Today....

Today...

I preached two services about the Samaritan Woman (John 4)....

I talked to a woman whose son suddenly died two months ago. I did not know about it... she said it was the first time she had been in church since it happened. She said it was hard to come...but the message of hope helped her....My heart broke for her...

I talked with a guy whose mom is in the hospital...He just lost his Dad last fall... she is going to be OK.

I talked with another woman who has been diagnosed with cancer in the last two weeks. She encouraged me, not the other way around...They stayed all morning to serve in the Welcome Center. Here they are dealing with this...and they are telling me how exciting it is to see the new families and to help them get to the places they are supposed to go....

I talked with some people visiting who have been wounded at their church. They just need a place to kind of hide and heal....I said we would be that for them...I doubt they are leaving their church, they just need some space....I hate it when any church has to go through this kind of stuff.... We have been there...I know what it is like...

I talked with a woman who is bringing her neighbors, even though she has been coming just a few weeks. She has a burden for her friends who are going through rough times right now... she believes she has found a place for them to get help....

I met with a room full of new people checking us out in Discovery class. 15 faces I had really never seen before. But they are coming, wanting to know about this church, about our ministry and how they can engage. Cool stuff....

I talked with a guy that said our staff is awesome. ( He is right.) We have a staff that is really "jelling" right now. We are not perfect, make lots of mistakes, but we love God and each other.

He is sharing with people about his church...but he was quick to say that it is his relatively new relationship with God that has changed his life. He has it right....

I was hugged by alot of people...

I was told by someone, "I really get alot out of the messages..." It's good to hear....

I got a new picture of Baby Grace. She melts my heart.

In the middle of all of this I am reminded that people have so much to deal with...health, broken relationships, economy, kids, grandkids, doubt, parents, co-workers, pregnancy, there is just so much....

I am thankful I get to do what I do...but I wonder "why me?" What do I have to offer these people? Then I remember my message... It is never my words that save people. It is never my efforts that really make the difference. It is Christ. It is His Spirit. It is His Word. People hang on to what is solid. Today, you can't trust others, government, the economy or any of that stuff... It gets to the point where our faith in God is what we really have. And it is the message we have to share. It is a lasting hope.

That was a big part of my message today... actually if I had been the only one to hear it today, it was a message I needed to hear... I needed to preach it to myself....

.

Take heart....

"IN THIS WORLD, YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE." John 16:33

Those seven words are so true.

They tell the truth about life. You know it and I know it. The reality of living life is that there are moments where trouble is present. Trouble comes in all shapes and sizes. It does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, gender or economic status. Trouble is real. It can be a nusiance or it can be devestating. It can be short-lived, or it can be life-long. Just read the newspaper. There is so much trouble. Read our prayer list. People we know and love have alot to deal with. They are good people. They love God. But there is still trouble. Think about your life. Often we learn best through trouble. Often we trust God more when we have troubles.

"BUT TAKE HEART! I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD."

Those eight words are awesome!

Aren't you glad that John 16:33 does end with the first sentence? I am. Yes, trouble lurks in life. You and I, we can't get away from it. We can not manipulate life so that we have no trouble.. We can not totally avoid trouble. We can not lead a "trouble free "life." No one does.

These words remind us that there is someone who can deal with our troubles. Jesus can. In John 14, Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God, trust also in me." ( 14:1)
One of my co-workers often talks about how belief is really connected to trust. Do I really trust God and Jesus in times of trouble? I admire the way, and many others do "trust" God. It is more than just intellectual ascent... it is a rock solid trust in God, believing that what Jesus said in John 16:33 is true. That is what it means to "believe" in Him. There are times when trouble descends upon them ( and me), and our trust in Him deepens. That is how it works.

So, I am thinking.... I have troubles... but they are nothing compared to alot of other people's troubles. I will have troubles in the future... but there are alot of others who have deeper troubles than I do.

Either way, Jesus did not distinguish between those who had "big" troubles, and those who have "little" troubles. He just said, " But take heart! I have overcome the world." That is a message for all of us.

Tension- Sweet Spot

Here are some ramblings. I know it is has been a while...

Tension.... Life is lived in tension.  Relationships have tension. When you "commit" to someone, there is a constant sense of tension. It is not all bad. Frankly, tension is what brings about trust, it brings about a sense of connection. It brings about a sense of accomplishment when you take two different people, set a goal, and then work together to accomplish it. 

I love my wife. We are very different.  But we are a really good team. There is this tension between us that draws us together and to God. We have to lean on each other, and on Him. I love her. I love what we do. I love the things we do together. 

I love my kids.  Again, there is a sort of tension, especially as we see them leave home and build lives.  Each one of our kids has a "core" in them that is good. They love God, and they try to live that out. But each one of them has gone about it a different way. That is the fun of life. They do not always do the things I would do, and isn't that wonderful? 

I love the staff of our church. We are all very different. This last week, I was in for a few days. I was walking around just looking at how different all of them are.  Some are loud and busy. Some are very quiet and studious.  Some are older, some are younger.  Some have lots of experience, some do not. All of US make mistakes... but we have a goal and that goal is to glorify God and to help others know, love, serve and share Him. ( Christ)."

Lately I have been gone alot. It is by design. I have not thought much about the church, but have focused on some space between me and the church, which has cleared my head... It has made me think more about strategic planning... getting out from under the urgent and into the important. I have needed some time to think, some time to rest and some time to spend with kids and Pam. 

There is a tension there. I want to know what is going on at the church. I like knowing...  I want to make decision, I want to see the flow of how things are going. But I have had to turn loose of alot to be gone and let it kind of all happen.  I noticed it these last two weeks, because the emails and the phone calls have been very few. At first that bothered me...."Why don't they call me?"  "Why are they not emailing me?"  Well, because I told them not to. Because it is best that when I am away, I am really away.  What a challenge to do that when you have been trained to believe that you are always on call, 24/7/365.  One of the benefits of being a pastor in a larger church is that you can get away. 

Here is what I have learned...

1. Strategic planning and thinking way ahead of the game is something someone has to do. If you do not have someone doing that you will spend all your time reacting. Most bad decisions are made in a hurry and react kind of mode. 

2. We have very gifted staff that can do a very good job of "managing" the day to day things in the church. I feel a need to develop more "strategic planners" that will see the church grow and develop over the next 10-20 years. They are all leaders... who love God, love their families, love their church and love me. I need to be better at this, and reproduce that in others... lots of work to do there.

3. I love spending time with Pam. She is my best friend. We have a gift in the time that we are given to be together. The next 30 years will be fun.(I would love to live to 80, with her...)

4. Tension is not a bad thing. Too much time away from the pressures and stress kind of becomes a "withdrawl" kind of thing too. It takes me a couple days to decompress...But  I think the tension I am talking about is kind of like the sweet spot on a bat.  When you hit the ball on the sweet spot, there is a different sound. And the ball flys...  I like that sound.  At the church, I think we are hitting more and more of the "sweet spot". It does not mean that there are not some broken bats, some strikes, and even an occasional strike out... but we seem to be able to hit the ball out of the park once in a while now.  The sweet spot for me is to be able to leave, learn from others, rest and recuperate and then come back stronger than ever. 

5. I need the rest. I am finding that rest of all kinds ( emotional, physical and spiritual) are completely inter-related.  I have not done a good job of resting the last 8 months or so.  I am working on it... I can feel it when I am winding down... 

Lots to think about.... Who knows maybe I will be able to get back to blogging more, rather than just storing it up for a big one like this.

later...