Category: Pastors (page 6 of 8)

God Needs My Help

April 10, 2011 / / 4 Comments /

I was hours away from speaking to a large crowd of people and I found myself praying the typical pastor prayers.

“Help me tonight to speak clearly and effectively. You know I cannot do this without you.”

As I was praying, God interrupted. Imagine that, God had something better to say. 🙂

“Why don’t you pray that you would help me? Maybe I am up to something tonight and you could be a part.”

The way I pray before speaking has forever been changed. From now on, I will ask God to show me what He is doing and to help me to simply cooperate. It’s not about me after all, and that is a huge relief. God is active and moving among people, most of the time, invisibly.

It’s not about my performance or my communicative ability as much as I thought. It’s more about a partnership with the unseen. May we all table our agendas, our objectives and our well planned goals and, instead, simply ride the wake of what God is doing among the people whom He loves more than we can imagine.

Cooperate. Participate. Partnership.

That seems so much better than hoping I do well in front of a crowd. It seems more spiritual and more eternal. Help me God to help you.

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Worship at its Best

March 12, 2011 / / 2 Comments /

We sing a lot of songs at New Life, but the songs I like best are the ones we sing to God about God. In other words, songs that tell God just how great He is, how worthy He is, and how powerful He is. There are certainly other types of songs that are valuable for us as a fellowship.

There are songs we sing to God about His love for us. Those are nice.

There are songs we sing to God about our love for Him. Those are great, too.

There are songs we sing that celebrate what God has done or may do among us. I like them just fine.

There are prayerful songs, where we are asking God for miracles like healing and salvation. This type is my second favorite.

But there is no substitute for singing to God, about Him. It is the purest form of worship we can give God.

On our upcoming New Life worship project, we have several songs that fit into each of the above categories, but one of my favorites is Great I Am. Take a listen by clicking the link below and give me your thoughts.

Great I Am by Jared Anderson and New Life Worship

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Fear No Evil – Chapter Two

February 19, 2011 / / 0 Comments /

For the next few weeks, I am going to share some excerpts from my first book, Fear No Evil, which releases in April. If you want to pre-order the book and support the Dream Centers we are opening in our city, go to www.Amazon.com

This is from chapter two, where I talk about the crazy journey for our family from Gateway Church in D/FW to New Life Church in Colorado Springs.

First Kings 1:28-52 recounts the story of David turning over his leadership reins to his son Solomon. I’ve always been fascinated by this particular event in Scripture, because of all the sons David could have chosen, he selected one who was the product of his adulterous affair with Bathsheba. Of all his children, I wonder if Solomon was the one who was sort of pushed aside throughout his childhood because he was a tangible reminder of such a terrible season in King David’s life. But as David neared death and needed a successor to the throne, he looked directly at Solomon and in essence said, “You’re the one.”

Over the years I have developed a theory about why Solomon was selected. Despite the details surrounding his entrance into the world, I believe the reason he was tapped to lead a nation was because he had caught the DNA of his father, who had a willing heart, a willing spirit, and an honest desire to serve. Granted, David had faced his own share of challenges along the way. But in the end he would be called a man after God’s own heart. He was a leader whom God could trust.

I look at the legacy of guys like David and Solomon and feel the pull of healthy covetousness. How I crave a legacy like that. I don’t care if I am ever known for my teaching and preaching, for my talents and gifts, for my list of earthly successes, whatever they may be. If there was one thing I would need in the days immediately following the shooting, it was the manifested presence of my heavenly Father’s DNA: strength and integrity, calmness and a sense of peace, wisdom and perseverance, kindness and an insistence on the fact that though all around feels unbearably dark, hope—true hope—still abounds.

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What makes all this worthwhile?

February 7, 2011 / / 0 Comments /

I was meeting with a young leader recently, talking about church, the future and all that God is doing right now in our fellowship. I found myself really excited about life and realized that I really like what I get to do everyday. Why am I so excited?  What makes all this worthwhile? These are questions that need to be discussed and answered by everyone, whether you’re a pastor or not. Here are some of my answers.

1. Life must be lived with friends.

Working alongside people you love and respect makes all the difference. In fact, I believe the camaraderie, the laughs, and the conversations will be the things we remember the most. Telling the stories of what God did among us, remembering the gaffes and the goofiness of the past are some of the most treasured times I have with friends. Not everyone around us has to be close, personal friends, but there needs to be close relationships present somewhere or the road just becomes too arduous.

2. Life must be lived for His kingdom and not for our personal empires.

When a group of people put God first and their egos and agendas last, a momentum is created that’s almost impossible to stop. When no one cares who gets the spotlight or the accolades and only God is worshipped, the atmosphere becomes ripe for miracles. I can give my life away without regrets if the end result is building something eternal that brings God glory.

3. Life must be full of experiments that lead to innovation.

I really enjoy a work environment that is full of risks, experiments and potential messes. This is when the most innovative ideas tend to surface. The moment that everything is predictable is when I get really bored and distracted. I can pastor for another 40 years if the church keeps its sense of wonder and continues asking the question, “What is the best way to do this?”

4. Life must be about others succeeding.

Life is better when we are cheerleaders. Watching others do more because of our influence and facilitating the growth in those around us really makes the tough days worthwhile. Leading is more than just telling others what to do. It’s speaking the right words at the right time, igniting passions and opening eyes to opportunities.

What makes it all worthwhile for you? What keeps you going forward with joy and purpose in every step? What would you add to this list?


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How to take a day off

February 1, 2011 / / 6 Comments /

The sabbath was not a suggestion. Moses included it in his top 10 and Jesus completely redefined this ancient practice to the Jewish culture who had made it a chore instead of a blessing. But, let’s be honest, most of us do not know how to take a day off without feeling guilty, restless or insecure. As a young pastor, I seldom chilled for a entire day and it almost cost me my marriage, my health and my ministry. Today, I am better at it. Here are some thoughts and suggestions to help all of us unplug and recharge our lives.

1. Tweet less or not at all.

2. Don’t look at your Facebook inbox.

3. Go on a date with your spouse.

4. Go outside and take a walk. The sun recharges our bodies more than we think.

5. Unless it’s family or one of your close friends, do not answer your phone. Voicemail is a great screening tool.

6. Don’t drink cheap coffee.

7. Talk about anything but work stuff. Note to pastors – church stuff is work stuff.

8. Wear clothes you would never wear to work. I have an awful set of t-shirts I wear on my day off.

9. Do something that makes you smile or laugh. If nothing comes to mind, read something from Dave Barry.

10. Spend time reading the bible. If you’re a pastor or teacher, do not read the text you plan to teach on Sunday. Read for yourselves today and not for others.

11. Hit yourself on the kneecap with a hammer each time you read an email from work. After a couple of emails, you will be forced to lie down and rest.

12. Spend some time completely alone. Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. We should too.

May our souls be restored and our joy return as we trust that God can do more in our lives in six days than we can accomplish in seven days on our own. The sabbath requires faith and obedience, but the rewards are incomparable.

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I remember when …

January 21, 2011 / / 11 Comments /

I remember when:

* children sat in church with their parents and doodled on the tithe envelopes with a golf pencil found in the pew.

* pastors wore suit and ties, but when the preaching was really good, he would take off his coat and throw it to his wife on the front row.

* cutting edge Sunday school technology were felt boards.

* there was a little sign at the front of the church that told the attendance, offering and how many visitors we had at church.

* we had church Sunday mornings, Sunday nights and Wednesday nights and to miss any of the three meetings was next to heresy.

* the only instruments in the church were a piano and an organ. Guitars and drums were for the nightclubs and bars.

* favorite songs could be identified by the page number of the holy hymnal. My favorite was #267 or  “I’ll Fly Away”. For some reason, though, we never sang the third verse of any song.

* you could get in big trouble if you got your “church clothes” dirty before church started.

* it was considered a “great Sunday” when the preacher did not preach and people prayed at the altar instead.

* people who sang “specials” never sounded that special and always had to read the words of the song off the back of a cassette label. They would say “don’t listen to me, just listen to the words.”

* the church building always smelled like sheep actually lived there during the week.

What do you remember?

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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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Do you take notes?

November 22, 2010 / / 7 Comments /

Do you take notes when someone is teaching you the scriptures? If you do, chances are you retain more than those who do not. In fact, I believe 90% of people who do not take notes on Sunday morning forget everything they have heard by Wednesday morning. If my calculations are correct, Sunday morning was mostly a waste of time for those who did not bother to write something down.

Jesus told us this would happen in Luke 8 when he described the four types of soil that represent the common conditions of the human heart.  The path, the rock, the thorns and the good soil are all mentioned. The seeds that fell on the good soil are the only ones that produced a lasting harvest. Notice what is said in verse 15.

“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a good crop.”

Luke did not underline the two words above, but they certainly jumped off the page at me recently. The Message Bible says “who seize the word and hold on no matter what.” I have heard some amazing insight that I have not written down and I am certain I have forgotten most of it. Good seed had been sown, but I did not seize it and hold on no matter what.  What can we all do to make sure the seeds that are being sown fall on the good soil of our hearts and produce a crop?

1. Write down two or three big ideas from every teaching you hear and have a conversation with someone about them within 48 hours.

2. If you use your iphone to take notes, like I sometimes do, don’t check your email or text someone during the talk. Take notes only and do not play paper toss. 🙂

3. If you are speaking and the big ideas are not evident, then use simpler language and better illustrations to make them clear to everyone.

4. If you have access to decent AV equipment, put the big ideas on the screen long enough for everyone to write them down.

5. Hand out notes to people before the talk and have pens or pencils available. Even if you hand out blank sheets of paper, you are encouraging people to take notes.

The word disciple means “learner” and learners take notes. Even if we do not agree with what is said, at least the talk will spark some interesting conversation that might lead us to deeper truth. Let’s not sit in the crowd with our arms folded assuming that we will remember everything that is being said. Let’s hear the word, retain the word and by persevering produce a good crop.

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Guidelines for the Guest Speaker

November 8, 2010 / / 3 Comments /

This weekend, we had Pastor Robert Morris as a guest speaker at New Life. Pastor Robert is the Senior Pastor at Gateway Church in DFW and is one of the overseers of New Life, plus one of my closest friends. Pastor Robert spoke at both Sunday morning gatherings and did a great job. Meanwhile, I was at Gateway as his guest, speaking twice on Saturday and once Sunday.

I don’t just let anyone speak at New Life when I’m gone. Most often, the speaker is a part of our pastoral team, but like this past Sunday, we do sometimes have guests from around the country who come to speak. Before they are invited, I make sure they meet certain criteria.

1. They must really care about the people of New Life and genuinely want to pastor them while in the pulpit.

2. They must have some relationship with me or have a substantial relationship with someone I really trust.

3. They must have similar theology, but not necessarily identical theology.  I think it’s great to have speakers who come from different backgrounds so long as they are not out of bounds on the essentials of our faith.

4. They have to be there to minister to the people and not sell something to the people. I am ok with books and products being available for purchase but the guest speaker will not be allowed to make a big sales pitch.

5. They are  typically pastors who are leading their own fellowships because true shepherds usually have a high regard for the local church. I do have people speak who are not pastors, but not often.

I am grateful to have so many gifted speakers and pastors available to communicate the scriptures when I’m gone. I want New Lifers to trust that no matter who speaks on Sunday, truth will be declared and people will receive pastoral care.

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Defender or Defensive?

October 25, 2010 / / 3 Comments /

Nobody likes to be criticized and all of us want people to like us to some degree. When criticism or unfair comments are made about us, we naturally want to respond, to defend our reputations, to set the record straight. That sounds like the right thing to do, but that’s not what Jesus did. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, instead he trusted his case was in the hands of God who always judges fairly.

In the past three years, there have been blogs and news reports about me that were completely inaccurate and it was difficult to read and listen to them without defending myself. One morning on a phone call, my friend, Pastor Jimmy Evans, gave me some great advice. He told me there was a difference between being a defender and being defensive.

He told me if my only goal was to defend my reputation, I should stay silent but if I needed to defend the people of New Life from harm, then I should speak. It was wise advice and I am thankful I decided to not defend myself. Secure people have faith that God is one the one who brings justice to all situations, either in this age or in the age to come.

Secure people are a people of peace and are quick to forgive those who have hurt them. Secure people prefer mercy because they have not forgotten how much mercy they need everyday.

If we are going to walk away from a life of insecurity, we have to trust, like Jesus, that we have a perfect shepherd watching over us and we are the sheep of his pasture. How do you respond to unfair attacks? Can you trust God for justice?

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