What matters most to you?

This is the November newsletter article I wrote, I dare you to make a list and try to stick with it! Enjoy:


What matters most?


Expectations are a funny thing. Many times, what we expect of others is not what we expect of ourselves. We want others to always be thoughtful and for everyone to use their turn signals and such. However, I catch myself sometimes forgetting to use the signal as I am turning. Growing up, we never really talked about what was expected or what our priorities where. We simply knew because of what we did. In my life growing up, church was numbers one through four. Our lives revolved around church, everything church and nothing but church. Needless to say, that is not the case now or has it been for some time.
Gone are the expectations of members of the church to be at the church on Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday nights. Most people, I suppose, feel it is okay for them to just go to service once that week. Are people sinning if they aren’t here “every time the doors are open?” No. Does it mean that people’s priorities have shifted from what they used to be? I think so.
What matters most to you? As a Pastor, expectations are high of me. There are things that I am expected to do that I didn’t even know I was supposed to do. We live in a fast paced society and I don’t see that slowing any time soon. We are flooded with events, meetings, sports, 4-H, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, band contests, recitals, rehearsals…do I need to go on? We have more options than a McDonald’s dollar menu. Do we go to church on Sunday night or stay at home and watch the race or the game? Do we go to Sunday school or catch that extra thirty minutes in bed? Do we volunteer to help with the Van Ministry or use that extra hour per week watching another news program? Do we attend church functions or just stay at home because…well, you get the point.
We all can come up with excuses to not do something. Our culture has helped us out with that one. My point is this: What matters MOST to you? My list includes, in no particular order after number one: My relationship with God, my marriage, my ministry, my family, my health, my church, and my relationship with the sponsors among many other things. You have to come up with your own list. What matters most to you? Whatever it is, your relationship with God is the number one thing or should be. How that plays out is really up to you. Make a list and try to live your life intentionally fulfilling your list of what matters most.

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Having fun yet?

Last week, I was confronted about the youth group and the perception that we have too much fun. The person said that we don’t do enough service projects and that our teens need to understand that life is not all about having fun. Point taken. It could stop there if that were the first person to talk about the youth group and the perception that we are just out in the O having fun. I have heard rumblings before, but never heard the words uttered. So what can I say? This…


1. Youth ministry has changed in the last 5 years and morphed over the last 10-20 years into something that someone who isn’t working with teens would understand. There are so many options and things pulling for the attention of these kids that you MUST have a pull. You MUST have something that causes them to make Youth Group a priority. It isn’t like it used to be when the YG was made up of church kids. Half of our kids their parents don’t even come to church! On Sunday nights, that is all the God they know throughout their week. No bible study, no small group, no Sunday school, nothing. You have to have something that gets them here. I pray that God will guide and direct me to find things that will bring these kids in and keep them coming. You have to build relationships with the kids before you can do anything else. That is part of where Youth ministry has gone. Plain and simple.

2. Kids usually only talk about the fun stuff. We did a promo for the youth conference last December and almost all of the kids said they wanted to go because it was fun. Now, think back to when you were a teenager…I’ll wait…ok…now when someone asked you why you wanted to go to an event that didn’t include your parents or sitting with relatives, what would your first answer be? Honestly, these kids are still becoming who they will be for the rest of their lives. Cut them some slack…and me too.

3. I try to make everything I do intentional. I want our kids to go do mission work. I would love it for our teens to go on a missions trip and we are trying to plan one. Still, don’t say that all we do out at the O is fun and that they need to know life isn’t all about having fun. We are trying to instill in these kids character and integrity and trying to help them build a foundation for the rest of their lives. You are right, we do have a lot of fun…that is intentional too. But don’t you think for one minute that that is all we are doing out here. I could go over the number of students who are growing and maturing into what God has called them to.

With all of that said…point taken, we do need to reach out to the community more and I will accept blame for that.

Last week...

Last week was a rough week for me. I always get stressed out before overnighters wondering who will show up and if we will have enough of everything etc. This overnighter was on a different scale though. We invited Bryant Wesleyan and Lone Oak Wesleyan Churches to the event. We had a total of around 55 students and around 70 total with sponsors and the band. It was an amazing time of fellowship and worship. God showed up and really met with us that night! It was needed. Because…

Earlier in the week, we lost our van director. Now to put this into perspective for you, we average around 25 kids…around 10-15 come in on the vans. About 50% of our youth group comes on the vans. That was a serious burden because we still don’t know what is going to happen or who is going to be driving from week to week. I feel like that old song, under P-R-E-S-S-U-R-E…

Then at a meeting, out of the blue there were some things that were brought up about the youth group. I won’t go into detail but just enough to let you know that it really caught me off guard. Why you ask? 1. Because our board never says ANYTHING! Yet this night there were several comments made directed at me and different portions of the YG. 2. The way most of them were done. The tone that they were spoken in was cynical at best. 3. All that on top of the van issue, which in reality, puts more stress on myself right now than anyone else was just too much for one day.

Last October was when someone in the church complained to Pastor John about the music that I was leading…so I will be prepared next October for this sort of thing.

So to say the least, last week was a rough one for me. I am ready for God to lead me beside the still waters…I am just not sure when that will happen!

Long Week

Hey...just wanted to update everyone...

Things are going well. There have been some struggles with church and different things over the past few days so if you would keep me in your prayers.

We are having an overnighter tomorrow night...with what looks like to be around 50-55 kids from our youth group, and a couple other groups...should be a great night.

We have rejoined Ace Fitness last week. I have been working out the last three days and feel pretty sore. It is worth it though...

Other than that, just keep Sarah and myself in your prayers...and our church and our youth group and the van ministry...as you might be able to tell, there is a lot on my heart and swirling around in my head.

SMYG.

Holiness and Salvation ( long)

Recently, a friend called me and we started talking about a meeting they were in. They were asked if they had any issues with the church and were asked to be completely honest (unlike most people who go through this process?). The issue is one that I find myself wondering about as well.

The opening statement of the Wesleyan Church's discipline states:

"The Wesleyan Church has grown out of a revival movement which has
historically given itself to one mission- the spreading of scriptural
holiness througout every land. The message which ignited the
Wesleyan revival was the announcement that God through Christ can
forgive men and women of their sins, transform them, free them from
inbred sin, enable them to live a holy life, and bear witness to their hearts that they are indeed children of God. "

I agree with everything that is stated above. I 100% believe that we are called to holiness through the transforming power of Jesus Christ. I believe that you be freed from inbred (the sin nature) sin and that God enables us to live a holy life. I support that wholeheartedly, that is the reason I became a Wesleyan.

However, after having gone through the ordination process and hearing this story from a friend, I can't help but wonder, Are we as Wesleyans putting the cart before the horse? Are we calling people to live holy lives that haven't even experienced the first work of grace- SALVATION?! I will grant that most of the people that attend our churches have had some sort of salvation experience. However, it seems to me that our mission as a church has shifted so dramatically inward that we are more concerned about getting people sanctified rather than saved! You don't hear many holiness messages, I have never preached one, still...our discipline says that it is our one mission, " the spreading of spiritual holiness". Shouldn't our one mission be to share the GOSPEL!?

This friend was told that they needed to find a mentor and essentially needed to get things straightened out in their head before they came back for their exit interview for ordination. So I wonder, do you think that I am just blowing smoke or is there something behind all of this that we can learn from?

I will finish with this: For the assignment that I had to do for my ordination, I had to: list 20 books that I had on holiness, write a reflection paper on holiness, write a sermon based around a passage on holiness and what did they talk most about when I was there? Holiness.

I love the Wesleyan church. The leaders truly are men and women of God. However, I fear for the church when we start focusing on Church Growth and give awards to pastors who had an increase in attendance and persons sanctified among other stats. We are so concerned about growing our churches from the inside out that we are forgetting those on the outside looking in. Holiness unto the LORD...we must live holy...but as Jesus said in his final commission: "Go and make disciples"...he didn't tell them to sit around and become more holy and live more holy lives. He told them to go and make others aware of what he has done...still, salvation comes first. Then, as we mature, holiness falls into place as it should. What gets us eternal life? Is it holiness? Or is it salvation?

Poke yourself

As I am preparing for my sermon this sunday...something keeps nagging at me...something that is there every sunday...some say that worship shouldnt determine who comes to church or whatever the case. Still, let's get real...it does! I grew up with the hymns and choruses from that little yellow chorus book and the ones that had been passed down and there weren't even words any where...I have been there and sang those songs. While that was good enough for me growing up, as an adult now it simply is not good enough. The problem is two part:

1.) The music we have today is all about us...take yesterday for instance, we sang "When we all get to heaven", "it will be worth it all", and the special was 'I can only imagine'. What do all these have in common? They are all about me me me...I I I. I have a hunger to sing to God not about me and my thoughts but about him and about him... It is a cycle I know, we go through different times in music...still, I think it is time for this cycle to be over with because of what this is doing to me and I fear to the whole of my church and denomination...that leads us to number two
2.) We have become numb. We cant feel anymore without feeling out of place. Sure, people cry and the like. Question though: When was the last time someone really shouted in church? Not the courtesy amen or hallelujah...but really shouted because they couldn't hold it back? I realize I sound like an old fogie to those of you who have never experienced this and that in college prof's told me that it was a thing of the past. Even I have dumbed myself down on this. After going to different conferences and meetings where the worship led us and it felt we were being emotionally stimulated and it wasn't really the Spirit...I told myself that I wasn't going to get into it because it would just fizzle out like pop rocks. Now that I have become a pastor, I long for those emotional highs. Between the planning and running service after service, I long for God to break on the scene and mess things up real good! I want to feel God...not feel warm or grateful for that song or sermon that I just heard. I want to feel like I am drowning in something that is so much more than I can handle. I long for someone to "get blessed". I miss crying in service not because I was hurting or needed something but because God was on the scene.

I know I am an old soul. People my age weren't exposed much to this kind of thing. After the boomers are gone, no one will know what I am talking about except reading it from books. The move in my church is all about holiness and church planting. I think those things are great...but I want to see God break in and refresh us as a community, restore those who have fallen as a community...we have made everything about personal faith and doing things your own way that we have neglected the communal gathering where God met with his people for thousands of years. Now, I wonder if he still does even show up for some of the services we have. Are they just a tradition that we do or are they times where we are coming to experience God and his Spirit? I think we are leaning to the first one.

SMYG.