This past Sunday at New Life we announced that Pastor Ross Parsley will be relocating to Austin, Texas to plant a life giving church sometimes next spring or summer.  It was a really special moment for all of us at New Life to send out such an amazing leader to fulfill an obvious call on his life. It was also special because church planting is one of my deepest passions and one of the most significant ways any church can fulfill the Great Commission.

Pastor Ross and I have been praying, planning and discussing this for months and after praying some more with the elders we all sensed it was time to launch Ross into this new adventure.  Pastor Ross will put a dent in the universe when he gets to Austin and we, as his New Life family, are committed to praying and supporting him.

I believe Pastor Ross and his team has been set up for success because he chose to leave the best possible way. Too many times, a young leader gets a call to plant a church, but then finds it difficult to get any support from his leadership or does not value the input of his leaders. I have found there are three common ways to leave one church and plant another, but only one gets the full blessings of heaven.

Most often, a young leader is not allowed to even talk about leaving for fear of punishment or the young leader does not value authority so they leave suddenly. I call this a divorce. It is ugly and hurtful, both to the young leader and to the church they leave.  The relationship is sometimes forever fractured which must cause God great sorrow.

The second way is not much better. The young leader decides to plant a church and announces it later to the leadership without really asking them to be a part of the process. Most times, the leaders of the church pray for them and announce it to the church, but there is no permanent partnership.

Pastor Ross chose the best way. He was open and honest about his desire to plant a church and he allowed me and the other elders a chance to pray with him and give him counsel every step of the way.  He even gave us permission to stop the church plant if we felt he was making a mistake. That took a lot of courage and integrity for Pastor Ross, but it was the right thing to do and God will bless him.

This church plant feels like a wedding, not a divorce.  We are certainly sad that Pastor Ross is leaving, but just like a wedding, we are also happy for the new family that is being formed and we are already looking forward to Pastor Ross coming back for lots of visits. When he does return, he will be welcomed home with cheers and hugs.

I am proud of Pastor Ross and I am proud of New Life. I suspect we will send lots of young leaders to plant churches in the coming years, and I hope we can always celebrate weddings and not be saddened by any divorces. If we will commit to being a sending church and young leaders will choose to be sent, the Kingdom of Heaven will expand and our New Life family will only multiply.

All of us have internal batteries that determine how much energy or effort we have to expend on the matters of life. When these batteries are charged, we can take on multiple tasks and still have strength to charge hell with a water pistol. When these batteries are low, even everyday jobs can overwhelm us.  I have four batteries that need constant evaluation and re-charging and I have learned that if any of these four batteries run low, I am less than my best.

I have a personal spiritual battery that is only charged when I spend time with God in prayer, worship and scripture.  I talk to God every day, but at least five days a week, I need extended time alone with Him.  My goal is seven days, but in reality, that is not always possible.  When I am in a good rhythm of schedule, my spiritual battery is charged and I feel nothing can keep me from taking ground.

I also have a work battery. This is the energy supply for doing my job as pastor such as meeting with people, leading meetings, teaching, and studying for talks.  I keep this battery charged by saying yes to things that I should be doing and saying no to things someone else should be doing. When I am operating in my strengths and my calling, I feel fully alive and able to give my best to the assignment God has given me.

I also have a dad battery. This is the energy supply I need to be a good dad to Abram and Callie. Because they are 11 and 9, they want a lot of dad’s time and energy.  That means, I cannot give all my energy to New Life every day and come home with an empty tank. The 12-minute drive from New Life to my house is my time to switch off the work battery and plug in the dad battery.  My goal is to not take work home at night and to not be talking on the phone when I walk in the house. I also take either Abram or Callie out for breakfast every Saturday morning so we can be together and talk about kid stuff.

I also have a husband battery.  I mentioned this at the end not because it is the least important, but to confess that I have sometimes neglected this battery more than the other three. Pam has been kind and patient with me the past two years, knowing the weight I have been carrying at New Life. Today, though, I made a commitment to give this battery more of my attention and to make changes in my schedule that allows for more time with the girl I love.

Take an honest look at the batteries in your life. Are they all charged for optimum output or do you need to make some lifestyle or schedule changes today? God has enough strength for all of us. We only have to sit still and receive. It is a lot like re-charging a battery. You have to plug it into the wall and leave there it there for a length of time. Sit still this week and get re-charged.  Your batteries will be grateful.

I grew up in Louisiana where people generally are friendly and still wave at one another when they pass on the highway. It is not uncommon for strangers to strike up conversations in the supermarket or at the post office. In most Louisiana kitchens, there is always food cooking on the stove or something homemade to eat in the fridge. It is a culture centered around family, friends and food.  I wish local churches looked more like Louisiana, minus the bugs, heat and humidity.

I believe one of the most effective things we can do as followers of Christ is to be friendly to the people we meet, both inside the church and certainly outside the church. I am finding that most people don’t care about a crabby person’s theology or want to talk about Jesus with someone who never smiles.  Why can’t we be friendly first and bible experts second?

As a pastor, I hear lots of compliments and some criticism. I don’t lose a lot of sleep over most of the criticism except when I hear that someone has not been friendly to a guest or to a fellow member.  There is no excuse for being rude. Maybe, I am old school or just have too much Southern still in me, but I have a low tolerance for people who don’t care about other people.

Being friendly does not require a lot of formal education, but it does require basic training. We need to be taught good manners because we are not born with them, at least I was not. Here are some general rules for being friendly:

1.      Look at the person and not around the person

2.      Listen to them

3.      Don’t appear in a hurry

4.      Ask them questions

•  What is your name?
•  Where do you live?
• How is your family?
• What do you do for fun?
• How can I serve you?

These are the basic requirements for graduating Friendly School, but if you want an advanced degree, here are the course requirements:

1.      Invite someone to your house for a home cooked meal.

2.      Ask a stranger to sit with you and your family or friends at church.

3.      Personally take a guest to the right room on campus and don’t point in the general direction.

4.      Remember a stranger’s name when you see them next.

5.      Greet the kids in the family not just the adults.

Please help your pastor sleep better at night and remember that being friendly can mean the difference between someone following Christ or not. We are Christ’s Ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.  Practice being friendly in the mirror and don’t leave home until you get it right.

There is a lot of debate right now over the idea of submitting ourselves to those in authority, especially human authority within the local church. One crowd says that God’s approval and His authority is all we should seek and human authority is too corrupt to trust. Another group says no major decisions can be made unless approval is given from someone or some group of people here on the earth.

I understand the risk of submitting my life to others. What if they have hidden or impure motives attached to their counsel? What if their real goal is to manipulate me or control me somehow? What if they really don’t care about my personal welfare and actually desire my harm?

When I am faced with these types of choices, I ultimately yield to scripture because it is my guide for life. Here are some passages for all of us to consider:

Romans 13:1-2 NIV – “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.  2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

This is talking primarily about government rulers, but the command is still clear. We should submit ourselves to them and ultimately trust God.  Obviously, we should never do evil things or commit sin even if a ruler tells us to do so. This scripture is not telling us to be robots or to throw away our moral compass. The real issue is a heart issue. Are we rebellious at our core? Can we be lead by anyone? Can anyone tell us what to do?

Here is another passage to meditate upon this week:

Hebrews 13:17 NIV – “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

I believe we only have as much authority from God as we are willing to submit to.  I have willingly submitted myself to human authority and God has entrusted me with authority to lead in the local church. With this authority, I am supposed to serve, lead and protect those entrusted to my care. Notice, this scripture says those who have been given authority must one day give an account of how they used it. Therefore, if I use my authority incorrectly, God will judge those motives when I stand before Him in heaven.

It also says that we, as followers, can make this assignment a joy or a burden for our leaders. I hope I have added joy to the lives of Robert Morris, Tom Lane, Jimmy Evans, Jack Hayford and Larry Stockstill. These men, along with the elders of New Life, are all leaders who can correct and challenge me. I have given all of them permission to tell me “no”.

Do you have trusted leaders in your life? Do you have someone who can tell you “no” or even challenge you when you believe you have a command from God? If so, you are a person that God ultimately will trust with authority. If not, you may one day find yourself in a place of authority, but will be ill prepared to exercise that authority for the good of God’s Kingdom.

I spent last week in Europe, meeting with leaders in the U.K., Berlin and in Istanbul.  All three places have seen scores of missionaries and ministries come to their cities and countries, but all three regions have seen a dramatic decline in the influence of the Gospel upon the people and the culture.  For example, in Turkey, there are only around 3000 followers in a country of over 70 million. At one time, some believe there were as many missionaries in the country as converts. What happened that so many resources have been spent, but with such miserable results?

I believe the Gospel is still good news but how we share this news can make all the difference.  When I read the New Testament, I see three strategies for presenting the Gospel and I believe all three strategies have to be implemented in a culture before we will see significant results.

 1.       Proclamation

The message of the Gospel must be declared in public through preaching and testimonies.  All of us must take every opportunity to tell our story and explain the simple truth of Jesus and His redemption of humanity. This can happen at a church gathering, in a classroom, or anywhere we are given a public opportunity.  The early apostles looked for public settings where they could speak. It was done with love for the people who were listening and within the boundaries of common sense. The results were sometimes dramatic and sometimes not, but that did not stop them from proclaiming what they knew to be true.

 2.       Conversation

When Philip overheard the Ethiopian eunuch reading Scriptures out loud in Acts 8, he asked if he could talk with him more. What followed was a conversation, not a sermon. As a result, the eunuch chose to follow Jesus. We must be willing to engage in meaningful conversations with people and not always try to get the “quick sell”. Many times, we confront people way too early instead of being patient with the work of the Holy Spirit. We are here on earth to cooperate with God and sometimes that means months and even years of conversation with people.

 3.       Demonstration

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35 NLT

Those who are not following Jesus should see evidence or proof in our own lives of real and radical transformation.  The fruit of our lives should be so compelling to those around us that it allows the Gospel to be both seen and heard. I am not talking about behavior that is rehearsed or superficial, because the world can spot posers. I am talking about authentic servant hood and genuine compassion coupled with the power of the Holy Spirit. I am convinced that in many cases, our message is not being heard because people cannot see the evidence of our own conversion.

All three of these strategies must be in place or we will not see significant transformation in the cultures where we live. Let’s proclaim the truth, engage in conversation at every opportunity and demonstrate the grace that has changed our own lives.

When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. Acts 8:6 NIV

Can we transform our cities simply by attracting a crowd of people to a building once a week to hear a well-prepared, inspiring talk from a professional minister?  Of course we can’t! But that seems to be the focus of most pastors, including myself. Notice the crowds in Samaria were listening to Philip give an inspiring talk, but they only paid close attention because of the miraculous signs that also happened at the gatherings.

I am convinced that we must pray for the miraculous if we want to see real transformation in our cities and in our country.  I really believe in teaching correct theology and explaining Scripture in creative and compelling ways. But our preaching is not enough. God’s power must be on display if we want to win over skeptics, atheists and agnostics.  I don’t mind intellectual debates, but it is much easier to tell someone about Jesus after they have been miraculously healed of some disease.

I know many people believe God’s power is not available to us today as it was in the day of Philip, but I do. The number of stories told by Jesus, Paul and Peter that involve the intervention of heaven into the affairs of men on the earth are too numerous to ignore.  The original recipe of church involved the spice of the miraculous and I am ready to add it back to the mixing bowl.

Let’s be sensible and let’s follow sound doctrine. Let’s commit to being “weird free” and not allow our behavior to distract people from their gaze on Jesus.  Let’s aggressively pray for people to be healed and set free from bondages. 

I believe America today is not much different than Samaria, Corinth or Ephesus.  They needed the Gospel and we need the Gospel. I am convinced that people will listen closely to us as they did Philip if we will speak the plain truth in compelling ways and allow the miraculous to happen among us. Let’s pray for people to both hear the Gospel and to see the Gospel.

Do you want to be famous? Do you have a secret desire for everyone to know your name or for people to admire you? It seems we have a cultural obsession with notoriety and attention. Right now in Colorado, a family is being accused of staging an elaborate hoax involving a homemade balloon and their young son for the sole purpose of attracting media attention. I am not the judge of this family’s motives. I will leave that to God, law enforcement officials and trained therapists. However, it has caused me to think about our need for attention.

I have had national media attention on several occasions in the past two years. I have appeared live on Larry King Live, Good Morning America, and I have been quoted by almost every major newspaper in the country, including the New York Times, the LA Times, and the Dallas Morning News. Believe me, notoriety is overrated.  It does nothing to feed your soul and does everything to feed your flesh.

Three years ago, before I became Senior Pastor of New Life Church, I told friends that my goal in life was to make Jesus famous and not myself. Of course, at that time, no one in the media knew my name and certainly no one cared about my opinion. It was easy to promise God that I would remain anonymous when anonymity was almost guaranteed.

The exposure to media attention has been both bothersome and flattering. Most of the interviews from media have been about topics that are sad or dark. But, make no mistake, any attention can be a slippery slope and better people than I have surrendered to the carnal desire to be noticed, even if the attention is negative. Thankfully, I have a wife and a close cadre of friends who hold me accountable and all of them have promised to break my kneecaps if I become too infatuated with myself.

The root causes of this need for attention are narcissism and egotism. Narcissism is the erotic gratification derived from the admiration of one’s own physical or mental attributes, while egotism is an exaggerated sense of self-importance. Either way, both egotism and narcissism are fueled by the attention of others and only humility and repentance can set us free from their grips.

Certainly, some of us will be known more than others. We cannot always avoid the spotlight or the recognition that comes from leading something that is successful. But there is a difference between the spotlights finding us than us seeking the spotlight.  Our motives are the real issue.

What would happen if every local church and its leaders were committed to making Jesus famous and not themselves? Could it be that Jesus is longing for a group of people who are committed to real humility, anonymity and servant hood? How cool would it be if we were really successful doing things for God and no one noticed?

Can we try something new at church if there is a risk it will fail? I believe church should be a place where we can experiment, take risks, start over and make changes. What would church be like if we held everything in open hands and were willing to try anything if it would possibly help us? What if there were no sacred cows? Can we experiment with new ideas in church or is this reserved only for the marketplace?

This fall at New Life, we planned, created and started three new things. Two of them have been great and are accomplishing exactly what we had hoped. One of them has not. It was an experiment that did not produce the desired results. Now what? Should we continue despite the bad results or should we tell the church the idea stinks and not do it anymore? Wouldn’t that damage our credibility as leaders to admit that an experiment failed or would it create an environment where everyone is given permission to take risks? I believe it will communicate to the church that we are a work in progress and we are willing to try anything even if it creates a mess that needs cleaning up later.

Here is what happened. We decided back in the summer to change our Sunday morning service times from 9am and 11am to 9:30am and 11:30am. There were lots of reasons we felt the need to change. The 11am was really full and we felt that by adding an extra half hour to both services, people would be more motivated to attend the early service and make room for new people in the later service. The new 9:30 service did increase dramatically, but 11:30 did not grow as we intended. People told us the later time meant their kids were eating lunch too late in the day and it was not good for families.

Lesson learned. Now what? We are going back to the old times – 9am and 11am on November 1^st. Our experiment failed, but we learned something valuable – the old times were just fine.  No one harmed. Jesus is not offended, and there was no heresy involved. All in all, it was a successful mess.

Can church be a place of experiments? Can church become a place where everyone can try new things and make messes? It is in these messy environments where some of the world’s greatest inventions and ideas have come to the surface. I fear most churches have such a low tolerance for experiments and messes that the result is a void of new ideas and innovations.

I want New Life to have an experimental environment. I am not advocating impulsive or irrational decision-making because I do believe prayer, wisdom and due diligence are the best ways to make decisions. But even the best laid plans of mice and men can go awry. Let the experiments begin so the best ideas can surface. So what if, from time to time, a mop is needed in Aisle 4?

Momentum is the strength or force gained by motion or through the development of events. That is the official definition. Every church either has forward momentum, or they are stagnant or worse yet, they are in decline. I call momentum “Big Mo”. When he is with you, it seems you can do anything, but without “Big Mo”, even the simplest obstacles appear like impassable mountains. Every leader wants “Big Mo” around because life is better with him than without him.

New Life lost “Big Mo” after two very dark days that happened 13 months apart in 2006 and 2007.  The results of those two cataclysmic events were devastating on many fronts. Trust was broken, our innocence was lost, and our world seemed to be crashing in around us. The Holy Spirit never left us and God’s love was very real to us, but “Big Mo” was nowhere to be found.

Then he suddenly reappeared at New Life in June of this year like a Christmas miracle. He came back and I was glad to see him because there were times when I was not sure I would ever see him again. I was beginning to believe he was like Big Foot, a fictional beast that others would sometimes claim to see but no one could ever capture.

Why did he come back to New Life? Am I genius leader? Did he come back out of sympathy? I am just now processing all that has happened, so I do not have all the answers. I know for sure that I am no genius, so I have marked that one off my list and I don’t think “Big Mo” is a sympathetic creature. He only hangs out with people who are ready to advance and take ground.

You see, “Big Mo” loves the windshield and not the rearview mirror. He hangs out with people who are looking ahead and not dwelling in the past. This summer, we did just that. We became convinced that God had not removed his lamp stand from New Life and we should get busy with our assignment. We began to dream about taking care of widows, orphans, and the poor. We began to dream about planting life giving churches around the world. We began to serve the needs of our city and we made a choice to pray with fervor and passion.

We are not moving real fast right now, but we are moving forward. The most important step in any journey is the very first one. We will pick up speed in the days ahead and our resources will match our growing vision. The poor will be helped, churches will be planted, and lives will be changed. The Holy Spirit is the one who decides where “Big Mo” spends his time and I am grateful God has sent him back to New Life.

Do you have “Big Mo” in your life right now? Are you moving forward with force or have you stalled? Are you in retreat? The first step is to deal with the past honestly and prayerfully so you can spend more time looking ahead through the windshield. The Holy Spirit will then send “Big Mo” back into your life and you will move forward with strength and force.

Being a parent is like jumping out of an airplane. You have only one chance to get it right.  By the time we figure it out, it’s all over. I want to be a great parent. I want to figure some stuff out before Abram and Callie leave the house. Believe me, I am no expert, but I have some insight that might be helpful if you are on the same journey as me.  Some of this I learned because I paid attention to what really great parents were doing with their children and some of this I learned from my own painful failures.

1.       Be there

The more time you spend with your kids, the less money you will have to spend on guilt offerings. You know what I mean. You work nonstop and then spend huge amounts of money on gifts or trips to make up for your absence. If you spend consistent time, your kids will not care as much about the trips or gifts. All they ever really wanted was lots of hang time anyway. I have a demanding job that requires a lot of hours and emotional energy, so I understand how tough this can be. Say no to more stuff, manage your time well during the day and get home as soon as possible.

2.       Be a filter

What they see and what they hear will go a long way in determining our children’s values and worldview. Pam and I have always been very conservative with the movies, cartoons, video games and music we allow in our home.  There are lots of great shows and movies for kids today, but there is also a lot of media that is crude, sexual, and violent. Just because the characters on the screen are animated does not mean it is suitable for kids to watch. Preview the movies, watch the shows first and then let your kids watch it. Also, only let your kids go to other homes and hang out with other kids that have the same values and make sure the grandparents enforce your media convictions.

3.       Be consistent

Say what you mean and mean what you say. The rules today will be the rules for tomorrow. Don’t make a lot of rules, but please enforce the few you have. Kids want boundaries, but get frustrated when the boundaries are not clear or when the boundaries constantly change. Become a predictable parent and you will most likely get predictable kids with fairly predictable behavior.

4.        Be rested

This is one of the biggest mistakes young parents make. They take their kids on all day shopping trips and then wonder why their kids are throwing fits in the mall at 8pm. They did not have a nap and they are exhausted. That is not their fault. They need a routine that includes lots of rest and some quiet time. We flood their senses with outside stimulation and then wonder why they are wired to the ceiling and acting like little monsters.  Plan your day around their rest schedule and make sure they are home at night and you will get better behavior.

5.       Be passionate

Kids who become passionate followers of Jesus either come from homes where Jesus was not mentioned or they come from homes where the parents were passionate for Jesus. Lukewarm parents rarely produce passionate children. If we are casual in our beliefs, our kids will reject those beliefs altogether once they leave our homes. It would be better for our kids if we were pagans than if we told them we love Jesus, but produced no evidence to prove it to them. Kids can spot posers, especially if the posers are their parents.