Church Pirates

Pirates are not cool! I read a recent blog post by my friend Ed Young about pirates in the local church that steal away folks and start a new church down the street. His post got lots of attention. Folks all over were chiming in agreement or taking shots. I think Ed was on to something, but I think the problem is not just with the rogue staff member but with folks in the church who are holding it captive for their own selfishness.
In recent days I have had several conservations with leaders who want to honor God and move the church forward but they are being held captive by narrow minded mean spirited people who want church to cater to their needs. I call them pirates. If the church in North America is going to turn around leaders are going to have to face the pirates. Here are some thoughts about facing them…
• Be a leader who walks with God. This is a spiritual war and pirates are working for the devil. Pray, fast and saturate yourself with God’s word. Pirate wars are bloody and long.
• Expose the selfishness of pirate behavior. Be kind to the pirates but do not be kind to their evil behavior. Expect attacks. They will not be kind to you. Kindness is not softness. We are in a raging battle for the souls of lost folks and pirate behavior is keeping people away from Jesus. The goal is to see the Lord rule and reign. It is not about your agenda but God’s. if you chose to take the high road in civility you will build confidence in those who are exposed to the pirates evil behavior and win them over. Even if you have to stand alone be a man or woman of honor. Don’t sink to pirate levels.
• Cut off their networks. In every pirate movement they will raise the “skull and cross bones” to draw the weak and easily lead into their camp. You cut off their influence by over informing and exposing their sinful behavior. I have seen pirates send e-mails, make phone calls and spread lies without remorse.
• Enlist other Godly leaders to stand with you. Several years ago I had a pirate attack me with all kinds of evil. He went so far to accuse me of adultery. I discovered who would stand with me during those days. Some guys I had in leadership bailed. When the pirate was defeated I made sure the guys who refused to step up were no longer in leadership. Leading a church is hard and you can afford to have the uncourageous in leadership.
• Don’t run. Running leaves the pirates to continue their evil control. I have talked with pastors who are facing pirates who are the children and grandchildren of the founding pirate. If a leader had the courage to face the original pirate it would have saved countless folks from their evil influence. It takes great courage to face this kind of evil but pirates are cowards at heart.
• Don’t negotiate. The only solution is total defeat of pirates. If you give in they win!
• You can’t make a pirate your pet. What pirates need is salvation. A person who is so against God’s movement and the church is most likely lost. There is a big difference with being churched and being saved. If they are saved then the Lord will lead them to repentance when confronted. If they repent get them into a pirate twelve step program!
• Pirates will fight over music, style, structure, dress, and control of money. The bottom line is control. Pirates want to run things for their comfort and convenience.
• God calls the pastor to lead the church not pirates! Remember we are called by God, be strong and courageous. Find other pastors and form a small group and face the pirates together.
That is enough for today. If you are a leader I would love to hear you stories about pirate wars in your church or life. If we can understand their behavior maybe we can be used by God to lower the “skull and cross bones” that fly over most churches!

Sneaky Tara

My wife is sneaky! She slipped around and threw a surprise birthday party for me. She planned the whole thing with her sneaky friends Chris and Valerie. One of my beliefs about leadership is about being aware. Well, her sneaky behavior exposed my lack of aware. The party was great. The party was healing for me. The party was in Victoria Texas. She planned the whole thing from Florida. I was caught off guard, she loved it. I have a wonderfully sneaky wife!
The healing part about the party was the reconnection with folks I love. We lead the church in Victoria for 15 years. I believe that leaders are to love and befriend those they lead. A leader is a friend. I missed my friends. The opportunity to talk, hug, and listen to these folks was wonderful.
I also experienced the turning of the page of leadership. Let me explain, I spoke to the entire group about the adventures of the last year in starting this new church. I share with them the struggles and victories. When I finished their new pastor, Mike Hurt spoke and closed the loop in my heart. He is a wonderful young leader full of wisdom and courage. Mike was my student pastor of 6 years. He left Victoria and served in Washington D. C. for the last 8. His return to Victoria was a very natural choice. He came to a church that had experience a split and was grieving over the ruptured relationships. Upon hearing Mike speak I knew that the church I love had a leader. He is the right guy!
God used my sneaky wife to lift so much doubt and discouragement. I love Tara and her sneaky ways.

I reaaly didn't want to write this

I was praying this morning about what to write today. (I know that sounds so spiritual) The thought about leading with your heart and loving people kept coming to my mind. I really wasn’t feeling it. I wanted to write something funny or stir up folks.
I got to the office and began reading some post form other friends and found a theme. Several guys were posting about keeping relational distance in ministry. They had some good points. One said that people often have agenda and want to get close to you to influence you their way. NO KIDDING! Another said that limited time means to invest in your marriage and kids. That is true. Then I can across a pastor of a huge church and he said “I have chosen to live life with a few folks, and this has been the best decision I have ever made.” WOW! This guy is on the right track! I understand why God is using his life in a great way.
We who are called to pastor are called to love people. People are messy. I am messy. Here are a very quick takes on how to lead, love, and connect with folks…
• People will hurt you and disappoint you, expect it
• No secrets, no worries. Be real with everyone
• Folks are looking to you to lead them to Christ. That means they are watching everything you do. It is not fair but it is real
• Stay close to Jesus, your spouse, your kids
• Practice what you preach, really!
• Look for friends who love Jesus and love you. I listen to folks who love me and love Jesus. If you don’t love me then don’t bother me!
• There are some folks who are a big pain, and you are a big pain to some folks
• The greatest gift I give to the folks I lead is my heart
I lead the church in Texas for 15 years. I have wonderful friends there. Upon my leaving I was hurt by some of those same friends. So what! God is giving me some wonderful friends here in Tallahassee. I can’t hold back because of the hurts of the past. I am hearing of so many leaders who pride themselves in isolationism. That bothers me. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 2:8 “We loved you so much that we gave you not only God’s Good News but our own lives too.” God called me to preach but mostly God has called me to love and connect. What do you think?

Security

I am in the middle of a sermon series called truth. Over the month of July we are looking at some deep truths from God’s word. I am doing what God has wired me to do, taking complex things and translating it into “bubba”. It is fun and very challenging. This week I am speaking on security.
I have discovered that Tallahassee is very “religious”. It seems that everyone here has a denominational label of some sort. I have also discovered that folks here are very insecure in their relationship with God. Most are convinced that God loves them only when they are good or they are attending church, giving their money, not doing any major sinning. This insecurity has produced a huge amount of dysfunction. Because God’s love is tied to their behavior then God is “ticked” at them most of the time. This is a lie. (read Romans 8) This lie causes the church to be ineffective. If we are insecure then we are at best tentative. God’s love and salvation is based on His character not your behavior but on your response to Him through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
God wants me secure in Him so I can thrive and become all He wants me to be. Growing up Baptist I was taught once saved always saved but had so many preachers create insecurity in me by trying to get me to respond to an invitation. I often felt like their goal was to get me down the aisle of a church building other than building my life in Christ. Sometimes their teachings created confusion, doubt, and discouragement. In our preaching we must make the path to Christ plain but we must build the security of the believer as well. God has called me to build lives. I want the folks I lead to know Jesus and thrive in Him.
This week I will be teaching on security. Any relationship that is rooted in insecurity is dysfunctional and God is not dysfunctional!

Some self correction

I had a conservation with another pastor last week about being a nobody. He sent me an e-mail reading 1 Corinthians 1:27-31. This passage reminded me that God is not interested in my prominence but my obedience. God takes the weak, simple, and base things of the world to bring Him glory.
What I have discovered is that I have been worried about my image instead of God’s glory. I have been concerned about my next and not God’s now. The way I was socialized as a pastor was to climb the church ladder by self promotion and by gathering a large crowd. The problem with this way of thinking is that it is not how God works. I have desired to become a somebody while telling myself that it was about God and not me. I was and am deceived. God wants me to walk with Him in dependence and love. He wants me to empty myself so He can use my life for His glory.
Recently Tara and I did franchise training. We studied marketing, sells, and goals and objectives. It was fun and needed. The sad part it felt a lot like the training we do for church planting. If church planting is about franchising then where does the mystical power of God come in? What about the pastor walking with God and displaying the fruit of the spirit? What about if God doesn’t move it doesn’t matter? I think that God is launching a new method of church planting based upon His power and for His glory. If the church is going to make an impact on this nation it will only be by the unexplained movement of God. With that said, I, as a leader, must be equipped with understanding of business models, be trained in theological truth, and mostly be a holy man who walks with God. The truth is that the last is the most important and the least applied. A holy man is an empty man filled with Jesus. As a result of this revelation I will be training church planters in a different way. We will first and foremost learn to walk with God.
I had a conservation with another pastor last week and I am reminded it is good to be a nobody who serves the King of Glory!

Band of Brothers

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers …” This is a great line from King Henry IV by Shakespeare. Let me frame this quote, King Henry is calling his troops to arms against insurmountable odds. He is reaching out to them in the basic sense promoting all of them to his level of royalty. The king believed that it was his divine right and mandate to be king. He was placed on the throne by the power and will of God. So as he called his troops his brothers they became as he was, divinely promoted.
We believers are a band of brothers. We have been divinely promoted. Jesus has called us and has empowered us to stand against insurmountable odds. We are in raging battle for the hearts and souls of mankind. We are called by our great God to join Him in the task of depopulating hell. That being the case shouldn’t we stand together in unity and not attack one another? Shouldn’t we loving correct the wayward, encourage the discouraged, and train up the weak and inexperienced? Shouldn’t we cease with comparison and complaint? Shouldn’t we stop judgment and jealousy? Shouldn’t we live in such love and unity that conveys the great love of God? I think we should!
King Henry finished his speech that day with “he my brother be, be he nar so vile, who sheds his blood with me on this day.” We are indeed the few, the happy few, we band of brothers regardless of our vile nature or unkempt appearance. We are the church of the living God. We are the hope of the world.

Calah speaks out (guest blog)

A few weeks back I asked my daughter to write her thoughts about disunity among church leaders. The following are her thoughts...

When studying the Christian church of America one thing that continues to disturb me is the disunity among its leaders. This disunity has allowed men to feel or think that their ministry is more effective or better than others. It is funny because many believe that God's ministry has now become theirs.
This disunity has now stretched into the territory of name calling, belittlement, and judgment of the character passed on by those trying to accomplish the same goal. The question is this: Why do so many pastors get caught in this cycle? Why do they believe that their preaching method is "better" or more "effective" or that they even own it at all? Every member of the church is a minister but not every member is a pastor. A leader of a church must be called by God. If that is the case, those who are passing judgment by belittling other leaders are belittling and questioning God’s judgment.
God has given each and every pastor the gifts he needs to build His kingdom. Some leaders may be great communicators, others might be extremely intelligent, but God specifically called those men to build His Kingdom with those gifts. I think the problem that can be so easily identified is the issue of how God wants his message to be conveyed. Some may feel that a certain Bible translation should be read, or a specific Sunday school lesson should be taught but that is all irrelevant if the church is not living up to what Jesus came to earth to accomplish. And the most obvious answer is there is not a right or a wrong way to preach the message of God's love if it comes directly from the Bible.
The origin of Christianity stems from one source and that is Christ Himself, who lived a life of service, love, and sacrifice. Jesus was a man of broken and lost people. He came to seek and save the lost, not to hold Sunday school at an exclusive country club for only the well-dressed to attend. The church was created to be the hope of the world, to take people out of the grip of death and show them there is everlasting life in Christ.
WE are the hope of the world, and if the church does not stop its name calling and disputing then it will lose its foothold and it relevancy. God is going to do whatever it takes to save his people, but we have to make a choice. Are we going to continue to bicker and belittle each other or are we going to stand together and fight for the God who has called us? I use the word fight because this is a battle for the souls of the lost and broken.

God sized dreams

Do you ever think your vision is too small? Lately I have questioned myself regarding vision. I have often asked the question “What would you do for God if you knew you could not fail?” The first time I heard that question was the fall of 1992 at Fellowship Church with my friend Ed Young. Ed had a guest speaker that day named Rick Warren. Rick asked me that question. Although it was in a room of thousands he asked it to me as if we were the only ones there. Rick asked during the early days of the first church I planted. His question has measured my life since. In the past I have had bold answers; in fact I have followed those answers with bold actions. Now, I think I am not dreaming God sized dreams. Here are a few thoughts on God sized dreams …

• If you can do it, it is not big enough
• If God doesn’t come through you will fail
• The dream brings God glory, not you
• The dream keeps you awake
• The dream drives you to your knees in prayer
• You will look foolish to others
• The dream is always about people knowing and loving God
• God’s dream is always about building lives, building people

There are many more statements I could and should list but I won’t. Yesterday I felt that familiar stirring in my heart about something more for the Kingdom of God. That feeling is mixed with excitement and dread. Once again I will see and seize God opportunities. What about you?

Follow up

Yesterday’s post stirred some e-mails my way. It seemed that I hit a nerve. Any of us who speak on a regular basis get the after talk regrets. There is always something we should have or shouldn’t have said. I think we should never be afraid to critique our talks but we need to apply a large dose of grace.
A good friend of mine, Hal Mayer, uses three great questions when critiquing a talk. He asks “what did you do right? Where did you get stuck? What would you do different?” These three questions are a great positive launch point to being a better communicator.
On another thought, as I wrote yesterday I realize that those who complain about going deeper really don’t need me nor my influence. The ones God has sent me to matter too much to become discouraged by the comments of the convinced. I can only serve one master, Jesus Christ. I will spend my life handling “Holy things” with great fear and dependence. I don’t know why God called me to preach, but He did. I don’t know why God chooses to use me, but He does. All I really know is Jesus Christ and Him crucified, dead, buried, rose again, ascended to heaven, and returning in glory. This is the gospel and it has the power of salvation.

the "buzz"

There has been much “buzz” in the church leadership world about betrayal. I’ve heard folks called pirates, parasites, and other such names. I have read blog after blog about the plight of church pirates, bad staff, and mean church folks. We are acting like being betrayed is something new. Let me just give you some base line stuff about leading people.
• They are not perfect
• Most people think they know more than they do, including me!
• They will let you down, they don’t mean to but they will
• Some people are just plain old mean
• Satan always has 8 to 10 people in every church he can use to give you grief. When one of them dies or moves he replaces them
• God is the God of folks who hurt you
• God filters everything, so you can trust Him
• You don’t know nor will you know someone’s motives including your own
• The ones closest to you can and will hurt you the deepest
• Loyalty breeds loyalty
• There are three sides to every story one of which is the truth
• Leading people is hard
• Lead yourself the most
I have been leading people for 27 years and I have had my heart broken more than I can count or remember. I have also experienced the joy of seeing God build lives. The thrill of seeing God work is worth the hurt.
One last thing, some of my greatest leadership lessons have come through the pain of betrayal. There have been times and I am sure there will be more times when the pain has made me want to give up but I am called by God to build people. His call compels me. So “Be kind tenderhearted to each other forgiving each other just as God through Christ has forgiven you”.

Golf

I had a great lesson in leadership yesterday. The air condition was off at the office so I decided it was God’s will that I play golf instead of sweating in my office. So I called my buddy, Tara, to see if she wanted to play. She agreed so I made a tee time for 4. We were joined by Jeremy and Rachel (our worship pastor and his wife).
Tara rarely plays and Rachel has never played. Jeremy has skills but they are developing and I am a competitive crazy man. Tara was excited that Jeremy and Rachel were joining us because she knew I would behave. We had a blast. It took us 5 hours to play, but we had a blast.
So what did I learn? Life is not about competition. It is about relationships. If I am competing all the time then I will make someone the winner (me) and someone the loser (anyone but me). No one likes to be the loser! If I can lead people in the context of building relationships and not in the context of who looks the best maybe I can lead rightly. What I must remember that Christ died for me (a loser) so that I might live rightly for His glory. My right living is based on building people. That might be the core of leadership, building people.
O yea, I played the best round I have played in years, but who’s competing?

The Frat

This Thursday we will host our first Men’s gathering. I call it FOTH frat but it is not about Fellowship of the Hills. It is about guys connecting and living in healthy God honoring relationships. I will be leading a discussion on “How to get smart” from the book of Proverbs. I hope this is the first of many gatherings.
I think it is important for guys to hang with each other and become brothers. Being a man is difficult so we need the gatherings to keep us strong.
So guys it is time to make history and be at the first Frat meeting tomorrow at Beef’s on Thomasville road. We will start at 11:45 and I will have you back to work by 1. Come and bring a buddy. The rush is on, FOTH frat!

Keeping leading

The adventure through Nehemiah has been fun. This series of “posts” have generated more discussion than any to date, which leads me to believe that leadership is still an important topic. So in the coming weeks I will write more on this topic.
Here are some things I have discovered about leading.

Leadership is influence so that means influence is based on relationships.
No one follows without trust. If folks don’t trust you they will not follow you.
Leadership requires confidence. People smell uncertainty. Confidence comes from God’s call not your ability.
Leaders are born and made.
If no one is following you, you are not a leader.
There are different types and levels of leaders.
Leaders need a network of other leaders.
The most important person you lead is yourself.

This is a short list, there is so much more. Over the next few weeks I will keep “posting” leadership stuff. The next leader we will look at is Daniel. I hope you enjoy, learn, lead, and pass this stuff along.

Vision idiot!

I was in a meeting two years when a church leader called me a vision idiot! He meant it in a good way, I think. He was correct; I am a vision idiot meaning God has given me the ability to see what should be. Often that ability gets me into trouble and more often compels me into action. I am not sure why God has given me the gift of vision but He has. Everywhere I go I see what should be for the Kingdom of God. I love pushing leaders to follow that vision. More often than not I come across as an idiot. What makes me look most foolish is that I truly believe that God wants to move in a big way in our nation and most leaders are afraid to see what God sees and therefore afraid to act in accordance to God’s vision.
The main reason I left Texas was the vision God gave me for Tallahassee. I really can’t explain all the emotions and struggles I went through before following that vision. All I can say is that the vision was and is compelling. I have leveraged my whole life for it. I have had many sleepless nights thinking about what I have done, but the vision of God for this city drives me. I had that same vision for Victoria Texas and felt that God was done with me there so God gave me a fresh vision. That doesn’t mean that God was done with Victoria, He was just done with me in Victoria.

Here are some things I have learned about vision.

God’s vision is not about me, but it involves me. I am just a tool in God’s plan.
God’s vision is always about what he can do not what I can do; it is always bigger than me!
God’s vision will not go away, God is relentless.
The bigger the vision from God the greater the adversity you will experience.
Prayer makes me aware! God’s vision comes through seeking God.
God rarely brings about His vision in the way I think He should. God’s ways are not mine.
God’s vision is always about people, heaven, and accordance to His word!
God’s vision will keep you up at night!

I could go on and maybe I should. The bottom line is that I will be a vision idiot until I die. I will live in such a way that sees what God sees and then give my life to see it be. I realize that means a great sacrifice, oh well. Recently God has been pushing me about a national movement of His spirit. That is frightening to me because of my inadequacies. I see what He wants to do in North America, but I can’t do it or lead it. I must remember that it is not about me!
I love this question … What would you do for God if you knew you could not fail? I know my answer. Do you?

Spiritual attacks

If you are a spiritual leader you can expect attacks from Satan! Ok, this opening line is a bit tough but I need to write about this. Lately I have seen so many pastors and leaders getting pounded by spiritual attacks that I felt compelled to address this.
Over the 27 years that I have been in ministry, I have noticed a pattern to these attacks. This pattern is not just for pastors but for any who claim to live for Jesus.
Satan will attack the leader’s mind first. He loves to use doubt and discouragement. He wants you to doubt God’s love, power, and movement. He is unrelenting in his undermining. Because he invades your thoughts you must stay in prayer and scripture reading. Nothing dispels doubt and discouragement like truth! He will also use your past against you. He will remind you of how sinful you have been. I moved back to Tallahassee where I went to college. I wasn’t a preacher boy while at FSU. Satan loves to remind me of places and activities that long ago God has forgiven and released me from. I have learned to use the truth to set me free. (Romans 8:1)
If Satan can’t get to my mind he will move to my relationships. He loves to create strife between Tara and me. He uses the seed of speculation to create division. If Tara and I are close to each other, telling each other the truth, living open and loving before the Lord and one another then Satan doesn’t have much chance. One thing here, before any great movement of God you can expect an attack.
Next, Satan loves to use your children to distract and divide you. One of the only ways we survived teenage years was we had a family small group. We stayed connected. We shared meals together and prayed together. I tried not to hide struggles from my kids, but I protected them from stuff they could or should not handle.
Satan will then move to other relationships close to you, like the folks who serve God with you. Any attitude that causes disunity is sinful. I need to be aware of relational drift and root out disunity. If you have someone who works with you who is disloyal, they need to go!
As a pastor I have found that there are always folks who are willing to allow Satan to use them to stir up junk. These folks are in every church and organization. Don’t let them lead! Hold them to account and create a culture of unity and love. Not everyone who criticizes is being used by Satan. So don’t get “jumpy”.
One last thing, Satan can attack you physically. While starting this church my back went out from a injury that happened years ago, and Easter week I got poison ivy on my face! Oh well! God uses all of this to make me more dependent on Him.
An old preacher once said “if you are not meeting the devil you are headed in the same direction”. I will risk spiritual attacks to join God in His great work.

Austin

I just got back for coaching church planters in Austin. This was the first trip post back surgery and it went great. No pain and no problems, yeah God. I had a great time with my guys. Here are some reflections.

Most church planters worry about structure and money more than anything. I understand fully the concerns but maybe we should concern ourselves with connections with God and people. Maybe we should listen to God’s voice and capturing His vision for the people we lead. Maybe we should seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Structure will change and God will fund His work.

Another thought … We are leading a movement not a business. During the 90’s we as church leaders were exposed to the best practices of business leaders and we learned much from their wisdom. However, we are not business men, we are pastors! When we lead the church based on best business practices we lose the mystical power of God’s movement. I am not saying that we cannot learn from business but I am saying that we will never fully understand how God moves therefore we can never remove the mystery of God from our leadership equation. God doesn’t fit a model, a plan, but He is the one “who’s ways are not ours”. If God doesn’t move it doesn’t matter! With that said, allow me to boil it down to this … we are first and foremost to be holy men who walk with God! I am not being arrogant about learning from others, I am saying that we must look to God first and then learn from everyone.

I love investing in leaders. I told my wife that I would give my life to investing in leaders who lead a movement of God. It is amazing how much fun you can have when your passion, calling, and experiences align. I am better understanding the truth about being successful, it is about having successors! 100 years from now no one will remember who I am but will they know Jesus because of who I am?

I love my Austin guys and I pray for them daily. I am honored to lead leaders! Who am I to do this? Just a guy who Jesus saved, called, and equipped. I am one of the “washed”.

the church!

I have been a student of church all my life. As a child we would often play church. One of us would lead singing and then one would preach and then I always got saved. I didn’t want to get saved but being the baby I didn’t have a choice. Of course there was a baptism that followed so …I should be one of the best people alive I have been converted over and over, baptized without number!

Ok, let me push on. Being a student of church I have observed that we have lost our way. Somewhere along the way we forgot about the great commandment and the great commission. Jesus told us to love God and love each other. He also told us to go into the entire world and tell people about the great love of God. But we have gotten lost in caring for our wants and needs, retreating into isolation, managing our sins and fighting over the color of the carpet. I know this was not what God had in mind when He said “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”

We must return to God desire and I think there are some steps back. Here are my thoughts.

We must personally renew our commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The most powerful prayer we can pray is Jesus I am yours. I believe that that level of renewal must begin in the hearts of pastors. Leaders must move for isolation, personal parking places, and a spirit of entitlement back to servant leadership based on Christ like character.

Next we must be relationally renewed. Jesus said they will know we are His by our love, not doctrine, structure, buildings, or denominations. Disunity and division are sinful. We need each other.

Next is missional renewal. We can then rediscover why we are here as the church and how we should live.

Then structures and cultural renewal will evolve as a result of God’s movement. I think God is launching this type of movement in North America. I know He is doing this in the rest of the world. This is the heart of the church I am leading in Tallahassee. It is time to let God renew us!

Revolution launched last night

There is going to be a Revolution, yea we know, we don’t want to change the world, wait we do want to change the world! (Did you catch the Beatles reference?) The Revolution launched last night with 86 at the first preview gathering! I am so stoked. Kids came and engaged. Trey lead musically and opened with a Kelly Clarkson song. He sang like a girl. It was great. I saw very skeptical kids get connected. I saw college kids give their lives away ministering to the next generation. I heard Brian Brown speak with passion and clarity. It was amazing. God is moving.

During the run up to this I have had several of my fellow pastors say that this was a dumb idea. To quote one “you can start a church of kids, it will never fund itself.” I know that, and you can’t feed 5,000 with two fish and five loaves! God is in the faith stretching business and He wants us to take great risk for Him if that means starting a church for Kids then that Ok with me.

I am going to be bold and say that for far too long we have done ministry to students and never allow them to minister. I watched college students embrace this and lead out. Soon they will be running this and Brian and I will be coaching them. They will leave Florida State as church planting experts because they have planted a church.

Last night as I watched everything going on I felt the Spirit of God whisper to me, “I am going to launch a movement with this kids that will change the world.” There is going to be a revolution and it is launched in Tallahassee! Maybe FSU will be known as a church planting university. That would be so cool!

Revolution

I was a youth minister for 11 years. I loved hanging out with kids and watching them grow in their faith. Back in the day we were often more interested in keeping the kids out of trouble then we were interested in building their lives. We thought and taught that ministry was to youth not through youth. I saw some amazing results in the lives of these students even though we were less than intentional.

This week we become intentional. We are launching Revolution, a church for students. This church will intentionally bring students in, build them up, train them for ministry, and send them out. Our prayer is that we see a ministry through students to students with adult heroes who are assisting these kids as they grow. I pray that they become so accustom to church this way that they will lead a movement that changes the world for God’s glory.

16 years ago when I left student t ministry I said I would never do this again. Be very careful what you say never too. God is launching a movement and I am excited to be a part! I will let you know how it goes.

the focus bear

Caleb turned 22 yesterday and we threw him a big party. Once again our house was filled with 20 something’s. We had a blast.

His birthday caused me to reflect on his birth. While Tara was in labor we used a focused plan to get her through the pain. We brought a teddy bear to the hospital as Tara’s focal point. I was trained to get her to focus on the bear when the pain started.

What if we decided that God was our focus? What if in times of pain and hardship we turned to Jesus? What if fixed our eyes on Him? What if in times of joy and victory we focused on Him? I think our lives might be different.

I believe that the church today is struggling because we are focusing on programs, doctrine, leadership, and whatever and not focusing on Jesus. I know this sound very spiritual and not practical. I do think that the above mentioned things are important but in the right focus of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Why am I going down this road this morning? Because I think that we, no I must have a God centered focus. I am planting a church and every day the prospect of failure looms. If God doesn’t come through I am doomed. I am choosing to focus on Jesus, His power, His abilities, His glory. I am fixing my eyes on Jesus. As I focus on Him everything we need to do, be, or become will come into focus.

Tara and I still have the “bear”. Every time I look at it I am reminded of the time of focus. I am moving the “bear” to my office to remind me that I have shifted my focus.

Relationships

I am stoked! (a surfing term that means to get fired up) God is revealing so many things to me about my character. I hate it went I get convicted about how much I need to grow but I also get excited to know that God loves me enough to keep pushing me.

I have always believed that my life would matter for God. I remember praying asking God to use my life when I was 9. I was standing on top of the "jungle gym" on the school playground looking over the whole school. I asked God that day to make my life count for Him. What I didn't know was that prayer had two sides. One side was to give my life away for the cause of Christ and the other was the battle of arrogance and pride.

All my life and ministry I have battled the pull of wanting the praise of men. Over and over I have found that praise to be hollow. God keeps showing me that He is enough. I must live a life of surrender.

I believe that God is calling pastors to become holy men first and foremost. I have blasted that trumpet only to find it ringing in my own ears. I am stoked because the Holy Spirit is moving in the deep places of my life. I am "a man of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the Lord".

God longs to move in the North American church and He will first move in the hearts of the leaders. I must let Him move in me!

Fear

My dad said "most the the stuff you worry about never happens, and if it does, it doesn't amount to much". He said this in his late 80's. My father had followed God long enough to know that nothing is beyond His reach.

As a leader I have learned that truth. Worry, which is rooted in fear, is a waste of time. You can't lead full of worry or full of fear. Don't get me wrong, there have been and will be plenty of times when worry and fear are a part of my leadership. One leader said that "courage is fear that has said it's prayers". Here are some things I think on during these times.

In the book of Philippians chapter 4 Paul says "don't worry about anything, but pray about everything". If I will take all that worry to God then He begins to sort out my thinking and brings His peace into my heart. Good stuff!

Jesus asked, "Can a man add an inch to his height by worry, NO!" Jesus said worry is a waste of time!

Let me go to the real issue. Last night I woke up yet once again in a cold sweat about ... what have I done leaving the comfort of an established church and starting over, we are going to starve, my kids will have to drop out of college, Tara will come to her senses and leave me, I am the biggest fool in the history of man.... All of this was a big lie. Speculation and worry are the seed bed of sin. I choose not to go down that road any further, asked God to help me, and went back to sleep. It is funny how everything is worse at night.

There are 366 verses in the bible about having no fear. That's one for everyday and an extra one for leap year. God knows we are worriers, fearful, crazy speculators, and He wants us to have His peace. I have to choose to accept that peace. I have to put my trust in the Lord. God's word is my source of truth, life, and peace. Through His word His spirit comforts me.

So, stop worrying, start trusting!

College students

I spoke at FSU last night to a great group of college students. I love speaking to this crowd because the promise of God building an army.

As I spoke about them making a difference I could not help but remember the emotions I felt at that stage of life. I thought about the question of "would I find a wife, or even a date". I was still shaky about my calling in life. I was having a great time but the Kingdom of God was far from my sight.

There were some men who dared me to begin to dream about what God could do in, for, and through me. They loved God and loved me. Their passion for community, connection, and not being a geek spoke to me. Men like Shuf Davis and Mitch Simpson made an impact on me that has shaped my view of God and view of church.

Shuf always saw something more in me than I saw. He would call me on bad behavior with out judgment and challenge me to "man up". He still speaks into my life.

Mitch began revealing to me what true biblical community could be. I am not sure he had it in full focus but he started a process in me that has become my life mission.

As I spoke last night I realized that I could and should be one of those men in the lives of these students. I can not be that kind of leader from a distance. These "kids" need someone up close.
I truly believe that God's church is the hope of the world and the next generation of leaders needs us old guys to invest in them. I am compelled by the mercies of God and the example of leaders I have followed to be that man for this generation. I believe that God desires the North American church to experience a renewal that escapes the cultural bubble of "Church". I know that movement will need God honoring leaders. I also believe that when college students are exposed to the time honored biblical examples of leadership they will lead this renewal. They will not know unless those who are before them reach back an lead them.

To quote my Texas preacher friend "something is brewing in the Kingdom" and it is brewing on college campuses all over America. It is time to invest! God is launching a movement and I want to be a part!

Dealing with doubt

I have had several conversations lately with leaders who are struggling with being down. It seems that depression is a common struggle with anyone who leads anything. It also seems that wintertime makes things worse.
In a conversation I had today I suggested to a friend to discover the path to finding balance. Let me explain. You must know yourself well enough to know how to pick your self up. I know that the work of the Holy Spirit is to encourage and inspire you but you must intentionally join God in this task.
God wants you full of hope not discouraged. Discouragement is not from God.
Let me cut to the chase, when I get discouraged I know I need time away with Tara. My behavior is to just work harder and longer thus driving me more into being down, but when I retreat, spend time with God, and my most trusted friend I find God's release.
Knowing yourself is the first law of leadership!

pastors

I am in Austin Texas. I have been meeting with a group of pastors that are starting new churches. I love these guys and the adventure. I find their courage and faith refreshing.
We were discussing the fear factor of starting new church. It is very scary! You are putting your whole life and the life of your family on the line following the call of God. As we talked I said "you are not willing to take great risk for God until He is your only option".
What I mean is that if we have any other plan than the plan of trusting and hoping in God then we will fail. God wants to be our first and only choice. I know that even if I fail at starting this new church God will not fail. My life is not about me.
This all sounds crazy but it is so sound. When I surrender my life to God and His control my life will matter.
I am starting a new church in Tallahassee. Tara and I have risked it all for this call of God. If he doesn't come through we are doomed. I can't think of a better way to live.

New Year

Day two of 2008 is unfolding before us like a mighty mystery. I am fully optimistic about what lies ahead of me, of us. I think that every day is a gift and a test. A gift from God to live for His glory and a test of what I really believe about Him. 2008 will be a very exciting year.
Have you ever wondered if you will amount to anything? Have you ever looked into the face of a child and pondered where their life would lead? I have.
I have a picture of my Brother Stan and me when we were 5 and 9. It is Christmas and we both received "costumes" as gifts. Stan was a football player and I was a cowboy.
Looking at this photo one would never believe that the too skinny football player would grow up to be a great athlete and a great preacher, and the cross eyed cowboy would become a pastor/church planter. You never know what God has planned!
I don't know what is going on in your life right now but I do know that God has great plans for you. (Jer. 29:11) His plan is always hinged on obedience not perfection, on faith and not performance, and on His purpose not your comfort. Your life will not be as it could be or should be until you surrender your life to God's purposes.
Start 2008 by praying the most challenging and dangerous prayer you can pray, "Jesus, I am yours". You never know the great adventure God has for you. I believe there is more to you than meets the eye!

Doubt and Discouragement

I am 49 years old and I have started over in a new church plant. This has been and still is the most frighting thing I have ever done. The last time I started a church I was 33 and didn't know anything. I didn't worry about if it the church would succeed and I didn't worry about my future. I was 33, what bad could happen and if it did I could always get a job. This time it is different. I know too much and the reality of being old and unemployed is troubling. Doubt and discouragement have become my constant companions, insecurity is a way of life, and the fear of failure is very real. Now, before you think I am crazy or looking for some sympathy let me push on this.
I believe that God wants to do something in Tallahassee that came only be explained by Him. God wants to get the glory for this new church and not me. I am desperate and God wants me there. God is not the author of doubt and discouragement but He will leverage them to get me to stay dependant on Him.
I can't place my security on titles, positions, or money. I must trust God to provide. I can't get my worth from what people think, I must please God alone.
I have also learned that my life is an example for others in the life of faith so I must follow Jesus for your sake.
There are nights that I can't sleep and wonder how I got myself into this. But in the morning I still hear the call of God.

Austin

I just returned from leading a church planting conference in Austin. I had a great time teaching church planting to this eager group of folks. As I typically do I began "pulling on the roots" of all that transpired during those few days. I came to several conclusions.
First, everything rises and falls on leadership and that we are all called to be leaders. I realize that we all have various levels of leadership competencies but none the less we are to lead well if only leading our selves. In conservations I could almost spot who would be effective and who would not based on the passion and vision that comes with the leadership gift.
Second, if God doesn't move it doesn't matter. No matter how gifted or equipped I am if God is not in what I am leading it will go nowhere. I am not talking about some kind of "wishy washyness" of God that says "I will bless one and not another" but I am talking about a holy dependence on God that leads to a life of faith. Pastors are called to be Holy Men first and foremost! Leading must come from that dependence. The truth is that we will not know the true impact of what we are leading until eternity.
Third, God is "mending me" so that He might use me and I will not experience the fullness of His "mending" until He is using me. I am broken, flawed man but the God of the ages has called me to do His bidding. I need mending. He does and as He does I find His spiritual healing. This life of leadership is all about God and not about me. God does something in me in order to do something through me for His glory.
This brings me to the point of this rambling. God wants me to be connected to Him as I am connect to those I lead. I can't not lead from a distance, it is all about relationships, relationship with God and with those I am called to lead. I have just made a major transition for leading a large congregation to leading a small congregation. In the large I could hide in the small I can't. I hope I can learn the leadership lesson of leading in the open from the small to the large. I quote Paul in Philippians "follow me as I follow Christ". If you don't know me then how do you know that I am following? Maybe if pastors and leaders would learn to lead through relationships and lead in the open then God might move.