Faithfulness Equals What?

I have the privilege to run along side a church in Van Buren, AR this week by speaking on a subject the Pastor is focusing on called, "God's Extreme Makeover." My subject to cover, faithfulness.

Here are a few thoughts I'm planning on sharing.

We typically get our definition of faithfulness by looking at what "we" don't do.

I don't cheat on my wife----so I'm a faithful husband.
I don't run out on my family----so I'm a faithful father.
I don't skip out at church----so I'm a faithful church goer.
I don't steal from my boss---so I'm a faithful employee.

While I certainly agree, I believe faithfulness goes far beyond what you and I don't do. Faithfulness has another side to it, it's reflected by the things we do, as well. Faithfulness is proactive.

Looking from a Biblical point of view--- faithfulness involves stewardship; stewardship is always about responsibility and requires accountability. (Matthew 25:14)
To put it in shorter terms, faithfulness is about responsibility.
Responsibility is not individual, it's communal, it's corporate, it's family.

Most of the references in the Bible concerning faithfulness point towards God. He is faithful!
We are charged to be faithful, and when we live by the Spirit, faithfulness is a fruit the Spirit produces in our lives.
We are most happiest when we are responsible, we were created to be responsible. (Genesis 3)

This week or month, I encourage you to look at every aspect of your life from the lenses of responsibility and ask yourself the question, "how faithful am I, really?" Because faithfulness is responsibility and the hidden truth about irresponsibility states, when we are irresponsible we are asking someone else to pick up our slack and be responsible for us."

Christ did this on the cross for us

As Christians we can't be irresponsible (unfaithful) because ultimately we're not just accountable to our spouse or our boss; ultimately we are accountable to our Heavenly Father.

Be faithful by actively pursuing ways to be responsible in your family, your marriage, your job, your church.

Blessings!

No Blood, No Foul

"Effective leaders do not fear passion. They welcome it. But from time to time passionate discussion digress into personal attacks, and real people get really hurt. In my view leaders must head that off before it happens." -Bill Hybels

I attended my first staff meeting in over four years.

I was asked by a Pastor whom, I love and respect, to sit in on their staff meeting and give some input and feedback as an "outsider." (can I say I respect him more!)

As I listened and engaged in discussion it was so apparent that this Pastor is a great leader and has great leaders around him. The scriptures tell us, "iron sharpens iron" we know that and like to quote it. But have you ever thought about iron?
It's heavy.
It's rough.
It's hard.
And we need that. We need opturnities to be able to disagree or voice our view; no matter how harsh or heavy it may sound, because we all have the understanding, "we can disagree without drawing blood."

I witnessed two strong personalities "hash out" their strong beliefs about an issue and discovered they were both saying the same thing from two different angles. Allowing this type of dialog actually causes value to be built for both parties involved. It's only if it goes to drawing blood that it devalues everyone involved.

So here's to passion and living passionately in the healthy context of doing life together means we will get dirty, but not bloody.

Birthday Wish

As Always!

So I've been working on a video for a contest for a group called AMD Alliance International.
It's been more of a difficult endeavor than I imagined; due to several factors.
It's a serious video---I thrive on slapstick and humor.
The time frame---I've only had 6 days to write, shoot, edit and promote.
The missing pieces.

I needed/wanted a doctor interview concerning AMD and I spent hours on the phone talking to people I knew in the vision field that I thought would help. That was a no.
Then I found out my mother in law had an eye exam scheduled and I would follow her and get the shots I needed, that was a no. Even after I explained there would be no shots that would risk their image, the official word was "it is highly unlikely that we will let you film in our building."

Okay, Plan B.
If I could get my hands on a doctor's white coat, I'll just stage the "interview." Let me just say, finding a Doctor willing to part with a jacket for a few hours is like asking a "rocker" to only play "classical" music. They could, but just don't want to deep down.

Grrrr...Plan C.
So I'm on my way to film the last of two shots, one of which is the "mock doctor with no coat or lab setting."
As I'm driving I had decided to stop by a doctor's office who I had called and left messages with several times; I figured I'd just drop in, ask and see. I prayed, "Lord, give me favor in this and let that Doctor say yes so I can have a lab coat to film with."
Almost there, I see an eye care center and a little voice inside said, "pull in."
I did, the lot was empty so I sat in my truck for a few moments and thought, "ok? I'm going to walk in this strangers office and ask to film them???"

As I walk in and explain my need to the receptionist the Doctor walks up and says, "I'd be happy to help."

I was looking for a lab coat to film a mock doctor interview.
I got a real doctor talking in there lab, doing the interview.
God delivers bigger than our expectations, as always, but why does it come as a surprise? I don't know. But I do know if my God can give this kid a pleasant surprise right when it's needed, then He can and will do the same for you

The finished product will be loaded later today, but I just had to give testimony to God's goodness and faithfulness.

Ask and you shall receive

Matthew 21:1-3 ...Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

At first glance this looks as if Jesus' lordship overrides the need to show respect by asking for the permission to use something.
But deeper study and looking into the actual verse revels to us that Jesus had a relationship with the owner of the donkey. Jesus gives great detail to what to look for and where to find it; he clearly had been there before.

I imagine there was a time when Jesus visited the man and during a conversation the man said something to the fact of, "Jesus, if ever I can do anything for you, let me know."
The time came for a need, and Jesus was able to call on this friend for that favor.

I remember long ago, my brother was just 4 or 5 years old I was just 10 or 11 and taking him to children's church. He saw the Children's Pastor and asked him for money for the soda machine. Right then and there! I stared to correct him and tell him how rude it was to ask such a thing. But before I could get the words out of my mouth the minister smiled and handed him 50 cents then patted me on the head and said, "you have not because you ask not."
I've carried that lesson with me for over 20 years.

My spiritual father told me once that humans, by nature, are not giving; giving comes the Holy Spirit probing us to do so. So when someone says "if I can do something for you let me know" they are being sensitive and open to God to work through them.

I had a friend offer his help and I had a need. Long story short I was able to simply sit in his office and ask if he was able to meet that need. He was and he did.

As I write this I am still in awe of God's goodness and this man's kindness towards me and my family. Because of him I am now the owner of a wonderful video camera that will be well used for ministry trips, filming jobs and video contest.

Be mindful of people's ability to meet a need. Ask and you shall receive.

Covenant Communities

Creating community in a church is a much greater challenge than running programs, and most of the problems we face in the church are the result of broken relationships and lack of community.

As we see a new type of church leader emerging; authentic community will become one of the primary standards by which church health will be measured, rather than church size or the number of quality of specific ministry programs.
So the question quickly comes up, "what is authentic community?"
Someone best described it as "real people, in real relationships being real, all the time."
I simply call it, entering into covenant.

Rick Warren has said there are four levels of relationships that people engage into.
The first and most shallowest is Studying together, then
Sharing together, then
Serving together and finally
Suffering together.

This type of community is difficult, messy and sometimes impossible. But it starts with a willingness to engage in time frames that don't fall into the normal "meeting time."

Those that are living at a deeper level of community constantly find themselves with each other in homes, coffee shops or anywhere on almost a daily basis; it's deeper than a "Tweet" or "Facebook" wall post.

Are you engaging into authentic relationships and creating covenant communities?

Am I?

In The Trenches

I've been asked more than one time, "what's it been like for you to not be on a staff at a church for the last two years?"

One word. Enlightening.


I'm currently reading a book called, "Transformissional Coaching" by Steve Ogne and Tim Roehl.
I would love to put some of my highlighted notes on here for you to enjoy, but the truth is, I'd probably get sued for plagiarism; it's got so much in it that there are literally some pages that only a couple of sentences are NOT highlighted.

For me, the book is valadating why I feel and think the way I do. I've often felt like a rebel or felt hindered in sharing my views for feeling they were "too out there."

As a real quick point of reference and to explain the word transformissional, here is a little breakdown.
Keep this in mind while I share; Times are changing! My kids (4 & 6 years old) will most likely never know what an audio tape was. Much like I never experienced the 8 track. Likewise, young people today view churches like: Willow Creek and Saddleback as "traditional!" That's mind blowing!
It begins with the three major paradigms.

The Traditional Church (1900-1980)

• Modern with a rational worldview.
• They are pastor-and program-centered.
• Worship style is traditional.
• Spirituality is determined by attendance, adherence to rules, and position in the church.
• Most visible religious figure is Billy Graham.
• Missions was always viewed as an "over seas" endeavor. Some would go, others would pay and more would pray.

The Pragmatic Church (1980-2000)

• Includes the church-growth and seeker-church movements.
• Huge use of media, technology, and innovation.
• Worship style is contemporary and performance oriented.
• They tend to be ahistorical and minimize religious symbols and architecture.
• Market driven and success oriented.
• Evangelism focused mostly on reaching the "seeker" and "getting back" the once churched. And they did, thousands returned because now church was relevant for them and their children.
• The most visible religious figures are Bill Hybles and Rick Warren.

The Transformissional Leaders (2000 to present)

• They are prone to deconstruct and reconstruct ministry.
• Have an aversion to performance and programs in the church.
• Prefer to emphasize the development of authentic Christian community.
• Love to blend the ancient with the contemporary in their worship and environments, such as presenting stained glass on video screens.
• Church is viewed as a small part of something larger that God is doing, not as the center of spiritual activity.
• They hold to an entirely different view of evangelism. Recognizing that most people with a postmodern worldview have had no experience with a church.
• We seek to engage the culture by caring and relating to individuals on their own turf.

(and that was the abbreviate version!)

I agree when they write that neither seminary nor seminar will prepare us to do ministry in the postmodern future.
Equipping will be just in time to keep pace with the rapid changes in culture and ministry
Equipping will be on the job; skill formation and spiritual formation will take place in the midst of ministry.
Equipping in Bible and theology will take place on the Internet, where knowledge is easily and immediately accessible.
For economic and other practical reason the church will regain it's place as the center of ministry training rather than the seminary.
Most training, however, will take place in the trenches of culture. Culture and cocommunities won't be transformed unless a new approach for equipping leaders emerges.

I personally believe it's going to have to be relational. We will continue to need coaches, mentors, teachers, and pastors; we will also need to see an increase in spiritual fathers.

As I travel the globe and see a wide spectrum of churches, one thing remains the same; young transformissional leaders who want and desire spiritual fathers.

Malachi 4:6