iRescue

Change of Plans (Superheroes)

2009-11-30T20:50:00.001-08:00

I decided not to continue the Superhero blogs. I know I didn't get far, but the more I thought about it...that is COMPLETELY cheesy.

So, change of of plans.

For those thousands of you that check the iRescue blogspot daily in hopes that I posted the next Superhero blog, here is a completely condensed version of my top five Superheroes of the Bible:

5. Samson (A.K.A. Superman) - Yeah, I know Superman is suppose to be the biggest, baddest (er, goodest) superhero ever...but I still think he is pretty lame. And although Samson is cool, everyone expects him so I didn't move him up the rankings. But, he did kill a lion with his bare hands and 1,000 men with the jawbone of an ass. Oh, and he has his very own kryptonite - women were his weakness. Check it out at Judges 14-16.

4. Moses (A.K.A. Captain Planet) - Earth! Fire! Water! Wind! Heart! Moses used all of these when leading his people out of captivity. It all started with the plagues - blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock disease, boils, violent hail and fire, locusts, darkness, and death. Later, water split and water came out of rocks to nourish thousands of people. Check it out at Exodus 7.

3. David (A.K.A. Batman) - David didn't really have any supernatural abilities just like Batman. However, he was very resourceful! He used his abilities and weapons to take out lions bears and even giants! Then, he lurked in the shadows while escaping his enemies. Check it out at 1 Samuel 17 and 24.

2. Elijah (A.K.A. The Flash) - You might have not heard of this guy and that is just too bad. Elijah’s incredible God-given speed allowed him to outrun a chariot over a distance of about 13 miles. Of course he did possess a few powers that the Flash lacks, such as the time when he called down fire to consume 51 men who came to capture him. Unfortunately (for them), they sent another 50 after that to try again and they were cooked as well. Check it out at 1 Kings 18:44-46.

1. Josheb-basshebeth, Eleazar and Shammah (A.K.A. The Fantastic Four) - I know, three guys, but you can leave out the Invisible Woman (for a couple of reasons)...King David had a baller group of warriors but he had three that led the pack. Josheb, the captain of the three, used his spear to kill 800 men at one time. Eleazar found himself facing the Philistine army alone, but he fought them until he was exhausted and when the rest of his army came to help him, they found Eleazar had already slain them all. Shammah stood his ground against an army when his own fled. Check it out at 2 Samuel 23.

Superheroes (Part 1)

2009-11-24T10:06:00.000-08:00

There is absolutely nothing better than a muscle-clad man or woman fighting crime WHILE looking good in tights. And to top it all off, most of these heroes have some kind of power that we, mere humans, don't have.

Movies, television shows, songs, and comic books all portray them. But only a few of us are lucky enough to say we know the real superheroes (see World Superhero Registry...or don't, it all depends on if you want to be embarrassed or not).

Believe it or not, the Bible records some very interesting people that did some pretty incredible things. Some would say that they did super things. Some would say that they were their hero. We can just settle and say they were both super and heroes...superheroes.

Over the next couple of days I will share with you my Top 5 Biblical figures with "superpowers" of their own. Stay tuned.

Affirmation File

2009-11-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

I am really just an amateur when it comes to being a youth pastor and even fairly fresh when it comes to being in the work environment at all. But I have been here long enough, and can see enough into the future, to understand how difficult it can sometimes be. No matter what field of expertise you find yourself in, there will always be those seasons in which you are down and out. Sometimes you may even want to give up and just quit all together. Those times are when this concept will come into play with the greatest results.

The idea is to begin an affirmation file. You can call it something else so it doesn't sound so plain and rigid, but the concept should remain the same.

When you receive a thank you note, encouragement letter, or any kind of recognition for a job well done, save it. It is as simple as that. It's tempting to sometimes toss these notes or let it gather with the rest of the clutter, but don't let this happen! Instead, immortalize them by saving them in a file folder or a box.

Next year when you are struggling, or you feel like you can't produce the quality you once did, or no one seems to appreciate your hard work, you might be able to pull out a note or two to read. After two or three years the folder may begin to bulge, and after 10 years you'll need a crane to move it.

This might sound conceited or self-centered right now. But I promise you that when you get to the low points in life it is often difficult to remember the high points. This file should help you shed some much needed tears and put a smile back on your face. Try it.

Questions for God - Week 1

2009-10-02T08:26:00.001-07:00

In our youth ministry, AMP Student Ministries, we just began a new series called Questions for God in which we allowed the students to anonymously send in any questions about God, life, Christianity, faith, family - literally anything! We are gathering the incoming questions, grouping them together, and spending each Wednesday night in the month of October answering these challenging questions.

This past Wednesday we answered the question, "If God is good, why is there so much evil in this world?" At the end of the service we had an exciting time called "Ask Anything" in which students could send in any question and I would attempt to answer them live in a biblical manner. The two questions we picked to answer are below, and I wanted to expand on my short answers in service:

Is it okay to listen to secular music?
My "Ask Anything" Answer: Yes. Yes. Yes. It is a must! The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church and exclaimed,

"I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."
1 Corinthians 9:22

Paul was willing to adopt to the lifestyle of a typical Jew to build relationship with the Jews that lived all around him. In that, he did the things that Jews did, he listened to the same music the Jews did, he went to the same concerts and plays the Jews did. Paul did anything short of sin to reach those around him with the story of Jesus.

ALSO, in Acts 17, Paul is preaching at Mars Hill to a bunch of nonbelievers. In his sermon he boldly quotes one of the pagan Greek poets that would have been so familiar to his listeners during this time. Understand that ancient poets = current day rockstars. Paul quotes them with approval but does not state that he agrees with everything they write and everything they stand for.

The point is, we have been called to engage culture rather than distance ourselves from it. The worst thing you could do (in regards to music) would be to listen only to Christian music, or even worse, only to Country music.

Engage culture. Listen to secular music. Even pull out biblical principals out of secular songs. But don't listen to filth. You should not be listening to any music that hinders or hurts you relationship with other people, yourself, or God.

My Qualification: Don't hear/read what I said about secular music and go against the will of your parents. If your mom or dad has told you, "Christian music only," then guess what? Christian music only. Respect the rules your parents set out for you - they know best.

How will I know when I find "her"? My future wife that is...
My "Ask Anything" Answer: I'm not married - how am I suppose to know!? And then I tried to answer a little more: Most importantly, a potential husband or wife, girlfriend or boyfriend, MUST be a Christian. The Bible clearly says that no Christian should be "unequally yoked" with an unbeliever. This is the idea of two oxen plowing the field with a yoke over their necks. If one ox is pulling one way and the other ox pulling another way, the field will not get plowed and nothing will be accomplished but stress, anxiety, and failure. NO MISSIONARY DATING! Let the person get saved, even help the person find Jesus, THEN entertain the idea of dating.

After that, compatibility is absolute necessary for a future spouse - you want to be with someone that you enjoy being with.

My Addition: Your marriage should be one that makes both you and your spouse a better person and a person Christ-follower. Your marriage should be one that better allows you to effectively minister and reach the world around you. And your marriage should be one that allows the both of you to better experience and know God.

Your marriage should make the both of you better people, should make the world around you a better place, and should make both of your relationships with God stronger and more effective.

*P.S. The series, Questions for God, is still going on. Send in your anonymous questions via text:
Text keynumber 2065 with your question to 99503. -OR- Go to http://poll4.com, type keynumber 2065 and your question.*

Would Jesus Discriminate?

2009-09-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Maybe you have seen the billboards up on the highway, or an internet ad, or even television commercial, and wondered - "What's all that about?" I first heard someone at church mention it and gave it only a seconds thought before brushing it out of my mind, sure that the woman had misread the billboard. But then only a day or two later I was driving down the highway and saw this sign up and to my left.
Would Jesus Discriminate?
My answer to this billboard, group, and question, is Yes. Would Jesus discriminate? Yes, He definitely would. Discrimination simply means to distinguish by exposing differences. This is the very nature of God. The God of the Bible is both a God of love and peace as well as a God of righteous anger and judgment.

Both Jesus and God (I will use their names synonymously because, after all, they are One Person) are beings of love and joy and happiness and friendship and fellowship. They love the non-Christian just as much as they love the life-long Christ-follower. They love their creation, they hate their creation's sin. And in this, God discriminates.

Jesus lived His human life as a man set on correcting the corrupt world in which He chose to live. He healed the sick, He raised the dead, He loved the abandoned, and He saved mankind through His death and resurrection. He discriminated between the fallen nature - sickness, death, abandonment, sin - and His holy and perfect nature - complete health, full life, salvation and safety.

God wants all of creation to turn back to Him, and as this fails to happen, those who are apart from God will be judged by God and condemned to eternal punishment in Hell. God discriminates between the righteous and the unrighteousness - those who love, honor, and serve Him, and those who want nothing to do with Him.

In regards to sexuality...
Sexuality is intended to be within marriage and between one man and one woman. In the Book of Beginnings - Genesis, God Himself instituted the covenant of marriage. Matthew 19:4-5 reflects back to Genesis:

"At the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.'"

God's plan for a man and woman is to be married and enjoy one another through marital intimacy. Anything outside of this plan sin.

In regards to homosexuality...
Therefore, fornication (sex before marriage), adultery (sex outside of marriage), pornography (you know what this is...), and yes, homosexuality are all sexual sins.

All sex outside of heterosexual marriage is sin.

"Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; it is an abomination."
Leviticus 18:22

"Abomination" here describes a fairly heavy connotation encompassing words such as scandal, disgrace, and atrocity. And I think this is law is pretty applicable for us today, not just for that day, as many would argue. After all, the next law forbids sex with animals...

The Apostle Paul clearly speaks to both homosexuality and lesbianism as being shameful, indecent, and perversion:

"God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion."
Romans 1:26-27

Yes, homosexuality is a sin. It is a perversion of God's original intended plan of marriage. Though this specific sin, while it has some potentially serious consequences, is not any greater of magnitude than the sin committed by the young couple who is dating and having sex.

The point is, ALL sexual sin outside of heterosexual marriage is sin. We should all be conducting our lives in a right and holy manner, pleasing to God, and free of any and all sexual sin.

A Lesson in Viral Christianity from the Black Eyed Peas

2009-09-22T11:46:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this video yet? A simple performance by the Black Eyed Peas on the Oprah Show in the streets of Chicago. They were performing their hit song "I Gotta Feeling" with some pretty incredible results. Pay close attention to the girl dancing in the front...all alone. And no matter where you might be right now (home, work, school) - blow up those speakers - turn it up!

Pretty sweet, huh? You have this incredible group performing their hit song on stage to thousands of people who were just...dead. Although BEP and the song had tons of energy, the crowd was lifeless, except for one girl. It was definitely awkward at first - thousands of people standing still and listening to the music as one lady at the front was completely involved no matter what the rest of the people around her were doing or thinking.

BUT, how quickly that changes when some other people start to get involved. It went from one person to about ten, from ten to twenty, and then all of the sudden every single person was dancing along with the song and it became a cool thing.

Allow me to make a spiritual connection to what you just saw. Without getting cheesy or irrelevant, I want to connect this performance by the Black Eyed Peas with Christianity.

If you are going along in life trying to do the "Jesus" thing all alone it can be a pretty lonely, dare I say even, at times an awkward situation. BUT, how different is that pursuit of Jesus when you aren't doing it by yourself? When you have others standing (or dancing) alongside you that can change everything!

It might start out with just you though. At least it might feel that way. You might feel as though you are the only Christian at your school or at your job and everyone else is just looking at you like you are crazy. But if you continue in your "craziness" long enough it will become attractive and as others begin to see it work, they will take part in it two. You might only infect four or five people, but those four or five infect ten, the ten infect thirty, the thirty infect one-hundred, and before you know it, all the thousands of people at the concert will be "dancing" along with you.

Christianity is truly viral. Ask the first church in the book of Acts. They went from 1 or 2 Christ-followers to 3,000 in one day. Within a week or two they hit 5,000, and Scripture says that they grew in numbers daily (for those of you not good at math, that is at least 365 new Christians a year).

Your job is to infect. Start with one or two, but stay strong. Go against the crowd if that is what it takes. We have something worth living for and you should want everyone around to have it too. Continue to dance.

*This concept I completely "borrowed" from Pastor Mike Leahy at Liquid Church.*

Monologue and Dialogue

2009-09-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

Jesus Preached
There are many sections throughout each of the gospels in which Jesus taught and preached extended sermons (Matthew 4-7, Mark 4, Luke 12-18, John 15-17). Just think about how tired and hoarse Jesus must have been after preaching the Sermon on the Mount.

He preached on subjects such as heaven, hell, salvation, faith, grace, His death, His future resurrection, and about everything else the disciples and the people around him would have needed to know. During these long sections you notice that it's not a dialogue; it's a monologue—Jesus is preaching. He's speaking with the authority given Him, and His words are weighty.

When we make disciples we must preach to people at times. When we are being discipled, as we constantly should be, we must receive preaching from others. There are times for discussion, debate, and dialogue (like the 3 D's?) —but there are other times for a good word preached. We should all - the spiritual new-born to the spiritual grandfather gladly receive preaching and teaching from those who study and appropriately administer the Gospel.

Jesus Had Conversation
Jesus did not exclusively use preaching as His method of teaching, but He also allowed question and answer time. On many occasions we can find Jesus conversing with His disciples, with religious leaders, and with the common people. He doesn't confine himself only to the strategy of preaching from a pulpit and retreating to his office. He follows up his sermons by allowing interaction.

Attend a church to grow spiritually from pastoral preaching and teaching. But also get into the community; get into the family and the small groups and build relationships that provide room for open discussion on biblical topics.

We all require growth - physical, emotional, and spiritual. There is no better place, and dare I say, no other place to suitably get it than in the local church.

*Deeply indebted to Mike Anderson for his recent blog by the same name*

Quit 'acting' like a Christian and BE one

2009-09-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

Quit claiming to be a Christian if you aren't acting like one. By the slimmest chance possible you might be one (a Christian), but this is only because salvation is by God's grace through your faith. But if you aren't acting like one, quit the games and quit claiming to be one.

Just as the Israelites reacted when Moses came from the mountain with a shiny face (Exodus 34) because he had been talking with God, people create their own glory (prominence, preeminence) and things to worship (sex, money, status) and instead of giving up their sins and enjoying God's glory, they refuse to "look at Moses' face" and see God's glory.

It is like those who refuse to go to church, who refuse to hang out with Christian friends, who refuse to spend time with God, who refuse to participate in congregational singing, who refuse to read a good Christian book or Bible - Why? Because their hearts are hard and they refuse to see the glory of Jesus. They are hard-hearted, stubborn, and rebellious.

"Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
-James 2:17

I am tired of you giving Christianity a bad name. Yes, we are all hypocrites at some time or another. In no way am I perfect. I fall short all the time. But like my claim to be a Christian, I try my hardest to follow Christ in every thing I do and every decision that I make. When I fall short I immediately ask for forgiveness and strive to never do it again.

You (who this message is for) sit there in your sin and shame, ask for forgiveness with no true repentance, and do the same sin the next day. If you are a "Christian" but haven't been to church in a month or two - this is for you. If you are a "Christian" but last night went too far with your girlfriend or boyfriend for the hundredth time - this is for you. If you are a "Christian" but just got finished looking at your nightly porn - this is for you.

Quit merely acting like a Christian and actually be one.

Call it Out

2009-09-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

When I was young(er than I am today) I had a few particular people in my life that saw something in me. I had a couple of teachers and spiritual leaders point out certain characteristics that they claimed I could use throughout my life to influence people. My parents specifically liked to tell me that I was a great leader, a college professor would tell me that I had a gift in teaching, and an evangelist or two, when visiting our church, told me that I had a future in the ministry. These people spoke into my life and called something out of me.

I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a pastor. So their words rang true from the moment they spoke them. For other people, these callings might lie dormant and unused for months or years. But when you speak into someone's life and call something out of them, you never how or when or where God is going to use it.

We need to speak prophetically into each other's lives. We need to call things out - gifts, passions, goals, dreams, desires. Isn't that what Jesus was so good at? He saw the martyr in a denier named Peter. He called it out by calling him "the Rock."

Biblical Prophets were less about "telling the future" and more about calling out truths of what was happening and what the result would be of certain actions. Prophets call things out of people.

I want to call the best out of others the way Jesus did. That's leadership. That's discipleship. You should want the same. Don't do it haphazardly though - you might be influencing someone's future for the better or for the worse.

Illegitimate Reasons to Leave a Church

2009-08-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I posted five viable reasons someone could leave a church. I noted that I would soon post illegitimate reasons to leave a church (and there are many). I will post a few of them here:

1) A church is not perfect or it does not meet all legitimate needs. No person, no organization, and no institution is perfect. Every church has problems and shortcomings. And if you decide to leave a church because they are not perfect, you are just further proving that we live in an imperfect, sinful world.
2) The church you are at doesn't have a ministry that you need. Maybe God wants you to minister to your church instead of them ministering to you. Rather than complaining about the church and leaving, approach the leaders in a respectful way and work with them to further develop the ministry.
3) The one that gets me the most - Leaving a church to get away from problems. The Bible describes the church as a body and a family. When was the last time your legs didn't cooperate with you like you wanted so you parted ways with them? When you and your mother disagreed last, was that the end of the relationship? Or did you both try and work things out for the better? Deal with the problems like Christian adults and through the situation rely on the grace of God. Running away will derail the very process God uses to conform us into the image of Christ.
4) You are being challenged about your doctrine or pattern of life and church becomes uncomfortable. We should not run because we feel threatened by someone challenging us. Be ready to listen, examine, and act if necessary. Going through this process is the only way to grow.

To summarize: The only true valid reason for leaving a local church is a desire for more effective ministry in and for the body of Christ. Stay in your church, please. Make it better. Serve. Love like Jesus loved the Church. What would your life be like if Jesus would have left the Church when things got hard and when He faced challenges? Think about it.

Reasons to Leave a Church

2009-08-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

1) A church begins to compromise the biblical essentials (e.g., Jesus is God and came to provide us salvation, there is one God).
2) When differences in belief or practice become so serious that cooperation in ministry is seriously hindered.
3) When legitimate needs are not being met.
4) When the leadership becomes abusive, serving themselves at the expense of the members, or tolerating sin that should have been dealt with.
5) Leaving to serve in another church so that the gospel can flourish.

In every situation, the decision to leave should always be done carefully, prayerfully, and in communication with the church leaders to see if the issues can be worked out. People should never just disappear from a church unless they are being spiritually abused causing any form of communication to be dangerous.

In summary, Christians need to be committed to the church.

(There are many illegitimate reasons to leave a church - I will post those soon.)

Conflict is the Price of Growth

2009-08-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

When a church grows, it changes, and that change causes conflict.

The sad thing is, many times when a church begins to face this inevitable conflict they take a collective step backwards and in order to not deal with the conflict they refuse progress in their mission to grow, disciple, and reach the lost.

Conflict is not always a bad thing in a church. Conflict, if handled in love and humility according the principles laid out in Scripture, should be the recipe for a more mature church that is more unified than ever. The churches that refuse to deal with conflict shifts their worshiping from Christ to comfort even if they might not admit to it.

In Vintage Church by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, they discuss eight different forms of conflict in which a person or a group of people want something that they perceive they lost due to change.

1) Power - Change requires some people to lose power (e.g., job title, prominence, proximity to the top leaders, the right to make key decisions) when responsibilities must be divided. These people often forget that Jesus took on the lowly title of "servant" for Himself as our model of humility, and rather than acting like power-hungry heathens we should strive to act more like our God.
2) Compensation - Change requires that compensation such as salaries and benefits be reallocated to other priorities. Money motivates too many people, and when their pay does not meet their expectations, conflict occurs.
3) Preference - Change requires that long-standing leaders be reassigned in roles and responsibilities so that new leaders can be raised up.
4) Information - Change requires that new people have access to certain information, which means that some people will feel out of the "information loop". While it is important to make sure the appropriate people are appropriately informed, those who are driven by information will fight to be "in the know" and thus, conflict.
5) Visibility - Change requires that new people become more prominently visible, while others who use to be prominently visible become less so. Sadly, by causing conflict over their loss of visibility, such people often forget that Jesus is still watching their behavior and is quite disappointed.
6) Energy - Change requires more physical, emotional, and spiritual energy than might have been needed in prior stages of ministry. As the pace picks up, the leaders need to be fully capable of taking on the load. If they are not capable, they should quickly be replaced. The replaced often complain about things changing too fast and rather than humbly accept their limits and find a place to serve that best suits their energy levels they cause conflict.
7) Expedient Pace - Change requires that decisions be made at an expedient pace so the church can mature and grow. Some people value their ability to control the pace of the church decision making because it is a form of power and rule.
8) Control - Church change results in less control over everything! The church is like a river that can be channeled and influenced for progress and power. However, every attempt to control a church kills either the church or the person seeking to control the church.

In summary, for a church to grow it must accept the pain that accompanies change. Because we want more people to have a relationship with God and worship Him we must be willing to accept the inevitable conflict that change brings.

Which of the eight forms of conflict have you seen active in a church? Was it handled properly?

10 Things You Didn't Know About Senior Pastors of Large Churches

2009-07-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

I read a very cool article pulled from a survey of 232 pastors of churches that have an attendance (on average) of at least 2,000 people. Interesting stuff that came out of it - thought I would share. Let me know what you think.

1. They think of themselves more as teachers and directional leaders than as pastors.
Sure, their business cards may say pastor and their congregants may call them Pastor Smith -- but when these leaders are asked which phrase best describes how they see themselves and their role, the phrase "pastor, shepherd or spiritual guide" ranks a distant fourth.

Which words do today's senior leaders resonate with? When presented with nine options, more than 80% select "preacher/teacher." Half choose the term "directional leader," and slightly more than a third select the word "visionary."

2. Preaching tops the list of things they do best.
Jesus spent a lot of time healing people, but only 1% of senior pastors surveyed say visiting members, the sick and shut in is something they personally do best. Only 7% say they're great at converting others to the faith, and only 10% identify pastoral counseling and spiritual direction as an area of significant strength. These results may seem problematic, but with a high value on lay involvement and an average reported staff of 55, it's likely that others at the church excel in these areas.

So where do senior pastors believe their strengths lie? Seventy nine percent say they're best at "preaching" followed by "thinking about and promoting a vision and goals for the future."

3. They haven't always worked in churches.
Although most attended church regularly at the age of 16, 42% of them spent five or more years working in another field before entering the pastorate. The most popular prior career choice? Business. Meanwhile, a third of senior pastors' spouses work both outside the home and outside the church.

4. Being an extrovert isn't mandatory.
Yes, their role demands that they be comfortable standing on a platform and speaking in front of large crowds. But nearly half of them say they're somewhat or very introverted.

5. Family stays at the top of mind when it comes to prayers.
In a 53-hour work week, megachurch senior pastors spend a full 19 hours in and preparing for preaching, teaching and worship, 9 hours in meetings--and 5 hours in intentional prayer and meditation.

When they pray, who do they pray for? Their family (94%) and themselves (84%) primarily, followed by church staff (76%) and other individuals at church (64%). Almost two-thirds say they seldom pray for political leaders and roughly 20% say they never do. Similarly, only 19% regularly pray for their neighbors.

6. They usually like the people they work with.
Megachurch pastors report low levels of conflict in their churches, and high levels of satisfaction with the individuals they work with. Only 5% of pastors report being "somewhat dissatisfied" with the church board; the remaining 95% of pastors gave satisfactory ratings. Worship directors got the lowest rating of "very dissatisfied" but only among a mere 2% of the pastors surveyed.

7. They believe their top gift is leadership.
According to our survey, the spiritual gifts most often possessed by large-church senior pastors are leadership (77%) and teaching (67%), distantly followed by exhortation (21%).

8. They are actively involved in sports.
When asked "in which of these areas outside your church community would you describe yourself as ‘currently active'," the most common answer was not a school-related activity, a social service or hobby group; it was a parachurch group (37%), followed by a sports league (34%) and denominational activities (32%). As was found to be the case in Leadership Network's recent executive pastor survey, the top non-church involvement for senior pastors in large churches is sports leagues. In fact "sports" is also the most frequently mentioned way megachurch pastors say they maintain their sanity during crazy or stressful moments of ministry.

9. They find worship at their church helpful for personal spiritual growth.
One might think that working at a church could hinder full engagement in the worship experience, however 41% of pastors surveyed said that worship services were extremely helpful for them. On the flip-side, only 27% of senior pastors report finding small groups extremely helpful to their spiritual growth, and 11% went on record to say they're not very helpful at all. Personal time with God still tops the list with 79% saying that reading the Bible, prayer or solitude is "extremely helpful" to spiritual growth. This finding also parallels the responses of executive pastors.

10. They're not thinking about quitting.
In today's world, people tend to switch careers a lot. But what about pastors? Just under half of large church senior pastors surveyed admit they've thought about leaving their church to enter a different occupation in the last five years, although on the upside, most say it's only "once in a while." Furthermore, when asked about their plans to retire, on average senior pastors expect to be in their position for 17 more years (until age 68) – on top of the 15 they've already put into their role.

I feel called...

2009-06-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

Precursor:
Before I start, I want it to be clear that anything and everything I ever say or write comes from somebody else. I don't claim to be wise by any means. I just listen and read a lot. And so whenever I come to the blank whiteboard of iRescue, it is oftentimes because my thoughts and/or emotions just got sparked by something someone else said. This is definitely one of those times.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've heard MANY people use the term "calling". In fact, I myself have used the phrase, "I have been called into a full-time, life-time ministry." I, along with many people, use these words to try and communicate that we feel God has given us a specific "missional" assignment in the kingdom. But, now that I read and think more about it, I wonder if this type of language is misleading.

The truth is, Christian's have already been given The Call; it is inherent in being a disciple. If you are already a Christian that desires to use your passion and abilities to worship God and lead others into worshiping God, then you are a disciple. The call has already been issued: "Glorify Me in all that you do. Love and serve your neighbor. Go into the world and preach the gospel to every person." That's it.

Now, each person must evaluate how this call specifically relates to them. God does give direction like He did to Paul in Acts 16:8 as He told Paul to go to Macedonia. But this direction and guidance will always be in retrospect of the call that we already have.

So, I think that instead of waiting for "the call", we should go ahead and recognize that we have already all been called and find out how we can each individually best fulfill our missional role as Christ-followers.

For those brilliant mathematicians that like to get their hands dirty - go be the best engineer you can be. But don't forget your calling. For the skillful businessman with incredible leadership abilities - go run a thriving corporation. But don't forget your calling. And for that pastor that just cannot get away from the church - go preach and lead that congregation. But don't forget that your calling is the same as every other Christian's - love Jesus and tell others about Him.

For more on this, check out The Resurgence's new blog: http://theresurgence.com/greear_language-of-calling-part1

I'd like to hear what you think. My mind is still racing on this one and I am still unsure about all of my thoughts on this. Add a comment below!

From Memory to Memorial

2009-06-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Genesis 9:11-17; Genesis 28:18-22; Exodus 20:8-11; Joshua 24:26-27; 1 Samuel 7:12; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34.

Just a few of the times in Scripture in which a person, a group of people, or God Himself set up a memorial. All are different situations with different reasons behind them, but each memorial was set up for the same purpose - to honor God, to remember what He had done, and to pass on their traditions and truths to later generations.

Whether it was stones in the wilderness or a rainbow in the sky, memorials were set up all throughout the Bible, and I believe we as Christians would be smart to follow this pattern. In fact, I believe we are expected to.

Memorials are demanded. Methods are diverse.

Some may write blogs. Some may write in diaries (women) or journals (men). Others may take pictures or keep mementos. And even some may feel the need to paint, draw, or sculpt.

Don't say you can just remember it all because you can't. And even if you are superhuman and can, how is your incredible, flawless memory going to benefit your children, your children's children, and your children's children's children?

We need to make memorials in our lives so that we can look back and remember the faithfulness of God to show up in this situation, to answer this prayer, to work in the life of that friend, or to do this miracle.

And it doesn't have to be a daily thing. It can be something you do weekly or even biweekly. But it needs to be regular and consistent. Because we, as God's people, need to remember the things that God has done for us, honor Him for the things he Has done for us, and share the things that He has done for us.

P.S. We wouldn't have a Bible or any knowledge of Christian history if those before us hadn't taken this to heart. So maybe we should too.

"I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them—even the children not yet born—and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands."
Psalm 78:2-7

Worship

2009-06-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Everyone worships.

Everyone, all the time, is continually worshiping - giving themselves away to, identifying themselves in the light of, or giving the glory to someone or something.

Even those that do not know Christ are worshipers. They are living for something - significant other, sex, money, Grade Point Average, work, music, sports, etc.

True worship = Living for the glory of God the Creator.
Idolatry = Living for the glory of Creation.

We, all people, were created to worship God and enjoy creation. Not the opposite. When the opposite occurs, we find ourselves in idolatry. And sadly, at some time or another, we all find ourselves in a situation in which we are worshiping something other than God.

The tough thing is that most of the time we aren't worshiping things that are bad. In fact, we oftentimes find ourselves worshiping things that are good. But what happens is this:

We take a good thing, we make it a God-thing, and that is a bad thing.

For example, a single man can be looking for a wife - that is a good desire. Proverbs 18:22 says "He who finds a wife finds what is good..." But if he deifies (makes a god of) a bride, then singleness is his hell. Marriage is his heaven. And a woman is his savior.

Another example - A woman can yearn to be a mother (good thing). But when that yearning turns into her main motivation and driving force in life that good thing slowly becomes a God-thing, and that is a bad thing. Being motherless becomes her hell. Having a child delivers her into her heavenly kingdom of motherhood. And that child becomes her savior.

Idols give false identity. They try and define who we are and we allow that to happen. There are those that have idolized position in the church, position in the workplace, a husband or wife, or even worship itself. People find their identity in these things and when these things fall apart so does the person. And we oftentimes don't notice we worship these things until they are taken away.

We have got to direct our worship back to the Creator. When we start to see ourselves slipping into worship of creation we must immediately make some changes. If we fail to do this, we become like the rest of mankind that Paul talks about here:

Romans 1:25 - "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised."

We are all worshipers. What is it that you are worshiping?

Death by Process

2009-06-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

I just listened to Ed Young and his team talk about the concept and tendency of churches to experience "Death by Process". What this is is when churches see a process working for another church, and since it works for that church, they assume that it will work for their church. They then implement that process in the life of their church only to find out that it doesn't work, in fact, it sometimes works negatively and causes decrease in whatever area they were hoping to see increase.

We often tend to think that what works for one successful church will flawlessly work for our churches. This isn't the case. There is always a story behind the story.

Church A might succeed in adding another contemporary service with flashing lights, smoke, and a loud rock band. While Church B might fall flat on their face when trying to do the same. The story behind the story might be that Church A is in the middle of a young adult community in Austin, Texas, while Church B might be a growing church in Bentonville, Arkansas, that is surrounded by an older generation of people that like country music and everything simple.

What works perfectly for one church will not work perfectly for another.

What will work is taking a concept or idea that is working for one church and applying it to your own scenario and situation. Change and adapt. Make it your own. Maybe Church B would benefit from adding another contemporary service but cancel the lights, smoke, and glitter, and add a loud traditional band that can start to bridge the gap between the old folks and the younger ones in the community.

If you completely mimic another church's process, you will most likely experience death.
If you take another church's process and adapt it to fit your situation with your story behind the story, then you are on your way to success.

Perfect Imperfections

2009-05-22T17:28:00.000-07:00

After having an argument with my girlfriend and then my roommate over pretty much the same issue, I guess it's time to change.

Not like I am just noticing it now, because it is kind of how I have been my whole life, but now I am beginning to realize that I need to change this specific characteristic or it is going to cost me friendships and relationships that I never wanted to lose.

I really know that I am called by God to be a pastor not just because pastor is a fitting title for my job description, but because pastor is what makes up the core of who I am. Being a pastor (and a young one at that) has some positive as well as some negative side-effects. One of those "side-effects," and the very issue I am talking about in this blog is the ever present feeling that I must be the one to better people. Scratch that. Not just better people, but actually make them perfect...at least whatever this perfection is in my eyes.

This is my biggest and most pressing flaw.

When at social events, I feel like it is my responsibility, albeit my duty to make everybody have a good time. If someone is not enjoying themselves I take it on my shoulders and allow their attitude to upset and frustrate me. When I put on youth events for my youth group, I work so hard to make the event perfect so that every student has the most incredible time, only to find out a couple of hours later that one or two of the students would rather be at home doing homework. If I don't allow these negative comments to upset me, I just blame it on the student and say its their fault for not knowing how perfect this fun is.

But when striving for perfection I am one-hundred percent guaranteed to fail. When pushing others to be perfect (once again, in my eyes) I set them up for failure. I set myself up for disappointment. I don't know where I get my sense of perfection from, maybe it is because I think too highly of myself. Whatever it is, I need God to work in me and change me.

It is good to strive for perfection in my own doing because these are things that I can control. But, I must know that when striving for perfection I won't reach it. I can get close but I will never be perfectly perfect and that is okay.

In trying to make others fit my "mold of perfection"...that is just ridiculous. Yeah, maybe there are some things that these people can alter for the better, and sometimes these things can be pointed out. But there is a right way to do it and a wrong way, and too often I pick the wrong way.

"God, help me figure out the line between counseling others to be better and pushing others to be what I want them to be. Help me to find right and peaceful ways to handle situations in which I feel people need to change. Help me to put aside any comment or action in each situation in which I need to say or do nothing. Show me balance. Show me patience. Show me kindness. Show me your perfection and I'll work towards that. Thanks. You are great."

AMP @ North Texas District Fine Arts

2009-05-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

This past Friday I took a group of 20 students to Waxahachie, Texas, to compete in various Art, Drama, Music, and Communication categories against hundreds of churches across North Texas. These students were able to use their God-given talents and abilities in categories such as Worship Team, Christian Band, Graphic Design, Traditional Photography, Children's Lesson, Human Video, Drama Group, First Person Essay, T-Shirt Design, Instrumental Ensemble, and many others.

We hopped into multiple vans and loaded our clothes and equipment into the trailer and drove 35 miles to our destination.

We showed up at the college, unloaded into our rooms, checked into the festival, and immediately took off to get to our first competition.

The Story Sweepers were our group of girls who presented a Group Children's Lesson. These girls ended up winning the Merit Award for 1st Place in their category and were invited to Nationals in Orlando Florida.
Throughout the day on Friday we rushed from one event to the next with little time in between to rest. Olivia did her Children's Lesson, then the AMP Worship Team presented their two songs. Alanna performed her Children's Lesson and the Puppet Group their presentation. The AMP Players then presented their drama to a room full of hot and sweaty people. The building we were in had just lost air conditioning earlier that day and we were all sweating like pigs.

This is a picture of the hallway before we entered
the room to compete.

Sweaty.

The Human Video, iAMPi, then performed in a large gym in front of over 100 people, and we concluded the night with a stellar performance from Disciple's Hope in the Christian Band category.

Saturday was less stressful than the previous day. We woke up early and went to Alanna's Flute Solo and then straight to Jonathan's Drum Solo. Matt Briggs later performed a piece that he wrote for Keyboard Solo. We concluded the day with an incredible Flute Duet from Reedless.

When we received our scores we went into a secluded area and went nuts. Group after group received a "Superior with Invitation" - the highest award and an invitation to National Fine Arts in Orlando, Florida.

At the Awards Ceremony, we watched with anticipation as categories were called and the TOP 3 from each were announced to a room of over 2,000 people. When all was said and done, Alanna's Children Lesson, The AMP Players, Reedless, Alanna and Olivia's First Person Essays, and The Story Sweepers all made TOP 3 in their individual categories.

And topping off the entire trip, The Story Sweepers won the Merit Award for 1st Place Group Children's Lesson.

We will all be traveling to Nationals in three months. Keep AMP Student Ministries in your thoughts and prayers and we would love to have your support. This is fun and competion, but we want to use these talents and presentations that we have worked so hard on and use them to bring people into the kingdom of God.

The Incredible Exchange

2009-04-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

"For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."
-2 Corinthians 5:21

This verse is one of the most important verses in the Bible to help us understand the meaning of atonement and justification. Atonement refers to the forgiving of our sin through the death of Jesus Christ. Justification is the concept that we, as sinners, are made sinless before God - just as though we had never sinned.

So, according to this verse, God made Jesus to be regarded and treated as sin. That in our place, Jesus became sin for those who believe in Him. And when God placed all of our sins on Jesus, He placed all of Jesus' righteousness on us. There was this incredible exchange that happened on the Cross.

When Jesus said His final words on the Cross - "It is finished", the exchange occurred and Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and we were made perfect in God's eyes.

That is pretty incredible.

It is because of Friday, today, some 1,976 years ago, when Jesus voluntarily went to the Cross so that we would have any chance of having a mended relationship with our Creator. On Good Friday we celebrate the brutal murder of a perfect man, the God-man, Jesus Christ. And my prayers is that everyone come to understand this story and to believe in its main Character so that they too might receive that incredible exchange.

Questions and Waterfalls

2009-04-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever found that place that you knew was holy? I mean, some how, some way, the place was just different from the rest? I've gone my whole life without finding too many of those locations, but I've just recently came upon one.

We were traveling trails in Arkansas when we came upon a little river. We followed the river to the point where the currents were growing faster and faster and soon found, a little ways off the main path, this waterfall.

I guess there is nothing special about it at face-value. It is a relatively small waterfall, no incredible drop like Victoria Falls, no great mist like Niagara, but nevertheless, something holy. And when I say holy, I mean sacred, different, marked distinctly by God as His flawless creation. Holy.

Everyone else stayed on the path, my girlfriend and I stepped over the fence and made our way across the moss-covered boulders to get as close as we could to the pouring falls. Then, we just sat. For the next twenty to thirty minutes we sat in total silence with only the crashing water making any noise. Really it was impossible for me to talk - I was just in awe of what He had put together so perfectly. I don't know if Cara's experience was anything like mine, because although we sat right next to one another, I felt like it was just me and God.

So I talked to Him. Usually in prayer I find myself always asking. God, can you do this for me? God, will you show me what I need to do in this situation? Lord, please heal this person or protect these people. And where I don't think any of that is necessarily wrong, I have found that I often do that too much without expressing my thanks to God for who He is. So, for the next couple of minutes, I spent my time thinking about every incredible characteristic of God and thanking Him for being that way. I thanked Him for being in control of everything so I didn't have to be. I told Him how cool it was that He loves and forgives me every time I screw up. I thought about how caring He is to even those who hate Him. And I thanked Him for creating this waterfall.

And then the unexpected happened. He spoke to me.

No, not in some audible, earth-shattering way. This was just by some unexpected phrase that came to my mind and heart and wouldn't go away. (This is called the Holy Spirit by the way)

The words were "Dive in."

Weird, huh? Yeah, they confused me at first too. I was like, "God, please don't mean this in a literal way. I am fully dressed, it is a bit chilly outside, plus, I don't know how shallow this pool of water is and I could easily get hurt." But those thoughts are what cleared everything up for me.

I had all these questions and concerns: the water was too shallow, it was too cold, people would look at me like I was an idiot...I wouldn't be making enough money, people wouldn't understand, it really isn't logical, it might hinder a job in the future, maybe God had something different for me and I need to move on.

Questions and concerns.

But questions and concerns that I didn't need to deal with. God is much bigger, much more in control, and has a plan for my life that I just need to follow unreservedly. I just need to dive in and He will protect me and show me what I need to do.

Right now, Jeremiah 29:11 comes to mind.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

That waterfall gave me a peace that day. God is in control so I don't have to be. As long as I am in His pleasing and perfect will He will keep me safe, on the right path, heading towards the waterfall.

October Jones

2009-03-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

I stopped at the gas station to fill the car up with gas before traveling back to the school. I had just spent the afternoon up at the church getting some work done and it was about 10:30pm. It was very dark outside and very downtown Fort Worth. Not the safest.

Just as I started to pump gas, October Jones appears out of the shadows with his right hand stuffed down into a black bag. My immediate thought - God, I'm going to die.

I didn't die.

October Jones pulled out three bottles of Dove shampoo and asked if I had a girlfriend. How nice of you October Jones, you want to wash my hair, kill me, then hunt down my girlfriend and kill her too. Rather, October Jones informs me that he wants to sell me these three bottles of shampoo for just $10. He said that he desperately needed this last ten bucks so that he could make the payment on his light bill.

I smiled at the man and awkwardly fumbled around with the gas nozzle as I tried to think of some excuse to not give the man my money. The thought was quickly replaced with something I had heard one of my professors say a couple of months ago. He was telling a story to our class of a time he had been at a restaurant with other ministers and a man walked in and made his rounds to each table handing out little ornaments with a card attached that read:

"I am deaf and mute and cannot get a job. Would you please purchase this ornament for $5 to help me?"

Each pastor at the table got one of these ornaments and the common jokes were made about walking up behind this person and screaming to see if they would respond in any way. My professor said his thoughts and comments were that this guy was a fake, or at the least he was a lazy deaf and mute that didn't try to get a job.

But my professor watched as one of the ministers at the end of the table asked all of the other pastors to pass their ornament to him. He took up all of the ornaments and as the conversation continued he quietly placed a twenty dollar bill on the ornaments and handed them all back to the deaf/mute man as he came back to collect.

My professor was shocked and later asked the pastor why he gave so much money to help that man buy his next beer or drug or whatever the addiction was. The pastor looked at my professor and quoted Matthew 25:35-40:

"I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

The pastor, with true sincerity said, "I would much rather take the chance of losing a few bucks and fueling an addiction than showing up in heaven and having Jesus ask me why I didn't feed him when was hungry, give him drink when he was thirsty, or clothe him when he needed clothes."

So, back to October Jones. I told him that I didn't want the shampoo for my girlfriend - she probably wouldn't even use it, but that I wanted to give him $10 anyways to help pay for his light bill. He didn't know how to respond. So I continued. I asked him if he had anything I could pray with him about (besides to light bill). October Jones told me that he is fine - he is a Christian and prays three times a day. I handed over the ten bucks and shook his hand telling him that I would pray for him tonight and he walked away.

Did October Jones use the money for his light bill? Maybe. Probably not. But when I go to heaven and Jesus tells me thanks for the ten dollars, I am going to smile.

Great Leaders Serve

2009-03-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

For the longest time I have thought to be a great leader you have to have incredible leadership skills. I have thought that what is important is how creative or how organized I could be, and that this would make me a good leader. I am starting to realize that this is not the case.

There are 87 verses in the Bible that contain the word "leader".
There are 971 verses in the Bible that contain the word "servant".

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Mark 10:45

Just recently I built a resume and had a whole section devoted to my skills and capabilities. Some of the things I listed expressed my leadership abilities rather than describing my passion to serve.

Jesus, the human-form of God on earth was the greatest leader of all time. Literally thousands of people followed him around just to hear the crazy stories he told. He never held a political office, never was Lead Pastor at a church, never served as Manager of a major corporation...no. Instead, Jesus (God) washed feet, healed the sick, raised friends from the dead, and then died for us, and all the time His life was marked by humility and love.

"God, I want to be a leader. In fact, I want to be the best leader possible. Help me to better understand that the true marks of an effective leader are Godliness, integrity, stability, humility, love, diplomacy, decisiveness, and vision. But most importantly, an effective leader is one marked by servanthood. Help me to be the servant you have called me to be. Amen."

The Rescue

2009-03-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

Rescue is defined as "to free or deliver from confinement, violence, danger, or evil." Scripture uses the term many times to express God's incredible mission, sending His Son to earth in order to save us.

The Apostle Paul states:
"It's news I'm most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God's powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts Him..."
Romans 1:16-17

God's "powerful plan" was sending Jesus to serve as our rescue! This is an amazing fact!

The truth is we are all morally corrupt people that need a rescue. We sin on a daily basis and nothing we could ever do could be perfect and holy enough to please God in order that He might just forget all the horrible things we have done. That is why God sent Jesus! Christ's death meets the requirements and demands of God's holy nature. That means that even though we fall short and mess up, even though we hurt God and hurt others regularly, even though we royally mess up our lives continually, we can be forgiven and made acceptable to God every time.

God has truly rescued us - freed us, delivered us - from confinement to sin and ultimately an eternity apart from Him.

Because of this, I feel that it is my duty as a Christ-follower to serve as a rescue for those who have not yet been saved by Jesus' actions. God freely gave this gift of salvation and there are millions of people around the world that have not yet accepted this free gift.

I want to be a part of the Church that God has called His people to be. I want to reach those who have not accepted Jesus as their Savior yet. I want to show them the grace and love that I have received through a relationship with Jesus. I want to serve people because the Master of all masters and the King of all kings served the least important people. I want to live a life dedicated to following God's standards and Jesus' life. I want to be a part of the great mission to "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone." I want to be a part of God's great mission to rescue every person in need of saving. And I believe that I will be a part of the New Reformation that will see the Church become all that they are suppose to be - The Rescue to our decaying world.