Reflections

 

 

What you are about to read is a reflection of myself.

So when I set out into ministry I was for sure that I was going to change the world. I just knew that God had called me to be a Moses and He was surely going to depart onto me some tremendous wisdom that no one else had. I just knew that I was destined to be the pastor of a megachurch in some hoppin’ city, with the coolest worship band around. My whole view of this call on my life was built on the necessity to gather more, build bigger. I can tell you that all of these things led me to jealousy, anger, loneliness and even almost leaving ministry all together. (side note: I live in the best city, with the best people, and God assembled an amazing worship band)

Nope now I see myself more like Jesus. I just care about the Kingdom, which includes the broken, the pushed aside, the strays. I don’t care too much for the religious elite, they
think too highly of themselves and just about one outfit out of touch with the real world. These days I am more concerned with expanding the Kingdom. A few weekends ago I found myself getting all giddy over pictures of Rock City Church baptisms. It was amazing! All ages, all demographics, through sunshine and rain they baptized one after another.  What win for the Kingdom! And that was just one church!  Several years ago I would have been jealous and envious, but prayer and Grace change a person.

Recently I had the opportunity to meet a fellow pastor who leads of one of the fastest growing congregations in America and he said something that resonated with me. He said that when people come to ask for support to plant a new church he is turned off by hearing what they are going to build, how they are going to build this empire.  What does get his attention is when they talk about their vision for reaching the world for Jesus and expanding the Kingdom.  YES!

I think we get so caught up in our everyday, every weekend worship we forget we are part of something much bigger. And that is where my heart now resides, is in the bigger. I want to win people to Jesus, not for Sugar Grove, not for Todd, not for the UMC, but for the Kingdom. There is life more abundantly in the Kingdom of God and man I want to see God’s will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, right now.

I had to do a lot of soul searching and still am on this journey, to let God shape my life into what He wants it to be, for His glory not mine. I am often reminded that I was created to be Todd, and as long as I remember who loves me and who died for me that I, am enough just being me.

Learn to be uniquely who God has created you to be, in the church and out.  Because even as followers of Jesus and leaders of the church we can be impostors.

PT.

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Parents you should be at the game on Sunday.

I recently read a blog post by someone on why parents should not let their kids play sports on Sundays because it makes them miss worship.  I want to counter that with why I feel the parents should allow their kids to play and what the church can do to support them.

 

I don’t agree with this article and here are my reasons.
1. The church is not the primary means of discipling children.
If a family is in church every Sunday morning from birth to graduation the church will have approximately 936 hours with the child to disciple them.  That is 52 Sundays for one hour, this time of discipleship is the land of euphoria for us pastors, just ask.  We probably really get about 20 minutes a Sunday, and this would be an average across 18 years and include youth group.  However, if we equip the family to do the discipling they can get 5,634 hours in the birth to 18 years time span.  This is if they spend 10 minutes total a day for 6 days per week talking about Jesus, singing songs, and praying.
The Kingdom of God is bigger than 4 walls and a worship service, and most churches are too worried about Sunday morning to equip the other 6 days.
2. The church needs to move into reality. Blue laws died decades ago, we either realize it and rethink our approach or become even more irrelevant.
3. We must trust that if folks are being discipled, they will make every effort to be there.
Here are some ideas the church can use to move from toward building, supporting, and walking along side families.
1. We must learn to maximize the use of technology.
Technology is such that we can reach our people if we make the effort. Church is no longer a place but a lifestyle, which is what it was in the book of Acts 2:42-47 paraphrased- “they had everything in common, broke bread, and prayed”. Sounds like a group of friends and family to me. Put that in modern context, families at a ball field would be something “in common”.  What if we gave them the tools to do the 10 minutes of scripture and discipling right there?  There are apps and websites that make it totally possible, but it take a shift in thinking and work to make it happen.
2.  Make the most of the opportunities
In recent years I have shifted from going to the hospitals (I still go when the need is there) to going to gyms, ball fields, auditoriums, classrooms, tennis courts, gymnastic events and everything in between. Jesus didn’t wait for them to come to the synagogue, nope he went out. If you are part of a church leadership team and you think your pastor needs to be in the office 30 hours a week to be effective yet you wonder why the church isn’t growing you are the problem.  The model isn’t new, it is a Jesus model, we have just abandoned the method.  What if the women’s group made goodie bags for the kids in their church and their friends to share while they are backstage at the play they are performing in?  Or what if the older adults all showed up together to sit on the sidelines and cheer on the kids from their church?
3. Support the Parents.
As a church we can encourage and resource our parents to do this work, and disciple the parents in the process. Pray for them, tell them they are loved, show up for events without being asked to attend, ask the parents if they need help with transportation to practices with their kids, cook dinner once in a while for a busy family or drop them a gift card.
I know my way of thinking is controversial but ask your people: what would it be like if your church supported you and your family by presence and prayer?   I make an effort to attend my kids (church kids and kids of the community) events every season. I can grumble or I can support. I would rather support the kids and their parents. Just like the person in the hospital that equates the pastor to Jesus, the families equate the pastor to the church.
The good old days are long gone, and if they were really that good why are they gone?  We either adapt or we die.
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Tending Sheep

Well we are one week into owning sheep and I have made some observations.

First, Sheep need other sheep.  So last Wednesday we went to pick up Maddi’s ewe, Dolly.  Dolly is a wonderful 11 month old Natural Colored Breed Ewe, she has fine fleece and beautifully unique coloring.  Dolly and Maddi have a wonderful relationship, from day one it was like Maddi was chosen to be her shepherd.   So anyway, knowing that sheep are social animals the Conner’s suggested we bring one of their lambs home to keep her company.  At first I wasn’t keen on the idea until we loaded Dolly into the trailer and the crying began.  We loaded up Loretta and instantly Dolly was now content.  A week later at home when Dolly gets out for her walks Loretta wants to be right with her and it appears Loretta is learning how to walk on a lead from Dolly.

Second, Sheep need a shepherd.  In our case Maddi is the shepherd, she feeds them twice a day.  Up at 5:30am every morning and out with feed and fresh water before getting ready for school.  Then in the evening they get walked for 30 minutes on a lead and then freshwater.  Around 7:30pm they get fed again and she puts some hay in to give them something to chew on.   It doesn’t matter what else she has going on, the care of the sheep is a priority.  They rely on her for food, water, exercise and general well-being.

Third, lambs are a pain to work with because they don’t want to be led on a harness.  Lambs are just not fun to put on a lead and take a walk.  Loretta wants to be where Dolly is at but she doesn’t want to be on a lead to get there.  You see if it was up to her she would run wild and go where ever Dolly goes even if that meant running through things that are dangerous.  Loretta doesn’t understand that Maddi is leading her to protect her from harm.  It is more like a stubborn teenage child, you want her to go left but she is determined to go right.  But, after a week and regularly putting her on a lead to walk she is beginning to settle down.  We walk a little bit, and then we stop to talk and since I usually am walking her I talk to her and pet her.  Not sure she understands me but I try to speak calmly and give her praises when she is doing her part.

 

These observations have really helped me make the parallel with church and following Jesus the Good Shepherd.

  1. We need each other to make this journey of faith.  Yes we all have shepherds to guide us, but more than that we need other sheep to lean on and walk alongside.
  2.  We all need a shepherd or two.  There is a story of a ram that was lost and had not been shorn in over 7 years.  The ram had so much fleece it was killing him, weighing approximately 89 pounds.  We all need a shepherd to helps maintain a healthy fleece, to feed us, and to make sure we are safe.
  3. Being a follower of Jesus is so counterculture that it is often painful to follow His lead.  We often need other followers to help us see the way we need to go, and help us to grasp that Jesus is our Shepherd.

 

Psalm 23 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

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New School Year

Matthew 18:3 NIV

 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Yes it is that time of year again, a new academic year is upon on us once again.  It is always a bittersweet thing to watch the kids progress. On one hand you are excited for their accomplishments and on the other you just want to keep them little longer.  

Relating this to Biblical principles I wonder if there are times God wishes we would just remain as children.  We talk about growing up in the Lord and maturing.  What if, by staying as a little child we are more reliant and more trusting.  When we got in rough spots instead of trying to fix it we would just run to our Father?  

I remember the days I had child like faith, and I pray that I could have it once again. When we look at the world through the eyes of children we see possibilities and potential.  We are not afraid to fail because we know that there is a parent there to catch us and fix us if we fall down.  Our faith journey is the same, it has to be risk taking and dangerous.  We have to believe that when we fall down we will be picked back up, the pieces will be put back together.  

To be like a child again, and to never grow up completely, that’s my prayer.  

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Staring into the rearview mirror 

As the pastor of a church filled with young families I have a word for all of you regarding your children. Love them, just like they are and let them have their own personalities. Once you quit trying to mold them into your image it is amazing what they can teach you about life. Support them, make time, take time and live up every moment, time is but a vapor! When your kids are in high school you will look back and realize the things you thought were so important were all but a bump in the road. The one thing you will never get another chance at is spending time with your kids.  In the church world there seems to be this constant groaning about kids having events on weekends. If you are part of my congregation know that I am in full support of your time on the field, in the gym, standing at fences of show rings, camping, and every thing in between. I pray that as your pastor I can equip you with the things you need to live a transformed life in church and out.  

This is somewhat a confession, I have grumbled for years you see. My personality is that of someone who wants to make sure we are all rowing the same direction. Well, it appears someone..ehm..me has been rowing in the wrong direction so to speak. So, I will be on the sidelines, in the stands, on the fences and wherever our kids are participating as much as possible.  

Let’s have an awesome school year, make memories, break records, and love others the way Jesus loves us! 

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