Category: General (page 4 of 13)

The Lonely Place of Prayer

December 26, 2010 / / 3 Comments /

“Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sickness. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:15-16

What was Jesus thinking? Crowds of people were anxious to hear him teach and there were throngs of sick people who needed healing, yet Jesus took a break to be alone and pray. It seems that would stop his momentum and suffocate the growth of his following. The buzz was at full strength and Jesus did something counterintuitive to most modern church leaders. He stopped, found an isolated, lonely place and prayed. And he did this often because it was a discipline, a part of his lifestyle.

It would seem every leader would follow the habits of Christ and schedule time to be away from the crowds, away from the pulpit and it’s teaching responsibilities and even away from the pressing needs of people. There are a few reasons why we don’t make this a part of our personal discipline.

1. We feel guilty

Pastors love people and want to help people. Regardless of the size church we lead, there are always people who want to meet with us, need us to come pray for them or would like us to teach more often. We know we need to rest, but the guilty feelings drive us to an impossible schedule. After all, how can a real shepherd leave his sheep? Truthfully, we are doing our sheep more harm than good if we do not rest. In the end, we will burn out and then the sheep have no shepherd at all.

2. We fear people

What will the people think if I am not at every meeting or attending to every hospital, funeral or wedding request? Will they leave the church and attend somewhere else? Worse yet, will they stay at the church just to remind me of why others left. 🙂 Proverbs 29:25 says “Fearing people is a dangerous trap …” When we are caught in this trap, we are ensnared in a perpetual cycle of performance and insecurity.

3. We like the attention more than rest

Ouch! Just writing that brought me conviction. No matter how much humility we may have, it is still a temptation to love the adoring stares of the crowd more than a private pursuit of God. Our primary motivation for solitude and rest is to make sure our personal fascination with the nature of God has not waned and to calibrate our primary motivations for ministry. In the end, we are to make Jesus known and not make ourselves famous.

For this reason, I am going to spend some time alone this week. No crowds, no email, no social media, some football 🙂 and very few phone calls. I will be back at New Life for Celebration Sunday on January 2nd and for the week of worship and prayer January 3-7. Until then, may we all withdraw to a lonely place and pray.

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Three Years Later, Reflections on a Tragedy

December 6, 2010 / / 4 Comments /

December 9th marked the three-year anniversary of the tragic shooting at our church that took the lives of Rachel and Stephanie Works. Three others were wounded and the young gunman took his life in the children’s hallway after being wounded. It was the darkest day in the life of our church.

Some days, the events of that Sunday afternoon seem distant and some days the emotions are still raw like it happened just last week. God has brought healing to many of us while others still wrestle with the realities of a senseless act of violence that robbed us of three young people.

I walk that hallway all the time and tell people the story. I show them the one bullet hole we did not repair and walk them outside to the memorial in our parking lot. Two Blue Spruce trees tower over a pair of benches with each of the girl’s names inscribed. I sit on those benches and remember how a normal Sunday afternoon turned dark with the crackle of gunfire.

The predictable rhythms of life have returned to our church, but we will never be the same group of people we were before the shooting. We are more grateful now and maybe more cautious. We are not fearful, but we are painfully aware that the world is not at peace. We cherish each other, love one another more sincerely and I believe we are more honest about our hurts and scars than ever before.

We will not have a public memorial gathering on December 9th, but I will gather with a few families who were most affected, including the Works family, and we will pray, cry and possibly laugh at one of David’s jokes. We will probably walk through that long hallway and end up outside at the memorial, each of us telling our stories of God’s grace on that fateful day. There will be no bitterness, regret, or anger and that alone is a true miracle, given what happened.

Our joy has never left us and our strength to move forward has finally returned. We have walked through the valley of the shadow of death and now, we pause and look back. None of us want to repeat the journey, but each of us are so thankful for what we have learned about God, ourselves and each other along the way.

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Pray, Vote, Pray

October 29, 2010 / / 1 Comment /

I took Abram to get a haircut today and while sitting in the wait area, the radio in the salon was playing nothing but non-stop political ads it seemed. A Democrat was bashing a Republican and the next ad featured the Republican bashing the Democrat. The Independent candidate was against everybody. Uggh!

Once the haircut was underway and I had given the young girl my detailed instructions for cutting Abram’s tricky hair, more ads starting playing. I told the stylist I was really ready for the election to be over and the ads to disappear. She looked at me and said, “I really want to vote, but I don’t think I am going to vote for any of the people because I don’t know what to believe.” Good point, but not a good plan.

As Christ followers who live in a Republic where elections determine so much, I hope we do not stay away from the polls because of confusion or out of protest. Pray about the candidates and the issues, and then vote according to your biblical convictions. Then pray some more! Pray, Vote, Pray!

As much I wanted to give her some suggestions on how to vote, I didn’t. Instead, I prayed for the young lady on my drive home that she would have peace and not be rattled by all the rhetoric that is swirling around. Scriptures tell us that people who pray are people of peace, even during election season.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding (and political ads), will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

Pray, Vote, Pray!

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The Top Ten Worship Tunes in My World

September 19, 2010 / / 7 Comments /

I love songs that help lead me into worship and I have a list of 10 favorites that are special to me right now.

1. Overcome – written by Jon Egan of New Life Church. It’s the song that’s the anthem of New Life Church and will forever be one of my favorites because of what happened when we sang it on the Wednesday night after the shooting on our campus. Favorite line – “Everyone, Overcome”

2. You Hold it All – New Life Worship, written by Jon Egan – Favorite line “I will not fear!”

3. How He Loves – written by John Mark McMillan, but best sung by Jared Anderson. This song still wrecks me when I sing it. Favorite line – “I don’t have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way that you love us.”

4. Revelation Song – best when sung by Kari Jobe, although she did not write it as most people believe. Jennie Riddle wrote it. Favorite line – “Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder, at the mention of your name.”

5. The Great I Am – a brand new song written by Jared Anderson, not published yet, but it will be soon. This song is sung to God about God, which I believe is the purest type of worship tunes.

6. This I Know – a brand new song written by Jon Egan and Daniel Grothe, not published yet, but it will be soon. Ditto from my explanation of #5.

7. The Stand – From Hillsong United. Favorite line – “I’ll stand, my arms high and heart abandoned, in awe of the One who gave it all.”

8. Tears of the Saints – a killer song from the band, Leeland, that talks about the church helping the poor. The first time I heard this tune, I had to stop walking around my neighborhood because of the tears.

9. From the Inside Out – From Hillsong United. My favorite line –  “Your glory goes beyond all fame.”

10. In Christ Alone – no song so clearly communicates the entire Gospel message as this one. Written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend, but best sung by Brad Parsley. Favorite line – “No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me.”

What are the songs that God is using to draw you closer right now?

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Pray Until You are Skinny

August 10, 2010 / / 1 Comment /

People sometimes quit praying for the same reason they quit a diet. It is really difficult and it seems to take too long. No one starts a diet and wakes up two days later able to wear their skinny clothes. The same is true oftentimes with prayer. Sometimes there is an immediate answer, but most often it takes weeks, months and even years to see the breakthrough.

I was reminded this morning in our prayer time that it is easy to get discouraged and tired after praying for such a long time without the big miracle happening.  This is why the psalmist wrote:

 “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.

Psalm 57:7 NIV

This is my prayer today – “Father in heaven, help me to remain steadfast, unmovable, and unshakable. Help me to pray and believe and not lose heart or grow tired. Help all of us to keep praying until we are skinny.”

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Are you a workaholic?

July 20, 2010 / / 2 Comments /

Workaholics have damaged and destroyed more families than alcoholics, especially among leaders in the local church.  I meet pastors all the time who work incessantly at building God’s house while ignoring their own. All the while they justify their long hours with phrases like “this is just a season and will not always be like this” or “God has given me a big assignment”.  Meanwhile, back home, their spouses and children get what is left over at the end of the day.

How do you know if you have become addicted to work and performance? What are the signs that you may be out of balance? Here’s a few to consider.

•1. You have not taken a full day off from ministry in more than a month.  When was the last time you turned off your phone and refused to check work emails for an entire 24-hour cycle?

•2. You have not taken more than five days of vacation in a long time. Five days is what it takes for me to detox from the demands of ministry. I cannot even rest and regenerate until the sixth day. If all you have taken are a few days here and there, your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual tanks will eventually run dry.

•3. You feel guilty for not attending every event at the church.  When was the last time something significant happened at your church and you stayed home instead of attending? I know this will be shocking news to you, but your team is capable of doing stuff well without you looking over their shoulders.

•4. You have a high turnover on your team. Workaholics demand the same performance from those around them as they do of themselves. Typically, workaholics hang around each other, like alcoholics, and enable each other to continue their destructive behaviors. All those who cannot keep up with the frenetic pace are quickly discarded.

•5. You are constantly frustrated that you are not growing fast enough. Workaholics are obsessed with numerical measurements of growth. Even when attendance is growing, it is never fast enough for workaholics. Their identity is wrapped up in performance and results, instead of the internal spiritual maturity that is most important to God.

I was once a workaholic and it almost cost me everything. I am guilty of all five symptoms listed above, but I have been restored to a balanced life that allows me to work hard at the church I love while not sacrificing my family on the altar of ministry.  Be diligent at your job, using your time wisely, but remember to rest well, stop feeling guilty for the occasional nap, and spend time alone with God. Talk to Him about stuff in your heart instead of what is happening at the church building. It works, believe me.

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Stuff I am Praying for Right Now

June 29, 2010 / / 0 Comments /

I have a list of stuff that I am praying for on a regular basis.  Some of these are personal and some affect all of us.  I am making these things public because I think there is tremendous strength when believers pray in unity.

  • I am praying for my kiddos to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to discover how they were created to serve God on the earth.
  • I am praying for Pam to be strong and courageous because I sense God is about to use her voice to ignite thousands toward serving disenfranchised children across the planet.
  • I am praying for New Life to embrace the mission of serving the poor in our city so the Gospel can be proclaimed.
  • I am praying for miracles and healing to become common among us as it was in the early church.
  • I am praying for those who don’t know Jesus to find Him.
  • I am praying for those who are crippled by fear and anxiety to be filled with strength and courage.
  • I am praying for marriages to be strong and healthy.
  • I am praying for our troops who are in harm’s way and for their families who are home waiting for them to return.
  • I am praying for open doors for those who are without work right now.

There’s a lot more on my list, but these are things that seem to surface most when I have conversations with God.  Let me encourage you to pray earnestly, without ceasing and with bold faith. Don’t lose heart. God hears our prayers and works all things for our good if only we will believe and obey.

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The Three Leaders Every Team Needs

June 23, 2010 / / 2 Comments /

Every great team has three types of leaders. This is true for churches or companies of any size. If any of the three types are missing, there will be stagnation, chaos and ultimately, failure. If a team has the right balance of the three, there will be growth and productivity.

Visionaries are people who see the future and dream about all the possibilities.

Strategists are people with the ability to take a dream and create a clear, tactical plan that can be followed by others.

Administrators are people who can manage all the details of the plan and provide accurate data to the team.

All three types of people are leaders for sure and all three groups need to be on your team.  If you are missing visionaries, you become stagnant and lose your innovative edge. If you are missing strategists, nothing is ever planned well and often there is poor execution of the big ideas that are discussed in your meetings. If administrators are missing, there is never any accurate data to determine if you are indeed hitting the mark.

What is your team missing? What type of leader needs to be added to your team so you can hit the mark and move forward?

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The Gospel and Discount Tire

May 22, 2010 / / 4 Comments /

In the past ten years, I have never had one bad experience at a Discount Tire. That’s either an unbelievable run of personal good fortune or Discount Tire is really good at treating people well.

Yesterday, Pam hit a curb in my car and blew out the right rear tire. After changing the tire, I took it to a nearby Discount Tire driving past several other tire dealers on the way. Once again, a customer service rep named Israel exceeded my expectations.

He ordered a new tire, gave me a discount, checked my spare to make sure it was safe to drive and told me everything I needed to know without me asking.  The Discount Tire streak continues and that’s why I am such a loyal customer.

What does this have to do with church? Well, it would be nice if church could operate like Discount Tire. What if everyone who identified themselves as Christ followers were cordial, helpful and smiled a lot. What if seekers and searchers went to all our churches in the next ten years and had a great experience each time. I’m guessing they would come back.

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What makes a good meeting?

April 3, 2010 / / 4 Comments /

A good meeting sounds like an oxymoron.  Meetings are normally not the highlight of the day at the office or at the church. People dread them like a root canal and for good reason. Usually, a lot is said, nothing is decided and very little is done after the meeting is over.  Either the meetings need to be cancelled or we need to change the way we do meetings. Let me make four suggestions.

1.    Don’t put anything on the agenda that cannot be debated

Patrick Lencioni wrote a classic book on this idea called, “Death by Meeting.” It should be required reading for anyone who leads. Lencioni compares a great meeting to a great movie – both need tension to be awesome. There are lots of rules that need to be made clear before you launch into a meeting filled with debate. First, all debate must be respectful and never become personal. Throw the grenade in the middle of the table, not at one another. Second, no one can be punished for asking the tough questions. Third, the leader of the meeting must encourage input from everyone in the room, not just the three or four strong personalities who love debate. Often the best ideas come from the people in the meeting who actually think before they speak.

2.    Start on time and be on time

My time is valuable and so is yours. If there is a meeting at 2pm, the proper time to arrive is 1:55pm. I am not a military dictator, but I do think it is rude to arrive late. It is also bad manners to start a meeting late and to go longer than announced. Start on time, be on time and finish on time.

3.    Hold each other accountable for what was decided

Lencioni has another classic book called “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.” He believes most teams have little or no accountability and I agree. Meetings should produce action steps or resolves. Someone in the meeting must take ownership of each decision and be expected to report on the progress after a reasonable time.

4.    Debate in private, support in public

If the team makes a decision that you do not agree with, the time to bring up your concerns is in the meeting and not later while in the break room.  To be clear, the leader of the meeting needs to make sure everyone is heard and all the debate has happened before a decision is made. But once that happens, it is required that everyone own the decision and be willing to defend it publicly.

I must confess I have led a lot of sloppy meetings and I’ve attended many that were a complete waste of sunlight. For those on the team at New Life, I ask them to hold me accountable to practice what I blog. I know I will die someday. I just don’t want to die while sitting in a pointless meeting.

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