God has given me the privilege of being a pastor for almost 20 years. It is hard to believe.
And after I came home from an all day meeting with a group of leaders from our church, Teresa said she saw something in me that she hadn't seen in many years. She said I was happy. She said I was smiling - all in the context of returning from a 6.5 hour meeting! That is a good sign; but for me it is hard to believe that it has been years since I felt that way about a meeting that was about moving forward in church ministry. In fact, as I thought more about it, I cannot remember a time when I sensed a greater unity in a meeting like that than I did this past Saturday.
I was trying to identify what was different. Why did I feel that way? What was so unique. As I thought about it for some time, I realized that in past meetings, in different places over the years, there always seemed to be an obstacle to unity in our meetings. Perhaps it was me. But, there was always some underlying tension, or some of the group that came to the meeting, ready to oppose and criticize whatever it may be that we were discussing. It is hard to explain exactly what that is like; but most of you reading this know what I mean. You are meeting with an individual or group, and you can usually tell if they are working hard to engage in unity; or if they have their own personal agenda that is going to be an obstacle to progress. I have been through a lot of those meetings, returning home with the knowledge that our leaders are not unified. And no matter how hard I tried to unify them around biblical truth and principles, it was evident that unless the leaders are willing to sacrifice for unity, it isn't going to happen.
When I say "unity", I don't mean "uniformity", where we all think alike, have all the same opinions, and are unwilling to be who God made us. By unity, I mean that we are humbly submitting ourselves to God, realizing that what we are trying to accomplish as leaders together, is greater than my own personal agenda and preferences. We plead for God to make His will and direction known, and we participate in the recognition of that by setting aside our desires and actively working with the others who are present. We are unified on the value of each person present, and on what we are trying to accomplish. We listen to one another and speak when it would benefit the group and purpose for meeting. We are positive about the process and we are excited to see what God is going to do. This doesn't mean there aren't differences or disagreements; but no one allows those to keep us from moving forward together for the greater good.
That is the best way I can describe what happened Saturday; and I'm still smiling about it. It is isn't that the end product was anything ground breaking, or even complete; but what I am so excited about is how each of these 17 guys participated, in a God honoring way. Thank you God for each of these men, and thank you for a unity that is all about you.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
PASSPORT TO PURITY
I do not normally like to use particular curriculums or books, exclusively, for any project. I have had a hard time finding pre-packaged materials that fit exactly what I am looking for. Normally, I use a little bit here and a little bit there, to put together what is needed for the moment. It hit us pretty hard, recently, that we were "past due" in the need for having "THE TALK" with our youngest 2 children (age 12, and moving on 13 quickly). We understand and embrace the fact that "THE TALK", about sex, is really to be an ongoing conversation with our children, beginning whenever the particular child is "ready" (this depends on a number of variables). But, there is value to the foundational "talk", when we talk about the details of sex, and challenge them to follow God's path of purity.
Last week we finished the foundational talks with all 5 of our children, by doing it with our youngest 2. And in each case, we used materials from the Christian organization, Family Life, entitled: "Passport to Purity." This is one of very few pre-packaged materials that I would recommend to every parent, to be used with every child. It is geared for moms to do with their daughters and dads to do with their sons (1 on 1), sometime in the "pre-teen" years. If the children are already 13, it is time, and probably past time. Whatever materials you use; or if you just develop your own talks, these times with our children have the potential of an incredible impact on our children now and in the future. The issues of purity and sex, before and after marriage, are ones our children will face, beginning in their pre-teen years and last the rest of their lives. The investment of time, money and planning is more than worth it!
To save money, Teresa and I took both of our youngest at the same time; but still worked it out so that we were 1 on 1 for all our talks and much of the "downtime". The materials in Passport to Purity include about 7 hours of CD material, including creative teaching about very sensitive issues (body changes, peer pressure, how babies are made, etc.), discussion time between the parent and child, and projects that illustrate the key points. They pretty much lay everything out for you, and in following it, we were able to concentrate on our children and these very important discussions. There are also optional CD's that we will use in the near future to discuss some other related issues that they don't seem to be facing yet, but will very soon. We will use those on future dates with our children.
They suggest taking a weekend (one evening and another full day) and to go, if possible, to a special place outside the home. This adds to the uniqueness and importance of what we are doing during this time. It is nice because the materials really can fit into any family's budget and schedule. It is very flexible. We did it in the middle of the week (one of the benefits of homeschooling) and at a time when the place we went was practically "empty". If you comment on this blog and ask for more information about our time away, I would be happy to give it to you.
The time together ends with the signing of a "wait to date" contract (which has the pre-teen agree to include the parents in future dating plans), a dinner out, and a special gift. The dinner is designed to include both parents with the son or daughter, even though it was just mom or dad who spent the time discussing the details. The gift can be anything that would be a special reminder about the commitment to purity that the young person is making, and the support of the parents in that commitment. We have given a "purity ring" to all 3 of our daughters, and a sword to both our sons.
We understand that this was just the beginning of talks we hope to have with our children about sex and purity in the coming years. But, it was a good, important beginning; and we are so grateful for the resource God provided us to have this special and memorable time with our children!
Last week we finished the foundational talks with all 5 of our children, by doing it with our youngest 2. And in each case, we used materials from the Christian organization, Family Life, entitled: "Passport to Purity." This is one of very few pre-packaged materials that I would recommend to every parent, to be used with every child. It is geared for moms to do with their daughters and dads to do with their sons (1 on 1), sometime in the "pre-teen" years. If the children are already 13, it is time, and probably past time. Whatever materials you use; or if you just develop your own talks, these times with our children have the potential of an incredible impact on our children now and in the future. The issues of purity and sex, before and after marriage, are ones our children will face, beginning in their pre-teen years and last the rest of their lives. The investment of time, money and planning is more than worth it!
To save money, Teresa and I took both of our youngest at the same time; but still worked it out so that we were 1 on 1 for all our talks and much of the "downtime". The materials in Passport to Purity include about 7 hours of CD material, including creative teaching about very sensitive issues (body changes, peer pressure, how babies are made, etc.), discussion time between the parent and child, and projects that illustrate the key points. They pretty much lay everything out for you, and in following it, we were able to concentrate on our children and these very important discussions. There are also optional CD's that we will use in the near future to discuss some other related issues that they don't seem to be facing yet, but will very soon. We will use those on future dates with our children.
They suggest taking a weekend (one evening and another full day) and to go, if possible, to a special place outside the home. This adds to the uniqueness and importance of what we are doing during this time. It is nice because the materials really can fit into any family's budget and schedule. It is very flexible. We did it in the middle of the week (one of the benefits of homeschooling) and at a time when the place we went was practically "empty". If you comment on this blog and ask for more information about our time away, I would be happy to give it to you.
The time together ends with the signing of a "wait to date" contract (which has the pre-teen agree to include the parents in future dating plans), a dinner out, and a special gift. The dinner is designed to include both parents with the son or daughter, even though it was just mom or dad who spent the time discussing the details. The gift can be anything that would be a special reminder about the commitment to purity that the young person is making, and the support of the parents in that commitment. We have given a "purity ring" to all 3 of our daughters, and a sword to both our sons.
We understand that this was just the beginning of talks we hope to have with our children about sex and purity in the coming years. But, it was a good, important beginning; and we are so grateful for the resource God provided us to have this special and memorable time with our children!
Thursday, August 22, 2013
THE EMPTYING NEST
I should be thankful that I can call this entry: "The emptying nest" rather than "The empty nest"! We are at the empty next stage yet, but the emptying nest stage is starting to hit me. Although our son left for Navy boot camp at the beginning of summer, it was 2 weeks ago that it seemed real, as he graduated and left for training school in Texas. It will be months before we see him again, and likely he will posted far away in the days to come.
Tomorrow, we take our daughter 6.5 hours away to college! Not sure if it will feel worse once we drop our daughter off, as opposed to our son, but we are about to find out. Once we drop her off, we are down to 3 kids, all pre-teens or teenagers, and the countdown begins (or continues). Time is flying by, and the nest, that just began to empty, is emptying fast. It is sad...and hard.
On the positive side, there are many things to be thankful for:
Tomorrow, we take our daughter 6.5 hours away to college! Not sure if it will feel worse once we drop our daughter off, as opposed to our son, but we are about to find out. Once we drop her off, we are down to 3 kids, all pre-teens or teenagers, and the countdown begins (or continues). Time is flying by, and the nest, that just began to empty, is emptying fast. It is sad...and hard.
On the positive side, there are many things to be thankful for:
- Our son is serving God and country
- Our daughter is following God's call to train as a teacher where we both went to school
- Our children are growing up, and are putting into practice the things they have learned during all of their years in our home
- Our children are all incredible blessings from God, and we look forward to see what He has planned for their future
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
GO NAVY!
I haven't really had a reason to say that phrase...ever...until now. The Army/Navy football game has been on every year, but I only see part of it if I happen upon it by accident. It is pretty cool to see the guys in their uniforms, cheering on their team, and all the ceremony that goes along with it. But after 5 minutes, I've seen enough, and its time for a nap. However, something changed this past Friday, that will now capture my attention...not only during the traditional football game; but anytime I hear anything about the Navy.
Last Friday, we had the privilege of being at the Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois, to witness Alex's graduation from Navy boot camp! A week prior to that he had called us, all excited, telling us that he had passed his battle stations and all testing. He had made it as a sailor. But it was there, in Great Lakes, where we saw our son participate in what is called a "Pass in Review" ceremony. He came in with the other 85 or so guys in his division, and with all counted, in all divisions, it was close to 1,000 total that were moving on to the next stage of their military career. He had not been off the site for 8 weeks of training, but was able to spend several hours with us afterward. Then, he was off to the airport, where we met him at 3 a.m. (to give him his "stuff"); and then off to San Antonio, Texas for "A" school. This is where he begins to train for his "chosen" job in the Navy: hospital corpsman (medic).
We are very proud of Alex. Most of all, over these past 8 weeks, we have seen Alex grow as a man, and as a follower of Jesus. He has communicated, more clearly and often than ever, his love for God, and his love for his family. He leaned on God to get him through each day, and to keep his mind clear throughout the process of boot camp. He spent time every day, praying and reading Scripture, on his "own time". He got involved in serving in the chapel, and had many opportunities to talk to guys about their relationship with God. It was so exciting to see God's grace at work in Alex's life during these weeks. Our prayer is that it will continue to be evident as he goes to "A" school, and faces more challenges to living out his faith. Good thing we have God to trust in!
I'll leave you with the chant some of the Navy guys marching by were saying. It was one of Alex's favorites:
"Hey Hey momma can't you see (echo)
What the Navy's done to me (echo)
Used to drive my Chevrolet (echo)
Now I'm marching everyday! (echo)"
Last Friday, we had the privilege of being at the Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois, to witness Alex's graduation from Navy boot camp! A week prior to that he had called us, all excited, telling us that he had passed his battle stations and all testing. He had made it as a sailor. But it was there, in Great Lakes, where we saw our son participate in what is called a "Pass in Review" ceremony. He came in with the other 85 or so guys in his division, and with all counted, in all divisions, it was close to 1,000 total that were moving on to the next stage of their military career. He had not been off the site for 8 weeks of training, but was able to spend several hours with us afterward. Then, he was off to the airport, where we met him at 3 a.m. (to give him his "stuff"); and then off to San Antonio, Texas for "A" school. This is where he begins to train for his "chosen" job in the Navy: hospital corpsman (medic).
We are very proud of Alex. Most of all, over these past 8 weeks, we have seen Alex grow as a man, and as a follower of Jesus. He has communicated, more clearly and often than ever, his love for God, and his love for his family. He leaned on God to get him through each day, and to keep his mind clear throughout the process of boot camp. He spent time every day, praying and reading Scripture, on his "own time". He got involved in serving in the chapel, and had many opportunities to talk to guys about their relationship with God. It was so exciting to see God's grace at work in Alex's life during these weeks. Our prayer is that it will continue to be evident as he goes to "A" school, and faces more challenges to living out his faith. Good thing we have God to trust in!
I'll leave you with the chant some of the Navy guys marching by were saying. It was one of Alex's favorites:
"Hey Hey momma can't you see (echo)
What the Navy's done to me (echo)
Used to drive my Chevrolet (echo)
Now I'm marching everyday! (echo)"
Thursday, July 25, 2013
MY FAVORITE MOMENTS DOING MY FAVORITE THING
There are many things I enjoy doing; and I have certainly had many wonderful experiences over my lifetime. When it comes to ministry, I don't know of anything I love more than preaching. I love every part of the process, and am humbled to have this privilege. But, there is something that I do in ministry that might be better...that could be my favorite thing. Because even when it comes to preaching, my real desire is to see people discipled - taking the next steps in their spiritual journey. As a pastor, I get to see that quite often, and I love it. But, when it comes to decisions people make as followers of Jesus, there is one that stands out above them all; and I get to see and hear the experience up close and personal.
Baptizing someone, or at least seeing someone baptized, from our church, that I know...someone we get to see grow in Christ...is my favorite thing. I love to interview them and hear how they came to Christ. I love to talk to them about what baptism is, and what it is not. I love to answer questions about it. I love to set up the experience for them, of publicly professing their faith in front of the church, friends and family. I love to see and hear how others celebrate and respond to those who are taking this very important next step.
This last Sunday, I experienced some of my favorite moments doing my favorite thing. I baptized my youngest 2 children: Caleb and Gabrielle. Previously, I had the privilege of baptizing my older 3 children; and now, I have baptized all of my children! In this case, it came up somewhat quickly, at least for me. We had planned a baptism, with over 12 people committed to be baptized after our morning service (2 were not able to make it). On the Friday night before, after a message they heard about listening to God and doing what He is calling them to do, both Caleb and Gabrielle told us they wanted to be baptized. It was great to see them, without any pressure from us, take this step forward and desire to follow Jesus in baptism.
And so it was, this past Sunday morning, after baptizing 10 others, I was privileged to baptize my children. What is better than that? I was front and center, and a part of the process...to see them stand as a testimony to their faith in Christ, identify with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection, and to see their joy in doing what God has asked them to do. I'm trying to think of better moments doing my favorite thing...and right now, I can't think of one.
Baptizing someone, or at least seeing someone baptized, from our church, that I know...someone we get to see grow in Christ...is my favorite thing. I love to interview them and hear how they came to Christ. I love to talk to them about what baptism is, and what it is not. I love to answer questions about it. I love to set up the experience for them, of publicly professing their faith in front of the church, friends and family. I love to see and hear how others celebrate and respond to those who are taking this very important next step.
This last Sunday, I experienced some of my favorite moments doing my favorite thing. I baptized my youngest 2 children: Caleb and Gabrielle. Previously, I had the privilege of baptizing my older 3 children; and now, I have baptized all of my children! In this case, it came up somewhat quickly, at least for me. We had planned a baptism, with over 12 people committed to be baptized after our morning service (2 were not able to make it). On the Friday night before, after a message they heard about listening to God and doing what He is calling them to do, both Caleb and Gabrielle told us they wanted to be baptized. It was great to see them, without any pressure from us, take this step forward and desire to follow Jesus in baptism.
And so it was, this past Sunday morning, after baptizing 10 others, I was privileged to baptize my children. What is better than that? I was front and center, and a part of the process...to see them stand as a testimony to their faith in Christ, identify with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection, and to see their joy in doing what God has asked them to do. I'm trying to think of better moments doing my favorite thing...and right now, I can't think of one.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Taking NOTHING for granted
It is too easy in life to take almost everything for granted. We don't take the time to consider how blessed we are; and how things could be completely different...in a moment. Today, this thought hit me after my daughter informed me that a Chick-fil-a was robbed at gunpoint last night; and it was the Chick-fil-a she had worked at for almost a year while we lived in Georgia. To make matters worse, the young man that carried a gun into the store was a friend of hers, a fellow employee; and was the guy who had come, at her invitation, to the graduation party we held for her.
I just took it for granted that a Chick-fil-a would be safe from armed robbery, especially from employees; that no one we knew would ever do something like that; and that as my daughter worked there, her friends could be trusted. But today I am praising God for the things I often take for granted. I praise Him for: the fact that my daughter did not have a closer friendship with this guy; the fact that she was not there to work last night; the fact that no one was injured, and that he and his alleged accomplice were found and arrested; protecting my daughter; being the God who is always in charge and who can be truly trusted...always!
Hopefully, after today, I will not take as many things for granted as I usually do. Praise God for all He does, unnoticed, in our lives every day.
I just took it for granted that a Chick-fil-a would be safe from armed robbery, especially from employees; that no one we knew would ever do something like that; and that as my daughter worked there, her friends could be trusted. But today I am praising God for the things I often take for granted. I praise Him for: the fact that my daughter did not have a closer friendship with this guy; the fact that she was not there to work last night; the fact that no one was injured, and that he and his alleged accomplice were found and arrested; protecting my daughter; being the God who is always in charge and who can be truly trusted...always!
Hopefully, after today, I will not take as many things for granted as I usually do. Praise God for all He does, unnoticed, in our lives every day.
Friday, June 7, 2013
A NEW BEGINNING
Fresh starts are awesome, in any area of life. For me, to have a new beginning as a lead pastor means so much to me, it is beyond my ability to adequately describe. I am humbled and privileged to serve the Lord in this way. He has blessed me throughout the process of His leading; and to put me where He has put me, for ministry, is just incredible. There is no perfect church, but God has placed me with a perfect fit for ministry. The people of Weymouth Community Church have welcomed me with open arms, and have truly made our family feel special. Our first two weeks here have been filled with meals in different homes, and the blessing of getting to know some pretty special people.
There is already a freedom to approach ministry in the way God has wired me, and to be accepted for my God-given personality. I am diving in to investing in people and just getting to know as many as I can. More than any program, or ministry strategy, God will honor a people (a church) that is dedicated to Him and to one another. I want to be a part of what God has planned for this special group; and I desire that we will be moving forward, together, toward His divine plan. It is too easy for a church to get splintered, with everyone (including the pastors) having their own desires and going their own direction. My prayer is that we would all follow God's lead, as we take next steps together.
A new beginning allows me to focus on laying a good foundation for this fresh start. Over the years, I have learned more about what is really important as I begin a new role. First and foremost, it is all about staying connected with God, and intimately pursuing Him. If I am walking with Him, nothing else, including disappointments in ministry, are going to derail me, or cause me to lose my joy. There is nothing more important that walking with God each day, and being all about glorifying Him. My strength, endurance and guidance in ministry is going to come from Him; as well as any effectiveness in serving Him. And secondly, in the horizontal aspect, it is about investing in the lives of these precious people, and truly caring for them. It is my joy and privilege to do just that. Thank you, God, for new beginnings!
There is already a freedom to approach ministry in the way God has wired me, and to be accepted for my God-given personality. I am diving in to investing in people and just getting to know as many as I can. More than any program, or ministry strategy, God will honor a people (a church) that is dedicated to Him and to one another. I want to be a part of what God has planned for this special group; and I desire that we will be moving forward, together, toward His divine plan. It is too easy for a church to get splintered, with everyone (including the pastors) having their own desires and going their own direction. My prayer is that we would all follow God's lead, as we take next steps together.
A new beginning allows me to focus on laying a good foundation for this fresh start. Over the years, I have learned more about what is really important as I begin a new role. First and foremost, it is all about staying connected with God, and intimately pursuing Him. If I am walking with Him, nothing else, including disappointments in ministry, are going to derail me, or cause me to lose my joy. There is nothing more important that walking with God each day, and being all about glorifying Him. My strength, endurance and guidance in ministry is going to come from Him; as well as any effectiveness in serving Him. And secondly, in the horizontal aspect, it is about investing in the lives of these precious people, and truly caring for them. It is my joy and privilege to do just that. Thank you, God, for new beginnings!
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