It’s My World, And You Just Live In It

When Teresa and I were driving back from the White Board Sessions Conference in May, I came up with a comment based on how people were driving on I 95. The comment is, “It’s your world and we just live in it.” In our day and age, people are living their lives with that attitude. It’s the idea of everyone else is second and they are first regardless in what environment. I see it at the gym I workout in, in the stores I shop, and of course on the roads. And the sad thing, I’ve seen it in the church.

I do struggle with having this same attitude when it comes to driving and even while I’m at the gym. It’s all about not be a doormat. I’m a guy and as a guy, I’m not going to just stood aside. It goes against my nature. It’s one of the side-affects of the disease we all have; the disease called SIN.

God tells us in His word, that we are to live in a way that everyone else comes first and we come last. It goes against our nature but that’s the marching orders from God. Jesus Christ who is Lord of all and the Head of the church lived this principle out. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and should have been the One being served while He was on Earth but He came to serve others. He took the servant attitude all the way to the cross. The same attitude should be in His people.

Hanging with the Guys

The last few months, the men of our Sunday morning Bible study have grown close. We’ve talked about doing something outside of church but haven’t planned anything as of yet. Saturday, we are changing that. We’re getting together and having pizza and going to watch “Righteous Kill.” All the guys agreed to show up and wanted to invite all the men of our church to come with us. I sent out an invite and look forward to see who will come.

I’m sure some people may think it weird a “church group” is going to see a rated R movie. The movie is R due to it being realistic and it stars Al Pacino and Robert De Niro (enough said). This is just a chance to hang out with other men and just be ourselves. Seeing people for an hour or two a week doesn’t really show you who they are. Beside, people tend to be on their behavior at church.

My hope is that this will be the first of many such outings. It will be fun to hang out with the guys. The more you hang out, the better you grow to know each other. It’ll be cool.

My Prayer

The Old Testament leader of Israel named Joshua is said to be a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Joshua. Just as Joshua led Israel to the Promised Land, Jesus is leading us to the promised land of salvation. I came across the below verse in my reading and it hit me between my eyes:

Joshua 1:16 “They answered Joshua, saying, ‘All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.’”

This is my prayer to Jesus Christ. From the young age He made Himself truly real to me, I’ve prayed this prayer. “All that you have commanded me, I will do and wherever you send me, I will go.” Teresa and I are seeking God’s face with our lives as we serve Him. We both made a commitment to follow His lead. Teresa has promised to walk with me where God leads me and I’m keeping (or trying to keep) my eyes on my Leader to follow Him. Wherever He looks or points, we will go. Just as God gave the Promised Land to Israel, He will accomplish His tasks He has assigned to us.

As I'm putting together next Monday's Discovery Group study of John 8:12, I came across the below. I liked it so I thought I'd share it. You may have already read these before.

Q: How many lawyers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: How many can you afford?

Q: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one, but the bulb has got to really WANT to change.

Q: How many real men does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None; real men are not afraid of the dark.

Q: How many Floridians does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Don’t know for sure; they are still counting.

Q: How many Charismatics does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Ten; one to change the bulb and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.

Q: How many TV evangelists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One; but for the light to continue, send in your donation today.

Q: How many members of a church does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Ten; one to actually change the light bulb and nine to say how much they liked the old one.

Two Is Stronger Than One



In the men’s group I lead, we are discussing for the next 2 weeks the importance of men hanging out and talking. Not just talking about sports scores, but in depth discussions. Our group has really grown strong in the last few months and I praise God for what He is doing. It’s not about numbers (even through we’ve gone from averaging 4 to averaging 7 since June). The most awesome part about the growth the last few months is the spiritual growth of the men. I’ve had wives come up to me and tell me that they are seeing a difference in their husbands; now that’s God doing His thing in the men’s hearts and lives. It’s awesome to be used to point men in the right direction.

I saw a program on the History Channel (I love this channel) on Saturday about suspension bridges and how in order to support the bridge multiple cables are used. The builders put individual cables together with a steel shell and add pressure which creates, in essence, one big cable to hold up one side of a bridge. I shared this thought with the men yesterday how God does the same to us (His church). You have one cable and it’s strong, but when you put multiple cables together and hold them together with a strong bonding agent its super strong. Our outside steel shell is God and He adds the pressure (i.e. trials) to bond us and makes us strong together.

John Donne says no man is an island, and we (men’s group) discussed this idea yesterday. We are created to need other people and need to be part of a group or community. There is no such animal as a lone ranger Christian who is healthy spiritually. Without community or fellowship with other believers, you become stagnant. As the Bible puts it, two cords of rope are stronger than one cord. This is the same as the suspension bridge cable theory. Make sure you are connected with a community and grow in Christ. That’s why I’m passionate about small groups. You can call them Sunday School, Bible Studies, Cell Groups, Connection Groups, or even Discovery Groups. Whatever you call them, these are a great way to encourage and equip people to grow in Christ and create a super strong cable to support the bridge that leads people to Christ.

“Not Guilty.”

I'm studying the first 11 verses of John 8 for Monday's Discovery Group. I wanted to share some of the things the Spirit has shown me. Because of the love of Jesus and the grace He gives, the woman caught in adultery was forgiven.

Jesus continues to pass on a message to us, but it is not written in the sand.
It is written on the cross. It is not written with His hand, but with his blood.

Jesus continues to leave a message for us: “Not Guilty.”

So many of us live with negative labels. Sometimes they are not our own fault.
But so many times they are of our own doing. And as a result, we think that our story is one of failure and shame. But you know, it doesn’t have to be. Because our story can be a story of grace. For it is grace that fixes broken lives. It is grace that heals broken hearts and restores estranged sinners.

For Jesus points us to what we are intended to be.

We don’t have to live in our past.
We don’t have live with the label.
We don’t have to live a life that is powerless in the face of temptation and sin.
We are chosen for something more.

It is grace that does not count our sin against us.
It seems to me that it would be easier for God to say, “Let them get what they deserve.” But that is not the kind of God that He is. He is a God that exhibits grace so that we might experience forgiveness, His grace. So we should never forget.

Grace is free to us, but it is not cheap. And it is a grace that we are called on to imitate. For it is grace that looks beyond what someone has done and sees what they can be. As Christians, this is the kind of grace we not only experience, but we are to exhibit as well, so that we may be as Christ…people of grace.

The official photos of the VA Beach Rock-N-Roll Half Marathon have been released. Below are the ones I'm in. All photos were taken after 13 miles. These photos were taken on the last .1 mile of the race.

A running pose for the camera.

I was making sure I was breathing right to finish strong.

Photo just before I saw the finish line.

After running 13.1 and 2 hours 41 minutes, I had enough engery to sprint to the finish line.

Missing Teresa

Teresa left on Monday morning and went to KY to spend a week with her family. She tries to do this once a year. Must of the time, I go with her but I couldn’t this time. It’s only been 2 days and I miss her greatly. I can’t sleep without her in bed with me. It takes 2 days of sleeping alone for me to fall asleep before midnight when Teresa is away. I couldn’t sleep until midnight (and got up at 5 am for work) on Monday so I was so tired last night I passed out around 10:30. After 12 years of marriage, I love the fact I still miss her when she isn’t around. She will be home this weekend, and I’m looking forward to it.

Achieved Another Goal



Yesterday I was able to achieve another goal I set for myself. I started running 6 months ago and have run in 2 5K races and an 8K Mud Run. I saw the VA Beach Rock-N-Roll Half Marathon advertised in an issue of Runner’s World and Teresa told me that she thought I could finish it. I started really training for it in mid-July and registered in early August. It was my first national race and will not be my last.

There were around 20,000 people running and there was energy at the starting line. I felt it but didn’t care because I’m not a morning person. Teresa and I got up at 5 am and Teresa dropped me off at the start at 6am. The race started at 7am and I started running at 7:30am. I was in corral 19 of 24. Every 45 seconds to a minute a corral started to avoid too many people running at one time. This was a different type of race because just about every mile there were bands playing music. It was kind of neat.

My goal was to complete the 13.1 mile race without stopping or walking. I went down to a trot a couple of times but never stopped. I saw people walking after less than a mile and that surprised me but they may have different goals than I. I averaged a little over a 12 minute mile and completed the race at 2 hours 41 minutes. I wanted to finished strong and was able to sprint to the finish line. Words cannot describe my feeling at the time other than jazzed and that really doesn’t give it justice.

Getting Started

Today at the gym, I was warming up to do my bench-press by doing pushups. I do two sets of 25 pushups to warm up the chest muscles to avoid pulling anything. I was knocking out the first set of 25 and I realized that doing these was nothing. Last year I made my mind up to get back to shape so I started by doing 100 pushups everyday. I did 4 sets of 25 and when I started it was hard. After a period of time, they got easier but I had forgotten that fact until today. My body is used to doing these exercises now and they are easy to me.

This made me think about when I first told people about Jesus; how hard it was. It took me pushing through the fear and trusting God to give me the words. After many years of telling people of Jesus, it is easier. Getting started was the hard part but as I did it the talking became easier.

No matter what you are looking to do, the first stop is always the most difficult and scary. Be it getting into shape or doing what you are supposed to do. Getting start will be hard but rewarding in the long run. So let’s get started.

Sin is Sin

I'm still putting the final touches on next Monday's study of John 7:1-24. I want to point people to what Jesus is saying in these verses. In verses 19-24, Jesus was calling out the leaders of Israel. He reveals that the Jewish leaders were completely inconsistent and hypocritical. After all, they had allowed circumcision as a necessity to be done on the Sabbath, but they would not allow healing.
So, according to this logic, it was right to make one part of the body right before God, but not the entire body.Their logic was falling apart. Justice is to be based on substance, not appearance. They needed to get their values straight. The values of the Jewish leaders had been shallow and only on the outward appearance. They had completely missed the spirit of the law, and thus, God’s point of view.

We aren't too far removed from this same mindset in some of our churches. We live in a world that believes that “truth is what you make it.” We live in a culture that really lives that. When describing things that are ugly and sinful, we reword them to make them acceptable.

For example, if a man comes home from work and is mean and grouchy with his family, we call it “executive tension.” If a person is rich and snobby, it is reworded as classy and elegant. If a person is committing adultery, we dare to call it a “love affair.” The trouble is that sin is sin. It is not a weakness, shortcoming or a mistake; it’s SIN.

You know, if we change the label on the bottle of poison, it doesn’t mean that the power of the poison has been taken away. It is still poison.

This is the way Jesus saw it and that's how we as His people should see it.

Obedience

In preparing for next Monday's Discovery Group study of John 7:1-24, I came acorss this story that feel is worth sharing.

"Many years ago, a pastor met a hard-bitten old Marine General, one of those tough, self-sufficient characters who was use to giving orders. After he had retired he became a Christian and grew with astonishing speed. Everyone who knew him saw the change. They respected him as much as they always had, but they saw a compassion, an understanding, a patience develop in him that was never there before. He was able to get along with people with whom he had formerly been bitterly at odds. When the pastor asked a Christian leader that knew him why this was true, he replied, “When the general hears something from the Scripture, he obeys it immediately.” This is why he grew so fast."

With every act of obedience, the truth of what Jesus says becomes more and more persuasive. We know it is true, because God proves Himself true every time. Obey God the next time you read the Bible and the Spirit touches your heart.

Reverence

As I am working to get Connection Point Church started, I have people who aren’t in our core group calling me “Pastor Thomasson” or “Reverend.” That feels weird to me to be called “Reverend” even by people I’m leading. It’s even weirder being called that by people I don’t know. The times I’m called “Reverend” by non-core group people I’m trying to buy something for the church or set something up for the church. I’ve never been big in titles when it comes to church work because we are all equal in the eyes of God. The only title I offer is Mr. or Mrs. to those people who are older than I (I was raise to respect my elders). I tell people to just call me Tom; just Tom.

The last church I worked as a youth pastor, I had one of the teens asked what I wanted to be called. I told them to call me by my name, Tom. They said, “Pastor Tom?” I told them, “No, just Tom.”

I hate the title “Reverend” and try to avoid it at all cost. When I fill our anything and am asked to choose a title, I put Mr. At conferences, if there is a preprint name tag it will have “Rev.” on it. I bare it in those circumstances. I know that my distain for the title “Reverend” goes back to my pastor and mentor of many years telling me as a young 16 yr old preacher-boy that, “The only person that we should reverence is Jesus Christ and that no man should be revered or called reverend.” Below is the definition for the word “Reverence” and I’ll let you make your own mind up. But as for me, I’m just Tom.

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin reverentia, from reverent-, reverens respectful, reverent
Date: 14th century
1: honor or respect felt or shown : deference; especially : profound adoring awed respect
2: a gesture of respect (as a bow)
3: the state of being revered
4: one held in reverence —used as a title for a clergyman

Determination

Some animals have the curious habit of steering a straight course, no matter what obstacles may be in the way. A black bear swimming in the water, for instance, will not turn to the right or left for any reason-boats, floating logs, reeds, or whatever.

Large tropical snakes will slither right over a boat or canoe rather than go around it in the water. Some land turtles are so determined to proceed in a straight line that they will push headfirst all day against a telephone pole rather than go around it.

We may laugh at these animals for their stubbornness or stupidity; but they are only following an instinct buried deep inside them.

This instinct also lies deep within many human beings. Sometimes it results in tragic or foolish mistakes. But when guided and focused by the Holy Spirit, this instinct to steer a straight course matter what the obstacle becomes a marvelous thing.

Jesus left the remaining eleven disciples with a tremendous task: “Go into the world and make disciples of all nations.” What were these men and a handful of followers against the entire world? Yet their single-minded determination to follow Jesus, inspired by the Spirit, turned the world upside down.

If we are Jesus’ disciples, we too carry within us the seeds of that determination. We can either dismiss it as foolish stubbornness or bring it to God’s Spirit for focus and direction. Around us is a world that is waiting for a handful of people to turn it upside down again.

Anxiety

Last night I laid out the plan of doing a monthly Celebration Event starting in October to our small Monday evening Discovery Group. It’s out there now. Last night I had the same dream over and over again. The dream was me and only 2 people in this Celebration Event; the same two people for 3 months. I know actually what the dream means. I have some anxiety about this step. Last year I came across Philippians 4:6:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

I have freedom in knowing that God is in control (even when I can’t see Him), and He will make known everything I will need to know. The rest I have to take through faith. He has given us the people to help us reach out to the community of Carrollton, and He (God) is the One who draws people to Himself. We can have all the bells and whistles and if God isn’t in it, nothing will happen. And on the other side, we can have canned music, folding chairs, no multi-media slides, and preach the Bible and Christ, and God is in it, it will exploded.

Through the eyes of faith, I will trust the One who saved me and has called me to be His servant. I will trust in His great power and His great knowledge to do what He has called me to be and do.

Lord, take me and use me the way You see fit.

Mud Run 2008

I have to say that I will never look at sand the same way after I ran in the ASYMCA Mud Run. The course was at least 85 to 90% sand. I mean loose sand, not compact sand. The race kick my butt and it was the toughest thing I ever put myself through and I loved it. They waited to put the toughest part toward the last half. They had a 5 foot wall which was easy to jump over (for me) and 3 “mud pit” areas. The last mud pit was one I had to crawl under rope and through mud (it was awesome) and through it my knees got cut up (no big deal) it was a cool adventure.
According to the website’s result tab, my running time was 67 minutes and 29 seconds, and I came in 64th out of 86 men in the age group of 35 – 39 and 973 place out of over 2000 runners. Not too bad for my first 8K mud run. See below for some of the photos of the run. After August 31, I’ll post about the Rock-N-Roll Half Marathon.

Before the race; nice and clean.

Getting my mind focused on the pain to come.

Lining up to start.

The Race starts.

Getting through half of the sand.

Happy to finish.

Battle wounds.

Nice free and cold water.

I feel better in the shade.

Happy the race is over and ready to get the mud and sand off.

Getting the mud and sand off.

Loving FaceBook



I’ve been playing around on FaceBook for almost 2 months now and I’m loving going on this community website more everyday. Teresa is now hooked on it and is on it more than I am.

There have been people in my life that I allowed to go by the way side and I think of them every once and a while. Friends I made in college that went one way and me another. Teens I lead as a Youth Pastor now adults that I lost touch with. And people in my travels in ministry that I think of often but never been able to find an e-mail or phone number for. The people I have based sermon illustrations and stories I tell to my now friends.

FaceBook has given me back the opportunity to reconnect with these people. I love hearing about where my college friends are now and what they are doing. Some are where I thought they end up and others no where near. One has gone from Youth Pastoring to being a Warrant Officer in the Army (still work with youth as a volunteer), and some are teaching in Christian Schools. FaceBook is an awesome tool to reconnect.

19,999 People and Me



After almost 10 years, I starting jogging again back in March 2008 (only 4 months), and have run in two 5K Races and will run in an 8K Mud Run on Saturday, 8/9. I say that to say this, I registered to run in the Virginia Beach Rock-N-Roll Half Marathon. The race is on August 31. I looked through the race’s website about 6 weeks ago, and it said that only 20,000 spaces were available. I thought there is no way 20,000 people will run in a race in VA. After I race 8 miles on Sunday, I told Teresa that I think I can run in this race. I went in the website to register and there were only 200 spaces left. I thought wow, 19,999 people and me will be running over 13 miles on Labor Day weekend. It should be interesting. I’ll post after the race to let you know that I survived the race and my time and placing. In the registration, there is a place where they want to know your guess on your running time. I put 2 hours 30 minutes and 24 seconds. I have no clue but I ran 8 miles in about 1 hour and 22 minutes on Sunday so I’m giving myself another hour to run 5 miles. It will be a neat adventure.

True Satisfaction is Found In Jesus

In Greek mythology, King Tantalus was punished in the underworld by being chained in a lake. Its waters reached to his chin but receded whenever he bent down to satisfy his burning thirst. Over his head were branches laden with choice fruit, but they immediately withdrew whenever he reached upward to satisfy his hunger. A symbol of utter frustration, his name is immortalized in the English word “tantalize.”

And this is what the world is like. The world tantalizes us, but it can never satisfy the longings of the human soul. It will always come up short. In the same way, seeking to know God, or attempting to satisfy the human soul apart from Christ is utterly futile.

But, there is serious satisfaction when we trust Jesus. When we believe the good news of who He is, we find satisfaction and a blessing that never runs dry. We have good news. He is with us, right here, at this very moment. Jesus is alive and is available to us where we are, where we work, and whatever we are doing. He is here to satisfy our souls forever.

We need to simply trust and believe.

GO!

DISCLAIMOR: This is longer than I normally post.



When I think about the “Great Commission” in Matthew 28: 19, I wonder if this verse has been used some many times for missions and witnessing that it’s lost any power to encourage Christ-followers to do this task. This is a great task to do, and overwhelming at times. Who is to be doing the going, and why is it that Christ-followers aren’t doing more of it?

Let’s look at the verse:

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The King James Version has “YE” or “YOU” after Go. The King James Version council would add words to the manuscript that they thought made passages flow better. When they did this, they put the words in italic to show this. Later versions assumed people knew who was to go so they did not add this word to this verse. So basically, as Christ-followers we are the ones who Jesus told to go.

So we are the ones who are commissioned to go and tell the good news of Christ’s gift of eternal life. Why is it that not everyone is sharing this news? I have some theories of why this is.

1. People are under the assumption that this task is for the “Pastors” or “Professional Clergy” to do.
If this was the case, Christ would have only talked with the 11 remaining disciples separate from the crowd. He told everyone that was with Him to “Go.” There were around 500 people present at this meeting.

2. People that don’t have the Spiritual gift of evangelism assume they don’t have to do this task since it’s not their thing.
Even though you may not have the Spiritual gift of evangelism, this commission is for you to do as well.

3. Some people feel that they can’t talk with strangers. They say, “I’m shy.”
The greatness of this commission is that we aren’t doing it. It’s the Holy Spirit through us who is doing it. Acts 1:8;

“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

As humans, we are merely the work gloves. In themselves, gloves just lay around. It’s not until you put your hand in them that they are able to accomplish a task like raking the leaves or hammering a nail. The Spirit is accomplishing the task of telling the good news of Salvation. God doesn’t need us, but He wants to use us.

4. People say, “I’m not a good talking.” Or, “I wouldn’t know what to say.”
God will give us the words to use when we need them. Jesus told us that we will be put in situations that we may not know what to say. In these times, He said not to worry because the Spirit will give you the words to say. Mark 13:11;

“When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.”

You have trusted your eternal soul to Christ for salvation. Trust that He will do what He says helping you speak to others about him.

Matthew 28:19, tells us to go and tell the world about what He has done for us. Step out on faith and tell some one today.

I’m Not In Control

One of the must freeing truths I’ve learned in the whole church planting thing is that God is the One who does, and I’m called to just follow His lead. He has planned and accomplished all the works or tasks He has called me to do for Him. It’s freeing but nerve racking at the same time. I’m a take charge sort of guy and I struggle with “letting go and letting God.”

I had a reminder of this yesterday. I’m praying and talking with God and trying to look a head of what He has shown me already. I was getting frustrated and wondering what can I do to get a head of the planning. There are so many “I’s” needing dotted and “T’s” needing crossed. As I was praying and wondering about the church plant, I read through my notes for last night’s Discovery Group study of John 6:15-21 and the John account of Jesus walking on the water. Something in my notes hit me between the eyes. The disciples spent hours rowing against the storm’s waves trying to save themselves. They were tired and scared and then they saw Jesus. When they invited Him in the boat, the storm stopped and they found that they were on land. It is Jesus who claims the storms of our lives. It is He who puts things in order. I had to stop and tell God that I’m sorry and will relay solely on Him to do His plan. Connection Point Church isn’t my plan, it’s God’s plan to reach His sheep.

Once I let go, I was called by our Missions Director about some of the things we’ve been talking about. He told me that God gave us a band to play music for us. I got excited and knew who did it. God is doing His thing and getting things ready. He will give us a meeting place in a town where meeting places are limited. He will give us the equipment we’ll need when we will need it. And He will give us the money when we will need it. God is always in control even when we can’t see it.

Reviewing a Book



I read in Mark Batterson’s blog that his publisher is looking for people to read his new book “Wild Goose Chase” and write a review. They will send a book for you and another book to give away. I e-mailed the publisher to see if I can be one of the reviewers. If “Wild Goose Chase” is anything like “In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy” it will be a very good read. Mark Batterson is a good blogger and a church planter like me. In fact, He was in Springfield, MO the same years I was there. He went to Central Bible College (Assembly of God) and I went to Baptist Bible College. It will be a cool opportunity if I’m chosen.

The book comes out in August and you should check it out. Better yet, buy “In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy.” “In A Pit With A Lion . . .” is a challenging book for those who want to follow God in everyway.

His Pain, Your Gain




On the back of the t-shirt I wear jogging has a hand with a nail through it with the caption, “His Pain, Your Gain.” The blood was needed to wash way my sins, but I think that the worst of it for Jesus was the 3 hours he was on the cross in darkness. I’m sure the pain of the nails and the fresh lash marks were painful but I feel the worst of it was the sorrow of the separation Jesus had to go through; the hours that God the Father turned His back on His own Son. God had to look away because God is so pure, He can not look on sin and Jesus became sin for us.

The pain and agony the lost will feel for all eternity after the Great White Throne Judgment, Jesus felt on the cross for 3 hours. The pain that I will never have to feel, He felt for me. Thank you my Lord and My Savior for taking my place.

People



Yesterday, I made it to Carrollton really early for the Discovery Group. I took my time and picked up our mail from the local mail store and was going to sit in my truck and read through my notes. My stomach started to tell me I was empty so I drove across the street and got something to eat. I was sitting there enjoying my food and started to look around me. There were 2 middle aged couples and a mother with 3 little children eating. I started thinking about the need that Carrollton has for Jesus. I asked God to allow me and Connection Point Church to be used to reach out to this community with His love.

The topic of last night’s group was the Feeding of the 5,000 in John 6. Other than being a miracle by Jesus, we can take away from it that God can take something small and seemingly unimportant and do something great. I shared with the group that we may be small now, but if we are willing to truly give ourselves over to God’s plans for Carrollton He will create something that only exists in our dreams. God cares for people. He gave His Son to die for people. Starting a new church where there are some already is because God wants to reach people using a different approach than the churches are doing now.

While eating, I asked God to help me never think or pray for Carrollton with dry eyes again. I want to see Carrollton the way God does; to see people who need Him.

Being Faithful to the Bible



I’ve been thinking about the responsibility I have to preach the Bible and not just speak about good topics. Being faithful to the Word of God is high on the list that I will be called on when I stand before my Father on Judgment Day. It is so easy to just speak about the topics of the Bible and not preach on what is in the Bible. It’s called on those of us who are called to be pastors to edify the “Saints of God” and encourage them to do His will. In order to do this, the principles of the Bible must be taught.

Preaching what is in the Bible does get ugly sometimes; especially when biblical truths go against today’s culture. People get upset if you hold them accountable for their actions saying not to judge them but we are told to hold each other accountable. People get set up when we preach against living together before marriage, sex before marriage, being drunk, and the like because it goes against what the world says is all right. The Apostles told the Jewish council that they should obey God and not men when they tried to stop them from preaching Jesus. It’s time for us preachers to just preach the Bible and not try to explain it. The Bible can explain itself because the Holy Spirit will show the truth to God’s children.

There is a proverb I like, “Throw a rock in pact of dogs and the one that yelps the loudest is the one who got it by the rock.” The people that get upset and/or complain are the ones the Holy Spirit is convicting them of what was preached. I rather have people upset with me when I preach truth, than God upset with me for telling bedtime stories.

Let’s be faithful in preaching the Bible.

My Favorite T-shirt



I’m not a big fan of Christian t-shirts just because most of them are hokey and/or not very Biblical. Another reason is that they tend to be very expensive for t-shirts. There is one t-shirt I had way back in college that I wore a lot. It was called “The Lord’s Gym.” The graphic (see photo to the right) is a muscular Jesus with a cross his back looking like he is doing a push up. The caption is “His Pain, Your Gain.” I just like this t-shirt.

Last week, I was thinking that since I’m running in races now I want to let my light shine. I found this t-shirt as a tank top on a website. It’s still the number one favorite t-shirt out there. The company has shipped it so I will have it in plenty of time for the 8K Mud Run on August 8th. It will be cool to wear this. Lord willing I will have people asking me about it.

Playing In The Mud

My personally is one that pushes the limits. I question just about everything, and I will try new things if they don’t go against the Bible. I do the same thing with my body. Fives year back I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane for the fun of it and will do it again sometime in the near future.

Now that I’m back into good physical shape, I’m doing the same thing with my running in 5K runs. My desire is to do a triathlon sometime next year. A few weeks ago I saw a photo of a friend running in a “Mud Run” in his Facebook profile. I asked him about it and he said it’s basically an 8K run through mud. I thought, “That would be cool to do.” I spoke with a guy at the gym I go to yesterday about races he has been in and he mentioned ASYMCA Mud Run in August. Yes, I’m registered for it. The course will be a challenge as I run, walk, trot, crawl, climb over and under mud, sand dunes, obstacles, hills, trails, walls and sand. I think for now this will be a great challenge to put myself. The run is at the home of 5 S.E.A.L. teams (NAB Little Creek in Norfolk, VA) so it will be cool to run where S.E.A.L. team members train. I’m sure they will be running in the race. The official website for this run has some cool photo. If interested in looking in the website or joining in the craziness, here’s the website: http://www.asymcamudrun.com.

Fellowship Over Starbucks



Today after work, I was able to meet with Jamie for coffee. Jamie is one of the new church planters who have moved to the area. We had a great time of talking and getting to know one another. Jamie used to work for Starbucks so he had bags of it in the house so he gave me a pound of coffee beans (way cool). It was neat to hear his background and how God opened the doors for him to move here.

Through our conversation, I learned that Jamie is a graphic artist. He has offered to do anything we need for graphic designs. It's neat to have this new contact. Next week, we (Teresa and I) will meet Jamie and his family will have lunch after church. I look forward to seeing how God will use Jamie at ODU.

Teens In Action



The meeting with Darrel went very well. As we talked about the church plant and other things, I saw in the areas I am weak he is strong. It looks like God is opening the door for us to work together. It will be great to have him and his family on the team.

One of my ideas was to see about using the teenagers Darrel has on the PCS Brazilian Mission team to help with the soon coming monthly celebration events. I was thinking about having some teens play the music and help with the children. Darrel thought this was a great idea and in fact, there are 4 young men who can do the music. It will be cool to have on the team a group of young people who can help once a month as we lay the foundation of Connection Point Church. It will be free trained help and they will get more experience they can use on the mission field next Easter week.

We’re still praying for a location to meet. The church we are praying will open there door to us will be talked with next week. God willing the doors will open. Today I’m calling the owner of a now closed used car dealership to see if he will be willing to allow us to use the property. God willing this will open up. Thanks for the prayers.

Prayer Request Answered: New Partners



I had an e-mail from a long friend of mind who I've been praying and asking God to have him and his family join us with the church plant. I've asked in passing if he and his family could pray about helping us. I've prayed in silence (saying nothing to anyone else) for new helpers. God answered this request. I meet with said friend tomorrow to talk over how we can work together. I look forward to see how God will use this new partnership. I'll keep you posted.

Pool Outreach




At the YMCA where I work out the outdoor pool has a play area for kids to play. It has all the stuff that attracts and entertains the kids so the parents can relax by the pool. The YMCA near where I live just added one of these outdoor play areas and an outdoor pool. You see families there relaxing and the kids having fun. I know of several of our church members who hang out there to enjoy some time out of the house and family fun for no money (admission is part of the monthly fees).

I was thinking today that this is an awesome opportunity to use this as an outreach to families. Since you’re there anyway, talk with the other people around you. You use what God gives you to bond with others; the children. I hang out at a local bar and grill and coffeehouse and talk with people, but if there was a YMCA near where we are reaching out to the community and if I had a child I would use it to talk with people.

Everywhere we go can be an opportunity to witness and reach out to our community. Think about where you hang out and pray for opportunities to witness.

Got a Logo

After looking around for a graphic designer that does good work, I was given a name by a fellow Church Planter last week. I'm glad to say that Josh is not only good at his craft but not expensive. He designed our logo and an awesome looking hand out about the church (postcard) size. Take a look.

Monday’s Reflections of Sunday


I was thinking about how great yesterday was. I can’t help but be very thankful to God for all He did yesterday.

In the 9 A.M. Men’s Bible Group, we started a new study using the book, “Redefining Life: For Men.” In the last 2 years I’ve lead this group, we had good studies. Some were DVD based studies and most were small group studies to develop discussions. By far this one is the best we’ve done. God is truly blessing this group because the men are growing in their walk with God. Not only is the group maturing, but more men are checking us out. We had 7 men in the group yesterday with 2 more men planning to join us next week. These men are wanting to grow in their walk and be the leaders of their families. It’s an honor to be able to lead them.

Just before the morning service Satan was acting out. Nothing was looking good. Our senior pastor was out and the multi-media projector was not at the church yet. It arrived 5 minutes after the service started. As the worship leader was leading the music, I set it up and tried to open the Power Point slides but it wouldn’t open. I thought to myself, we’re doing the worship old school. The great part about this is that God’s spirit was manifested during the music portion of the worship hour. He was present during the preaching part of it as well. Having music on the screen is cool but it’s not the end all. God is the end all.

After the morning service, Teresa and I were able to hang out with our friends at Rudy Tuesday’s. It was a great time of fellowship and getting to know our best friend’s new girlfriend. We met her last week and this was more time to get to know her. She loves the Lord and wants to serve Him just like Gil does. I left feeling energized. It was fun, and of course as I shared in yesterday’s post we bought new cell phones. That was a great way to end the day serving our Lord.

I hope God was able to use you on Sunday.

New Toys

Today after church and lunch, Teresa and I went to Best Buy and bought new cell phones. We got blackberries. It's fun to have new toys. OK, actually these will be great tools for the ministry. The only thing about new phones is reading the manual. The coolest items are the camcorder with this phone and we can surf the world wide web. We're charging them now. God is good because with everything, 2 cell phones, car charger, 2 phone clips, and 2 blue tooth head sets came to less than $500. Before all the discounts the price looked like it would be almost $1,500. God is good all the time and all them time God is good.

When We Feel Like Faking It



Studying the new study for the men's group I lead, I saw this and wanted to share with you. I like this so much I ordered the book from Christianbooks.com. It makes you think; at least it made me think on how I act around others.


From “TrueFaced: Truth God and Others with Who You Really Are”

The ancient Greeks loved their theater. It was the Broadway of the Appian Way. But their immense outdoor amphitheaters had some built-in problems. People in the back row could not see the actors’ faces, let alone their expressions. So some director came up with the idea of having the actors deliver their lines behind giant masks.
All the actors held a pole that carried an enormous papier-mâché mask that portrayed their predominant nature – good or evil. The mask was always a caricature – an overdone, generalized, or idealized portrayal. If the playwright wanted to show that a character had changed during the play, that actor’s mask was traded for another. But the actors never revealed their true faces. Throughout the play, they all acted out their roles behind a façade. These performers were not called actors, but hypocrites, literally, “one who wears a mask.” A hypocrite was one who continually wore masks and whose face the audience never saw.
A great mechanism for ancient Greek theater. A tragic mechanism for people who hunger to be known and loved in the light of day.
We are all performers, and like the actors in ancient Greece, we don’t show our true faces. Because of sin, we’ve lost confidence that we will always please our audience, so we feel compelled to hide and put on a mask.
We have dozens of masks in our wardrobes, including:

The "happy: mask
The "I'm better than most" mask
The "I'm very together" mask
The "I don't care" mask
The "I'm very important" mask
The "I'm the expert" mask

Thank You Leaf



This afternoon I was able to help out a new Church Planter who just moved in to the area. Jamie drove from Fredericksburg to Norfolk and Mark, Chris, and I helped him and his brother-in-law (Mark) move the stuff into the apartment that he and his wife are renting. It’s a nice apartment in an older house. Jamie is creating a new ministry to Old Dominion University students. His apartment is only a mile and half form the campus. It was good to be able to help out.
To say thank you, Jamie’s 4 year old boy handed us a leaf as we stood around saying good bye. It was cool that he gave it to us. He’s a cute kid.

God Is Not Carman

I preached on the topic of Obedience not too long ago. I wanted to illustrate some people’s view on God and why we must obey Him. I choose a You Tube video clip from a South Park episode where the character Carmen tried to be the Police authority of the town. Carman would use the nightstick he had to hit people in the knees and shins yelling, “You will obey my authority!” Some people think that God is in heaven with thunder bolts in hand ready to strike you down because you aren’t obeying Him and that He is power hungry (like Carman) and that’s why we have the 10 Commandments.

If you are a parent, you will understand this idea a little better. God has the commands in place for our benefit. Just like our parents won’t allow us to cross the street alone when we were little and/or not allow us to play with a hot burner, God has set these rules in place to keep us from harm. If you crossed the street alone, you were in danger of being hit my car, and it you played with the hot burner you could have been burned. Parents know the dangers where little children do not.

God knows better than we when it comes to the dangers of this world. He doesn’t want us to destroy our health so He says be sexually pure. Being sexually pure will keep you from getting a STD. God says not to be drunk with wine (or other types of liquor) so we won’t destroy our livers. God says not to lust after your neighbor’s spouse so will be will keep our mental life healthy.

Just as walking across the street alone as a child may get you hit by a car, going against what God says will cause damage to you either physically and/or spiritually. God sets these rules or commands in place for our benefit. Where Carman was out for people to obey his authority because he wanted the power, God has the authority and uses it as a parent uses it to take care of their children.

Think about it.

Safety & Provision

On Friday night, I was driving home from a business dinner and my truck died on I 264. When I left the restaurant, I noticed the battery light on. I thought that’s not good. I was planning on getting the truck served anyway so I was going to get it looked at over the weekend. On the way home, I felt the AC not cooling and thought, “That’s weird.” As I’m thinking this, I see another light come on and the speedometer go down; I lost power. I was on the far right lane anyway so I pulled off the interstate. I sat there thinking, “This is just great. Now what?” After about a 5 minute span of praying and thinking, I turned the key. The truck started so I praised the Lord. But after less than a mile, the truck died again.

I called Teresa and she came to get me. It took her about 20 minutes so I stood less than 5 feet away from a major through way to the a major beach vacation spot. Car after car just sped by. I was thanking God for not allowing me to be in the middle of the downtown Norfolk tunnel when the truck died. You see, the truck isn’t mind. The truck belongs to God; I just get to manage it. When Teresa arrived, I was claim and she noticed. I told her that it wouldn’t do to get mad because things happen. It will work out.

On Saturday, I called a towing company and we carried the truck to a nearby Ford dealership. I will be able to pick it up after work today. With replacing the alternator and 4 new tires (apparently I need new ones), the grant total is over $800. I have no worries about the bill. God has blessed us and He will continue to bless us. I will pay the bill and drive God’s truck to our Monday night Discovery Group praising Him all the way.

Iron Sharpening Iron

In the last 2 weeks, I’ve been seeing and talking with one of the men who attend the weekly men’s group I lead at the gym. This man has grown the last 2 years and I enjoy talking with him. He just started a new job at a nearby car dealership so he works out at the same place I do now. It’s nice talking with him in passing. I talked with him today about me meeting up with him at his place of business to talk. The dealership has a café for their employees and we will try to hook up next week.

I enjoy meeting with people and having either a meal or coffee with them. I enjoy the conversation and it’s a great chance to see who they are outside of church. These meetings allow them to see me outside of church as well. I’m who I am no matter where I go. What you see is what you get with me (good, bad, or indifferent), but some people think as a preacher we’re different than other people. Granted, most preachers are different but that’s not because they’re preachers; it’s just because they are weird ; - ).

Building this type of closeness with my men, allows me to sharpen them in their walk. As the Bible says, as iron sharpens iron brothers in the Lord are to sharpen each others walk (I’m paraphrasing it). Men are men, no matter what their background is. Most guys don’t like coming to church or the idea of church because they are afraid of being demanned (a made up word). It’s my mission to let the men God sends me know that Jesus was a man’s man when He was on Earth. I think talking with this guy in the middle of bench press sets or curls, he sees a regular guy who loves the Lord and cares for him and his family.

Principle’s Office

I only was sent maybe 3 times to the principle’s office in my 12 years of school, but I remember the feeling of, “What did I do to reserve this?” feeling. That feeling hit me yesterday. I sent an e-mail with some ideas and questions to the southeastern SBCV Church Plant Strategist and his reply was, “Sounds like it is time for more coffee. What does your schedule look like?” My first thought was, “Why and what did I write to cause this meeting?” The coffee is because we meet at a coffeehouse near our homes.

I always enjoy the time that Mark and I spend talking over coffee and feel encouraged afterward. I think it’s funny that after being 19 years since the last time I had to go to the principle’s office, my mind remembers the feeling. I look forward to the meeting.

Target Group

While learning the ins and outs of church planting, the term “target group” has been used a lot. I heard in the seminary I attended and have read the term in the books I’ve read. I’ve never been asked who my target group is with us planting a church in Carrollton. Are we looking to target the Gen Xers which Teresa and I are part of? Are we looking to target the down and outers, the Baby Boomers, or the post-moderate generation? The answer to these questions is, yes. We are planning to spread the seed of the gospel to everywhere and to every type of people. We are trusting God to lead people He wants us to reap from the harvest.

The one group I have always been passionate to reach is “Men.” If you press me on what is our target group, I would have to say, “Men.” If you lead the head of the house to the Lord, the rest of the family will attend church with him. There are a lot of stats that point to the importance of the fathers coming to church that affects the sons continuing to attending after graduation, and that affect on the mothers and daughters. I’ve worked in the men’s ministry for almost 10 years now and when the man growing in the Lord, the wives are encouraged and the family is grounded.

There is a church in Tampa, FL (Church @ The Bay) is totally focused on reaching men. From their website to the layover of their church (including color scheme), it’s all geared to reach men. I’ve trading e-mails with the senior pastor and he has shared with me that the women are very grateful for this because their man is coming to church and grow in their walk.

You reach the man and the family will come with him. Reach the man, and you can reach a generation. My “target group” is the men that God leads to me. It’s all about pointing people to Christ and He changes them. I want to be part of change a generation of men.

Smoky Joe’s

Last night I had dinner with a friend at a BBQ place in Carrollton called Smoky Joe’s. The food was awesome and the place was cool. As Gil and I talked and enjoyed the food, I looked around and saw the different people who were eating. This is a neighborhood type place so the people eating were people who live nearby. I have to admit, I ate there to see if it could be a possible place to connect with the community. The food will cause me to come back. The food and the desire to connect with the Smoky Joe’s people will make it a regular watering hole.

The layout of the place is perfect for a church gathering. There is a stage in the corner with its own sound system for live music. The tables can be moved to set up chairs. I’m praying that God will open this place for a Sunday morning gathering. The idea of worshipping God in a place that Jesus would spend time in to me is ideal. The place is a bar that serves great food. Having church in a bar is an awesome idea to me. I’m praying that this desire is the one God has for us to do for Him. If it is, He will open the door wide.

Community

This past weekend I created a Facebook account. It’s only been 4 days and I have over 20 “friends” on my account. Teresa saw this and created her own on Sunday and she has over 20 “friends” on hers. It’s a neat tool to get reconnected with people we know but have loss contact with and to meet new people. The other well known community based website “My Space” will take too much of my time to maintain but I have thought about creating an account there as well. I’ve been thinking about why these sites are so popular and I think it has to do with people wanting to feel that they belong to a community.

I watched a few weeks ago a show on MTV (yes I watch MTV from time to time) called “Real Life . . .” Each episode covers different subjects that affect people and how they handle it. This one followed 3 young ladies who all used the internet to make friends, date, and/or be part of a community but they were either uncomfortable or unwilling to do the same in real life situations. Teresa told me that the episode made her sad because these young women didn’t have much of a life other than their computer.

People are longing to be part of something. We all want to feel loved and appreciated. It saddens me that the church isn’t the place for that for people. The church has failed to be a community of people who love. Jesus tells us that the world will know that we are Christ-followers by the way we love. The church should be a community of people who love one another and the lost, encourage one another, hold each other account for our actions (good or bad), and equip each other to grow in our walk with Christ.

There is a movement out there of believers who are tired of the way church is run and are leaving. They aren’t leaving Christ but the church. There is no way for a believer to be healthy on there own without a community of like-minded people. Community is important to the health of us all. If you aren’t connected to a community of Christ-followers, I would suggest you get connected for your well being.

Running and Finishing

On Saturday, 5/31 I ran in my first 5K Run. It was awesome. I did alright for my first run and being 38 years old; finished in 28 minutes and 38 second (averaging 9 min and 14 seconds per mile). As I ran through the park and neighborhood, I allowed my mind just wonder so I wouldn’t think too much about keeping my breathing in pace with my legs. As I looked around at the other runners and the people who lined the course, I thought about how similar it was to the Christian race.
There were all sorts of people running. Some were young and some older. Everyone had their own pace. Most of the people had the goal to just run and finish the race. The by-standers were yelling encouragements to the runners to keep running. I saw 2 teenage boys pass me and I thought about their pace and it wouldn’t hold up and sure enough I passed them walking to catch their breath.
The Christian race is not a sprint, but an endurance race. We are to set the pace early on so we can run the whole thing. As with the race on Saturday, it was alright to walk for awhile so you can get your breath and study your legs. I know that the by-standers yelling encouragements helped me keep my pace and I know that the “crowd of witnesses” that the Bible talks about helps me keep focused on my pace in the Christian race. To me, it wasn’t about trying to win on Saturday it was about finishing. As long as we finish strong or just finish the Christian race, we are winners.
How’s your pace in your race? You getting tired and weary? Just walk for a while and get your strength back and keep on keeping on.

Example of Grace

Yesterday I posted about a young man in our church who had to go before a judge because of the fight he got into at school. I saw him last night and we were able to talk. I could tell by his body language that things went well. The judge dismissed the charges as long as he continues to do well in school (he gets straight A’s). He didn’t have to do community serve and the fight will not be put I his permanent record. It’s as if this has never happened. This is true grace.

Former Creep with a Prayer Need

On Monday and Wednesday nights, we have a group who meet at the church for prayer; just to pray. Last night, I was leading this group who has no more than 4 people in total on a good night. I met one of the men early for dinner and he and I were at the church by 6:45; the prayer time starts at 7. The normal leader for Wednesday night’s group wasn’t coming so I figured it would just be me and Gil. At 7 pm the door opened it was one of our teenagers. I know this young man only by first name and the fact he is 6ft 4 inches tall and only 14 years old. I call this young man wall with legs (very big boy). I thought it was cool he came to prayer group.

The next 30 minutes that followed was very interesting. Gil and I got to hear all about this young man’s background. You see the reason he came to prayer group is to seek prayer for himself. He had gotten into a fight on Tuesday during the school day and is suspended for 5 days. Added to that, he has to go in front of a judge today (at 5pm) because of the fight. The reason he has to go in front of a judge is because he has a record from when he lived in GA.

Before coming to Christ, this young man was a Creep and was in gang for several years. I let him talk for about 10 minutes while Gil asks questions. The type of questions a white person asks a black person about life on the street. I knew most of the answers because of being a youth pastor I Richmond, VA, but this was the young man’s story to tell. Long story shorted, we prayed for this young man along with the other prayer needs. I made sure he left feeling loved and encouraged. I’ve been praying that grace will be given to this young man who has a big heart. He just allowed things to go too far on Tuesday. If you ready this before 5 pm on Thursday, 5/29 pray for this young man.

Vince Antonucci: Reaching Lost People (Jer. 4:1)
Today, churches are decreasing but spiritualism is on the rise
To reach lost people, we must plan to target lost people
We must go, say, and/or do anything (except sin) to reach lost people
Focus on reaching the lost and not churched people
If we aren’t close to people, we aren’t close to God

On Thursday, Teresa and I spent one day listening to 8 Godly men share a thought. I want to share what I got from each one.

Mark Batterson: God Ideas
Our best thoughts are still 3.5 billion light year miles from God’s thoughts
Our best discoveries will change when we discover new ones
Compared to what God has in store for us, we dream too small
We need to meet with God through prayer and dream
Through time we tend to stop creating dreams and start to repeat the past
My dreams are way too small
One God idea is better than hundreds of good ideas
NEVER STOP DREAMING!

Coaching Change

I’m reading the book “Coaching Change: Breaking Down Resistance, Building Up Hope” by Thomas G. Bandy. It's a good read. I want to share with you a portion that all of us in church work will benefit to know.
The below portion is from pages 58-59.
Coaches who model a winning faith demonstrate four qualities:

1. Long-term relationship. Coaches with a winning faith stay with a team through all the ups and downs of congregational life. They have long-term pastoral leadership. Achievements, or the lack of achievements, do not generate prideful complacency in the confidence of their own vocation and their ultimate acceptance of Christ
2. Tolerance of errors. Coaches with a winning faith show remarkable tolerance for the errors, foibles, and mistakes of the team members. Error is evidence of passion and opportunity to learn. Mistakes reveal the next steps in the quest for quality, but they do not undermine the intrinsic identity of the team as winners.
3. Uncompromising about growth. Coaches with a winning faith insist on constant growth for every team member. They are perfectionists in the sense that they are not satisfied unless every team member is playing to his or her fullest potential – and since that potential is unlimited, the coach is never satisfied. They drive themselves and the team in a continuous learning and discovery.
4. Desire for God. Coaches with a winning faith find their self-fulfillment in their relationship to God, not in the achievement of any short-tem goal. They yearn to shape their life, lifestyle, and liveliness around that relationship. They unite the readiness to surrender all for a loving God (agape love) with the deeply emotional desire to immerse themselves in a beloved God (erotikos love). They do not merely believe in God. They want to experience the divine.

Teresa

I don’t write near enough about my beautiful bride. Teresa is second in my life only after God Almighty. God Himself made Teresa just for me and He made me just for her. I am who I am partly because God putting Teresa in my life. She is my Proverbs 31 woman that I prayed for as a young teenage preacher boy. I will forever be grateful for Teresa.

About a month ago, Teresa and I enjoyed a day out with a friend. We spent almost 3 hours in this nice little coffeehouse after we enjoyed a great lunch at the Red Tavern in Newport News and before that we enjoyed a beautiful 5 mile hike around an awesome lake. While sitting and talking over coffee (me) and hot chocolate (for Teresa and Gil), we enjoyed some music. One of the CDs playing was Michael Buble. I enjoyed his music so much I bought the CD.

My favorite song on the CD is “Everything” because it makes me smile. The reason it makes me smile is because I think about Teresa. I’m smiling as I write this because I’m thinking of her now and I wish we were not at work but together. Below are the words to the song that I like so much. Enjoy.

You're a falling star, You're the get away car.
You're the line in the sand when I go too far.
You're the swimming pool, on an August day.
And you're the perfect thing to say.

And you play it coy, but it's kinda cute.
Ah, When you smile at me you know exactly what you do.
Baby don't pretend, that you don't know it's true.
Cause you can see it when I look at you.

[Chorus:]
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,
You're every minute of my everyday.

And I can't believe, uh that I'm your man,
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.
Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,
And you know that's what our love can do.

[Chorus:]
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La
So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La

[Chorus:]
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
You're every song, and I sing along.
'Cause you're my everything.
Yeah, yeah

So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La
So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La

Tiring Tuesdays

I’ve heard that Mondays are difficult for pastors. I used to work for a man that you didn’t talk to if you could help it on Monday mornings. If he called you into his office before 11 am, you needed a helmet (I kind you not). I know Mondays are a downer to a high energy day (Sundays). I’ve felt it in smaller portions when I preach on Sundays. I’m experiencing something completely different.

My tiring day is Tuesday. I felt it last week but I thought it was just because our first Monday evening Discovery Group wasn’t a big success (in my eyes). Last night went well, but I’m tired this morning; more so than usual. My thoughts are more negative even toward Church Planting. At first I thought it was a satanic attack, but I had it last week too. I think that Tuesdays will be difficult going forward like Mondays are for the pastors who do “church” on Sundays. Knowing this, I can be prayed up for it.

I’m still tired.

Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother’s Day and we had my parents with us for the weekend. They live outside of Roanoke, VA so it was nice to see them. The drive is only 4 hours but with our jobs during the week plus the church planting, we can’t make it out there so they came to us. It was very cool to see the folks again. It’s been around 5 months since the last time we were together.

I’ve learned how to stop and just listen to people from my mom. My mom never really had anyone to just listen to her until one day way back about 8 years ago I just listened to her talk. It was eye opening to learn what I did about her and her past. Since that day, when we are together I always make it a point to just listen to her talk. It’s made our relationship better than it ever has been. I always look forward to listening to her when we get to be together. I hate talking on the phone so our phone conversations are less than 5 minutes so being together physically is always a treat. I have a cool mom.

Genes

Yesterday, I had lunch with a dear friend. Tom was my youth pastor way back in the 1980’s. Tom and his family have recently moved back to the area and this is the first time we have been able to hook up. It was great to talk about how God is using him in his new church, and it was great sharing what God is doing with Teresa and me.

We talked about other men and women who were teens in the youth dept and what they are doing now. Tom shared with me that one of the men is having heart issues. I was surprised because Jon is a year younger than me; however, this heart issue runs in his family. Jon’s dad has had heart problems the entire time I’ve known him. Jon inherited his heart problem through his father’s genes.

This conversation made me think about how we can not choose what we get from our parents. The genes we get are the genes we get (good, bad, or indifferent). Since God is the creator, He decides our make up but no one else has any say.

When God draws us to Himself, He gives us His spiritual genes. As we grow in Him, we discover these genes and start using them to bring Him glory. Paul calls these genes the “Fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23. As Christ-followers we all have this fruit, but some don’t exercise it. It’s one fruit with multiple properties (But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.). Just as my blue eyes, red hair, and fare skin are gene traits from my mom and my nose, jaw line, and my temperament are gene traits from my dad, the fruit of the Spirit is a gene trait we have from our heavenly Father.

New Set of Eyes

I can’t see into the future; nor would I want to have the ability. I know the One who does know the future so I will trust in Him to have His way. It takes faith to see it this way. I’m reading the book of Job, and the main topic of the book is faith (according to Phillip Yancy in his book “The Bible Jesus Read”). Throughout the whole book of Job, Job is trusting in God’s greatness. Job has no idea that God is allowing Satan to test him to make a point. The faith that Job shows through the hardship of losing all this children, his wealth, and his health speaks volumes to his character.

Keeping my eyes on my Master and doing what I feel He is showing me to do takes getting a new set of eyes. I need a set of “faith eyes” so no matter what my human eyes see (good, bad, or indifferent) I trust in God and what He is doing. Planting a new church is so must harder than I could ever have imagined. I have a very good imagination, but this is kicking my butt. I know that God’s will be done as I keep my eyes on Him and follow His lead. I know God is the One who does, and I’m called to follow His lead so through faith I can see a church being formed in the Carrollton, VA area. It will take prayer, work, and time.

Through faith, I know God will send us helpers. Through faith, I know God will have His perfect will do with us. Through faith, we will glorify God in all of His doings. Keep us in your prayers as we keep our eyes on God and follow Him.

Transparency

I’ve heard most of my ministry life that familiarity breeds contempt. I’ve worked for and ministered with Sr. Pastors who held their members at arms length so they wouldn’t be “too” close with their people. I’ve learned that’s stupid. Be who you are and don’t try to be something or someone you’re not.

I quote this one college professor a lot because he is a very good teacher and has good quotes. When taking his Old Testament I and II classes, he would say, “Let’s put flesh and blood on these people.” The people that are in the Bible were just that, people. They weren’t any more holy than the other people; God just chose to use them. If you look closely, you’ll see all their faults.

Let’s face it, preachers aren’t perfect nor should we try to appear as perfect. Pastors put their pants on one leg at a time like everyone else. We succeed and fail like everyone else. I’m working with a guy who doesn’t even try not to be himself. His philosophy is I’m who I am, take me or leave me. He’s right on with this attitude and his members appreciate him for it. To me being transparency has helped my ministry with men. I share where I’ve failed and where I’ve succeeded, and some of my personal challenges. To disciple people is walking with them in their journey. We are all on the same road. We can use what we’ve learned to help others.

It’s alright to allow people to get to know you. God can use our transparency to minister to our people. I have examples of where me being transparent has help people wrestle with things in their lives and overcome them. Don’t be afraid to open up.