Exactly how I feel!

Have you ever read something and thought: "that is exactly what I mean"? That is how I felt this morning! I ran across this blog called "HippoChurch" (First, do no harm - a Hippocratic Oath for the Church) by Scott Tanksley... very cool stuff... Check out what he said... I can't claim to have written it, but I have said it a BILLION times (if you don't believe me, read the description of the blog above)!

Hi, Brother Smith.” “Hello, Sister Jones.” “Pastor Williams left you a note.” “Bishop Taylor will see you now.”

Yuck! Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t talk that way anywhere in life. Sure, I’ll call a doctor, a doctor or a military, police or fire officer, their hard-earned rank, but I’ve just never gotten how weird we are in the church with our insistence on titles. Other than “Lord”, which is only reserved for One, the rest of us are simply children of God.

I guess I became more acutely aware of this when I became a pastor myself. Before being called into ministry, I had already received a master’s degree while preparing in my former field. Sure, a few more years of applying myself and I could have gone on for that doctorate and a lifetime of being addressed as “Doctor”. An achievement? Okay, but I’m still Scott or Tank to those who know me best, and the best honor anyone could recognize me with verbally is calling me friend. I don’t need any more than that.

With all my conversation in church world today, I still recoil a bit whenever I get a message or email from “Pastor so-and-so” or I get called that myself. I am, but why does my title matter, especially to the outside world? Generally, one of the inherent functions of titles is to distinguish, or you might even say, exclude the title-holder from the general population. It’s always been most prevalent in fields and occupations where instantaneous clarification of one’s education and knowledge is important. If you’ve got the title, it means you’ve gotten exposure to the knowledge and advanced training.

Okay, before I rile up too many, I’m not at all suggesting that Christian education and personal study are not important for the Christian faith. I’m just arguing that the bestowing of titles for doing so simply does the job titles are intended to do: elevates and, in a way, excludes the title-holder from the general population. Don’t believe me? If it hasn’t happened to you personally, how familiar is the characterization of people “straightening up” or “acting right” when they know a pastor is in their midst. Usually, it’s an absolute conversation killer or at the very least, when the pastor leaves it’s a relief because everyone can go back to acting “normal”.

Do we need recognition this badly? Is it at all necessary or just emblematic of low self-esteem? The real question: Did Jesus throw his accolades around or just engage the general population? What can we learn from that? What’s more important, getting your publish post title out there so people will salve your ego or just being your plain ol’ first name and meeting people in the middle of life?

Jeremy

I love this Church!

I was thinking about something that Rick warren said when I was in Atlanta at the beginning of the month. Talking to a generation of Church leaders who have characteristically become very negative about the Body of Christ (seeing little in its existence that is redeemable, complaining about its voice in the world, etc.), Rick Warren asked a vital question: How can you say that you love Christ, and in the same breath say that you hate the Church?

The truth is that the Church is the Bride of Christ. Warren pointed out that love for Christ and dislike for the Church is like saying that you love me, but you can't stand my wife. To be honest, you and I wouldn't have many conversations after that... at least not ones where you left undamaged.

I love this Church.

I love both the Body of Christ and New Hope Community Church. I am not blind - I know that both have their flaws. The Body historically has a sorted history and may have some things that we need to clear up... and some times when we (as the Bride) have been unfaithful to our spouse (but, that's a post for another time). New Hope has its fair share of issues and problems, but to be honest, I think that we see them and are actively working to correct them. The truth is, that every Church (and I do mean EVERY church) has its share of issues... its almost like each church is run by and filled with flawed, broken people.

Honestly, think about some of these things that are amazing about New Hope Community Church:

• We are OK with flawed people. I love the fact that the seats are filled every Sunday morning with people who are struggling to choose who will be Lord of their life. I love the fact that there is an AMAZING DIVERSITY of people in our Church. People who grew up in Church and are just now finding relevance in Scripture sitting next to people who are just now beginning to ask questions about God. I love the fact that we love people exactly where they are but love them enough to refuse to leave them there. How cool is that?
• We have a ROCKIN' worship band! (by the way - I was talking with Rod Eckley this past Sunday and was expressing to him how great things sound when I realized that I no longer have to stop focusing on God to tell that what the musicians are playing/singing is really stinkin cool!) You guys are awesome and the greatest thing is that you give an opportunity for nearly a thousand people approach God every week - what a great thing!!!! THANK YOU ALL!
• We have a killer Children's ministry! My daughters look forward to Church more than just about anything that we do in a weeks time. I remember when I was their age trying to convince my mom that I was sick so that I could stay home. The only convincing that we have to do to get the kids to Church is my poor wife trying to get them into Church clothes (we hate "tights") (not really sure why we still dress them up like that for church?)
• We know where we are going! These past few weeks of core value sermons ("Next Steps") has clarified a ton for me as a leader here at New Hope. I mean, I knew what our core values were and I could even define them, but hearing them fleshed out in our building (TOGETHER) has been huge for me. I see a clarity in our future that can't be overestimated. Now, we have a lot of work to do (I think George has identified more things for us as leaders to work on that he has things for the people in the seats), but I love that we know what we value and where we are headed... that puts us ahead of probably 90% of Churches.
• We have a Senior Pastor who seeks to honor God and recognizes the vital need for integrity. I have said this a million times, but there is comfort in knowing that I will not wake up and read about George Kreger in the newspaper! we all need to pray more for George - its tough being the main man in charge of an organization and staff this size... that's a lot of responsibility.

There are so many more things that I love about New Hope (like the Student ministry ROCKS!) but there isn't space here (or tolerance on the part of readers).

But here is one more thing that I love: We know we aren't there yet. Nobody around here is so enamored with things that they cannot see the significant flaws - - nobody has such an inflated view that we can't see the need for change and revamping. The best thing about New Hope is that there is very little that is sacred when it comes to programs and approaches... if it's not working and you can identify a better solution, let's start moving that way. I have worked in Churches my entire adult life and I know how valuable it is to be able to move when we need to.

In the end, it is very easy to focus on the negative when it comes to Church (either the larger, global Body of Christ or this local one). The truth is, that it is too easy. We too often let people focus on the negative without helping them see the potential for change and possibility. New Hope has such amazing potential, but to be honest, it isn't in the talent of the staff or the grandness of its structures - it is in the LIVES OF ITS PEOPLE! Our greatest potential lies in the potential to see lives changed!

By the way... if that step on your toes when it comes to your church, then maybe your feet are in the wrong place (Phil 2:14-18).

When nobody is around

It's amazing how things change when you know someone is watching.

You know - I might be perfectly willing to belt it out to my favorite songs when I am in the car by myself or what about when we dance, head bang and play air guitar when nobody is home? (or at least I hear that people do those sort of things... not me of course... just someone I know).

What I am getting at is that the presence of people around me motivate me in different ways. I put more thought behind things depending on who is listening (for example, students on Wednesday night are a lot more forgiving than adults on Sunday... evidenced in the amount of time spent in preparation... and the amount of butterflies)

Tonight, I was at my good friends "the Frames" when it came to my attention that more than my wife and I know about this little blog. Now all of a sudden I feel like I was dancing in the living room only to turn around and find out that my friends were watching.

As I thought about it, it led me to think a bit about integrity (also a topic that I was just talking with Merrill about tonight).

Here is the thing...

You can't separate integrity from authenticity.

Think about it... integrity, at its' core is my being the same person in front of people as I am when I am alone. For me - that is my working definition of integrity... I want to be the same person no matter where you run into me. I have tried my best in these years of ministry to not set myself on a pedestal - partially because that will cause people to think one particular way of me (also part of the reason I fight people calling me "pastor Jeremy")... the problem isn't the pedestal... the problem is when they really get to know me - it won't be long until they find out that I am just a guy who is on the same journey with God that they are... at times running... at times stumbling... at times being dragged kicking and screaming (more often the latter than the former).

So where does that leave us? Whether you run a church or a business or a family, be authentic. Let your friends see the same broken, growing person that your clients see. Let the kids see the same struggling, submitting person that your boss sees. The truth is that we all have a built in BS detector... in the end, we can all tell when we are faking it... and if we can't, then that junk has a way of surfacing over time.

I want to be the same person that I am on the stage as I am in conversation... but I will still try to shelter you from the Jeremy I am when I work on my car... nobody deserves that guy!

Even negative momentum is momentum

Last night I started reading through Ezra... totally out of character for me, but I really want to start stretching my relationship with God.

While I was reading, I remembered a statement that Andy Stanley said at the DRIVE conference in 2005... "even negative momentum is momentum." What he was talking about was difficult to understand at the time. It's difficult to imagine that somehow a problem in an organization is going to help things keep moving forward. It seems to me like when there are problems, they detract from the progress that we are making. The honest truth is that I figured it was true because Andy Stanley said it and he is like a leadership genius in my book... I just didn't know how to make sense of it.

Last night I got a little glimpse of how that statement could be true.

Ezra 1:7 says that "Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles
belonging to the temple of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar
had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed
in the temple of his god."

It amazes me. God can redeem the crappiest situation. Even when a loser of a king steals all of the articles of value from the temple intended to worship God, He chooses (in His time) to set the wheels of time in motion to play out for His glory. King Cyrus took those valuables and replaced them in the new temple... why? not because he thought they looked nicer in there... not because he wanted some attention... ultimately he put them in the temple because God orchestrated it. Think about that.

GOD HANDLED EVERYTHING FOR HIS GLORY IN HIS TIMING.

How often do I get frustrated because God isn't doing what I want when I want? When problems arise (and they always do when you work with people), I need to keep my eyes on this reality. Even negative momentum is momentum... God may be up to something for His glory that I can't see right now. He is in the business of redemption... and He is very good at it.

Decision Time

It seems like I learn best from mistakes. It's not that I want to make them so that I can learn from them, it just seems like I need them to learn.

Recently, I have been learning allot (interpretation: I have been screwing up a lot lately).

As a leader, we are pulled so many ways when making a decision.

• We have faithfulness to the "mission" (that might be a statement, the Kingdom, or just some intrinsic value that we hold),
• We have the people we lead (their feelings, their opinions, etc)
• We have the ultimate good of the organization.

Sometimes, 2 of them are pulling the same way... the other seems like it pulls the opposite way just to make things difficult.

Here was the lesson I learned... maybe you wont have to make the mistake to learn it now (good luck with that)

Make decisions FOR the people in your organization...
make decisions WITH key leaders.

So often we can get bogged down trying to make decisions that will please our constituency - THAT NEVER WORKS!

A friend (who at this very moment I am grieving his moving) once said to me... "choose who you will lose" what he meant was that to choose to please the people you have will likely cost you the people you are trying to reach - to choose the people you want to reach may lose you the people you already have. We need to ask ourselves "who are we hear to reach?"

But at times, we get overzealous with the power entrusted us.

We make decisions FOR our organizations and roll over some of the key people and ideas that keep us heading in the right direction.

Think about this: What if a decision seems right to me, but lacks ultimate wisdom in direction, timing or execution?

The answer to this issue is surrounding yourself with key leaders who will provide a sounding board for your decision making process.

There are a couple of key terms in there. KEY - then need to be people who BUY IN to the mission and vision of the organization. They can't be people who are just loud with their opinion. LEADERS - they need to be people who aren't afraid to make waves. It is of paramount importance that these people be willing to stay the course even if it costs you momentum, people or even money.

Here are some questions for thought and discussion:

• How intentional is your mission/vision?
• Are you actively protecting the mission, or do you allow fragmentation because you lack the guts? (if you don't have the guts, how can you expect the people you lead to?)
• Who are the KEY LEADERS in your life and mission? Will they speak the truth? Have they "bought in" to the mission or are they leaders because you don't have the guts to take them out of the circle?
• Is is ok to "make do" with a less than competent leader in a key role until the right time comes along to replace him or will that hurt in the long run?
• What is your grid for decision making (who has a voice, how is it processed/communicated, when (how quickly) is it made)?

Power washers and fences

I borrowed a power washer from my good friend Mark Pitman the other day. What an incredible tool! If you have never used one, I would seriously suggest that you consider buying or borrowing one before the weather turns bad. (I assume they are not as fun a 10 below zero).

This tool is an amazing invention that delicately rides the fence between work and entertainment. (If you are looking for a cheap night of fun for the family... May I suggest varying combinations of a power washer and the family cat... or a stray... or the neighbor's cat for that matter).

We used the power washer initially to "carve" the dirt off of our patio. Then the fun spread to the grill... then the garage door... then the car... then it began... THE FENCE!

You may have heard the wise, old sages say "never start power washing a fence"... now I know why! Once you wash the unbelievable grime off of one board you MUST go on to the next... then the next... and the next... WHERE WILL THE MADNESS END? You can't just stop... you can't leave one board living in a grime free existence and the next lying in its own filth can you? Once you realize how dirty it is, you feel surrounded by a 6' tall privacy fence of filth! GROSS!

As I looked feverishly for a stopping point (lazy man's way of finishing the job), I thought of about a million insights into my own life and spirituality.

• It is so easy to never start revealing the mess. It is so easy to never start letting God clean up and to rationalize who I am, how I feel and to make my own perspective rule the day. We MUST let God do whatever he wants in our lives... our way has gotten us nowhere!
• One board leads to the next. Once God reveals sin in one part of my heart... it usually leads to more. We MUST let God reveal whatever he wants.
• Cleaning up is an abrasive action. It's never comfortable for me to let God work on my heart - in fact, if it's going to be uncomfortable - that's likely proof to me that God needs to do it.
• One clean board stands out in the filth. God calls me to be a light in the darkness - a city that stands out on a hill. There are 2 key components here - light (that is supposed to be me) and darkness... the key relationship is the light IN the darkness... not a light pointing out that there is darkness to other lights... not a light that looks just like the darkness... a light that is in the darkness pointing to the Light.
• The stains run deep. There are some things that are tough to get rid of. Some sins where forgiveness covers the sin but the guilt, the pain, or the repercussions still remain. Forgiveness is just the beginning of God's role in healing. God is not just there to forgive and forget, He wants to love us through the guilt to complete recovery. WOW!!!!!!
• It's a Privacy fence. It is so easy to hide our sin in the compartmentalized privacy of our lives. It's easy to keep "out there" the public face of our faith and "in here" the filth of our lives. We MUST let God justify more than our relationship with Him - we need to let him reconcile our worlds... that is the true mark of integrity and authenticity.
  

My prayer...

Lord, help me to let you in to the privacy fence I call my life. Help me to be sensitive to the places in my life where your Holy Spirit wants to clean up. Help me to be consistent in depending on you to sustain me once you forgive me. You are all that I need - I know that - I just don't want to admit it.

Jeremy

GPS

Right now, I am typing this in the hotel while 21 of our highschool students are roaming around (a few trying to pick up the "digits", I am sure). We are in Nashville on our way to New Orleans for a missions trip.

God spoke to Job in a storm - to David in a gentle whisper - to Moses in an audible voice... so where does that leave me?

While we were driving, I was totally struck by something:

Sometimes God speaks to me like a GPS.

Driving down the road - music blaring - watching my upcoming Sophomores "Krunk it up" in the back of a 15 passenger van. Gently - with no effort to surpass the volume of the van, the small navigation device told me that I was to take the exit ramp on the right. Do you think I could hear it? NOT A CHANCE!

20 minutes later when I got back on track - I was hammered with the reality that God talks just like that. He won't force me to listen... He won't shout or scream... He won't try to drown out the noise of life... just a reminder. Maybe a verse - maybe a feeling - maybe a blog. Not loud - just right.

What is the noise in my life that is making it difficult to hear where God wants me?

Jesus TV as punishment - I knew it had a purpose!

Ok - maybe making your kid read Proverbs as punshment for talking back might be a bit much, but this is a good use for an otherwise useless medium... (btw - this came from my good friend Todd Rhoades' blog Monday Morning Insight)

Knoxville, TN- Cable Pro of Knoxville has for years had to put man hours and money into the problem of cable company clients who were delinquent in their payments. The practice has traditionally been that cable customers who persisted in not paying their bills would, after three notices, have their cable service cut off until their account was settled. While this practice has been successful in rooting out non-paying customers, it still costs the company an estimated $60,000 per year in lost time, and man hours.But recently Cable Pro president, Larry Maezell experimented with a new idea that has so far been very successful.

Now, instead of canceling a person's service, or sending him or her repeated notices of delinquency, Cable Pro simply changes a customer's subscription preferences resulting in his or her service becoming 24 hours of the Trinity Broadcasting Network on every channel."It's worked beautifully" said Maezell. "In the past we'd have to try and try to get in touch with the people who weren't paying, try and get our man out there to cut off their service. It was just a big hassle. Now, they call us!"

Cable Pro customer Chris Kjos was one of the first to experience Cable Pro's new policy."All I wanted to do was watch a little golf on Sunday afternoon" said Kjos. "I turned on my set and all I saw was this lady with big poofy hair singing. I just thought the cable company had switched up all the channels again. So I changed the channel, and it was the same thing on every channel. When I called the cable company they said I hadn't paid up my bill in over a month."

Now, "like clockwork" customers who are behind on their payments for cable services usually call the company within 24 hours wondering what is wrong with their cable service, only to told that they must pay up if they wish to have any channels other that TBN."This is the greatest idea we've had in a long time" said Maezell. "We've literally saved thousands of dollars. And last week when TBN ran the non-stop Benny Hinn marathon people were calling in so fast we couldn't keep up."

While a number of cable customers have complained that Cable Pro's practice amounts to "cruel and unusual" measures, Maezell has no plans to change."The rule stands" he said. "Either pay your bill or all you'll be watching is TBN, twenty-four-seven."

Leverage

I heard a guy on the Radio today read this passage.

It's a familiar story to me about the Biblical character Esther. Maybe it's familiar because of Sunday School stories growing up - - or maybe because of the Veggie Tale's animated video... who knows.

What stuck with me wasn't the story of Esther and her correspondence back and forth with distant family... it wasn't the ongoing saga of the Hebrew people... it wasn't even the deep meaning of the passage.

What stuck with me was the simple phrase "for such a time as this."

Think about that one... Here is this chick - one girl - in a kind of influential place. Not that she has the King's ear - in fact, if she just walks into the room where he is, she is positive she won't walk out to tell the story. Seriously - she hasn't even been in to see the guy in a month and her cousin wants her to step out on a limb for the Hebrew people? That is a pretty flimsy limb!

The bottom line for me was that phrase... it stuck... because of what was just before it. "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

It hit me: God has a plan. I mean think about it... here is this girl who is not even influential enough to walk uninvited into the room with the king and she is exactly where God wants her to be to do exactly what He wants her to do. WOW!

How often do I think... "well, I don't really have the influence to make that kind of difference." The truth is that I would rather complain and moan (less kind words substituted for paletability) about how things are going than just nut up and do something about it (kind words not substituted for effect).

My First Post

So, I'm new to this... It's really interesting to me that someone like me could have so much to say, yet so little to write. I am really pumped about the idea of fleshing out some of my thoughts stuff... even if I am the only person who ever reads this - it seems healthy (and we all know how into healthy things I am :-)

Jeremy