new growth, but new hope. we were beginning to recognize that many who left our congregation stopped giving consistently a long time ago--which was actually to our advantage as our financial bottom line didn't change that drastically. we also had Josh Weiger coming in to give much needed energy and enthusiasm to our youth ministry. the ministry gained significant momentum under his presence and leadership, while a few of our young adults were equally inspired in their own commitments to greater surrender. camps were a highlight for our youth, and for myself as we began a new Graduate Camp for anyone out of high school--we hope this will be the growing next step to include and empower former youth to continue in state and local ministry as they enter their 20's, while also providing a camp reunion atmosphere to keep the spiritual fires stoked.

July/August -- we watched Josh take three from our congregation to IYC in Anaheim (2 youth) along with a state group. they all came back fired up in their faith. we took 10 to Guyana (3 from RCC) for a week of service and relationships to the Sophia congregation. i was continually moved to tears at the thought of Touching the World for Christ becoming a reality--our little congregation was now involved in two continents of ministry! the sadness of Josh's inevitable departure were pushed aside through the celebration of BIG Sunday in which we baptized 2 (including my daughter), had a Baby dedication, a farewell for Josh and a business meeting that agreed with the Leadership's decision to make youth leadership a budget priority (cutting everything else back or out to make it possible). August also featured a great state campmeeting focusing on unity under the anointed preaching of Dr. James Lewis, Anderson University seminary professor. This meeting along with our national Strategic Planning Conference in Nashville spurred me to greater commitment to unity efforts.

September/October -- in Josh's absence, i returned to a busy schedule of trying to keep youth, children, adults afloat. i'm thankful for those like my father-in-law, Ben, and countless children volunteers who make the ministries work as i run to and from--but i need to do a better job of equipping and empowering their leadership in the congregation. the leadership began looking for youth leadership, while also beginning to contemplate options for a structure overhaul. our current by-laws were meant for a larger organization that are now baby-church was struggling to meet the demands of. a motion to postpone electing leadership while review and consultation for changes to our by-laws was approved by the congregation--increasing the workload of the current leadership. i'm thankful for their prayerful participation and sacrifices. we also took a group down to Wetumpka, AL to share in a unity service with one of our predominantly 'black' congregations. we look forward to gathering together with them in Decatur, early in 2007. during this time, i learned that unity is the result of practicing come-unity. Keli got our kids involved in a local church's Awanna program on Sunday night which has exponentially increased their Bible reading & scripture memorization. on top of it i began as our school's PTA treasurer--i'm tired of financial forms! :p

November/December -- these past two months have been a flurry of activity -- speaking in Montgomery for the Capitol March, in San Destin for the AL Youth Convention, for our annual Thanksgiving service and all of our own Advent activities since. it has been a good couple of months at the church--but this past week of being with the kids and family have been relaxing and therapeutic. holidays are coming to an end, and the work is building up--but i'm excited about the work we're doing for the Kingdom.

in a year with highs and lows--there are always more highs with the Lord.

Titus and Zeke made professions of faith, while Grace and Titus were baptized. Grace had another great year at camp, while we look forward to Titus first year of camp this coming summer.
Grace and several of our young adults made their first international mission trip, and we're anticipating a trip to the UK for our third continent this next summer.
my kids are all healthy, attractive, intelligent, and know the Lord--that alone makes me feel more blessed than i deserve every day.
i continue to serve in a growing, exciting ministry to a community in need of the love of Christ--i'm continually aware of my need for more of Him. i hope to see greater surrender and more glory for the Lord in 2007
every new year is begun in the best possible way as i celebrate another wedding anniversary with my wife Keli. her friendship and partnership bless me to no end--i'd definitely be crazy, addicted, defeated or dead without her.

come-unity

2006-10-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

"There is a greater willingness not to be isolated but to come into come-unity. I think that the circumstances that we face in the religious community cause us to come together in unity to meet certain needs in our community. The church has had to speak out." (Vernon Lambe, pastor & national leader in Bermuda as quoted in "Nation Changer," One Voice Oct/Nov 2006 - Issue#15, www.onevoicemag.org)

i loved this article -- i loved this quote, and i loved this clever play on words: come-unity

that's what it's all about, isn't it?

getting past ourselves, leaving the isolation, crossing the divide, regardless of the cost, to come together into unity for the sake of the Gospel message to a world in need, fulfiling the prayer of Christ.

i had a recent post (tired) in which i wrote about taking that initiative personally with other pastors--yesterday, i left with 5 other church members after morning worship to do the same thing. we drove 3 hours south to Wetumpka, AL (northeast of Montgomery) to meet with another church in their community unity service. we spent a couple hours in wonderful worship and sincere fellowship, then back on the van for another 3 hour ride home

more than the distance covered physically, what made this trip important was the divide crossed socially and racially. for all our preaching about unity, our state ministries are still divided in 2006 A.D. by race--yes, a predominantly black and a predominantly white assembly. we've talked about unity, over and over again. we've prayed about it, and made all sorts of good intentions -- but nobody's moving.

i opened my mouth a couple years ago about needing to start crossing the divide and the pastor of the Wetumpka church heard me. that's when i met sister Daisybelle Thomas-Quinney. she asked if i would be willing to get our churches together, and i said absolutely. then our two assemblies began working hard to meeting together in prayer and discussions for unity. then the discussions stalled, again.

sister Quinney and i saw each other again last August. she said, "brother ken we can't wait any longer on everybody else, we gotta start doing it and let everybody else catch up." i agreed and she invited us to make the trip the second Sunday in September -- but our church already had plans, so i told her we'd come the second Sunday in October. she said great, and nothing more was said. i went back to our congregation and told everyone to mark their calendars, we're going to Wetumpka!

two weeks ago when i called her to tell her i hadn't forgotten and was trying to get others to make the trip. she told me about their plans for an afternoon community service with other pastors and churches. i told her we'd try to make it, and she told me she'd understand if we couldn't. even though we came in a few minutes late on Sunday, she shared with the congregation our story and shared with me the joy she felt because we were willing to come

also in attendance was her district pastor, who also publicly made the pledge to make good on a promise to have unity prayer meeting scheduled in Decatur--a meeting intentioned but never actualized when our last unity talks stalled.

now sister Quinney and their church are making plans for a 6 hour roundtrip--and perhaps together, we can see our churches come into unity for the sake of the Gospel

"...may they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me" (John 17:23)

cyber samaria pt.2

2006-09-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

after staring at the computer screen for hours and trying to figure out html codes (remember, i'm a mo-po*)...the parts of last night's Sleepyheads service (09/24) are up at

www.myspace.com/worshipforsleepyheads

take a listen, leave your own questions, comments, confessions--and pass on the link

hopefully, more pictures and better graphics will show up as my eyes and mind have time to rest and try again

*(mopo--my term for anyone that is curiously caught between appreciation and rejection of both the MOdern and POstmodern era)

cyber-samaria

2006-09-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

in John 4, Jesus does the unthinkable in Jewish culture--He leads His disciples through Samaria rather than around it. those unclean, half breed Samaritans weren't worth associating with as far Israel was concerned; but God loved the Samaritans and sent His Son for them as well. so Jesus goes in and visits the local watering hole while the disciples go on to get food. you know the story, He not only sits in Samaria, but visits with a Samaritan woman of questionable character. not only is she convinced, but also through her testimony, "Many more Samaritans put their faith in Jesus because of what they heard Him say" (v.41, CEV)

Jesus teaches His followers that we are to go to the least of these, even in environments that are questionable, with the Gospel for the sake of the Kingdom

fast forward to our time, and there are places, environments that churches and believers will not dare go. not because there aren't people there worth sharing the Gospel with, but for the sake of our reputations, our "purity"

for quite a while i've listened to our young people interacting through MySpace. i was still trying to figure out this blog thing at the time, and didn't pursue the topic much. but as we began our new Sun p.m. outreach service called Sleepyheads, we were targeting these same young, burned-out-on-church young people. so we thought that it would be great to have a MySpace account where we could have audio files of the dialogue, message and responses so that people could continue to participate in the discussion through the week. so we reserved a couple of sites to begin laying the groundwork for such an avenue.

i shared the idea with leaders and other pastors and you could see the red flags go up. some people even shared strong concerns about such a step.

i've just gotten the audio editing software so we haven't gotten to upload anything yet -- but do you know what's happened in the last week? we've seen people in our area find us through the unique networking set up through MySpace. a mom in the area has sent questions about our church and ministries to youth because she's looking for a church; another young lady who attends a church in town came across our listing and came last night because her church doesn't have a Sunday night service right now. Now we're not changing whole communities yet, but in a week, without the site being yet operational to our goal, we've seen searching people make a connection.

i'm not saying we're the only one trying to shine the Light into MySpace--but lets worry more about the people than our reputations. i heard this week that MySpace adds 230,000 new accounts EVERY DAY! that's a lot of people--isn't it worth wading through the garbage to reach even just 1?

tired

2006-09-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

right after my last post, i was honored to serve as a representative for our state ministries at our church's national strategic planning conference. it was a humbling experience interacting with leaders and peers from around the country to pray, hear vision, and discuss its implementation on all levels

i really felt inspired by our national leadership and was genuinely energized spiritually by the experience, the dialogue, and the testimonies of the work of the Lord through individuals and churches

i also came back tired

"tired" is the only word that has appropriately summed up the frustration, embarassment, and the desire that was all simultaneously stirred up and brought out

i'm tired of preaching unity of the body of Christ and practicing division. There's division in the our local churches all the way up to larger networks of churches. There are divided agendas/visions because we won't submit to or honor Biblical leadership. There's division because we compete instead of cooperate for the sake of the Kingdom. There's division because we don't look after each other and just busy ourselves in our own little kingdoms, (contrary to Philippians 2:4, "each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."). not to mention how this type of 'living' ignores Jesus' prayer for His people (John 17)

i'm tired of teaching holiness while tholerating sin. i feel this is largely related to our response to Biblical leadership and authority. i don't know if it's the American churches' application of democracy within the organization of the church work, or simply selfish individualism. whatever the reason we have to return to holding one another accountable to Biblical teaching, not through an oppressive conformity, but in a loving fellowship. this has to be applied within the context of Biblical authority--Godly leaders who are themselves accountable to not merely exhorting/preaching about the Holy life, but also rebuking and correcting sin when it occurs. rather than just fellowships that leave your stomach full--this type of accountability is the fullest sense of fellowship

finally (i know you could sense a third point here), i'm tired of intending to advance the Kingdom through the local church and evangelism while intentionally allocating all our resources and time to facilities or other "sacred cows". thankfully, i'm not speaking of this frustration within our local church anymore -- the departures of many have led to relief from strife and release to pursue the Kingdom vision. unfortunately, i'm networked with a group churches that is creating this frustration. earlier this year, pastor Claude Robold faciliated a prayer weekend for the pastors of these churches and shared with divinely appropriate revelation, "the church has gotten so attached to what God said that we're missing what God is saying." while we're missing this point, our churches are dwindling in size and influence, we're not retaining youth who are becoming young adults, we're continually arguing about pleasing the saints while the sinners perish all around us or in our midst, and pastors are leaving the ministry.

so, enough complaining, what am i willing to do about it

as for unity, i'm taking responsibility for lack of relationship. i'm devoting my Thursdays to calling, visiting, and praying for other pastors. (sounds like a state coordinator, huh - :( --again, the rumor is not true and i have no interest in the position). i'm merely trying to do what i should've been doing all along--demonstrating love for my brothers and sisters in Christ. i've also encouraged my peers to take the same efforts

as for accountability, i need it personally all over again. i miss Curt who with his wife left this oasis along the Tennessee river for the warm beaches of Tampa. Curt and Jerri had previously moved here from Birmingham after us and were sources of prayer, support and accountability -- as well as friendship and mutual cheering and loathing for all IN sports. i get to play golf occasionally with a few in our church -- but i need the spiritual, not just the social. i pray with a few pastors every month -- but that's not often nor intense enough. any brothers in the north AL area who want to pursue a greater accountability, let's talk

as for advancing the Kingdom, i can only work in partnership with the other state leaders and try to move us within the structure we have to doing what's right, what God is saying to us now, not just what He said once upon our history. as a leader, i'm responsible; and i pray that the Spirit of God would unite us to act responsibly in movement/step with the Spirit, not the maintenance of what the Spirit previously led.

wake us up dear Lord from this drowsy living -- all consuming fire set us ablaze for you, not consumed, but consecrated for your Kingdom's work. amen, amen, so be it, amen

hi, we're still alive :)

2006-08-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

i know

i know

really, i do know -- it has been a long time since i last created an entry

i've heard it locally, from people in other cities, across the country, and even from South America

it's been a long time

that's on purpose

i realize since my last post, there have been rumors about me--some true, others not

true--we've seen many people leave the church we serve

not true--i'm NOT the new state ministries coordinator for AL--nor am i looking to be. (believe me, based on the previous truth, there would be many who would stand opposed to such an ambition/'promotion')

let's set some things straight
--from about November to August, we've had about 30 people leave the church we serve. most left on the same day in March. i've kept from writing intentionally since then. i didn't want to sound smug, arrogant, unfazed nor unkind in the wake of such 'transition'. it was a source of pain for anyone who has been in the church for longer than 3 years. our eldest members, 90 & 93 respectively refused to leave with their friends, despite invitations then and now. their support of our leadership has meant more than i can begin to write. they hurt then and now over how these events transpired. after this departure, our friends and prayer partners sent from Birmingham to help anchor us in this community were released from their call to north Alabama and re-called to Florida--we miss Curt and Jerri, but we wouldn't be here had it not been for their faithfulness to God and support of us

strangely, only half of the remaining church has been in the church longer than three years -- everyone else has come since our arrival on June 1, 2003. Easter was similar to Ezra 3 where the elders wept over the new temple's foundations having seen the once grander temple of Solomon -- yet the younger ones rejoiced with a new sense of freedom and intimacy. with some you have pain that mirrors that of betrayal, and with the newer ones they shrug their shoulders and say, 'so some people left' and they're ready to move on

moving on has been interesting. but in hindsight, i can honestly say that even without half of the congregation we were originally called to serve, we are closer now to being whole.

we took a group of ten to Guyana South America and worked alongside our brothers and sisters there to rebuild a church building for the developing community of Sophia south of Georgetown

we were able to bring in a summer youth intern, Josh, who worked well with building up our youth and giving us momentum for our youth ministries

we have seen additional families come in and show interest of involvement

we have seen the congregation move to reprioritize our ministries to support a youth ministry

we are approved to begin Angel Food as a host site for this food distribution ministry to our community, beginning next month (and will be done in partnership with our Hispanic brothers and sisters)

we saw two young girls, including my daughter, get baptized in an exciting service that motivated three other children to want to be baptized in the coming weeks

we have begun conversations with a church in the United Kingdom to begin the path to missional partnerships with them next summer; and have the hopes of piggybacking off of that trip with another church group to learn about partnership in Uganda. our vision of touching the world for Christ could see us creeping onto three additional continents by the end of next summer!

our services have been filled with honesty, searching, and surrender -- God has been faithful and at work within our church--and we're aligning our selves with Him, watching for how He's about to move through us for His glory.

Sunday, we began our fall Old Testament series. (i listen and plan every summer vacation at least a year and half in advance for messages--i then spend the next year and a half continuing to listen and meditate on those texts and related content. the Lord has been faithful in this process, and i'm continually surprised at how he directs the text to minister to us, right where we are). we began the series, "on the way to Worship," from Exodus. read these verses from chapter 1
"The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them." (v.5-7)

look again, and do the math. Jacob/Israel's descendants in Egypt numbered 70--then subtract Jacob and all of Joseph, his brothers, their wives (at least one per), and you're left at the most in the 40's. then, by the faithfulness of God, even after family betrayal, famine, and being forgotten, they're fruitful so that they're "exceedingly numerous" and filled the land

you may think i'm reading into the text -- but from a church in the 40's that has experienced a sense of 'betrayal,' financial famine, and being forgotten -- a church who is suddenly younger and lacking the spiritual maturity -- this connected. and the Spirit inspired hope and surrender to our God "who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)

stay tuned for more exciting works of God in coming weeks

as for the rumor--i thought it was a local thing due to misinformation and speculation since my wife's appointment to be the state ministries Secretary this past spring. that is until a national church leader called the house last weekend, on "good authority" from "two sources in two different states" had informed him that i was the state minister. well, at least it's given us a good laugh :)

empty chair

2006-05-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

...pray continually... ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:17

in our service last night, i spoke from Colossians 4:2-4 and the instruction of Paul to be devoted in prayer. as i spoke on this subject, i shared again with the church a simple practice that has revolutionized my ability to practice the presence of Christ and have watched others be similarly impacted.

you may have read the widely forwarded e-mail about the man in the hospital who would communicate in prayer as if Christ were sitting in the empty chair next to his bed. the man dies in the hospital, but out of his bed with his head in that empty chair. i first read that e-mail while reading Brother Lawrence's convicting letters in the book "The Practice of the Presence of God." this 17th century french monk had disciplined himself to maintain constant communion with the Living Christ by thinking of Him working beside Brother Lawrence in the routines and mundane activities of each day as the cook for the monastery.

in an effort to Practice the Presence of God myself, i set an empty chair in my office at the church i was serving. i hoped to be reminded of the presence of the Living Christ while i worked on the various administrative duties as associate pastor of that church. but as i worked and as the phone rang, i looked over at the "Jesus chair" only to find it full of papers, books, and anything else i had unconsciously cleared into His lap. at first this was a point of great guilt as i would continually find my work in the Lord's lap -- but then it became a reminder to pray for the work, especially about any projects i may have kept laying aside

then, my pastor at the time would come in and sit in that chair to talk to me about an issue, a project, or idea. the first time i smiled and almost laughed out loud at the site of him sitting in Jesus' lap. but this too became a reminder to pray for those who came in to sit with me

as i shared my misadventures of trying to practice the presence of God with the church i was serving, everyone got a good laugh at their pastor sitting in Jesus' lap -- but the idea soon morphed under our youth to place an empty chair at the front center of the stage during their worship services to remind them that it was the Lord we were singing about, that He was present, that He was alive

this empty chair in the worship service also became an altar of prayer, confession, and love -- at any time someone came and sat in that chair, the music would fade and the youth would gather around to listen to the need of their brother or sister to pray for them.

so i shared this process and progression in my own faith journey last night, demonstrating with an empty chair and leaving it front and center during the response -- then someone came, then another, then we just stayed there as individuals took their turn in the chair confessing, unloading, and receiving compassion, encouragement, scripture, and prayers from the others. and these were multiple, agreeing, heartfelt prayers for each other--it was a longer service--but the presence of the Living Christ was manifest as we "carried each other's burdens and so fulfilled the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2)

maybe it's not a chair for you--maybe it's a cross, a picture, or something else you can put close by to remind yourself that He lives, He's with you--to paraphrase Brother Lawrence, you'd think it rude to leave a guest unattended--leave Him not alone.

crop?

2006-02-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

from morning message, 02-05-06

we're currently going through the Gospel of Matthew as a part of our morning sermon series. we began this journey during Advent and will continue in it through Easter. well, actually, it will continue in the summer too as we will return to chapters 5,6,7 for a "Summer on the Mount" series.

this week, we were in Matthew 13:1-23, looking at the well-known parable of the sower. you know the sower sows the seed, some falling on the path, others among the rocks, others among the weeds, and still others among the "good" soil.

as i prepared this message, i was really struck by and personally convicted by the words that the Lord was preparing me to share. the emphasis in the parable of the sower is not on the type of soil, but on the produce -- what results from the seed. Jesus had taught, "by their fruit, you will know them" (Matt 7:16). essentially, you can tell the heart of a person by the plant and crop coming from a person's life. if their heart is "good" soil, then a crop 30, 60, 100 times will be evident. if not, then one of the other soils is true about our hearts.

it could be the hard heart -- thankfully, there's hope for the hard heart. in Hosea 10:12, the Lord speaks through the prophet to His people, "sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of unfailing love; break up your unplowed ground". God is looking for a harvest of love out of our lives, and if the righteous living Word continues to fall on hard hearts, then He wants that ground broke up so that it can receive the Word. The Lord may use grace to soften the heart so that it can be turned over, and the Lord may use painful experiences to move a heart to want a change. But the Lord has all sorts of ways to prepare a heart by His Spirit.

it could be the shallow heart -- thankfully, there's hope for the shallow heart. God wants us to be transplanted into a deeper experience and understanding, sending down roots that will prepare for a harvest. in Ephesians, Paul is praying for young, immature believers, "I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God" (3:16-19)

though these are soil types are true of many hearts, i fear the soil type true of most of our church members in North America is the third, the crowded heart. in addition to the harvest of souls that seems to be missing, there is also the lack of fruit within the lives of believers. as Hosea mentions the fruit of unfailing love, Paul says (in Galatians 5:22-23) the fruit of the Spirit is love -- manifesting itself in the 8 ways that follow (joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfullness, gentleness, and self-control). however, we've grown too accustomed to weeds and too complacent about the harvest.

we're too worried by circumstances to be joyful
too proud to be at peace
too busy to be patient
too angry to be kind
too greedy to be good
it's too easy to be unfaithful
we have too many grudges to be gentle
and if ever a society lacked self-control, it's ours

the crowded heart -- thankfully, there's hope for the crowded heart. Our heavenly Father is the great gardener (John 15:1) -- He knows how to bring fruit from each branch. more than that, He equips us with His Spirit to convict and lead us to "throw off [or, weed out] everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles" (Hebrews 12:1).

Lord, help us again to be concerned for the crop -- make our hearts receptive to Your Word and let Your Spirit lead us into fruitful, productive lives for the Kingdom. for Your name's sake, amen.

back to Sophia

2006-01-13T14:58:00.000-08:00

Guyana Mission: Sophia
Monday to Monday, July 10-17, 2006. The flights we’re planning to take fly out of and return to Huntsville, AL -- curiously, this was the best airport for the cost.

We will be working on a new church building and grounds for the Sophia Church of God, while serving as examples of the love of God to this developing community, and encouraging our brothers and sisters in Christ in missional partnership. read about our first trip to Sophia by clicking on "Sophia Church of God" under the previous posts.

How you can support this mission:
1) Pray - pray for the participants; favor in the community; Pastor Ronda Abrams (Sophia); funds for participants, materials, and property

2) Participate - GO - contact me for an information packet

3) Pay - Financial Support - you can support either individuals or the financial needs of the church. Please send all support to Sixth Avenue Church of God, 716-6th Ave SE, Decatur, AL 35601. Make checks payable to "Sixth Avenue Church of God" -- on the MEMO line, write in your support for the church with "Guyana/church" -- or write in individual support as "Guyana trip/pastor" or insert the name of the participant you want to help. (All gifts will be accounted for and distributed by Sixth Avenue Church of God, charitable contribution receipts will be mailed at the end of the year for your tax preparation purposes.)

we were excited to learn that accounts from our previous trips are being prepared to share in our state newsletter, and possibly in our national MISSIONS publication in the coming months. such publications could lead to greater interest, prayer, support, and participation in ministry in the country of Guyana. it's not there yet, but you can view the state newsletter article at AL News by following the link and then clicking on the "AL COG News" link near the bottom of the left column menu. keep checking back with this last link to see if our article made the cut for the national publication MISSIONS

willing

2005-12-12T06:45:00.000-08:00

in my last post, i talked about carefully "unwrapping" the Christmas story so that we don't take it for granted. i shared that our church follows a theme every Advent to help us look deeply into a different aspect, or from a different perspective of the well-known Biblical account.

each year, i don't like the theme, at least to start. it takes me about three weeks to really appreciate the thought and inspiration that someone has had. (kind of the 'no idea is a good idea unless its your idea'). that may be why i also take each year's theme and break from it's prescription. a lot of the focus for this year's theme is on Mary. but i think that Mary wasn't the only one that this theme applied to -- she wasn't the only one who had to be or become willing

i also like to take the time from the New Year to Easter and walk through a Gospel, preaching and teaching on the life, ministry, and instruction of Jesus Christ. our Gospel study for 2006 is from Matthew, and as part of a larger invitation program to our community, we're using the theme "from the crib to the cross"

so, since November 27, we've been focusing on this "willing" theme to lead into our Gospel theme -- taking our instruction from Matthew's text, and looking at the key players in the Christmas narative.

we began with God--long before Mary's willingness, was God's. Matthew 1 begins with a genealogy that we usually skim or skip altogether. but the genealogy is the story of God's relationship with His chosen people -- a relationship that was to be a source of blessing for all people. as we look at Matthew 1:1-17, we see that God the Father was...

WILLING TO BE merciful (as you look through the genealogy, you have commentary without the commentary--additional notes and mentioning of women that wouldn't necessarily be a part of a legal genealogical record. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth weren't original chosen people. "by the wife of Uriah" references the affair and murder by David; "the deportation to Babylon" referencing the whole nation's lowpoint after continual disobedience. yet God maintains relationship through all of this)

WILLING TO SERVE individuals (i was sure to read the whole record, every name. God saw fit to preserve this list because each life, each generation mattered to him. God cared for, listened to, interacted with, and loved each individual -- we're so quick to rush through the Christmas crowds, that we don't take time to look as God does, person to person.)

WILLING TO CHANGE the Covenant agreement (God has planned and proclaimed that a new covenant was coming, no longer an outer conformity to the Law, but one of heart change that would lead to a desire to obedience [Ezekiel 36]. but in the Matthew account, it references 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the Exile and 14 from the exile to Christ. but count again and you will find that the last list only has 13. though much debate exists over this missing generation, i like to think that we have become that 14th generation. that we have become a part of God's redemptive pattern as we are reborn through faith in Christ, spiritual heirs to the original promise to Abraham and participants in the family busines, the redemption of the world.)

more to come on this theme of the willing...

taken for granted

2005-12-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

as a coffee drinker, i get coffee mugs from time to time as a gift. as was the case last Christmas, when i received two identical coffee mugs, "the golfer's excuse mug". each came in the box as pictured, and each found a place on a shelf.

the first was given from another pastor, and i opened the box, looked at the mug and laughed kindly. i reboxed the mug and it sat in my office

the second, i received from my sister who has in recent years spent a great deal of time and money on our children and us in Christmas gift-giving. when i received the box, i opened it to make sure it was indeed a mug, and it was. with all the other presents given and received, it also found a place on a shelf in our home, until last Saturday night

my wife and i were late to a class Christmas party -- at this time of year, we're attending every party as the pastors. while in the car, Kel remembered we needed to bring two white elephant gifts from home. we hopped out of the car and back inside to quickly wrap two gifts.

i wrapped up "the golfers excuse mug" (sorry sis!)

we were having a great time at the party when the gift-exchange began. a flashlight, a tote bag, a Christmas decoration -- the ususal suspects being opened around the room. the host of our little shin-dig opened the golfer's excuse mug at the urging of my wife (he's a golfer). everyone laughed as he held it up for all to see -- someone suggested he read some of the excuses, so he took out the mug and began to read them

when he went to replace the mug, he saw a note in the bottom of the box, "for a free game"

from inside the note he pulled out a tightly rolled $100 bill

the surprise was on his face, amazement hit the room, and the joke was on me!

our host graciously returned the note, and bill, as i told him i would treat him to golf in the near future -- quite a gift-exchange!

i had taken the gift for granted, after all, i had received a similar one

i think that's what we often do with the Christmas story. we've heard it, read it, seen pageant after pageant, nativity scenes, and sang the story many, many times over. each year we receive a similar dose of the greatest gift ever given...

...and we often take it for granted, perhaps missing a real treasure inside, worth more than a $100 bill

each year our church participates in Christ Birthday Observance theme to help us unwrap the story a little more carefully so that we might find new insight or inspiration each year. i preach according to that theme for the season of Advent, devotional guides are supplied to help underscore it, and all our publicity for the month carries it's theme or logo as a reminder

what are you doing to unwrap the greatest gift ever given a little more carefully? take warning from this comic little event lest you miss out on more than i did

how you give

2005-12-02T06:25:00.000-08:00

i was reading this story from my web-browser and was struck by some of what was said.

Liz Pulliam Weston wrote the article, perhaps with some inspiration by Miss Manners, who she quotes as saying that gift certificates and gift cards are "a pathetic compromise convenient to people who do not trust their judgment about selecting the right present for those whose tastes they ought to know."

though i would have to disagree with both, because we recently received a lot of gift cards/certificates that were given in a most thougthful way. our church surprised us in October (pastor appreciation month) with several gift cards to a variety of restaurants AND a set of Baby-Sitting certificates. Both were given so that my wife and i could enjoy some dates together -- a gift that was thoughtful (they knew we would jump at the chance), sacrificial (they have to keep our three kids for several hours), and meaningful (essentially saying 'the health of your relationship matters to us and we want to encourage you both').

we've been using up our gift cards, and our baby-sitting -- and have been grateful for the thought and effort our church went to in this surprise appreciation. it's not just about the gift, but how the gift is given

back to the article...

what immediately struck me about and drew me into the article was the following initial statement:
"Holidays have rapidly devolved into what amounts to an exchange of cash. A gift card says nothing about the personality of the recipient -- but it says lots about the giver."

in the midst of all the craziness that has become the Christmas shopping season, the devolution of the Greatest Gift into the convenient gift, or at least the best bargain gift, may be the saddest commentary on our understanding and appreciation of this Holy Day of Christmas. it may also contribute to our decreasing effectiveness in communicating the significance of Christmas to our society

in this season of Christmas, i'm not against gifts, gift-giving, or even gift cards. my wife cannot tell me fast enough how much freedom i have in purchasing gifts for her and our family. i think about it for weeks heading into Thanksgiving and when i get the okay, i proceed to purchase as many of the things i can. then there's the problem of waiting and waitng and waiting until Christmas -- not to get my gifts, but for the joy of seeing them open theirs

if we go back to that first Christmas, the Greatest Gift given tells us a lot about the Greatest Giver -- love. "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son...Behold what manner of love the Father has lavished onto us that we should be called the sons of God." (John 3:16, 1 John 3:1). The Gospel equivalent to a gift card is a Gospel tract. i know that some people have benefited from a randomly placed gospel tract, but as a rule, it's not good evangelism because there's no relationship. God thoughtfully, sacrificially gave His Son, not a tract, that we might enter into relationship through love with Him

in our gift giving, we (as Christians) ought to model the heart and character of God so that our gifts will convey love. and just as God's greatest gift came as the Word made flesh -- let our gifts come with words of love, life, and truth to edify the receiver, and to spur them on to love and good deeds, as well

but most importantly, let us celebrate, highlight, and in every way possible make the love of God and the gift of His Son known to a watching, wondering, and otherwise clueless world.

Happy Thanks & Confess-giving

2005-11-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

we just finished a sermon series on God's Will based on the three commands recorded by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "be joyful always; pray continuallly; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (emphasis mine).

while preparing for this past weekend's message on endless thanks, i returned to the Thanksgiving Day Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln. i learned a lot in the process, specifically Sarah Josepha Hale's 36 year campaign to see the nation return to George Washington's proclamation of a national and annual day of thanks to God.

the proclamation that Abraham Lincoln gave was most likely written by his Secretary of State and former political adversary, William Seward. Seward was stirred and inspired by Hale's letter -- a letter that had gone unanswered and unsupported by President's Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, and Buchanan. Seward read the letter and made the pitch to Lincoln who affirmed the idea. Four days later, Lincoln read the proclamation and we've celebrated the holiday annually, though at different times, since then.

as i read the proclamation (proclamation), i was struck by the following,

the day that includes being thankful TO GOD,
"a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens"

is to also be a day to be repentant before God,
"And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience"

a day of prayer for those who have suffered loss,
"commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged"

and a day to seek again purity and alignment with His divine purposes
"and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union"

i know that it is sad that as a nation we increasingly forget the thanks in this holiday and move onto the getting in Christmas--but the thankfulness is just the tip of all we're forgetting to do. we ought to be mindful that with all of our blessings, we ought to confess, remember those with less and loss, and seek to align ourselves with God's will again.

making good on a vow

2005-11-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

read this intersting story of Michael Redd and his recent gift to his dad's ministry

take the link to ESPN for the story
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=2224230

happy birthday

2005-10-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

sorry for the delay in posts -- still trying to catch up to life in Decatur since our trip to Guyana, and i'm not making much progress. well, as you'll read, i had some time to slow down and reflect over the weekend...

last Wednesday night, i was sitting at the desk to shut down the computer when i had a sudden and strong pain across my upper chest and into my neck and jaw. it was one of those freezing moments that just left me a little stunned and in pain for a while. after a few minutes, i got up to get ready for bed and tried to sleep off the pain and pressure. after lying down for awhile, i was fine and able to sleep.

Thursday was my 33rd birthday (i guess my warranty expired). during the afternoon, i was reading with the kids when i could begin to feel the pressure and pain slowly creep back into my chest and neck. Keli let me lie down for awhile. I got up, feeling better, but still feeling pressure across my chest. i went to lead the H.S./college age Bible study where they asked all types of questions trying to understand and diagnose my trouble.

my wife and i tried to figure out what was wrong with me since this was two nights in a row. it's the time for the allergies and crud here in north Alabama -- but i had been congestion free, no drainage, no fever, no coughing. i took a hard fall over the weekend playing football at our church picnic, but i've had harder falls. we went to bed still not sure of what i was feeling.

by 3:00 a.m., i couldn't lay down, sit up, stand or hardly breathe for that matter. i got dressed and woke up Keli to tell her i was going to the hospital. i drove the 3-4 blocks to the closest hospital and checked in at the ER. after answering the same questions from the Bible study, they did an EKG on me. they saw an elevated level that prompted them to give me aspirin and nitro -- now i was concerned-- what did they think this was? Well, i responded to the nitro and the pain and pressure began to ease. after more questions and a chest x-ray and more questions, i was fitted for a heart monitor, an IV, and oxygen and checked into the hospital.

by this time, my wife had called worried sick, and i had begun to place calls to my dad for medical history. it's only been in the last year that dad has had blood clots. the internal medicine doctor came in later that morning to inform us of their concerns and that since i'm in the middle age category (:{) that they were taking all the precautions. those precautions included putting me on a cardiac/low-sodium diet--the food was bland, but the coffee was worse. the worst thing you can offer a serious coffee drinker is sanka--the decaf/instant excuse was really insulting.

the doctors tested and worked to rule out all the possibilties -- no broken bones, nothing out of joint, no pneumonia or congestion, and still no fever. after many more tests and meeting several cardiologists, the tests led us to believe that i had a blood clot that either got to my heart or lung. the tests also revealed the good news: that my body broke it down like it should. the concerning news/question is why did i have a clot to begin with?

i began to feel no pain nor pressure by 11:00 p.m. Friday night. well, no pain in my chest -- the nitro paste patches that were changed out every 6 hours would give me awful headaches. i could have left Saturday afternoon, but some confusion left me in the hospital until Sunday afternoon. it's good to be home and with my family again. the kids showed some signs of concern, but they were happy to see me return.

i will have an appointment for a stress test with the cardiologists this week. they feel if everything looks okay, then there would be no reason to see me regularly, unless something else should happen down the road. if there's any concern, then we'll consider additional tests and visits.

my wife wanted to spend money and a lot of time with me on my birthday -- i told her she needs to be more specific next time.

we're grateful for our church. the board immediately put me off for the weekend and contacted my father-n-law to do the message Sunday morning. one of the ladies took shifts with the kids so my wife could be with me longer. my sister-n-law and father-n-law also took the kids for several hours over the several day ordeal. Many came to see and sit with us to fill the time, offer prayer, and share their love. Other pastors called or came to share with us as well.

i'it was a blessing to get up with our kids this morning -- to begin a new week, and this new year a little more grateful for God's gifts and blessings.

one truly great thought

2005-09-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

as i wrapped up McManus' book, i came across a great thought that has to be shared. if you haven't yet bought the book "The Barbarian Way," do so. McManus' discussion on the church and the believer ought to be required reading for all who want so much more from their own personal faith experience, as well as wanting more for the church

towards the end of the book, McManus writes this:
"...most groups of animals have unique names or designations when they dwell together. with insects, most of us know that bees are called swarms, and ants are called colonies. among ocean life, i was aware that whales are pods, and fish are schools. cattle are herds, birds are flocks, and if you watch Lion King you know a tribe of lions is a pride. if you grew up in the country, you might know that crows are murders. maybe the most unnerving one is an ambush of tigers.
i was surprsised to learn that a group of buzzards waiting around together to feast on leftover carnage is called a committee. just this one insight is worth the price of the book. this explains so much of what's going on in churches--a lot of committees waiting around to live off human carnage.
...but my favorite of all is the group designation for rhinos."

(to find out why rhino's are his favorite designation, you'll have to read the book.)

my father-in-law has a little figure that sets on his desk or bookshelf that says, "for God so loved the world, that He didn't send a committee." now we know why.

viva la revolution

2005-09-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

i'm about to finish Erwin McManus' latest book. i had hesitated to buy it because i knew that it would be an extrapolation of a message i heard him give a few years ago in Atlanta. however, it is such an amazingly good and compelling message, that i had to at least read what i knew again, while enjoying the parts i had never heard/seen before.

anyway, The Barbarian Way is the call to be the church that was founded, before it became a part of civilized culture. to be the redemptive and revolutionary movement of light against darkness, not the passive going through the motions institution it has tended to become.

in the book, McManus writes about an uprising -- an uprising that i've seen glimpses of througout this summer as i've interacted with believers from two continents, different races/ethnicities, and each generation. the uprising is the burning in our spirits from, i believe, the fire of the Holy Spirit Himself -- a burning to refine what we've become and to become something more, something much more

"Two thousand years ago God started a revolt against the religion He started. So don't ever put it past God to cause a groundswell movement against churches and Christian institutions that bear His name. If He was willing to turn Judaism upside down, don't think for a moment our institutions are safe from a divine revolt. I am convinced that even now there are multitudes of followers of Jesus Christ who are sick and tired of the church playing games and playing down the call of God. My travels only confirm that the murmurings of revolution are everywhere. I am convinced that there is an uprising in the works and that no one less than God is behind it."

sophia church of God

2005-09-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

we had visited congregations in need -- i had heard that the Sophia congregation was the church with the most challenges, the one we could help immediately. i don't know what i expected, but what i saw was not what my mind had imagined

we had followed the paved roads until they ended, but the houses continued. we continued down little dirt roads even though it was obvious the sewage ditches had ceased--the houses still continued, with matching little outhouses. we continued down ever narrowing dirt roads into a larger community missing the array of utility wires we had grown accustomed to seeing in Georgetown. we were in Sophia, a new community scheduled to receive water, sewage, and power lines soon.

our guiding pastor told the driver to stop. even he was confused, "here?" he asked. "right here," pastor Ronda Abrams said with a laugh. (she said before the dirt roads came she would have to walk from the city into this community, and usually ended up quite muddy before she arrived to lead the new congregation there.)

we got out to cross a little make shift bridge to walk through a pasture that was in the middle of this community. this pasture was to be a roadway soon. we went to the end of the pasture road and turned right down a similar pasture road. then we came to the church building...thankfully the Church is the people, not the structure -- because the structure was in need

the church house had to be moved because it was too close to the coming progress. in the moving, it suffered additional structural damage. the walls were separating from the floors, there were increasing gaps in the walls. once inside, there were little ants scurrying along the floor also trying to avoid the holes. a strange little nest of strange tiny wasps was being constructed in the middle of the roof. two long benches lined the back wall, while a short bench lined the adjoining wall next to the doorway. a table and pulpit were at the front, and we were in the church house

in our amazement, Pastor Ronda went down the pasture road without our notice. she returned with church members from the community who came in with crystal glasses, sandwiches, and homemade passion fruit and mango juice. they came with smiles and served us in the heat--humbling our hearts. we were the ones that had so much to give, yet we were the ones receiving.

we're planning to return to Sophia -- we're planning to give toward purchasing their lot and another (what will form one corner of a main intersection in this community); and to give toward the materials needed to build a new multi-purpose community centered church. we're planning to return and help supply some of the labor.

would you like to join us? we can be partners in something great for the Kingdom of Light to dispel the darkness in this new community

missional partnership

2005-09-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” ~ Philippians 2:4

(this is a challenge to my pastoral colleagues in the Church of God)

Let me just say at the top that I think the Project Link initiative is a great vision. But great vision is only a reality with great execution of the strategy. Project Link, as I understand it, calls for each church to get involved relationally with a mission, missionary, and/or international work. Now that project link has been launched, it is up to all of our churches to get involved somewhere.

Our church’s vision before I arrived as pastor was “Touching the World for Christ,” but we were not currently touching any part of the world relationally. We have recently set a future goal for that vision: to be relationally involved with some work or missionary on every continent. That’s a big goal and a bigger vision for a little congregation of 75. But as it has been said, “the way you eat an elephant is one bite at a time.”

Our first “bite,” was making contact with the national leaders in Guyana. We were warmly greeted by Rev. Colin and Carla Edghill at the North American Convention, as they were excited about our interest. We were invited to come, and come quickly – God was in it and he made the way for us. As I’ve just written in Alison’s testimony entitled “Risk & Reward,” God also was faithful to get her involved as well, as one of our lay-leaders.

This initial trip is what all of our churches need to be planning to do in the next 6 months. God can make the way for each pastor or lay-leader to visit the country, the missionary, the work that God lays on your heart. I believe that such initial trips are critical for the success of the Project Link vision.

Through the initial trip, each church becomes accountable. Whoever you visit has now seen you face to face. You have seen their part of the harvest field and other believers have seen you. They’re going to be counting on you to pray for them, support them, and return.

Through the initial trip, you receive a burden. You know the people, you know the obstacles, you realize what you and your church could do. You begin to hurt for what hurts them, and you begin to pray for God to use you and your church as part of the answer to their prayers.

Through the initial trip, your church becomes invested. Many of your congregation will give to make the initial trip happen. They will be sowing financial seeds and seeds of prayer, and they’re going to be looking for their return on their investment--not only what happened on the initial trip, but what’s next? When are you going back? What can we do until we get back? You’re able to bring back pictures, video, and other items to help communicate the culture and needs to your own congregation.

Finally, through the initial trip, new vision is born. During our time and prayer with the churches in Guyana, we not only talked about current vision which included the creation of a Ministry Training School (a discussion begun with Bishop Milton Grannum), helping the newest congregation build a building, and repairs to existing congregations. We also talked about future visits from Guyana to Alabama to help us in our part of the Harvest field, as well as partnering together to go and bless another work in another nation together.

Pastors, Project Link falls to each of us to lead our churches to get involved in the lives and ministries abroad. I know there is so much need here in the wake of Hurricaine Katrina, but our partnerships abroad are not just a one-way street. As we gave to the churches in Guyana, they continually sought to comfort us in prayer and some even gave financially to support the victims of Katrina. We all are blessed as we bless through missional partnerships—that can be the beauty of Project Link.

risk & reward

2005-09-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

we had been looking to get personally involved in the lives and ministries of another country for the past two years, before we had learned about the Project Link initiative. being the son of a Guyanese of mother, and grandson of former missionaries to Guyana, i suggested Guyana. this past summer, while attending the North American Convention in Anderson, i was able to connect with and begin a relationship with Rev. Colin and Carla Edghill, the new national leaders for the Church of God in Guyana. they quickly invited us to come in September to meet the other pastors and churches and to learn first hand how we may be able to partner together. we agreed that if the Lord was in it, we would be there.

one of the great joys of preaching is watching your congregation understand what you’re saying – but it’s truly exciting when you see someone live out the message. as lead pastor of Sixth Avenue Church of God (Decatur, AL), i’ve often taught, “great testimonies are the result of great risks.” Alison now has a great testimony.

the Lord quickly made the way for my wife and i through the generosity of friends and family. when Alison saw the information of our coming trip and heard what we were doing, she immediately said, “I’m going!” Alison received encouragement, but also a few “reality checks.” what about school? what about work? and as a newly wed, where are you going to find the money?

Alison went and spoke to her teachers, they would excuse her from classes. Alison went and talked to her boss. he gave her the time off—then he handed her the bonus check that all the employees were to receive that day – more than half the cost of the trip! all she needed now were some vaccinations and the passport.

we all sent in our applications and documents for our passports with plenty of time before the trip. my wife and i received our passports about a week and a half before the trip. one week before the trip, Alison received a letter stating that as a newlywed with a name change, she would need additional applications and documents that were not originally requested. disappointed, but not giving up, she collected her information and sent in the additional applications next day mail with a check for expedited service to our regional office. The next morning, Friday, August 26, she talked to her contact that he had indeed received everything at the regional office in New Orleans.

later that day, we learned that New Orleans was being evacuated because of Hurricane Katrina. as we watched the news reports of the following destruction that weekend, we felt Alison’s chances of going to Guyana were also being destroyed.

on Monday, Alison called trying to find out what was happening to her application. Apparently her information was entered into the computers, but not sure where her documentation may be. Someone told her she could just drive down to Miami and get a passport from that office, not realizing how far it is from north Alabama to Miami. The next day, her husband Grant was told that the Miami office had a reputation of being really efficient with passports. while in their home that night, they told me these things about the Miami office, and i said, “well you know, we do have a little more than a 4 hour layover in Miami on the way to Guyana. i wonder if they could forward everything there for us to pick up, that would give them an extra day to put or two to put everything together.” Alison was a little encouraged and was ready to try.

“No,” was the first answer Alison received to our bizarre request on Wednesday, August 31. Disappointed again, but undeterred, she called back. This time, the representative said, “yeah, that’ll work. I’ll do it right now.” Alison hung up not knowing what would happen. Thirty minutes later, the Miami office called her and said, “we have all your information. bring new forms of documentation when you arrive in Miami, come to the third floor of the federal building and ask for Nancy.”

Alison packed her bags and prepared to fly out with us early Friday, September 2. she was taking a flight to a city she had never been to, with the hopes of catching a taxi (which she had never done), to find a building she had never seen, to find a lady she had never met, to get her passport done in less than 3 hours so that she could continue her journey to be her church’s first lay-representative to Guyana. “with God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26)

we arrived in Miami, caught that taxi – but the address we had was wrong and we were spending precious time driving in circles. we got out of the cab, asked for directions, hopped on the Metro Mover, found the building, went to third floor, to the first window and asked for Nancy.

“I’m sorry, but Nancy’s no longer handling those cases. Fill out this form and get back in line,” the receptionist said. Two hours and fifteen minutes to go and we just hit another road block. Alison, visibly frustrated took the form to the back of the line, sat on the floor and filled out the paper as we sat in the crowded waiting room to pray and wonder what would happen. when she got to the front of the line and turned in her form, they told her they would call her by name in a few minutes. Two hours to go, and nothing certain, all we could do was wait.

with one hour to go before needing to head back to the airport, we urged Alison back to the window to ask how much longer. as she approached the window, her name was called. Alison gave all of her documentation, and began to wait again. Alison was called back to the window to pick up her passport right on time – with one hour to go before our connecting flight.

we caught another cab back to the airport, rushed in to find our connecting airline ticket counter more than full. we looked frantically for our flight number but were unable to find anything. then we heard a man for the counter yell out, “anyone else for BIWI flight 431?” i yelled back to him and he said, “you better get up here if you want to catch that flight.” we were ushered ahead of the crowd and checked in with just enough time to run down the concourse, through security and to our gate in time for boarding. Alison was getting on a plane to Guyana.

on September 9, just like the disciples sent in His name, she returned full of joy.

looking ahead

2005-08-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

on Sunday, i challenged our congregation with some additional vision. the vision points, using overdone alliteration, came from this passage in Proverbs 24:11-12, "Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?"

1. get involved -- if we're going to Glorify God, by Touching the World for Christ, we have to continue to get involved with those in danger by serving their needs, including them in a loving fellowship, and joining with them in prayer. our congregation has done well to re-emphasize a missional heart in their support of our coming trip and involvement with the churches in Guyana. they also readily embraced and supported the Davenports and their ministry in Aukland, New Zealand. our church council affirmed my overzealous response to be a part of the volunteer labor and fund-raising for a new children's playground in the park next door to us that will be 75% handicap accesible (the national average for children with disabilities is 8%, but in Decatur it's 12%).
these are good steps, but there's more we can do -- 1 John 3:17 says, "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?". we are constantly bombarded by a community in need. we are able to meet some and reference other places of help for needs we can't meet. one set of needs we continually face is housing. we continually get individuals and families that are just trying to get ahead enough to start rent at a place -- but the daily monetary needs for a family or food take away from the ability to raise deposits for rent, utilities, and first month's rent. we helped a single mom and her kids living in their minivan for months. we are currently helping a family of 6 (that became 7 Thursday morning). they've been living out of a motel room for 6 weeks. all the while we have a house behind our sanctuary. the house is vacant. the church used to rent it -- but doesn't want to be in the rental business anymore. i challenged our congregation to use it for those in need --to make it our Hope House (see yellow and blue icon). this would be an intentional ministry that would provide temporary housing, accountability to saving money, and help to finding a future, suitable home.

2. interrupt those staggering along with an invitation to something more. we have a sign out in front of our church -- it's not lighted, and at 45 mph, you can't really read it. if you are able to read it, you may learn the name of the church that meets there, but that's it. You don't know when we're meeting, why, or why in the world you'd like to come. traffic gets stacked up in front of our church in each direction each night. we could put a lighted sign on each side of our sanctuary -- but let's go one step further and add a scrolling marquee so that there are constant invitations to come and see what God is doing.
i also challenged the congregation to think bigger than our own fellowship when it comes to certain annual activities. i challenged us to make four quarterly events that we would also be sure to invited everyone in our neighborhoods to attend. the events would be around Easter (spring), a block party in the church parking lot (summer), our annual picnic in the park next door (fall), and something with Christmas (winter).

3. hold each other to integrity. this is the controversial one. since i've been pastor at Sixth Avenue, i've had difficulty during the nominating and annual business meeting times because i expect more of leadership than just showing up. i presented a leadership covenant that was approved by our Council, quickly became a sore spot, and has been waived the next two years by subsequent Councils. our by-laws hint to requirements of leadership, namely attendance, regular 'worship,' and "living in harmony with the teaching and practices of the Church of God". that last generic statement seems to be present in many of our church's by-laws. but what does that mean? the only belief many seem to care about is that salvation makes you a member of God's church. our national church recommends leadership covenants in the latest Credentials Manual. but more importantly, the Bible calls for higher standards of leadership. that belonging to a fellowship is one thing, but leading within that fellowship requires a little more care. i challenged our congregation to be willing to articulate those Biblical expectations and potential leaders should submit to accountability. without such agreement and accountability, we will be subject to immaturity. In Ephesians 4, while Paul is speaking of the Body (15), he mentions that we will be able to grow up into Christ as we "speak the truth in love".

finally
4. invest in those not yet here. we recently lost a good youth ministry team in Andy and Shannon (http://andrewdailey.typepad.com/dailey_blog/). in such a transition, there's the obvious drive to fill the void. but at this particular time in our church's life, we have just as many children as youth. what if we should look for a children's pastor and build up a large children's ministry for a larger, future youth ministry base? or, what if we partnered with the Concilio (Hispanic Church of God council) to bring in a Hispanic ministry family to help us meet and minister to our large Hispanic community around our church and city? then we would see not only an enlarged children's and youth ministry, we would also see additional workers and a larger congregational base from which to support children's and youth ministries. we could also be equipped to learn Spanish--and think about an eventual english/spanish speaking 2x2 ministry into our neighborhood on Sunday nights! 2 cultures, one family, meeting the needs of our community for His name's sake.

+1 = 14

2005-08-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

this past Sunday night, 11 went out from our church into our neighborhood. that's 1 more than went last week, but four of this week's servants were out for the first time -- that means that in the last two weeks, we've had 14 from our church make at least one trip into our neighborhood.

again, the hope is, rather than expecting the neighborhood to come into our doors, we'll meet them where they are. we are compelled by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-21)-- not wanting anything from our neighborhood, but something for them. to demonstrate this love, we go with an extended offer to serve or pray, ready to share the hope we've found if prompted by the Spirit.

this week, we were able not only to see some follow-up to last week's encounters, but to also meet some new neighbors. most of who we met this week were not nearly as receptive or eager to talk. i think that's great! if the Spirit begins to move as we act justly through continual mercy to folks that are initially apprehensive and have the defenses go up--imagine the light that can break begin to break through into even darker places.

again, those walls or barriers to our effort also served as teaching moments that God is faithful to be true to His word, not allowing these efforts to return void, just part of His gentle whisper and knock at the door of hearts

we returned to talk and pray as we did last week -- there was additional joy in the room, but also a multiplied sense of purpose. the discussion and the ideas were electric.

"i want to invite every neighbor to our church"

"the Jesus video could be a pretty powerful gift around Easter"

"we need a block party with food, and games, and no strings attached"

"we really need a Hispanic pastor"

"i wish we would have been walking my dog -- that would have given us a better connection with that family through their dog"

"next week i'll bring my kids to play at the park with their kids -- then i may have a better opportunity to strike up a conversation"

many good ideas--great levels of continued prayer and discussion afterwards in the parking lot. great timing too -- this next Sunday marks our annual time of casting new vision and ideas to our church and leadership to consider and pursue in the next year.

the proverbial ball is rolling...

JOEL 2:28 "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions."

sending out 10

2005-08-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

Jesus began with sending out the 12 (Luke 9:1-6) in groups of two and eventually the 70/72 (Luke 10:1-24). the apostles continued this missionary tradition sending out such pairings as Paul and Barnabas.

tonight, we began with 10--five groups of 2. we weren't canvassing the neighborhood, just trying to follow the gentle whisper of the Spirit. we went out to bless, not convict -- to offer service, instead of trying to get them to our services.

eight of the nine that we had previously been praying with and teaching to share their testimony were joined by one other willing believer this evening. we began as we usually do with our 5:00 prayer meeting. after the time of prayer, i gathered our new cards and reminded everyone of our desire to be a part of God's process -- that the quality of our interaction was important. we decided on which streets we would take (so not to create a mob scene down 1 street) and we set out

2 of our teams entered into two different conversations with people from the same household, at the same time. one team interacted with one member in their front yard; meanwhile another team was cutting through an alley and had run into another family member in their backyard.

we gathered back at the church after an hour and shared who we met, what their impressions were, what our impressions were. everyone, as in Luke, seemed to be filled with a joy of being a part of God's love extended to these homes. no one led anyone to Christ, but several of the teams had the opportunity to hear a need and pray with that individual/family for that need. now relationships have begun and we can follow-up next week, after we seek to continue to pray for those individuals through the week.

everyone also demonstrated a greater concern and a heart for our neighbors. we've talked about meeting our neighbors, being willing to meet our neighbors' needs in prayer and service -- but now those neighbors had faces, names, location.

everyone also seemed to have a greater confidence. we've been talking about it--but now we've done it. we've walked out the doors, across the street, and into conversations with our neighbors. it didn't hurt--they didn't bite--it wasn't that awkward. i think they think they can do it again

and we will

"Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ" ~ Acts 5:42

Guyana here we come!

2005-08-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

on september 1, Alison, my wife, and i will head north to Nashville to head south on a plane on september 2 for our first missions experience in Guyana, South America.

Alison was moved to attend this first excursion the moment she saw the map and announcement in our sanctuary. the Lord honored her heart's desire and provided for her favor to obtain time out of school, time off of work, and a bonus from her boss that nearly covered the expense of the trip.

keli and i have received gifts and encouragment from friends and family all throughout the states. we were blessed last night with a call from a group of friends who said they would cover the balance!

now it's time for vaccinations and waiting on Uncle Sam to send our passports on time.

the focus of our trip will be one of discovery, relationship building, some preaching or leadership training, and beginning to search for a suitable location to build a church plant in memory of my grandparents in the near future.

this is an exciting time

the vision of our church has been "to touch the world for Christ" -- it was the vision long before we were there. we came with the hope of giving new "feet" to that vision in the form of a ministry strategy from Micah 6:8, serve, love, pray. as we do these three things in relationships across the street, inside the sanctuary or around the world, we'll bring God glory and touch the world for Christ

the church has actively supported missions in the past, and had many trips. but lately it has lost relationship with those projects. we want to renew the relationships with the projects we support.

i've told our congregation that we can't touch the world for Christ is we're not out touching the world. it's my hope and our vision that in the near future, we're touching the world in relationships to serve, love, and pray for and with a group of churches on every continent.

as my friends at www.servelife.org say, "the goal: GOD's GLORY among all nations"

not out yet

2005-07-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

for those of you who were awaiting some news as to what happened in meeting our neighbors this weekend, let me share

we didn't go yet...for a couple of reasons

1) our pre-printed materials to hand out with who we were and our offers to serve/pray were not ready. we hope to have them ready for this weekend
2) i picked up grumbling on the strategy as well as uneasiness among the willing. grumbling, i'm used to, uneasyness among our willing means i need to step back and help show some what, how, and why's. (as they say, the difference between a leader and a martyr is 10 steps)

so we talked in a small group after our prayer meeting about the information and offers we'll be doing -- how very little serving is likely to take place on Sunday nights, but that we'll want to pace ourselves so that we don't overcommit.

overcommitting may be as bad or worse than going out at all. by 'overcommitting,' i mean that we hand out 50-100 of these nice offers to help folks at their homes, and we get 15-20 people to respond for help. (now i know that's not likely, in fact 2 is more likely to be an overwhelming number--but for argument sake, i'll continue). i would then take these 15-20 families' needs back to our congregation and call for working on a weeknight or Saturday morning. the result of the passionate plea to help our neighbors and show the love of Christ -- 3 willing servants. that would be overcommitting -- 3 people killing themselves trying to reach everyone. such poor follow through would put off most requests 6 months or more. the result of such a delay would be lack of confidence in the ones that advertised they cared. not a good way to start to reach the neighborhood

so, we'll start slowly, maybe introducing ourselves to 10 families and seeing what type of response and follow-up we can generate. as we touch lives with the love of Christ, excitement will build from every testimony and participant. such excitement can produce a greater willingness to bless and meet our neighbors.

we'll be out there soon, but getting out won't be the biggest issue. no, that's follow-up. we want to be sure to follow-up quickly and joyfully

"what we want is a joyful church, and we're not going to convince this world without it. we need to get this long-faced 'Christianity' off the earth" ~ D.L. Moody

out we go

2005-07-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

while at our national convention, we heard a great message from Reggie McNeal entitled, "Refuge or Mission: your choice."

i was excited to hear this message because i had been telling our church for the past two years that we needed to adopt more a mission philosophy than a church philosophy, especially in our neighborhood. just north of us a few blocks is the historic distric, and historically there are good folks there who are connected with churches. but the other three sides of us are declining neighborhoods filled with folks who are either on their way down into trouble or trying dig their way out of being in trouble, starting over for one reason or another. there are also several seniors that have always lived in that area. we also sit right on u.s. 31 (the picture looks south down 31), so we get a lot of folks who are drifting, homeless, broken down looking for help, etc.

i had previously led our congregation members away from Wednesday Night Bible study to engage our community in serving them. (actually, only a few went as i delegated off Bible study to our prayer pastor, and most just stayed in the sanctuary) we went out to the parks where children were playing and people walking to offer cold water and look for opportunities for conversation. we went to neighbors houses in the fall and raked leaves. on one occassion, we introduced ourselves and made the offer to a family that couldn't figure out where that church was--when we told them to look out their back window, they weren't the only ones embarassed

we went into fall, where central time loses an hour of daylight so that its getting dark by 6:00 p.m. (no one in Alabama is excited about opening their door to strange people on the porch with rakes after dark) so we were going to look at other days and times -- but then we faced a lot of inner turmoil that led to us pulling in the reigns

but earlier this year, we again cast the vision for getting back into the community, engaging our neighbors. we had planned to get back out on July 3 (but the holiday weekend along with my extended absence prevented that). So, July 10--but then this little hurricane named Dennis charged through the state. next week...

instead of going out, we showed the DVD of McNeal's message to help drive home the point of why we were going out again. here are some of the quotes that stand out after listening a second time:
"i'm not here to help you do church better, because most of what we're doing is not going to matter. tweakin' this sucker is not gonna get it done"
"God takes attendance by asking, 'who's missing?' and there are a whole lot of somebody's missing--whole generations missing from our churches"
"just bless people--you're more likely to see people open up through blessing them than trying to convict them"

the response was very positive. so, what are we going to do?

after our Sunday night prayer time, we're going into our neighborhoods just to introduce ourselves and offer to serve or pray for folks. we are having some 4x6 cards printed that help explain who we are and the 'no strings attached' offer to serve. the top of the card will have a magnetic strip so they can keep it and our contact information on their fridge. the bottom portion is a detachable postage paid postcard that they can respond to our offer with. some groups could use these same cards while handing out water at a park, or sharing with a neighbor

we intentionally want to go out with these cards on Sundays or Wednesdays because we're more likely to run into people not attached to a church

what we're offering: primarily elbow grease for projects like these...
indoor/outdoor painting
indoor/outdoor cleaning
working on lawns/flowers
other

we're also offering to pray for needs. as we go out, we will be training our folks in a prayer strategy that Kurt Salierno teaches to open doors for spiritual conversations. we will also follow-up on each request regularly

we may have only 1-2 families take us up on the offers -- but the biggest task will be quick follow-up to each response. we'll be ready for helping with what we can right away. but mobilizing our folks to give up time during their week or weekend to meet the needs is the more likely scenario. but that type of love in action could be the difference for someone who's been skeptical, alone, or crying out to God for anyone to help

its not much, but its steppin' outside the four walls (and i think that's where we'll find Jesus at work)

a new Guyana beckons

2005-07-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

that is the title of the Guyanese government's promotional campaign for tourism -- but for me, there's another meaning. my mother is Guyanese, my dad and his parents served as missionaries to Guyana. now, the Lord is leading me to lead our congregation to be involved in advancing the Kingdom in ministry partnership with the existing churches there. this will begin with an upcoming opportunity to travel there...soon

let me tell you about the trip to Guyana

two days before my grandmother passed from this life (the last day of June 2005), i was meeting with the new national church leaders in Guyana at Anderson. our church had made a commitment a year ago to make Guyana our first country to be involved in missions and partnership. as i met with them and shared our heart, our vision, and my own heritage, they enthusiastically invited me to join an upcoming trip to Guyana at the end of August and into September, as leaders begin setting up a Bible Training school. In addition, if i can come then, or at a future date, they want to begin looking for a place to plant a new church in memory of my grandparents Ed & Meriam. It was a joy to share that news with her before her passing--i'm excited to see their heart for this little country living beyond their time of service here.

Rev. Milton Grannum is leading the trip and working toward the Bible training program. our involvement will be some teaching, but mainly discovery and aiding ourselves with the knowledge and exposure to see our church get really behind these projects in their own participation physically, prayerfully, financially, etc.

i'm in the beginning stages of raising support in prayer and finances. right now, the tentative dates of the trip are August 31 - September 9, and i would ask for your congregation's prayers leading up to that time (that all the details of passports, reservations, and preparation) come together, and for the time there (that a new missional heart will be birthed not only in our church, but also in the Guyanese churches as we seek to see the 11 churches grow to fill the country with the good news of Jesus Christ) .

if you or anyone in your church(es) would like to help this effort financially, they can send their gift written to "Sixth Avenue Church of God" with the memo line as "Guyana trip/Pastor". we're hoping to raise enough for Keli to go too -- so if you would like to support her, let your memo line read, "Guyana trip/Keli". this way all of the funds will be received and disbursed with integrity, while allowing every giver to receive a gift letter for their individual tax purposes. mail any gift or letters of support to: Sixth Avenue Church of God, ATTN: Pastor Ken, 716 - 6th Ave. S.E., Decatur, AL 35601

great painting

2005-07-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

check out this link and visual of Jesus among the least of these:
http://www.ecva.org/exhibition/spirits_fire/artists/smith_1.htm

thanks to Debbie for the link

baker parable

2005-07-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

i've been working on this for a while -- as a result, it's pretty long. the breaks during our week at our national convention and the theme of the convention ('reach the lost') provided the motivation to finish it. looking forward to your comments...

i'm a baker

in fact, i'm a fourth generation baker--the last three generations have baked for the same franchise. i even married a baker's daughter--though of a different franchise. That doesn't matter to me though--i learned a long time ago that the franchise is not as important as the Baker's Oath: feed the hungry.

You would think that all bakers would bake with that purpose--and i think that most, if not all begin with that in their hearts. But some time, through all the early mornings with the ingredients, the hours in the heat of the bakery, and the endless requests of the customers--it's easy to just forget the Baker's Oath.

There appears to be a couple of common pitfalls when this happens. The first is that the bakery ceases to make bread the primary product. Instead, pastries are offered. People love pastries--their light and flaky crust along with the sweet filling brings people back. But people who only eat pastries, also grow to be selfish, lazy, and poorly nourished . The world offers a lot of artificial sweetened alternatives that continue to leave people hungry and looking for real bread. As a result, some hungry come and see little difference to what they're offered in the world, while others come and stay because at least the atmosphere is better. Eating takes place, but nourishment is lacking.

The other pitfall to abandoning the oath is to just placate the well-fed.
It seems that more and more bakeries are giving in to the wishes of the well-fed. i'm not trying to judge them, but it's evident in the growing numbers of hungry, even starving, folks while the bakeries continue to demonstrate declining clientele.

i understand that feeding the hungry has no immediate return--there's more loss than gain in such a venture. But how can a bakery with all the ingredients and storehouses of bread just watch as so many daily die of starvation?

Anyway, back to my story, my present situation. i was called to serve in a little bakery with a long, established history. Great bakers have come through this bakery and many of the current customers tell of getting their first or best tastes of bread from their efforts. It's been an honor to be serving bread in such a bakery.

But the appreciation and fascination with previous bakers and their bread is more than unsettling. In fact, it's almost rebellion when it comes to offering fresh bread.
Each week, i sit with the recipe and the ingredients to prepare the bread for the week. The bread is offered fresh and in a similar manner of baker's before me--but the well-fed customers prefer the day old bread.

i actually grew up on more day old bread than fresh bread. The day old bread is still good--it offers nourishment, and could be offered to those in need. But my objection to the day old bread is that it's appears less appetizing to the hungry and starving--as a result, they're more likely to pass up on what they really need in search of something less filling, less satisfying.

However, the well-fed customers of our bakery cling to their day old bread--they're mad when it is not offered as frequently as the fresh bread or if it's not presented the same way it was when it was fresh.

The well-fed customers aren't interested in making bread deliveries to the hungry. They're supportive of those on delivery routes, but insist that's a special calling.

The well-fed customers are not opposed to feeding the hungry--they know that's the Baker's Oath. They're open to and welcome any hungry person coming to get bread from their bakery. In fact, they argue that more hungry people would come ('as they did before') if we would go back to exclusively offering the day old bread.

Instead of making deliveries, they want to study the recipe and ingredients. They know the recipe, many by heart. But what good are the ingredients and the recipe if you're not going to bake? And what good is baking if you're not to take bread to the hungry?

Growing up in bakeries, i was aware of demands and expectations of the well-fed customers. When i accepted the role of baker, i made up my mind that i was going to keep to the oath, that i wouldn't give in to please the well-fed customers.

i was committed to offering fresh bread, not only to the well-fed customers, but more importantly to the hungry. It was obvious that they were not compelled to come to the bakery for day-old bread. i had been to other bakeries and baked in other bakeries whose bread was fresh and the hungry seemed more likely to come for fresh bread.

The well-fed customers started objecting and picketing the change of menu that we brought to the bakery. i refused to placate their demands, but in my zeal for fresh bread, i did something just as bad. i became involved in a bakery dispute over fresh bread vs day-old bread.

Meanwhile, the hungry were starving, and the starving were dying for bread

Recently, i was reminded by the Master Chef about the Baker's Oath. i was reminded of all those in need of bread. The opposition were not the well-fed proponents of day-old bread. The opposition was starvation. We had bread--day-old and fresh. The issue was not the bread, it was delivery.

We had to quit expecting the hungry just to come marching into our bakery. We needed to get out and share the bread we had received--then, after they had a taste, they would see that it was not only good, but satisfying. Maybe then, they would go to the bakery, maybe even our bakery. But if they came or didn't, or worse, rejected the offer of bread, we would have fulfilled our reponsibility, our oath: feed the hungry.

Psalm 34:8 " Taste and see that the LORD is good."

John 6:35 "Jesus told them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never become hungry, and whoever believes in me will never become thirsty."

great camp

2005-06-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

last week, Andy (our student pastor, http://andrewdailey.typepad.com/dailey_blog/, at least for the next few days) and i directed our state ministries' teen camp. rather than do a typical camp (you know, crazy games filling up the day with an occasional Bible study, fishing, and a worship service) we threw out most of the games, made the Bible study a "van-otion" (devo's in the van) and gave 6 hours of day in service to those in need, and closed each day with a lectio-driven worship service.

originally, it was to be work with a Habitat for Humanity house and family. but all the Habitat homes in the area were completed a little over a week before our camp, and before we could be sent into a dead panic, they were gracious enough to put us in touch with an awesome volunteer coordinator. she found projects with minstries all through the city just in time. as a result, instead of touching just one family and neighborhood with the love and Gospel of Jesus, we touched dozens

this camp was not well embraced by all of the campers --especially at first. but by the end of the week, the students seemed to understand that being a Christian is more than their relationship with Jesus (after all, if that were the case, you'd be dead at the altar). But by sharing in His sufferings, taking up His cross/mission daily, we too are to give our lives for the sake of others experiencing the love of Christ through our compassion, involvment and sharing the Gospel with them in tangible ways.

somehow, we think to recharge our spiritual batteries, we have to focus on ourselves--but that's counter Biblical instruction from Christ: "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it" (Matthew 16:25). i know that we need time for ourselves alone with God -- and i'm not downplaying that at all. but at a conflicted low point in the prophet Elijah's ministry, he sought the Lord on His mountain only to be asked the question "what are you doing here?" and later directed to go back the way he came, and to continue prophetically giving to the very people that were such a drain (1 Kings 19)

when we seek blessings for ourselves, is it really a blessing we receive or is it just a spiritual high (i'm wondering aloud and speaking of our pursuit of spiritual experience as a euphoric, emotional drug)? it seems to me that our American Christian experience is continually laced with these spiritual-drug hits through the latest worship song, concert, book, Bible study, and an endless supply of me-centered offerings from your local Christian bookstore--but i digress :)

as Jesus summed up his washing the disciples feet, He said in John 13:17, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" -- This then would seem to say that blessing comes as a result of service, seeking the good or meeting the needs of others--not in seeking your own benefit. Paul quotes Jesus in Acts 20:35, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
if we believe that (that it really is "more blessed to give than receive"), then the prescribed remedy for our spiritual depressions or ruts ought to be to go out and give--a workcamp rather than a retreat. i believe that when we serve, with the right heart, not only does God show up in the lives of those we serve, but also in our own lives.

In fact, i think when we serve, we won't have to go looking for God, because God comes looking for you. Paul wrote in Romans 12:2 "to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, Holy and pleasing to Him, because this is our spritual act of worship" -- and Jesus said that those worshippers that worship in spirit and in truth, "those are the worshippers the Father seeks" (John 4:32). God is seeking for spiritual worshippers -- those who are offering their lives in Holy sacrifice. And as i've written on here before, i think that Holiness is not merely the absence of evil but the embracing the activity of Christ. and what was the activity of Christ? "to serve and give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45)

i hope that one of the main thoughts that we communicated each day was this: you're not working, you're worshipping -- regardless if you're painting a wall, peeling potatoes, or doing the homeless' laundry--if your motive is right, it's worship. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Colossians 3:23-24)

reggie reggie reggie

2005-05-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

i know that this typically has been my church and ministry blog, but in the midst of a big wedding and a difficult funeralm the nba playoffs have also had my attention
playoffs generally maintain my attention because it is the origional and purest form of reality shows. not that these shows reveal our reality--but they are a commentary of the moral values and social reality in which we live. playoffs offer us a glimpse of the character of individuals, but the reaction and commentary of announcers and crowd tell us a lot about the state of our society.

growing up in the middle of nowhere IN, i naturally became a huge fan of all things hoosier. that was easy to do in the 80's when the college teams were winning--but not easy to admit professionally with a struggling colts and pacers franchises. those were the days when the pacers hopes rested on guys named Fleming, Kellog (yes Clark from March Madness fame), and Tisdale. hope came in the late 80's, but not in the form of a player named Person, but in the unlikely scrawny frame of a rookie from UCLA named reggie

reggie was better known as the little brother of Cheryl Miller -- perhaps one of the best female basketball players ever. he had always been scrawny, a lasting reminder of the thin metal braces that once enabled the weak reggie to stand up and walk as a child. he grew up the underdog, he played as the underdog, and battled for a city that was annually the underdog. indianapolis didn't embrace reggie -- when his name was called at the draft, he and the franchise were booed. they initially wanted to choose i.u. standout, Steve Alford who had just one a national championship

after an 18 year career, this Hollywood bruin became endeared to the hearts of hoosiers for his work ethic, local charity, and bulldog tenacity that made a once struggling franchise an annuall playoff contender. but this year, he announced it was time to hang 'em up, even though at age 39 he could still carry a struggling and embattled franchise

last week, his season and career were ended by the defending champion Detroit Pistons. (married to a Detroit girl, i know a lot about their team as well). staring retirement in the face, reggie gave the Pistons and pacer fans a game to remember--scoring almost a point a minute, he willed the pacers on to the end. but in the end, with 15 seconds left on the clock -- it was time to walk away. to walk away without yet winning the championship

when his number was called, the whole building knew what that meant--walking to the bench was a long walk--but everyone stood and cheered for the hometown hero as if he had won. then, in what may have been the classiest demonstrations of sportsmanship in professional sports, pistons coach (and former pacers coach) Larry Brown took the timeout the pacers couldn't, and stood up to join the applause as he walked toward the indiana bench. his assistants, and team followed, joining the applause and cheerleading the crowd.

in the press conference that followed, reggie summed up his career and the peace he felt about retirement in two words, 'i tried'. he didn't allow illness, criticism, referees, competition, shot blockers, missed shots, lack of talent, suspensions, or injuries get in his way -- for 18 years, he stuck with the team that took him, and he tried day in, day out for them and the city.

to grow up hoosier means to grow annually disrespected in the sports world. for the state that bears the motto "amateur sports capital of the world," it's always the underdog. but for 18 years, there was a player who looked the big dogs in the face and was willing to keep fighting. the day after reggie's farewell, sports commentators argued on his legacy -- not a great player, but a very good player--just the last of the golden age (80-90's) of the nba to hang 'em up.

he may not have been one of the greatest -- but he was great for the nba and for indiana. he was the david playing the goliath's each week (Bird's Celtics, Isaiah's pistons, Ewing's knicks, Jordan's bulls, even Shaq's lakers). usually our society only celebrates success and championships, but for a moment last week, a portion of our society celebrated effort.

in the course of our life, there will always be obstacles -- you can focus on the obstacle, using it as an excuse. or you can put your energy behind your effort and let the results be decided. thankfully, as a believer, we are assured of the ultimate victory, won by our Savior, Jesus Christ. but daily the battles rage, souls are in jeopardy and our effort is required. above my desk i have three words that remind me to make the effort -- three words strung together by Mother Teresa, "Faithfulness, not Success." God calls us to be faithful, let His Spirit make up the difference, and leave the results in His capable hands.

"To the faithful you show yourself faithful," ~ Psalm 18:25

"His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' ~ Matthew 25:23

new ChoG Blog listing

2005-05-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

long time in posting i know -- slowly working on basketball post that will be up soon

i was just informed of this new ChoGBlog -- with other pastors contributing from their journeys -- if interested, check it out at
http://chogblog.blogspot.com/

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only hope

2005-04-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." ~ Romans 15:13

tonight, a man named Steve sits in a car in our church parking lot. he has no house, the old buick he received as a gift from one of our 20 year olds is his only shelter. Steve has a problem, no, the problem has him. the problem with alcohol has been controlling his life for "decades" -- he finally confessed it tonight. he has lost most hope, but came to those he has learned to trust -- he says he's seen God real in his life in this little church. he said he wants to 1 serve God, 2 serve people, and 3 have a little something for himself. i told him the alcohol has reversed those priorities, and that he needed help. he agreed and we called a treatment center -- they're on the way tomorrow to pick him up and take him south to a place of help, a place of hope, instead of heading north a few blocks to jump off the bridge. Steve saw God alive in the hearts of a little church on 6th Ave --that little bit of trust provided the only ray of hope he could hold on to.

meanwhile, a man named Coleman lies in the hospital bed hospice moved into his room a few weeks ago. at 91, Coleman has seen at least 3x's the amount of joy and sorrow i've seen. 3 weeks ago tomorrow, i ate lunch with he and his wife after grim report at the doctor's office. we were eating at our monthly Caleb Club (seniors group) meeting when they told me the news--though week, he made the trip because he knew it would be his last opportunity for fellowship with the group. Coleman and his wife Eloise lived a life of serving, loving and praying -- even at their advanced age, they cooked and took meals to those who were "shut-in" or "worse off" than they were. Though any number of the ailments from cancer to leukemia to blood pressure to arthritis to Lord knows what else -- any of these would have given these two an excuse -- instead their trust in the Lord gave them a joy that overflowed as the power of the Holy Spirit carried them on. now, unable to speak, barely able to breathe, nearly unconscious -- his prayer was not for living, but peace for his family.

tomorrow, my dad will enter a not guilty plea to an awful charge against him. in today's mass media culture, he has been painted guilty in the eyes and minds of most with his picture on paper and airwaves. internet searches have led to confusion and defamation of character which only add to the pain, confusion, and loss. as dad walks through reporters to the sterile courtroom, his hope will not rest on the bench, but only in the God of hope. there's no peace in the silence that surrounds them now, only peace with the God who sent His Son, the Prince of Peace. we trust that God is true to His Word and we await the power of the Holy Spirit (the comforter, promised counselor) to guide us into all truth. our prayer is that the truth will not only set dad and mom free, but the accuser as well.

three different men, three different struggles, one answer -- the God of hope

"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." ~ Romans 5:5

then and now

2005-04-18T05:50:00.000-07:00

for the last 11 months, i took at least 3 days a week to see Bobby. along with teaching him the Word of God, i was answering his questions. questions regarding the Bible passages he was trying to read, questions that Jehovah witnesses were raising at his door, questions that other Bible 'teachers' had raised in his life -- this 56 year old man was a babe in Christ and needed continual care and follow-up.

parents wouldn't bring a baby in the world and leave them in the delivery room and only casually meet them back there once a week to ask how they're doing. parents don't leave the doctor in charge of meeting the baby's immediate and long term needs. yet that's often what we do when we bring a friend to the altar and help them receive Christ as their Savior and enter a new birth experience. we celebrate with them there, share the new birth announcement, maybe encourage baptism -- but there they often lay, struggling at the altar floor, in need of nourishment, in need of training, in need of steadfast love.

the first time i missed seeing Bobby for more than a few days, someone was there offering him a drink. when i got to him afterwards, he was sorrowful, repentant, and begging me not to give up on him, but to pray for him. our new converts in Christ will be met with opposition and temptations that have a destructive purpose. Jesus said that satan comes to "steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10) and Peter compared him to a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8) -- as i understand it, lions attack a herd and end up with the old, the lame, or the young.

the responsibility is on the church, the saints. new converts should not have to be expected to line up spiritual mentors to disciple them and help them handle the Word of God correctly. as the church, we need to fulfill the great commission of Christ and "make disciples...baptizing them...and teaching them to obey everything I [Jesus] have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19, 20)

i am fortunate that one of my mentors, Kurt, took Dad aside after he had rededicated his life and discipled him before he could have any part in the youth ministry Kurt was directing. Dad in turn, took me aside on mornings to do the same for me in patterned instruction, daily Bible readings, and follow-up. Dad went on to disciple many and prepare several discipleship courses that have been used in a variety of settings.

Discipleship can take place in a group -- but its best one-to-one. Discipleship is the patterning of our lives after Christ, not that we learn about Christ, but learn to be like Him in his conduct and character. discipleship is not simply an external process of passing on knowledge or changing outward conduct ("but how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" from Romans 10:14-15). but discipleship is also an internal transformation of the character of the individual by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit -- Paul and Peter both testify to this in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, and 1 Peter 1:2. as God's word is passed on into the life of a new believer by mature and loving believer(s), the new convert matures and Jesus becomes the Lord of their life. Jesus prayed in John 17:17 "Sanctify them by the truth, Your Word is truth".

at Bobby's funeral this week, i shared his testimony, and the relationship we developed together through those visits. i talked about his desire and crying out for mercy, the steadfast loving relationship of someone in his life to lead to positive change. i shared how we were all in need of that kind of mercy and offered a time of response, so that others in the room could cry out for mercy. and i encouraged immediate follow-up, for them to talk to a pastor or older Christian in the room.

three responded. a nephew who talked to one of Bobby's brothers, the one who had given him the Bible i had found in his apartment 11 months ago. a neice, who talked to her mother, Bobby's sister, who introduced her to their pastor. and Bobby's brother-in-law, the man who was sitting on Bobby's porch the day i showed up looking for him to help Eddy. Bobby's brother-in-law asked me after the funeral if i would mind visiting him like i did Bobby -- so, the follow-up will continue...

2005-04-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

Bobby after his baptism

Bobby Walker Haggard, 1948-2005

2005-04-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

Bobby Walker Haggard

Funeral for Bobby Walker Haggard, 56, of Decatur will be Thursday, April 14, 2005, at 2 p.m. at Parkway Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Ken Oldham officiating. Burial will be in Bellview Cemetery. Visitation will be Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home. Mr. Haggard died Saturday, April 9, 2005, at his residence. He was born Nov. 21, 1948, in Lawrence County to Otis Walker Haggard and Maggie Adell Sapp Haggard. He was a member of Oak Grove First Congregational Methodist Church. He worked for Littrell Lumber Co. He is survived by two daughters, Angie Haggard of Eva and Christy Haggard of Trinity; four brothers, John Haggard of Trinity, Dwight Haggard of Somerville, Jerry Haggard of Florence and Earl Haggard of Arab; and five sisters, Audrey Kilpatric of Decatur, Dorothy Goodwin of Eva, Flora Milligan, Joyce Haymes and Ann Waddle, all of Trinity. Pallbearers will be nephews and friends. Published in the Decatur Daily on 4/12/2005.

Bobby, part 3

2005-04-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

the next day, i pulled up in front of Bobby's house and walked up to his door. as i knocked, i could see him there, still mostly naked, still drunk, still nearly passed out on that dingy couch -- but he wasn't the big, angry man to me any more

he maustered enough strength to let me in -- he just stared at me for a few minutes as he layed back down on the couch. he extended his hand to me, and as i clasped his to shake it he said, i love you man. i knew you'd be back.

i asked if he wanted me to keep reading the Bible, he said yes and to go get it

i went and picked it up from the closet, came back and began to read and explain from John again. he asked me to pray for him, for his cancer that was in his colon and prostate, and for him to find forgiveness. i took his hands and prayed for him

as i put his Bible back, he asked if i would be back. i said yes, tomorrow. he said, i know -- i prayed for God to send someone and he sent you

and i was back each day, reading the Gospel of John and praying with Bobby. talking about forgivness and the fullness of life

after a couple of weeks, Bobby would be sitting at his table waiting for me with the Bible open. he would even put on a shirt when i came around.

after another few weeks, Bobby prayed with me for forgiveness

after another few weeks, he got rid of that couch, and began cleaning up his apartment and opening up the windows to let light in

then, 'friends' started to bring Bobby things to drink. sometimes he turned them away, sometimes they got the better of him

he would let me back in, tearfully repenting and asking me not to give up, not to stop coming, but to pray for him again. we started talking about self-control, prayer, and the Holy Spirit who could help him find victory over sin in his life. i taught him the Lord's prayer and got him a framed copy of it in his house so he could remember to pray it and to let that prayer help him pray

after a couple of months, Bobby started going to church with his family again, and one Sunday, he says he got saved "for real" by making a public confession at the altar of his church. we were so excited.

he was scheduled to be baptized shortly thereafter, and i excused myself from our church to be there, to take pictures and to be the shouting, cheering freak when he went into the water and came back out. i got him a cross plaque with John 3:16 inscribed on it to celebrate--he went home and hung it on his wall next to the Lord's prayer (and the Elvis clock someone had given him)

while i was gone this March, more friends came to bring him a drink -- he was drunk for a few days. this time, it really took its toll. though he sobered up and was clean by the time i got to him, he was at half strength. he could hardly stand, barely walk, and couldn't stop shaking.

yesterday, my phone rang and i saw the caller id as Bobby's neighbor Mildred who we had also begun to serve and love. she said pastor ken, you need to get over here, Bobby's just died.

i couldn't believe it--i didn't want to, but i knew it was true.

i got there and saw many of the community outside his door or their own as the red and blue lights of a patrol car flashed. Mildred was on her porch and gave me a half smile. Bobby's friends and 'friends' sat outside of his door as police looked through his place. they let me in to fill in some blanks, and to help search for his identification. during the search, i saw him--like i had first saw him. lying mostly naked on the floor next to his bed --not Bobby, but the shell of the man i once knew.

Bobby's sisters came once i went back outside. i greeted them with a hug, his brothers with a handshake. they called me again last night to ask me to preach his funeral. it will be an honor above any i've held

one year ago, Bobby cried out for mercy. God heard that prayer, and he sent me. now i trust Bobby is in far better care with much better follow-up than i could ever give. this former contractor may get the bid on my mansion, if not, i hope i'm a neighbor

Bobby, part 2

2005-04-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

we pulled up to Bobby's house and there was another man, also drunk, on Bobby's front porch. he told me that i better not let Bobby see Eddie, but i would have to knock on the door because Bobby was passed out on the couch.

as i peered through the storm door into the dark apartment, i could see the large, mostly naked drunk man lying on a couch three feet from the door. the apartment was dingy, covered in beer cans, whiskey bottles, and cigarrette packaging. There were dishes of leftover food on anything that could hold them, and the odor from the apartment was coming through the door almost visibly like something off a cartoon.

i knocked on the door. then again. he moved slightly. i knocked louder and called out Bobby, i need to speak with you. he opened one eye and looked at me. he mumbled something then went back to sleep.

i knocked again, harder and said Bobby i'm not going away until you help me.

help you?, he cursed at me and sat up. then he saw Eddie and really began to curse -- get that man off my property.

you want me to leave i asked?

yes and take that <<>> with you?

okay, after you help me help him

i told you i'm not helping that guy get off my porch

i'm not leaving until you help me

Bobby jumped up and charged at the door with his fist in the air as the storm door flew open i stepped back in time for it to fly by and hit the guy sitting on the porch. as Bobby's bloodshot eyes and red face approached my own in a furious rage, i said my name is pastor ken, i'm the pastor of sixth avenue church of God where Eddie has been coming. i need your help

as soon as i said pastor, Bobby froze. pastor? well, i fear God and i love people but i'm not helping that man.

we argued at the door for a couple of minutes and then Bobby said come on in i'm tired of standing at this door. as he sat down on his couch i stepped into his dark apartment. Eddie came in and made himself at home by taking a cigarette and lightin' up. i asked Bobby for permission to sit down in a chair next to the couch. he looked me confused, and i said Bobby this is your home, you invite me to sit down or i won't. he nodded with approval.

i continued, if this man has stolen from you i'll pay it back. whatever it takes, i need your help

no, i don't want your money Bobby said

then what? if i don't help Eddie, he's gonna die, and i'm not gonna let that happen--to help Eddie, i need you to acknowledge that he's stayed in your house overnight.

no way

by this time, Eddie's on his third cigarette and i'm running out of hope.

then Bobby said i know what i want

what? anything tell me

you

my mind began to race if i had said anything about love in a way that could be misinterpreted, i looked at the door and for another exit as i began to feel very uncomfortable in the home of a (very large, mostly naked, beligerent drunk man) what do you mean Bobby, what do you want from me?

you--i want you to come back and teach me the Bible

okay, i'll be back tomorrow

NO--TODAY--i want you to teach me the Bible today

okay--sure, do you have a Bible?

yes, around there

where Bobby, why don't you get it?

no, i can't touch it -- i got a demon in me and i can't touch it

amazed at this man's reverence, i slowly stood up--do you want me to get it?

yes, it's around there

i slowly moved further into the dark apartment, and there, around the corner was a small closet with a large, black leather Bible case, with the name Bobby Haggard engraved in golden letters on the Bible. i picked it up and went back toward Bobby, who was now beginning to cry. Bobby, this is a beautiful Bible, i said as i slowly sat down and unzipped it. what do you want Bobby, what do you want me to read?

then he said the words that echo in my heart
mercy--i want the same mercy you're showing to that guy (pointing to Eddie)--i want that kind of mercy

the Bible fell open to a card placed in John 3, how about John 3:16 Bobby. as i read it, he wept. we got to verse 19 "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil". i said Bobby, Eddie has so much darkness in him that if he doesn't get help, he's gonna die--will you help me help Eddie?

on one condition--you have to come back

okay

everyday

okay

if you don't i'll find you -- there aren't a lot of people in this town that look like you

i know -- i'll be back

Bobby signed the paper, and we began to get Eddie help. Eddie would walk away from that help, but i would continue to walk into Bobby's house

how i met Bobby

2005-04-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

one year ago, a man named Bobby lay in a depressed, drunken stupor calling out for God to have mercy on his life. at 57 years old, he was pleading for God to send someone, anyone to help him out of the pit he had found himself in

across town, a young pastor was trying to help a homeless man who had come to church looking for a handout -- instead, he found warm hands welcoming him in each week. some took him to dinner, others prayed intently for him and with him. Eddie was 47, an alcoholic, and more scrawny than i am. Eddie disappeared for two weeks -- we looked for him, called the police station to see if he had been picked up, even read obituaries from the area -- no Eddie.

then, the Tuesday after Mother's Day 2004, Eddie showed up at the church. Eddie usually looked rough -- but now he looked roughed up with scars, bruises, and fresh stitches. i asked him who did this? his reply, he did. he said he had passed out on the street and the police took him to the hospital. he had wanted to get out and make it home to see his mother in a nursing home on Mother's day, but a few more drinks before he left, left him passed out in a local gas station's bathroom. that's where he woke up, discouraged and at the bottom of life. Eddie pleaded for help, for treatment, for a change.

we arranged for a ministry that would keep him after he was medically cleared to go -- he was toxic at the time and first needed medical help to come down. we knew we would need his ID -- so we had to go get his wallet from his friend Bobby's house.

that was my first trip into East Acres -- a low income housing project blocks from our church. we pulled up in front of Bobby's unit -- Eddie told me to wait because Bobby may be drunk and he didn't like strangers. Eddie went to the door which was eventually answered by a large, mostly naked, beligerent drunk man. The man began to curse and threaten Eddie. As i thought about getting out to intercede, Eddie ducked under the man's arm and retrieved his wallet, sidestepping the drunk man trying to catch him as he ran back out the door and into my car.

i asked Eddie if that was his friend, Bobby? he said yes. i said, no, that man's no friend -- you're never coming back here again.

God had other plans. Eddie was homeless and all the programs we were trying to get help from required proof of residency. that's hard for a homeless person -- you need help to get a home, but you can't get help because you have no home. Eddie had given up and asked to be dropped off somewhere so he could lay down and die. finally, at my insistence for another way, one agency said that if we could provide a letter from someone who had let him stay the night, they would count that as proof of residency.

there was only one house where he had stayed the night -- Bobby's. i looked at the agency representative and said we'll be right back. i took Eddie back to the church to make a letter and to pray. Eddie said, i thought you said i could never go back. i did, but this time i'm going with you and we're gonna get Bobby's help. We printed a letter, we prayed for Divine favor, and we drove back to Bobby's

where have i been

2005-03-24T13:55:00.000-08:00

i just got an e-mail that Nick had posted a comment to my blog

i hadn't blogged in nearly a month and i had to go take a look again at what i had been writing

timing is everything under God's sovereignty

i have been gone -- physically, emotionally, and mentally -- since that last entry. we went away for a pastor & spouse retreat which was a blessing. then we took a few days just for ourselves, much needed time away (something we've really only done once in our 11 years of marriage). we returned only for me to leave a few hours later to be at a state meeting. two days later, my wife had to head to Michigan for the funeral of a family friend who has been supportive of our own ministry here in Alabama. my wife returned while we were in the midst of a family crisis here with my own family which just hit another level today. and now is Holy Week, and we have a nightly service focusing on Christ's last week before His sacrifice for us

in the midst of being gone and stuck at home with kids, i haven't been able to go see Bobby or others that i see regularly (i had usualy been going about 4 times a week). in that time, Bobby got drunk again -- really badly. he has come out of the stupor in the last week and a half. we've talked on the phone, but he's been pretty distant.

i was able to see him yesterday, and he's mad at me -- not for being gone, but for taking his gun.

several months ago, Bobby had gotten drunk thanks to a 'friend' bringing him a drink. when i came into visit him, i was more disturbed at seeing the gun, than him being drunk. i asked him where he got it and he said a 'friend' had brought it over. friends who give guns to drunks are not friends

i told Bobby i didn't think he needed to have the gun. in fact, i told him to give it to me and i would get rid of it. after some discussion, he gave it to me. i took it and turned it into the police

now, after this latest drunken spell, Bobby has used up all of his money for the month on alcohol -- if he had the gun, he could sell it and get by until his next disability check. but since i took it away, he's in trouble

Bobby's mad -- at himself, he's just found away to feel better about himself by blaming me for his predicament.

So he wants me to get it back, or give him the money he could make. i told him i wouldn't help him get it back until he was off the bottle for awhile. in the meantime, i would buy whatever he needs to make it till next month

not a good answer--he doesn't want any more Bible study until we get straight.

Pray for Bobby. Pray for me to be patient, loving, consistent, and a servant so that i can have further opportunities to disciple Bobby toward maturity.

a different view

2005-02-28T12:14:00.000-08:00

(note: i have yet to write out my first encounter and resulting relationship with Bobby -- i'll try to do that soon for those of you who may be reading this without knowing the background)

While i was at Bobby's last week, i saw a picture i had never seen before. When i took a closer look, it was a picture of Bobby at my age -- holding his 4year old daughter and 2 year old son. i knew that Bobby had kids. i knew that he had been married. i knew he had brothers and sisters, and even met a few. But in all these months of seeing Bobby, i never saw him as someone's dad, someone's son -- that a child or wife, or parent were out there somewhere, praying, hurting, seeking their loved one. That in his 20+ years of addictions and wandering, someone was out there missing their dad.

As i drove away, i started seeing other people differently -- not some guy crossing the street, but someone's lost son maybe on his way to or away from home. Not some kid bobbing her head to the radio, but a daughter who may have tuned her parents out a long time ago. i started to ache for people, and pray for them, and not just pass them by.

Maybe that's how God sees the people we pass by so easily. While we're on our own agenda or trying to check out of WalMart as quickly as we can, God is hurting for the people we try to beat to the open cashier. God is pleading with us to see the wayward son, daughter, mother, father and to join Him in rescuing them.

Then i started aching for a different reason -- why haven't i been aching like this? Why have i been so self-centered? Why is seeing people as God must see them so difficult, so unnatural for me. Even as i write this, i know that my heart has begun cooling off to that previous cold state.

Jesus, speaking of the last days, warns us in Matthew 24:12-13, "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." And John records the revelation of Jesus' words to the church in Laodicea, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16).

Dear God, Heavenly Father who ever pursues us with Your faithful love, keep my love hot and my heart tender for others just as Yours is. As You help me to see others as You do, motivate me to love them as you would, for your name's sake. Amen <><

spurred

2005-02-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

That says ‘spurred,’ not ‘spurned’. Unfortunately, the former is not as easy to find as the latter. Especially for those with dreams, visions, and desires beyond the ordinary, the status quo, the day-to-day. Tragically, the imbalance of spurn to spur is prevalent, even in the body of Christ.

My father-in-law recently sent me a cartoon with a dejected pastor and an enthusiastic layman sitting at a booth. The booth has a sign that reads, “slam the pastor, $5” while the layman exclaims, “we’ve just paid off the CE wing, and now we’re going for a new parking lot!” Even what starts off as a good spur can end in a stinging spurn. For example, after one recent Bible study, one saint remarked, “I really like your Bible studies – you’re a really good teacher...” (At this point, i’m about to graciously accept the kindness, until the rest of the comment) … “In fact, you may have missed your calling.” At which point, i could simply smile and bite my tongue.

This kind of treatment is not just reserved for pastors, but is very much alive between the pews. Sometimes this lay-spurn is blatant and direct, but more often experienced in a spiritualized, guerilla warfare through any number of looks, whispers, Sunday afternoon lunches, and business meeting power plays. Andy Stanley says it’s often disguised in the form of prayer requests, as gossip is masqueraded through the prayer chain.

The tragedy is that it’s not disguised to a watching, skeptical world. What we think are only read by our compatriots is clearly perceived by young Christians and unbelievers alike. In the end, the church loses, the Kingdom suffers, and God weeps.

God had a different design for his people. Even before sin corrupted a perfect world, God saw there was something wrong in paradise. God’s first observation of man was that we needed others. In creating Eve, God created relationships – the spurring kind – positive, intimate, encouraging, challenging, reciprocated, interesting, humorous, comforting, inspiring.

One of my favorite verses regarding the fellowship of believers has been Hebrews 10:24, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Last night, we were able sit around a table with friends and share some struggles, share some passion, laugh together, pray for one another – and in the process fulfill that verse. My wife and i left spurred. (to those friends, thank you)

Today, i sat with other pastors and lay leaders from other churches in Alabama. Together, we prayed, sought God, wept, shared hurts, shared burdens, shared dreams, and more. We read Scripture, and meditated and spoke of our God who is able to break down every dividing wall of hostility, while propelling His church against the very gates of hell to reclaim lost souls. In the process, i was drawn not only closer to God, but closer to everyone in the room – even particularly closer to one that i had not ever really seen eye to eye with. At the end, we embraced and share mutual respect and appreciation for the heart and dreams of the other. i left spurred. (to those men and women, thank you)

Wouldn’t it be great if that was more common? What if spurring was more prevalent than spurning? Wouldn’t our churches be different? Wouldn’t our pastors and lay people be healthier? Wouldn’t the Kingdom win? Wouldn’t it?

Another dream? i know. So will you spur it or spurn it?

serving: the reflection of God

2005-02-14T18:48:00.000-08:00

At the top of the list of things the prophet Micah reports as divine requirements is “to act justly.” we’ve summarized that term in the word “serve,” because i feel it reflects the heart of God, as demonstrated through His Son Jesus Christ whose acts of justice were found through his serving.

Jesus sets his purpose plain in Mark 10:45 when He said, “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Hebrews 1:3 tells us that the Son is the exact representation of the Father, just as Jesus Himself told Thomas and the disciples, “if you have seen me, you have seen the Father” (John 14:9). Then, as i once heard Erwin McManus conclude in a Q&A session, the chief description of God would be a Servant.

So what does it mean to act justly?

Essentially, to act justly is to not only to live according to God’s righteous character and commands, but to bring this state of justice into the lives and relationships of others. Then, to act justly, you would have to enter someone’s injustice.

This is reflected in Jesus’ life and ministry. In reading the prophet Isaiah, Jesus read His divine purpose, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19)

To enter someone’s injustice is not easy. It’s not clean. It’s not going to fit your schedule with a start and end date. Formulas and plans often end up out the window. People suffering from the chains of injustice are right where Satan wants them. Entering into injustice is like trying to break someone out of the enemy’s dungeon—expect a fight.

This is why we stress the end before the beginning in the Micah 6:8 ministry strategy – if you’re not walking humbly with your God, and if you haven’t got a good understanding of mercy, you can’t act justly. Jesus set this example through His earthly ministry.

In accomplishing the prophetic mission, Jesus’ mercy was evident (several requests for Jesus’ healing began with “have mercy”); and his words and actions were according to the will of God as determined through prayer and His humble walk with His Father. He said, “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it” (John 12:49) and "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.” (John 5:19-20).

Then, again, God must be a servant, The Servant--and His people ought to be about His business of serving to reflect His love and character.

In future blogs, i’ll share a few of our experiences in the desire to act justly. We don’t have this all figured out. It’s person by person, learn as you go, trial and error, grace and mercy. Many have paved this road ahead of us and offer a legacy of wisdom. Sojourner Truth, William & Catherine Booth and the original Salvation Army, Mother Teresa and the sisters of charity in Calcutta, countless missionaries, and i would add Kurt Salierno and his co-laborers in Atlanta (www.churchonthestreet.com).

mighty mercy

2005-02-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you’re like me and you’ve heard grace and mercy differentiated this way:
Grace is getting what you don’t deserve
Mercy is not getting what you do deserve

i appreciate and use those definitions regularly – the two go hand and hand. In addition to the above, especially in relation to Micah 6:8 and our ministry strategy, i’ve adopted another set of definitions:
Grace puts us in right relationship together
Mercy keeps us there

When we “love mercy,” we live in a relational commitment to one another. We love freely, knowing that our love, our sacrifice, our gifts, our time, etc. may not be returned like for like – in fact, it may be returned with rejection, apathy, a sense of it was expected, or any number of other negative responses.

In that sense, from a natural perspective, the love was not “deserved”. But God sets a supernatural example of love; Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” -- that’s grace putting us in right relationship with him. The same thing happens in the Church, the Body of Christ when we receive a new believer into the fellowship – we’re set into a family relationship together regardless of past differences. Galatians 3:26-28, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

But God’s Word goes on to further define and reveal the amazing characteristics of His supernatural love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, “4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.”

That familiar passage of Scripture is out of the context of maintaining relationships in the Body of Christ, as defined by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12. i believe that when we love in the ways outlined in 1 Corinthians 13, we’re loving with mercy. Such merciful love is not only what keeps us in relationships together, but also is active in keeping us in right relationship with God. The prophet Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations 3:22-23, “Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” i think this is the mercy of God greeting us in loving-kindness, compassion, and faithfulness every morning.

As believers, we’re called to reflect the love of God to a world in need of Him. We need to greet each other in grace, and continue to greet each other through mercy. That doesn’t mean that we overlook or condone the sin of others, but that we walk with them in the truth of God’s Word and hold one another accountable to it--because we love each other. More on this, another time...

two realities

2005-02-09T12:21:00.000-08:00

This has been slowly developing all week – my son has taken over my computer the last few days! Later this week (or next), i’ll continue my thoughts and explanations regarding our ministry strategy, “serve, love, pray”.

The message i shared Sunday during Worship continues to speak to me. In Mark chapter 5, Jesus is surrounded again by an eager crowd. Through this crowd, two different individuals work their way to Jesus, seeking healing. The first is Jairus, one of the local synagogue rulers whose 12 year old daughter is sick and at the point of death. The other is the woman with the issue of blood, who reaches through the crowd and receives healing just by touching the hem of Jesus’ robe (5:28-29). Much is preached and taught about the extreme faith, risk, and healing of the woman that the daughter of Jairus and his faith is often overlooked.

First, some background. The fact that Jairus’ name is recorded lends us to believe that he may have become a follower, a member of the early church that the audience of the Gospel would know and his name recognized. As a synagogue ruler, he was used to dignity and respect. Yet he comes in great humility to Jesus, not pulling him aside to confer a favor between teachers, but to Jesus’ feet. He was filled with belief that Jesus could make a difference, “please come place your hands on her so that she will be healed and live’ (v.23). Jesus honors Jairus’ humility and faith and sets off through the crowd to Jairus’ house; until the woman with the issue of blood delays them. Yet Jairus, with the cure for his daughter literally at hand, doesn’t get high and mighty on her, is never impatient, is never recorded as speeding Jesus along.

Then messengers come from his household. i can only imagine the grief of a parent seeing the grim news of your child’s death coming toward you. It’s in these two verses that i’m most challenged (v.35-36). Jairus is confronted by two realities. First is the “seeing is believing” reality – the reality the messengers brought to him, “we’ve seen your daughter—she’s dead. No need making the teacher take another step.” Then there’s the reality that Jesus presents to Jairus, the “believing is seeing” reality. Jesus ignores the messengers—see that, Jesus IGNORED someone (specifically, those who were not speaking by faith)! Jesus pays them no attention, he continues with Jairus on his previous course to heal the daughter. Jesus encourages Jairus not to be afraid--don’t run in the other direction. Then Jesus strengthens that shred of hope, the now mustard seed size of faith that once brought Jairus from his daughter’s death bed seeking the cure in the Lord of life. Jesus spoke similarly and in more detail to Martha, in John 11:25-26, “Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

As the pastor of a church that has seen little change in its history, i’m continually confronted by the first reality. You know, “we’ve tried that before,” as well as, “we’ve always done it this way.” Honestly, i’d like to ignore those statements and that reality. Actually, i’ve been accused of doing that and am told to cater to that reality for the sake of peace and unity—you know, “Don’t upset the apple carts.” But to live in the second reality, you have to ignore the first – continuing on the course the Master is leading you to pursue. It’s not easy to do this, as i’m finding out, especially now. Honestly, i’m more weary these past few days than i’ve ever been.

So i look to how Jesus encouraged Jairus, “Don’t be afraid, just believe” (v.36). The word “afraid” carries an original meaning of running away in fear or terror. When Jesus ignored the messengers, i think he was simultaneously helping Jairus to continue to step toward his home. Amazing Grace has a verse that says, “T’was grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.” The fear of her death drove him toward Jesus in hope he could bring her to life; now Jesus is driving him to the “reality” of her death to see his hope come to life. There are times when i just want to run away – what’s the point? Can anything change the “reality” we’re facing? But God won’t let me go—He keeps leading me into my fears, and the fears of others.

“Just believe” – mustard seed faith is pretty small, but apparently Jairus is watching even this slip through his grasp. In this statement, Jesus is underscoring the second reality, the realm of faith. Essentially, if he would continue to believe (literally to place his faith, his trust, his daughter’s life, his hope) in Jesus, he would indeed see his daughter healed and living. Am i to continue to believe? Can this sleeping church spring to vibrant life again? As Ezekiel said in the valley of dry bones, “you, O Lord, know.”

The rest of the story: Jairus goes on with Jesus. And, after Jesus puts out mourners who are doubters, Jesus restores life to the daughter and her care to her parents. Jairus is also awakened to new life. The scripture records that “they were completely astonished” (v.43). This literally is amazed and astonished – words that referred to being displaced from their reality. Jairus is awakened to the Lord of life and His power over death.

Are there mourners that need to be put out for you to work, Lord? If so, will you direct them out the door? i want to see the young revived, awakened into your presence while my own faith is resurrected to a new level of belief.

help—i’ve fallen on the prayer road

2005-02-02T20:40:00.000-08:00

Bill Hybels says that most Christians get lost between “Dear God” and “Amen” (Too Busy Not To Pray). Even if this is true for you, your prayers to our Heavenly Father are enabled by the other two thirds of the trinity so that you can find power and consistency in prayer.

The Son is at the right hand of the throne of God interceding for us (Romans 8:34, “Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us;” and Hebrews 7:25 “he always lives to intercede for them”). So, along with Him our prayers can find agreement when we’re aligned with His purposes (Matthew 18:19, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven;” and John 14:13-14, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it”).

The Spirit helps us in our weaknesses so that we know what and how to pray (Romans 8:26-27, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will”).

Other things that help your prayer life – crutches, if you will – are journaling, patterns, labyrinths, Scripture, and qara.

Journaling – though you may slow down by writing out your prayers, you eliminate many of the “and, uh…” moments of your praying. You are able to finish thoughts and pray specifically instead of the “and Lord be with ‘so and so’” prayers. Journaling also provides you a record of your requests that can become a record of praises and victory. My wife started me on journaling in college, and though i was skeptical at first, i found a lot of help (and continue to find help when my prayer life seems absent).

Prayer Patterns – these ‘formulas’ help you progress from “Dear God” to “Amen”. Since we’re creatures of habit, i think that we naturally settle into prayer patterns without actually realizing it. There are many patterns out there – using an existing pattern is a good place to start, tweaking it to your experience and personality is natural. Some patterns include:
ACTS
o Adoration – time of praise of God for who He IS
o Confession – time of confessing any sins or asking God to reveal any wrong way in you
o Thanksgiving – time of thanking God for what He has DONE
o Supplication – time of praying for requests

Hour of Power – an hour of power helps you to spend an hour in prayer through 6 (ten minutes each) or 12 (five minutes each) different sections/types of prayer. i’ve seen and created a variety of these sessions for myself, individuals, and different events. Some sections of this pattern can include: waiting, listening, praise, thanksgiving, Old and/or New Testament reading and/or meditation, intercession, confession, etc. You can also build in special prayer sections for church, pastors, nation, leaders, family, friends, etc. If anyone is interested, i can send sample hours of power that have been used in different settings.

WAITS – is a pattern that emerged out of my journaling and hour of power – i would try to spend at least five minutes in each section, with the Intercession and Scripture sections taking more time
--Waiting – time of clearing thoughts and listening for God’s voice, prompting, leadings (i encourage folks to right down two lists during this time 1) a to-do list of all the things you need to take care of later and 2) a list of potential prayer foci for later)
--Adoration – time of praising God for who He IS
--Intercession – time of prayinf for specific requests, individuals, events, anything from the #2 waiting list, etc.
--Thanksgiving – time of thanking God for what He has done, is doing, will do
--Scripture – meditating and praying scripture by applying its messages and meanings to your life, church, etc.

Labyrinths – or prayer path -- are actual prayer walks. These were incorporated in many early monasteries or early cathedral courtyards. These walks included stations for specific inspiration, meditation and prayer so that an individual could spend dedicated and structured time in prayer and with the Lord. The experience varies according to the design, but each that i have done have proven to be enriching and meaningful. Our youth and prayer pastors collaborated with several church members to create a prayer path in our fellowship hall using a kit from Group Publishing. We began offering the path during Holy Week last year and ended up seeing it extended for a month after word of mouth, newspaper, and television coverage encouraged participation. During that time, we learned that one local church in our community has a prayer path in their courtyard.

Qara – is the transliteration of the Hebrew word for “call out” or “cry out”. One occurrence of this type of prayer is in Genesis 12:8, “There he [Abram] built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.” Qara is the simplest of prayers – it involves 3 specifics: a specific Recipient (our Heavenly Father), a specific Request, with a specific, desired Result. Qara is desperate, honest praying. It’s the “Lord HELP” prayer, when it seems like that’s all you know how to pray. Think about the times when you make a prayer like that – when you’re in trouble. That trouble could be the result of being guilty of a wrong; or when wrong has been done to you or a loved one; or when you’ve stepped out in faith, so that if God doesn’t show up, you’re screwed. In Genesis 12, Abram has left home and father’s household – he’s now a stranger in a strange land amidst strange people with strange and brutal customs. God said go, he went, and now he’s crying out to the Lord because if God doesn’t make good on His promises, Abrams’ screwed. i like qara moments like that, because i’ve seen God come through time and time again. i’m also a frequent qara warrior on behalf of others and myself when in trouble because of wrong.

If you fall on the prayer road, God is ready to pick you up, brush you off, and resume the journey. No matter how many times we fall.

a road for the humble walk

2005-01-31T11:38:00.000-08:00

i think backwards. Rather than set a course and take the steps A-B-C, i like to work backward in a plan from C-B-A. When you see one of the great pyramids or a mountain, your eye is drawn upward to the pinnacle or peak. You instinctively want to reach the top and see the world from that point of view. But to reach the top, you have to start at the base – it’s bigger, less glamorous, not much of view—it’s where the structure meets the dirt. But without that base, there’s no peak.

So it is with Micah 6:8 (He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.)– many want to lead the life of great testimonies of acting justly. But that’s at the peak of a life that begins with walking humbly with your God.

In our modern language for the Christian experience, we think that we might be the originators of the idea of our relationship with God being likened to a walk. Truth is, we’re not the originators of much at all (as Solomon said, “there’s nothing new under the sun”). God is the originator of the term – He is the one who came to walk with Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:8). Genesis 17:1 says, “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.” Moses consistently used the term speaking to the Israelites in the Pentateuch, especially in Deuteronomy (such as 10:12-13, “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”) The prophet Micah is simply borrowing language that was well understood for the Jewish people.

Walking humbly with your God is not real glamorous – it’s not supposed to be. It’s the relationship in the secret place that Jesus taught in Matthew 6:1-18. This humble walk can lead you to great things for the Kingdom, but unless you’re walking on that road, the great things won’t magically appear.

We use the word “pray” to summarize this humble walk. i believe that if our relationship with God is likened to a walk, then prayer is the road. Paul encouraged one young church to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). If you think of prayer as simply the amount of time on your knees, then this is troublesome. Prayer is not just our monologue to God, but a dialogue with the Divine – more than just praises and requests, but times of listening and waiting. Through prayer, we communicate with our Heavenly Father—and He communicates with us. In prayer, we learn to recognize His voice – then we can follow-up on promptings in what may be divine appointments. Prayer enables a life of day to day obedience to His commands, and moment to moment faithfulness to His prompting.

According to this word-picture then, a life with God is humbly walked along a path of prayer. But without prayer, you may be sitting on the park bench. Meanwhile, God is there – down the path -- beckoning you to join Him. Get off the bench, and take a step toward him in prayer. He’ll race to meet you and lead you to see what’s just beyond the horizon.

Floundering Under Sails

2005-01-27T15:06:00.000-08:00

“serve, love, pray” are the summary words for what i feel to be the ministry strategy God has given for our church. Much has been written regarding purpose and vision, and those things have caught on well in churches and individual lives. Many of our churches in America have well thought and prepared purpose (mission) statements hung by their doors or on their newsletters, along with catchy vision statements that almost help give a particular church their identifying brand in our communities. You may know your purpose statement and vision statement – but either through friends, signs, or mailings, you know the vision statements of other churches as well.

i think that all of this emphasis is a good – most statement have helped leadership in churches wrestle with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and have, if only in principle, re-focused churches off of a member-serving motives onto evangelistic motives. Purpose statements help us define the reality we’d like to create – Vision statements help us keep the purpose in our minds. But what gets it done?

For example, “Touching the World for Christ,” was a vision statement the church i pastor adopted years ago. There doesn’t seem to be an accompanying purpose/mission statement so we’ve simply said that our purpose is “to Glorify God.” God is glorified through changed lives – that happens when we touch the world for Christ. But how do we do that? What constitutes a touch from Christ?

That’s where your strategy comes in – without a strategy (and accompanying goals) visions and purpose statements are good intentions. I use the simile of a church as a crew of a boat (any of the vehicles through which the crew seeks to rescue the lost and perishing such as worship services, door-to-door evangelism, etc.). Thus the boat is a rescue boat, not a cruise ship. The purpose/mission of the crew is to arrive at our destination with as many souls as possible. The boat is powered and directed through the wind (spirit’s leading) to navigate the current (society—not an original comparison, but one that works). The vision is the sail that we lift up to catch the Spirit’s leading (that’s why vision statements should be flexible). But without a strong mast (ministry strategy) to hold up the sail, most crews find them selves floundering under large sails imploring the wind to propel them.

i’m no sailor (i don’t even really like the water that much) in fact, it would be interesting to know what a real sailor thinks of that simile. But doesn’t that seem to describe the state of most churches? We’ve got big dreams and big visions (and well we should because we serve a even bigger God “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” according to Ephesians 3:20). But it seems like the results or even the activity fails to measure up to our good intentions.

Masts are fairly simple – they kind of look like a cross when you think of it. As a result, I think that your ministry strategies should also be simple, and should resemble the life that Jesus lived and gave up for us. A good strategy will distribute His power throughout the whole “boat”.

The strategy we adopted is found in the scripture that i felt impressed upon me from the time that i first received the call from the church i pastor, found in Micah 6:8. “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” We’ve summarized the end of that verse with the words, “serve, love, pray.” They’re simple statements – they reflect the life of Christ – and everyone can apply them to their daily lives.

i believe that if the church will live out the strategy, the visions will become a reality, and fulfill the purposes God has laid on our hearts. In our case, if we will serve, love, and pray (our strategy)--we will indeed “touch the world for Christ” (our vision) and “God will be glorified” through every changed life (our purpose).

safe may not be safe

2005-01-25T19:03:00.002-08:00

i minister in a church surrounded by safe churches. i recounted Steve’s story on 1/25 – and as some of our church has followed up their concern for him, i heard, “you shouldn’t have him in your house because you have small children.” (Again, this is not a habit of mine, but a prompting of the Lord that my wife and i both felt led to pursue). But the larger issue is we don’t want our children growing up with this safe, stain-glassed, sheltered illusion. While we enjoy the blessings of God, and we are blessed, there’s a world in pain, addiction, confusion, and bitterness. i want our children confronted by the hurting in the midst of their happiness that they also may learn first hand what it means to reach out a hand, share, and sacrifice for those with less.

i have become convinced by the lives and ministries of those in my cloud and in my own journey that this safe church stuff was not in the divine plan.

In psalm 23 the shepherd is leading (he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul) and then all of a sudden, you (the sheep) find yourself in the valley of the shadow of death -- how'd you get there? He's leading (I will fear no evil for YOU ARE WITH ME, your rod and your staff comfort me). You find yourselves in the presence of your enemies – why? – because that's where He's gonna feed us.

In Matthew 10:38-39, one of many instances in the Gospels, Jesus teaches the disciples/apostles, “anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Have you seen the Passion of the Christ? Even if that were exaggerated by 99% (and I don’t think it is), carrying a cross doesn’t look safe.

In Romans 8:15-17 Paul writes, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” How is it that we skip that last part, or are blinded to it – the part that says, “if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory”? Later, Paul writes in v.31, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” comforting, right? But read v.32, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Wait a minute, didn’t v.15 and v.17 just say that we’re now sons? Could it be that we’re now available to be of such service to see others come to faith? Obviously, not in the saving of sins, for only Christ can do that, but in the service of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

It seems Paul suffered as such, as did the other Apostles, and the early church. Then there’s us…we, um…well, we, uh…

Will we stammer at the throne? Will we have an answer when the King looks for the result of the talents entrusted to us? Will we be among the first or second group to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” (see Matthew 25:31-46).

i wrestle with these questions every day,
with every person i meet,
every message i prepare,
in every prayer i say for or with my wife and kids.

We need to spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25) – how, who, what has inspired you to live out faith in an unsafe world?

a few of my clouds

2005-01-25T19:03:00.000-08:00

i grew up in the church, but i’m often dismayed when i compare the church of the New Testament with the church in America.

As i mentioned in my introduction blog (1/25), i not only grew up in the church, but am a part of generations of pastors. My grandparents, Ed and Meriam, were missionaries to Guyana, South America during troubling times of that country’s history. Their faith and the influence of others like them have shaped a set of values and a passion inside of me that seems contrary to the church in America.

After my dad’s rededication to the Lord, he was mentored and discipled back into his calling by my youth pastor at the time, Kurt Salierno. Kurt, who has spent most of his life on the streets ministering to the homeless, is currently founder and pastor of Church on the Street in Atlanta, GA – www.churchonthestreet.com). Likewise, my father discipled me and Kurt mentored me in ministry. His testimonies and life of sacrifice for the least of these are large part of my own faith foundation.

My father, William, once he rededicated his life to the Lord and following a call to ministry he originally received in his teens, followed the Lord’s prompting to Belize, Central America. He did not know anyone there, he just felt the Spirit telling him to go and he bought a ticket and went. He came back with information gathered and at our church movement’s next annual convention, presented the vision for starting a mission there. All he had was information – but another man heard the vision and took dad out to dinner. While at the dinner, the man asked questions and then told the story of following the Lord’s prompting to Belize himself. While he was in Belize, the Lord prompted him to buy 200 acres – he had no reason to buy it, just buy it. Well he did, and when he heard the vision from my dad, he said he felt the Lord prompting him to turn over the land for the mission. While dad was seeing and living this amazing faith story, I heard his parishioners at the time telling him, “the problem with your ministry are all these new people.”

My faith found depth under the creative preaching and vision casting of my pastor in college (Jim Lyon, who’s now also the speaker for our movements international radio program, viewpoint: www.cbhviewpoint.org). He refused to lead the church according to the norms of church ministry, but into newer and costlier ideas such as the seeker models (just developing at the time), developing a shelter for battered women and children, and more. His patience and wisdom in informal appointments were as valuable to me as my formal training in classes.

In recent years, the messages and writings of Erwin Raphael McManus have re-stoked these fires of risk, sacrifice, faith, and vision. I highly recommend all three of his books and their church’s website, www.mosaic.org

The church in America seems contrary to these leaders that have been a part of my cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1). These taught me to be proactive, seeking and saving the Lost. I’ve been challenging our church lately with the question, “Christ came to seek and save the lost—who are you seeking?” It seems the church in America has shrunk back behind its walls and we've been giving the world away to the enemy --like passengers on a cruise ship shaking their heads at souls dying in the sea while saying, "Can't they see how much better life would be if they would just get on board?"

a guy named steve...

2005-01-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

Steve came to our church two weeks ago tomorrow night looking for help. Steve is new to the streets having left a neighboring town in search for a job here. He came while i was struggling with board members (a story I told last week) so our Treasurer encouraged him to come and talk with me the next morning. Steve came in and had a cup of coffee where he shared the same struggles as others before -- no address, no help. He had filled out a job application that morning but couldn't leave a contact address or phone number and was just going to keep calling in. i told him to feel free to use our church's address and phone number and my name as a contact for the applications. Then he could call in during the morning or evenings and find out whether or not there were any messages. And he did that. We helped him as much as we could to get a nights sleep somewhere and get cleaned up so he could keep job hunting. The job hunting continues, and he continues to check in.

In the last week, we've had our coldest weather of the year (lows in the teens to 20's and highs only in the 30s). At first he asked for a blanket, and we gave him one, but also offered our home (we haven't done that before) but have been confident in our growing relationship with him. So he's stayed for a few nights with us and shared a few meals. We've gotten to know him a little better and learned that he's been having some physical problems in the last year. With no stable employment or insurance, he's not been able to find out a lot of what's going wrong with him. With no permanent address, the free clinic won't help him. He's been coming to church, reading a little Gospel of John i gave him, participating in prayer meetings, and having conversations with me in my office. Yesterday, during our first worship service, he lets out this strange yawn from the back of the sanctuary after I begin the message. i was a little surprised because Steve had been nothing but respectful during our times together, but since i'm a little used to weird things in our services, i just kept going on. Until a few people moved toward him, and Keli comes up to me and says, "Steve's having a seizure". i pray, the congregation starts praying out loud, and then as they continue to pray, i'm back there on the floor with him and a few others trying to help him as he comes to. Medics and Rescue teams arrive as he's beginning to come to and are able to get enough information from us to take him to the hospital. (After church, we picked up Steve to come home with us where he slept all day, woke up and went to prayer meeting, and then came home and slept hard all night--this morning, he's out looking for a job to help pay for his prescriptions--we'll help with what he doesn't come up with)

The message yesterday, in a nutshell, was supposed to be from Mark 4:35- where Jesus calms the storm and says to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Don't you have any faith?" We had a unison Scripture reading with selah and spontaneous testimonies during the worship service from Psalm 46. After Steve was carried away and we had sung a spirit-inspired song, i re-read that Psalm and asked for new comments and feeling in light of what we had just witnessed with Steve. One of our young men shared some thoughts and that "fear was an illusion" that we had to overcome to arrive at a place of peace. i corrected the young man that fear was not an illusion, but very real -- we were all still shaking a little bit from the fear we had just experienced. i talked some more and linked it briefly to the message originally planned (I guess God thought my illustrations were a little weak) -- the disciples experienced a very real fear (drowning) and the disciples expressed faith in going to Jesus to help them in the storm. But their fear of drowning was greater and restricting their faith -- what Jesus did in calming the storm terrified them, or caused them to fear a greater fear, that is the fear of the Lord. When infused by the power of the Holy Spirit, the fear of the Lord releases and reinforces faith -- it was a fear of the Lord that enabled the church to grow in number and boldly share the Good News as Acts 9:31 records, "Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord."

Fear is natural, fear of the Lord is supernatural. Fear of the Lord desires not to be caught in His presence empty-hearted or empty-handed--this works with our faith to release the believer and the church to forcefully advance His Kingdom. Remember Paul's words to Timothy were, "we have not received a spirit that makes a slave again to fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline" (2 Tim 1:7). The disciples in Mark 4:41received this new perspective when they considered, "Who is this?" Likewise, the writer of Hebrews encourages the church in the midst of persecution with these words, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (12:2-3)

an introduction

2005-01-24T11:12:00.000-08:00

i'm sure that most of those who read this site are here because you know me and have been reading my e-mails or hearing my testimonies of my faith journey in local churches.

If any of you stumble on to this site and are compelled to stay, you will be confused as to who i am, what i'm talking about, and why--so here's a brief introduction. My name is Ken, and i'm a 30 something pastor of a church that was built in a small, Alabama (U.S.) town in 1918. i've been the pastor here for a year and half, and have served in ministries since i was 17. My family has served on faith, faithfully throughout the US and on the mission field for generations--i'm a third/fourth generation pastor (not sure if my great-grandfather was actually an ordained pastor or just served in ministry).

My wife grew up in Detroit in a pastors family who were passionate about servig the needs of the city. i grew up on a farm in Indiana but also have been called to serve those on the streets and with less, but i am specifically called and led to lead the church out of being the sterile, separated, societal institution into being the passionate, sacrificial, joyful mission it was founded to be. Changing decades of societal and religious norms is not for the thin-skinned or faint of heart. Please don't think me arrogant, for i am undeserving of association with the heroes of faith, but i liken it to the prophetic callings that led Biblical prophets to be less than popular in the physical realm, but favorites among our spiritual heroes. When the Lord called Isaiah (6:9), the Lord said, "Go and tell this people: `Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving'"; and the Lord's call to Ezekiel (2:3-8) is recorded as, "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says.' 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen--for they are a rebellious house--they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you."

So, you're invited to eavesdrop into my journey--i may write a prayer, a testimony, a frustration, a scripture, someone's biography, questions, or even a recent sermon. Your own thoughts, questions, testimonies, wisdom, correction, or rebukes are welcome.

May the Lord bless you as you seek to serve Him by serving others.

2004-09-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

icons

2004-09-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

Lead Pastor
Ken Oldham <><

2004-09-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

our location, the corner of 6th Ave S.E. and 4th St. S.E. (716 - 6th Ave S.E., Decatur, AL 35601)

2004-09-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

Sixth Avenue Church of God