Good Advice

When somebody comes to my office in need of advice or counsel,  I take it very seriously.  I want my answers to be Biblical, prayerful, and spoken in love.   But here is the other thing– I don’t want to speak  hypocritically either…  When I counsel, I must check my own heart for the very things I confront others on…

When a christian is called upon by a friend, family member or co-worker for advice, these are golden opportunities for us to point people to Christ, to forgiveness, and to a biblical moral standard.  But you know, it also gives us a golden opportunity to check ourselves.  We may have all the right answers, but do we live it out?

If we are tolerant of sin in our own lives, and yet call others out on theirs, we are being hypocritical.   If we are permissive about sin in our lives and to avoid being a hypocrite, we fail to confront the permissiveness of sin in others, well then we  knowingly abuse grace and make it easier for others to do the same….So what is the only real option?   Speak the Truth in love, but do it with great humility, and honesty.   If your not there yet, but you know the answer, give the answer, but give the honest answer that your not there yet yourself, but that you are working hard at getting there.   Here is the thing,  God uses imperfect people.  We don’t have to claim to be perfect to give good biblical counsel, but we should be humble and honest about where we are at as well.

God works in mysterious ways.  I don’t know how many times after I have counseled with someone  that I  then re-evaluated my own life,  marriage, or decision making as well.   God may place somebody in your life to ask you a question you know the answer to, but maybe you have been struggling with submitting to the very same truth, and so God quietly (and humorously sometimes) uses you to give advice to someone, but in reality you are talking to yourself too!!    Don’t let that stuff frustrate you, and don’t beat yourself up over it. But instead, see it  for what it is– God’s challenge to keep growing in your walk with Him…  He loves to use creative ways to get our attention!!   C’mon all you parents,  you have to laugh when you see God using tactics on yourself that you have used on your own kid!!

Micah  6:8:

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Silent Night, Holy Night

Last night I attended the Abbotsford Elementary School Christmas Program, and I have to say that my kids  are the best looking bunch of the whole school (well, what else did you expect me to say?) .    It is a rare spectacle to see all the kids and parents of the elementary school gathered together under 1 roof.  The place was packed–despite the Packer Game…

Anyhow, the kids all got up there and did their songs and the music teacher did a great job putting it all together.  But let me tell you what really stuck out in my mind.  The last thing in the program was a Christmas carol sing-a-long,  and all the kids went off the platform and came out into the aisles  and led out in chorus.  As they began to sing the song,  Silent Night, Holy Night, and this whole community joined together in this sacred song,   Well,  it sounded awesome and I was deeply moved.  It seemed liked a reverent hush fell upon the crowd  as the children sang:

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

My favorite Hymn

A couple of Sundays ago we celebrated our 1 year anniversary of being in this building.  It was a great time of celebration and the church was packed. Anyhow, I had the worship team sing one of my all time favorite hymns called “Great is Thy Faithfulness”.    I love that song and I remember singing it while going through times of great difficulty and it always helped me to remember all that God has done for me, even though in the heat of the moment it is easy to forget.

So, I bring all of that up to share with you something really awesome that God did last week.   On Tuesday I got a phone call from a business that told me that the church did not pay the bill we owed them,  which they submitted to us over 2 months ago as we were winding down the construction/building process.  The bill was for the amount of $1500.   Well, as it turns out,  their was a communication breakdown between us and our treasurer in Marshfield and the bill just simply didn’t get paid.  So, the week before, we had just finalized our construction loan so we could not simply add that amount to it and we just didn’t have a spare $1500 just laying around.

So when Betsy our treasurer asked how we were to pay that bill, I told her that we had one long shot.   3 months ago I had talked with someone at our district headquarters about possibly getting help to buy 100 folding chairs for  our basement.  Well, we played “phone tag” back and forth and they were looking into it for me but I had not heard anything back so I finally just bought some, to make sure we would have chairs for AWANA and our big celebration service.

So get this– On the very day this all happened–the $1500 bill and all,  and right after I had this conversation with Betsy, I went to the church mailbox and there in the mail, on that very day, was a check for almost $1200 from the district, and we were able to easily make up the difference.

Some of you practical minded people might get hung up over the detail that we made this mistake in the first place.  Well, to that I would say –that was the only snag in our $100,000+ building project, so it was minor in comparison.

But to all you spiritual people out there rejoicing with me about God’s faithfulness,   just remember the lines to this old hymn:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Youth Ministry

Last Sunday our youth group led the whole church in worship and then they presented a drama that you will see displayed on our home page–eventually.   I am still working out the kinks of online media but it will get on there pretty soon…

Anyhow,  they did a great job.   As a young and growing church we don’t have a large youth group, but we do have a talented one.   And the best part is, they want to use their talents to serve God and bless the church.   The only thing they needed was an opportunity.   I guess that is the thing I was reminded of last Sunday.  Sometimes we get stuck in a routine or maybe we just plain forget about creating opportunities for the next generation to get involved.

How can we complain about how lost teenagers are when we don’t give them opportunities to serve in the local church?  It is crucial for them to” put to use” all the things they have learned and are learning.  My prayer is that God will continue to give us fresh and creative ways to allow all members of the body of Christ to get involved–from the little ones to the big ones to the old ones….   To be a multi-ethnic AND multi-generational church–that is our goal and by the grace of God we will achieve it, because we know that is the kind of church that honors Him.

And speaking of next generation leadership, I want to add here that Jesse and Amanda Roe are a young couple in our church that we are  very blessed to have leading our young people.   It is no easy task to balance work, family and church involvement, but they are finding a way.  Life gets busy but we must never underestimate the opportunity and privilege to invest into young people.

When I was in Youth Ministry I used to really identify with this quote from the book “Catcher in the Rye” :

“Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all.  Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around – nobody big, I mean – except me.  And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff.  What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them.  That’s all I do all day.  I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.  I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be.”  ~J.D. Salinger

 

Smart Move

What can I say?  When we launched our Awana program a couple of months ago, I must confess that I really didn’t know that much about how the whole thing worked but now I am convinced that it was a smart move!!!

Over the past few weeks my kids have been really getting into memorizing scripture and learning basic bible teachings.   “Dad, can I read to you?”  is the phrase I have been hearing alot and what that means is, they want to quote scripture verses to me.  How exciting to see.   When they get the whole verse right, there is such a look of  genuine self-satisfaction, as they stand there with a big goofy grin on their faces.   What a blessing it is to see the younger generation learning to hide God’s Word in their heart.

On a more serious note,  there a number of people in our church that are battling sickness, job loss, and difficult personal decisions.   Let us continue to lift each other up in prayer, by faith believing that God hears us and is actively working things out for His glory and for His purposes.  Yesterday a guy from our church was in our sactuary praying all afternoon, becuase God put it in his heart to do so.  How awesome is that?   Our church is full of “unsung heroes”  who are quietly going about their Father’s business.   I feel very blessed to be apart of this church and all that God is doing here.

GERONIMO!!!

This week the local paper said that the building across the street (old city hall) is indeed going up for sale and they are hoping to get over $100,000 for it, to help with a budget shortfall.

I care about our city and their budget shortfall, but I am praying that we can have that building for free.  There is also a big white house to the east of us that I am praying will one day become ours so we could put in a parking lot.   Why do I think we need all this property?  Because healthy, living things grow.  And our church, as the body of Christ, is alive and reasonably healthy and if we don’t keep allowing God to stretch us and help us grow, then we will inevitably get sick and start to die. We sure don’t want that to happen!!

Growing is always a challenge.  That is why some struggle with it.  There are unforseen variables,  mistakes can and will happen,  fear of failure can arise, and the list goes on.  But here is what a lot of people forget. They forget about the consequences of  NOT growing….  depression, cynical attitudes, hopelessness, and a sense of being defeated.

My point is this…Growing as a christian, growing as a church,  even growing as a pastor is hard and challenging.  But NOT growing is far, far, worse.   I have witnessed this first hand.   So while for some, the pace we are moving as a church seems a bit brisk, and maybe  it would be nice to pause for a breather, we can’t.  We can’t.  The minute we get comfortable, the minute we get satisfied with were we are, we start to lose momentum.  And when you start to lose momentum, you stand still.  When you stand still, you sit down.  And when we sit down, we start looking backward and start thinking about how great things used to be,  and forget to look forward….

I love how Paul wrote it in  Phillipians 3:  12  Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.13  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,14  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.15  All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.

I also love this quote:

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, shouting GERONIMO!” –Hunter S. Thompson

So,  my church family,  we are just going to keep moving forward, dreaming dreams, and working hard for the Kingdom of God.  If it is God’s will for us to get these buildings, then we will get them, as we pray and trust Him.  If not, He will open up better opportunites in the future. Regardless, there is some great opportunities in the horizon.

I ask this of God with an enthusiastic faith:  “What Next?”  GERONIMO!!!!!

Back From Florida

Jen and I got back from Florida late Tuesday and we had a really nice time.   The wedding was held on Amelia Island and we stayed at a hotel just off Fernadina beach.   The weather was pushing 90 the whole time we were there with high humidity,  and the wedding was  outside, so let me tell you it was plenty hot.

The ceremony itself was beautiful and I have to say that Aaron and Natalie definitely looked like 2 people who were crazy in love with each other (kind of an important detail).   There is a considerable age difference between the two–my friend Aaron is 35 and Natalie is 25.  I bring this up because the pastor officiating the ceremony was her youth pastor and at one point he  turned to me and asked if I was Aaron’s  youth pastor as well.   I told him no, Aaron is an old man just like me. ..

One interesting thing that came out of the wedding was that I sat next to Aaron’s dad, who’s name is BJ,  during the rehearsal brunch thing and he was telling me that he was born and raised in Neilsville WI and that a great revival swept through that town in the real early 70s and lasted for about 6 years.  A bunch of hippies all found Christ and flooded the little AG church there in Neilsville.   Ed Gungor from the Believers Church found Christ out there and so did our very own Holly & Frank Pisor.   BJ told me that the 2 main parts of that revival were that many souls were  saved and that the church was committed in prayer.  BJ told me that somebody literally came walking right into the bar where he was sitting and talked to him about Jesus and getting his life right and the Holy Spirit gripped his heart like n0thing he ever experienced before and he almost fell off his bar stool. Anyhow,  I am going to find out a few more details about all that happened there in Neilsville.    I tell you this to remind us all that God can and will do big things in small towns.

The Power of Love

Last Sunday I was so blessed to see our church family come around a hurting individual who needed to feel love and acceptance.   And he was given exactly what he needed–  Hugs,  a hand on the shoulder, and a firm handshake.  Love.

In January of last year,  we viewed a video series on prayer by Pastor Jim Cymbala and it was really powerful and I remember that at one point the camera showed the front of  his church stage and in big bold letters across the front it simply said,  GOD IS LOVE.   How simple, how profound.   Let me put that phrase in its proper context…

1John 4:7  Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.8  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.9  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.10  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.11  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.12  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.13  We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

We are indeed a church that knows God, and that was clearly demonstrated last Sunday.   May we only continue to grow in His Love.

History in the making

Just this last Wednesday we launched our first mid week children’s program called Awana.  leading up to that day there was much preparation, planning, and training.  I am very thankful for the many servant leaders who have made this commitment of time and energy.   Ministry to children is so strategic to the kingdom of God.   George Barna of Barna Research said that the majority of adult Christians polled said that they came to Christ before the age of 18.   Barna also quotes research that says that a child’s moral code is fully in tact by age 9.

Mark 10:14 And Jesus Said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.15  I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”16  And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

As a dad of elementary age children, I want my child to be excited about God, His Word, and church.  My wife Jen, who is the commander, and all her excellent servant leaders are committed to this program and to it’s success.  It is our prayer that every church in this town will have or continue to have great success in their ministry to children.   There are hundreds of kids in this town who need to be ministered to, and no single church can do it alone.

May God help the churches of this town to pass our faith on to the future generations.  God help us.

Back to School

Like many other parents, the wife and I have sent off our 3 kids to school this past week.  This is the first time all 3 are in school full time.   After 10 years of being a “family with little children”  we have awakened to the reality that our children are not so little anymore.  They are now at that place in their lives where they have to start thinking for themselves, and making decisions without mom and dad looking over their shoulders.  Letting go is not easy but it is necessary.

Ah, free will.  The greatest gift God gave us, and yet I am sure even He must have thought long and hard about all the possible consequences  and repurcussions that “gift” would have on us–  And yet He still gave us the gift of being able to think for ourselves and choose for ourselves, even though that would open wide the door for human error,  and just plain bad decision making.  Letting our children think for themselves and to choose for themselves at the appropriate time, and in the appropriate manner is some very tricky stuff,  but do it we must.

If we hold on for too long,  they will become justifiably rebellious, and if we let go too soon, they could crash and burn unnecessarily.   So what’s the answer?  Well, its true, every child is different and so there is no “secret formula” One Size Fits All–  we just have to pray for guidance & wisdom.   BUT, I would say that one thing you can do is check your own motives for “holding on”— are you doing it so they won’t make YOU look bad?   Maybe you like to be “In control”….  or maybe you are doing it to try and compensate for mistakes you might have made with your kids when they were younger.   Those are all the wrong reasons.

God Loves us, but he doesn’t  “over protect” us at all.   He knows failure and suffering can be the most powerful tools for building and shaping our character.  It teaches us  Humility, Compassion and Empathy.

Over protected kids can become conceited, selfish, arrogant and proud and they can’t relate to people who have gone through the school of hard knocks.   The bottom line is,  Kids need loving and supportive parents, but they also need to experience  failure,  difficulty, moral decision making without mom and dad, and to experience the consequences of bad decision making.   I heard one Christian Counselor said that Parents are not to interrupt God’s law of  “YOU reap what YOU sow”…..    Hey, the prodigal son came to his senses only AFTER he ate pig food for a while.   The Father did not hunt him down.  He patiently waited for the son to CHOOSE to come back to his senses,  THEN helped the kid out and helped bring the boy back to full restoration.   The waiting for that Father must have been so hard on his heart, but even he knew of the importance of letting his child exercise free will.

Well there, fellow parents– This stuff sure keeps us praying, huh?