Remind me why I do this!

Some of you may already be regular readers of the "vision of New Hope" blog to which I contribute, but if not - this is a post that sums up my heart and passion for New Hope (and the Church in general for that matter!)

I know that I am not the only one who sometimes gets overwhelmed with the demands of my job. At times, I look at all that there is to do and I get discouraged for a bit in a "woe is me" kind of way. It's times like that when I need to be reminded why I do what I do... so here goes:

I love the mission of this Church! Churches have their part in the body of Christ just like we do - we aren't all the same. I think that each local church has to find its niche in the body of Christ. For instance, the church I grew up in was really into missions. We spent a great deal of Sunday evening services (remember those?) hearing from an overseas missionary home on furlough ("here we are with our team under the banana tree..."). Over these years in ministry, I have been to "worshiping churches" where there was just something about the church that made you want to worship. I've been to great teaching churches where the pastor could talk for 2 hours and I wouldn't miss a beat (and that's saying something). Let's just say that there are a LOT of different kinds of churches. I love the mission of New Hope - to help people take their next step toward Christ. As I have watched this church grow (both numerically and spiritually) over the past 5+ years, I love the fact that we are quickly becoming a church that is bent on reaching those in our neighborhoods, workplaces and even families who are outside of a relationship with Christ - THAT IS WHAT GETS ME UP IN THE MORNING!

I love the message of this Church! It's not enough to deliver a good "show" on Sunday morning. As a leadership team, it is without doubt our greatest desire to present the life changing, soul redeeming, unbelievable truth of Christ and what he did for us on the cross! Our goal is to find a culturally relevant vehicle to deliver the timeless truth of Jesus Christ!

I love the people of this Church! Over the past 5 years, I have gotten a chance to know some of the most incredible people in the world! I am not exaggerating! It is comforting to me to know that I am trying my dead level best to reach Northwest Ohio with some of my best friends in the world. I look forward to going to Church on Sunday morning because I get to see friends from every age group from the children my kids play with to the students I have worked with for the past 5 years to their parents and grandparents!
In the end - this church is like family to me... it's not without its issues and struggles, but at the end of the day (and the beginning)... I LOVE THIS CHURCH!!!

And, I'm not alone... check out this email I got from someone in the church a few weeks ago:

"Our church worship and message was AWESOME!!! I can't say it enough, it was AWESOME!! I had a couple of friends visit, and that is all I heard them say, was how AWESOME the worship was, and how they enjoyed how Pastor George related to them/ he kept their attention :) This is one of MANY reasons why I LOVE MY CHURCH!!!!"

How can you help it?

Jeremy

Ultimate Impact

This past Saturday, my dad and I made the trip to Detroit for the North American International Auto Show. (I was shopping for my next used car in 2020)

What an amazing experience - and I am not just talking about the environment, the glitz, the people or the things that they intended for you to be impressed with.

Think about the auto industry.

I have a few friends in the industry (either in sales, dealerships or in the production end) and by all accounts (friends, media, stocks, etc), the industry is hurting. People are just trying to keep their car running longer in an effort to avoid buying large ticket items.

But you can't tell it from the Auto Show!

It was amazing the amount of money, effort and manpower put into putting the best foot of any product forward. It was just as awe inspiring this weekend as it was when I was a kid going to the Chicago show.

Think about church... here is what I am thinking.

If we are honest, there is a thought or two out there that the church is hurting... according to David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons authors of a book called 'Unchristian', "Christianity has an image problem."

Has that perception that is out there stopped us from thinking innovatively about reaching the lost? Have we bothered developing concepts and ideas that might work to revive both the perception and the effectiveness of the Church? Do we really understand that Church IS God's plan to reach a lost and hurting world? This group of people who get together once a week is SO MUCH MORE than that - this is the living, breathing Bride of Christ!

Here is a picture of my dad and I standing in front of a "concept" car for Jeep... just a creative, innovative way to reach a new audience for them - an aggressive attempt to reach a new market.

I am excited to be a part of a church that isn't afraid of rethinking the way we do things to make room for new thoughts, new ideas and most of all for new PEOPLE who don't know Jesus yet!! (We will unpack more of this in the February Sermon series you are hearing so much about!)

J:.

Leadership, Giftedness and Maturity

John Maxwell said "there is no correlation between giftedness and maturity"

I think a lot about that statement and I wonder about a couple of parts of it.

There have been many times in my life where my giftedness have gotten me into situations where I was not mature enough to flourish. You know - being a public speaker, you get a persona about you that has you regarded more highly than you should be. Or, correctly handling something as important as God's Word has people looking to you for answers.

The bottom line is that I can't assume that just because God has given me a gift in a particular area that I am mature enough on my own to handle all of the responsibility that comes with it. I need to leverage every opportunity afforded me by the giftedness that God has given me for maturity. I don't know how many times I have seen my ultimate effectiveness undermined because I assumed that my giftedness qualified me to be at the table rather than looking for times where my giftedness offers an opportunity to grow and mature.

I will likely never grow up. I'm not sure that I really want to. But, just because I refuse to grow up doesn't give me an excuse not to mature...

(I ran spellcheck before I sent this, is that a sign of maturity? :-) OH, NO... NOT THAT!

New Year's Resolutions?

Ok... it's January 2nd... I think I am behind on the New Year's Resolutions thing. I got a comment from my Sister-In-Law the other day (Hi Steph!) saying that she hoped that one of my resolutions would be to blog more... the blogosphere is as full as the health clubs with New year's decisions... Then Sheila and I had a long conversation last night about goals, resolutions and such that starts be thinking...

What is a New Year's resolution? I mean think about it... they say the proof is in the pudding, right? So if, in the end, the list of resolutions winds up being a well intentioned list of failures, why would I want to make a list of things to fail at... I mean... I can fail without a list (I have been awesome at it for 34 years!)

So, here is the deal. The New Year feels like we get a fresh start and the fresh start makes me want to get started on some new things. So, I look back at the last few years... did I make progress because I didn't make a list or did I miss out on making MORE progress because I didn't make a list?

In the end, the only thing we have for sure is the past. Who we have been before - who we wish we would have been. And, as I think about it, the best way to resolve for the New Year is by looking back at the regrets I have for the past few.

So, here goes...

I want to be the father I wish I was for the past few years. I want to play more... love more... laugh more and be more consistent.

I want to be the Husband that I wish I was for the past few years. I want to help more... be more romantic... love more... serve more (and do what made me a father more :-)

I want to be the friend that I wish I was for the past few years. I want to care more about what is going on in my friends lives (and less about how it impacts me)... I want to laugh more (I never regret laughing more)... I want to be more willing to speak truth in love (and be more articulate).

I want to be the pastor that I wish I was for the past few years. I want to lead stronger... focus better and make sure that people can see through me to the Cross. I want people to take me off of the pedestal and put Jesus there (He is much better at King of the Mountain than I am). I want people to hear Truth from me presented in a way that lets the Cross do the offending. I want people to understand who God is and learn to walk with Him because they were close to me. I want to offend more legalists.

I want to be the Christian that I wish I was for the past few years. I want to learn what it means to walk WITH God rather than trying to play catch up. I want to know more about what it means to be pleased with Who He is rather than trying to do something to make Him pleased with who i am (small i intentional). I want to find clarity in my calling - I am tired of being confused all of the time. I would love it if God would help me to long for his presence - to need him like I need air - I would love to passionately pursue a relationship with Him. I want to love the lost... I mean I want to FALL IN LOVE with people who don't know Him... love them like He does.

They are not resolutions - I am not making some statement of my goals for the year that I will soon abandon or lose (it does help that they are stored on the web though)... these are a list of failures that I would like to make shorter next year.

In the end, the best definition of discipleship I have heard to date came from my friend Doug Schrock (who I am sure is not reading this)... he said "I want to be more like Jesus tomorrow than I am today." Now, is that a resolution? I don't know, but it sounds like a great mantra to live by... it will make me a better father, husband, friend, pastor and believer tomorrow than I am today!

Thanks for reading...

Jeremy

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