So, its what I get for talking about how I hardly ever get sick, but last night Hannah and I came down with what the rest of the family had been suffering through. I got about three hours total sleep last night and now that I finally feel like I'm getting over it, I feel a little feverish. I'm scared I'm coming down with what Bekah had now.
Thank God that it was Bekah's turn to preach today, I would have tried to get my way through it if I had too, but I don't know how it would've turned out. I all most didn't go to church at all today, but the Sundays that I'm off are the only times I really get to just sit a listen to a message, so that combined with the fact I didn't want to leave everyone one man short on the whole set up break down thing got me in the door today.
I'm going to lay around and do nothing the rest of the day, in hopes that I feel better by work tomorrow. Why is it I never get sick on a fun day to do nothing, like Wednesday?
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Monday, November 5, 2007
A Year?
It's now been one year since the church planning meeting started. It's strange to think about everything that has happened in the last twelve months, where we were then and where we are now. I swear it doesn't feel like it's been a year yet.
I recently went back and read my old blogs from the last year. If nothing else I think blogging has been good for me in the way it gives me a record to look back and see where I've been and the things that were going through my head at peculiar points in the past. I have a habit of forgetting what God has done and what He has given me, writing these random thoughts down looks like it might prove to be a good tool to fix this (at least a little). I guess a journal would serve the same purpose, but blogging is a little more manly.
I've been slacking off a bit on the whole thing, but I'm going to try to become a little more regular. I think it's good for me even if it might be for my readers.
I recently went back and read my old blogs from the last year. If nothing else I think blogging has been good for me in the way it gives me a record to look back and see where I've been and the things that were going through my head at peculiar points in the past. I have a habit of forgetting what God has done and what He has given me, writing these random thoughts down looks like it might prove to be a good tool to fix this (at least a little). I guess a journal would serve the same purpose, but blogging is a little more manly.
I've been slacking off a bit on the whole thing, but I'm going to try to become a little more regular. I think it's good for me even if it might be for my readers.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Complaint Psalm
I was forgotten about today.
I was warned about how lonely you can feel as a pastor, but I never thought that it would happen to me. I thought I was too surrounded by people, too emotionally strong, maybe even too blessed by God. Long story short, I was wrong.
I remember feeling it come on for the first time months ago. It was the time my wife went back to work after having the baby. I was left with the two kids at night and that with the new job and the new church started to weigh on me. I remember standing in my friends' kitchen trying to explain what was going on with me and how difficult it had became for me to preach. They told me I wasn't by myself, they told me my preaching was fine, I got a hug. I started to feel better.
Tonight wasn't a big deal, and I know it's irrational for me to be sad about it, but isn't that the way demons work, whispering irrational things into your ears until the little things add up to a crushing weight?
I have found myself:
preaching community, yet feeling alone
teaching people to overcome sin, while I struggled with my own
trying to help people understand God, as I wrestle with Him myself
urging people to pray, although I cry out to God unanswered every night
The whole thing reeks of irony, or maybe just hypocrisy.
Either way, this is not self-pity, although I'm sure it sounds that way. I know I'll get through this the way I've been brought through dark places before.
I just want to give a warning to those of you in the beginning processes of planting a church. This has been one of the best things I've ever done , yet it has also been one of the darkest. Don't do this unless you know you've been called. If you have been called, God help you.
As for me, Though He slay me...
I was warned about how lonely you can feel as a pastor, but I never thought that it would happen to me. I thought I was too surrounded by people, too emotionally strong, maybe even too blessed by God. Long story short, I was wrong.
I remember feeling it come on for the first time months ago. It was the time my wife went back to work after having the baby. I was left with the two kids at night and that with the new job and the new church started to weigh on me. I remember standing in my friends' kitchen trying to explain what was going on with me and how difficult it had became for me to preach. They told me I wasn't by myself, they told me my preaching was fine, I got a hug. I started to feel better.
Tonight wasn't a big deal, and I know it's irrational for me to be sad about it, but isn't that the way demons work, whispering irrational things into your ears until the little things add up to a crushing weight?
I have found myself:
preaching community, yet feeling alone
teaching people to overcome sin, while I struggled with my own
trying to help people understand God, as I wrestle with Him myself
urging people to pray, although I cry out to God unanswered every night
The whole thing reeks of irony, or maybe just hypocrisy.
Either way, this is not self-pity, although I'm sure it sounds that way. I know I'll get through this the way I've been brought through dark places before.
I just want to give a warning to those of you in the beginning processes of planting a church. This has been one of the best things I've ever done , yet it has also been one of the darkest. Don't do this unless you know you've been called. If you have been called, God help you.
As for me, Though He slay me...
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Good
Church was good today even though I don't know why. On the outside it didn't look any different than any other Sunday, but it felt different to me. The last few months have kinda been an emotional roller coaster for me. I've went back and forth from feeling feeling down to feeling hopeful. Lately though, I've been feeling good, not hopeful really because that implies I'm looking forward to something and I'm not at the moment, but just happy to be doing what I'm doing with the people I'm doing it with and not caring so much about the rest.
Not everything is the way I want it right now, but I do believe God's doing things and that's enough for the time being. Maybe everything will change by next Sunday, but for right now I'm enjoying this.
Not everything is the way I want it right now, but I do believe God's doing things and that's enough for the time being. Maybe everything will change by next Sunday, but for right now I'm enjoying this.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Another Week Down
Church went pretty well today. Here's the quick recap from this week:
1. My sermon still felt off today, not as bad as last week, but still off. A friend of mine that was visiting today said the message was just what he needed today, though, so I guess the lesson is that God still uses us even when we feel off.
2. Despite feeling off, I think a little of my passion is coming back for preaching. Maybe, my sermon was for me today too.
3. Jason went to Arizona this week to watch his Seahawks get beat. I'm really thankful that we have the ability to lose our worship leader for a Sunday and still have great music. I know of a lot of churches much bigger than us that are screwed whenever a couple members of their worship team go out of town.
4. Speaking of Bekah, her and Tyson have big news. Check out her blog for more details.
5. I got accepted to start a program to finish up getting my teaching credential. It will take me awhile to finish, but it feels good to be doing something that takes brain power again.
6. I bought a new printer, I think I'm going to pull an Office Space move on the old one. If you don't know what I mean, just go watch the movie.
7. My wife is hot.
8. I've lost my faith in the Kansas City Chiefs.
9. I'm hot.
10. I'm almost two months behind in my church reports.
11. I've got to get a sermon ready for next week then I get a week off.
12. I need to put together a bookcase.
13. I'm going to go watch TV now.
1. My sermon still felt off today, not as bad as last week, but still off. A friend of mine that was visiting today said the message was just what he needed today, though, so I guess the lesson is that God still uses us even when we feel off.
2. Despite feeling off, I think a little of my passion is coming back for preaching. Maybe, my sermon was for me today too.
3. Jason went to Arizona this week to watch his Seahawks get beat. I'm really thankful that we have the ability to lose our worship leader for a Sunday and still have great music. I know of a lot of churches much bigger than us that are screwed whenever a couple members of their worship team go out of town.
4. Speaking of Bekah, her and Tyson have big news. Check out her blog for more details.
5. I got accepted to start a program to finish up getting my teaching credential. It will take me awhile to finish, but it feels good to be doing something that takes brain power again.
6. I bought a new printer, I think I'm going to pull an Office Space move on the old one. If you don't know what I mean, just go watch the movie.
7. My wife is hot.
8. I've lost my faith in the Kansas City Chiefs.
9. I'm hot.
10. I'm almost two months behind in my church reports.
11. I've got to get a sermon ready for next week then I get a week off.
12. I need to put together a bookcase.
13. I'm going to go watch TV now.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Yo Mama
For those of you who haven't noticed, I've added a new link to a blog called Faintnot's Frenzy. This is Bekah's mom's blog. She is part of a really effective street ministry here in Vegas and she just began blogging not that long ago. Go check here out and show her a little love.
In honor of her blog I feel another list is in order, so here are the ten things I like about Bekah's mom (in no particular order):
1. She spends every Friday feeding the homeless, both physically as well as spiritually. I think a lot of us "doing church" have forgotten the First Council of Jerusalem's urging to Paul not to forget the poor, myself included.
2. She can burp a baby just by looking at it the right way.
3. She's always looks very happy whenever I see her and I don't remember her ever cussing me out.
4. She's not an arsonist.
5. She gave birth to and raised one of the coolest people I know. Oh, and Bekah too!
6. She prayed for my son after she watched how I make his bottles.
7. Her dog hugged me once.
8. She's been through some hard trials in her life that would have shaken the faith of many, yet came through stronger for it.
9. She introduced Bekah to the guitar. Our worship team is indebted to her for that act, it wouldn't be the same having a kazoo led service.
10. She actually reads my blog on a regular basis. Let's face it, anyone who listens to my ramblings and comes back for more can't be that bad of a person.
In honor of her blog I feel another list is in order, so here are the ten things I like about Bekah's mom (in no particular order):
1. She spends every Friday feeding the homeless, both physically as well as spiritually. I think a lot of us "doing church" have forgotten the First Council of Jerusalem's urging to Paul not to forget the poor, myself included.
2. She can burp a baby just by looking at it the right way.
3. She's always looks very happy whenever I see her and I don't remember her ever cussing me out.
4. She's not an arsonist.
5. She gave birth to and raised one of the coolest people I know. Oh, and Bekah too!
6. She prayed for my son after she watched how I make his bottles.
7. Her dog hugged me once.
8. She's been through some hard trials in her life that would have shaken the faith of many, yet came through stronger for it.
9. She introduced Bekah to the guitar. Our worship team is indebted to her for that act, it wouldn't be the same having a kazoo led service.
10. She actually reads my blog on a regular basis. Let's face it, anyone who listens to my ramblings and comes back for more can't be that bad of a person.
Monday, August 13, 2007
On Not Working
I spent the whole day at work today trying to fix problems that just couldn't be fixed. They were the things I worked with all last week, things that are waiting for a doctor or an insurance to approve or for someone to pay. These are things I can't do anything with but keep checking on while waiting for someone else to handle the problem.
This doesn't make for fun days at work. I like to feel like I've accomplished something at the end of the day. I want to feel like I've made a difference by being there. I don't like the idea of walking away after nine hours with next to nothing to show for it.
It's the same way with things in life. I want to fix every problem I come across when I come across it. I want to be able to tell people what to do to make the church grow and see it happen the next Sunday. I want to be able to say the words that help people with what they are going through and have their lives' be better the next day. I want life to be like the sitcom problems that are solved in 30 minutes.
That's not how life works, though. Most of the time you just have to do everything you can do and then wait for the one with the ability to fix things to work. This means I have to be okay with just being there sometimes, even when I don't feel like I'm doing anything productive. I don't always like it, but when the problems finally do get fixed, it's awesome to have been there waiting for it.
This doesn't make for fun days at work. I like to feel like I've accomplished something at the end of the day. I want to feel like I've made a difference by being there. I don't like the idea of walking away after nine hours with next to nothing to show for it.
It's the same way with things in life. I want to fix every problem I come across when I come across it. I want to be able to tell people what to do to make the church grow and see it happen the next Sunday. I want to be able to say the words that help people with what they are going through and have their lives' be better the next day. I want life to be like the sitcom problems that are solved in 30 minutes.
That's not how life works, though. Most of the time you just have to do everything you can do and then wait for the one with the ability to fix things to work. This means I have to be okay with just being there sometimes, even when I don't feel like I'm doing anything productive. I don't always like it, but when the problems finally do get fixed, it's awesome to have been there waiting for it.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Bring on the Morgage!
I got the keys to my new house today. I've spent the last four hours packing and now I'm beat. I'm looking forward to being in the new place, but tomorrow is going to be a lot of hard work. I think I'm going to take a break for the rest of the night, I still have to get a message ready for Sunday and it's been a crazy week.
There are a lot of scary things in my life right now with the new house, new church and new job. The strange thing is I'm not that afraid right now and I'm the happiest I've been in a long time. I could worry about losing the house or burning down the church or I could have faith in that I know I'm right where I'm suppose to be with the people I'm suppose to be with.
Being in California last week reminded me of when I first moved down there years ago. I was starting so many new things at that time that it felt overwhelming, but I knew that was where I was meant to be so I stuck through it. I made mistakes there (one of them involving a newspaper called The Daily Breeze) and at times it looked like we were going to lose everything, but I kept my faith in that I was were I was supposed to be and I stuck with the people that I knew God placed with me and we made it.
I really don't know what's going to happen with the church or life in general the next few years. I'm just going to try and take comfort in where I'm at right now and enjoy it. Hey, if everything falls apart there's always California and The Daily Breeze.
There are a lot of scary things in my life right now with the new house, new church and new job. The strange thing is I'm not that afraid right now and I'm the happiest I've been in a long time. I could worry about losing the house or burning down the church or I could have faith in that I know I'm right where I'm suppose to be with the people I'm suppose to be with.
Being in California last week reminded me of when I first moved down there years ago. I was starting so many new things at that time that it felt overwhelming, but I knew that was where I was meant to be so I stuck through it. I made mistakes there (one of them involving a newspaper called The Daily Breeze) and at times it looked like we were going to lose everything, but I kept my faith in that I was were I was supposed to be and I stuck with the people that I knew God placed with me and we made it.
I really don't know what's going to happen with the church or life in general the next few years. I'm just going to try and take comfort in where I'm at right now and enjoy it. Hey, if everything falls apart there's always California and The Daily Breeze.
Monday, July 16, 2007
O.W.L.S.
I watched the new Harry Potter movie last night. I had heard a lot of people say that this one wasn't that great, but I think it did a pretty good job considering it was pressing a 500 some page book into a little over two hours.
There were a lot of themes that the book touched on that had to be left out of the movie, but there was one thing that I loved about the book that I thought the movie did a great job capturing. Harry spends this whole year feeling alone and dwelling on the hurts in his past and the fear of what his future will bring. In the end he realizes that his friends have always been there for him and when thinks are at the darkest they are right there by his side. Furthermore, he finds that this is the one thing that makes him different than his enemy, he knows what it is to be loved.
Planting a church can be a scary thing and it's easy to feel alone, but God sends those people that will be there for you. This church would never had made it this far if it hadn't been for the people God has placed with me. If it grows and thrives it will be because of them, if it all falls apart I know there will be people there with me to pick up the pieces. This makes it doable. There is a peace that comes from knowing that no matter what tomorrow brings, you are not alone.
There were a lot of themes that the book touched on that had to be left out of the movie, but there was one thing that I loved about the book that I thought the movie did a great job capturing. Harry spends this whole year feeling alone and dwelling on the hurts in his past and the fear of what his future will bring. In the end he realizes that his friends have always been there for him and when thinks are at the darkest they are right there by his side. Furthermore, he finds that this is the one thing that makes him different than his enemy, he knows what it is to be loved.
Planting a church can be a scary thing and it's easy to feel alone, but God sends those people that will be there for you. This church would never had made it this far if it hadn't been for the people God has placed with me. If it grows and thrives it will be because of them, if it all falls apart I know there will be people there with me to pick up the pieces. This makes it doable. There is a peace that comes from knowing that no matter what tomorrow brings, you are not alone.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Yard Sales
I remember once in California we had a church yard sale to raise money for the youth group to go to camp. We asked everyone in the church to bring whatever they didn't want anymore so that we could sell it to make some cash. I was shocked at the things that people actually brought thinking that we would want to touch it, let alone try to sell it to someone.
For those of you who are thinking about donating items to your church's yard sale this year, here are somethings you might not want to give:
1. Used underwear, especially if it's a thong.
2. Polaroids of your family
3. Porn
4. Old thermometers and I'm not talking about the oral kind.
5. Socks that have holes in the toes larger than a quarter.
6. Broken eye glasses.
7. Used toothbrushes.
8. Your daughter's dairy.
9. Prescription medication.
10. Your old retainer.
11. Half full bottles of Pert Plus.
12. Books of completed crossword puzzles.
13. Bedpans.
14. Ceral.
15. 100 pens each one completely out of ink.
You think I'm kidding. I wish I was.
For those of you who are thinking about donating items to your church's yard sale this year, here are somethings you might not want to give:
1. Used underwear, especially if it's a thong.
2. Polaroids of your family
3. Porn
4. Old thermometers and I'm not talking about the oral kind.
5. Socks that have holes in the toes larger than a quarter.
6. Broken eye glasses.
7. Used toothbrushes.
8. Your daughter's dairy.
9. Prescription medication.
10. Your old retainer.
11. Half full bottles of Pert Plus.
12. Books of completed crossword puzzles.
13. Bedpans.
14. Ceral.
15. 100 pens each one completely out of ink.
You think I'm kidding. I wish I was.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Heat
We had some problems getting the air on in the school for our service times in the past, but we talked to some people and got it fixed. The last few Sundays have been really good temperature wise which is a good thing since we've been climbing into the 100's here in Vegas lately. Today, however, was another story.
We we got to the school this morning we noticed that the hum of the the AC units that we have grown to love was nowhere to be heard. When we got into the school our fears were confirmed by the oppressive heat that awaited us inside. Fortunately we had thought ahead and brought fans with us for just such a situation. The fans made it bearable, but not perfect.
I'm thinking that this was just a paperwork error since we had to refile our lease agreement with the school this week. I hope it's on next week because it's only getting hotter here.
To give you an idea of how hot it is, here is a list of the only things hotter than the school without AC:
1. Hell
2. The inside of a 1976 LTD Ford parked in the Vegas dessert in August (childhood flashback)
3. The inside of a incinerator used for cremations
4. Me with my shirt off
5. The Sun
We we got to the school this morning we noticed that the hum of the the AC units that we have grown to love was nowhere to be heard. When we got into the school our fears were confirmed by the oppressive heat that awaited us inside. Fortunately we had thought ahead and brought fans with us for just such a situation. The fans made it bearable, but not perfect.
I'm thinking that this was just a paperwork error since we had to refile our lease agreement with the school this week. I hope it's on next week because it's only getting hotter here.
To give you an idea of how hot it is, here is a list of the only things hotter than the school without AC:
1. Hell
2. The inside of a 1976 LTD Ford parked in the Vegas dessert in August (childhood flashback)
3. The inside of a incinerator used for cremations
4. Me with my shirt off
5. The Sun
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Move
My house is almost finished. I figure in about a month I should be moving. I like the idea of going through things and figuring out what I need and what I don't. It feels good to get rid of useless junk and see what new things I need to buy that I've been putting off for awhile. It's amazing how much stuff we hold on to that serves no purpose. My wife gets scared sometimes because she things that I'm getting rid of things we might need one day, but my response is that we can always get a new one if that is true. I'm one of those people that can only be bothered by so much.
This is kinda like the reason people told me I'd fail at this church plant. I had a pastor once tell me that I would never make it as a pastor because the only thing I cared about was my friends. That's a bit of an understatement, but it isn't that far off from the truth. I care about more things than just my friends and family, its just that I decided that I won't sacrifice those two things so that I can carry around everything that the world ( or the church) thinks I should care about.
I've been thinking about the times in my life that my friends needed me and I was there, whether because they needed help moving, or had a big event in their lives, or just needed someone to be there when they were hurt. I realized that at those times if I would've been made to choose between being there for the people that I love who needed me or being there for the church as an organization, the church would lose.
I think this makes me a bad pastor. I think this means that it is beyond me ability to have have a large church. I think all the people who told me that this is why I would fail might be right, but I just don't care.
I have watched countless pastors sacrifice their friends and family for the "church" until they are alone despite being surrounded by people and I just can't do that. I have failed the people I love many times in my life and I will keep failing them, but if I'm going to spend time and energy in one area of my life this will be it. I believe God put the people who are close to me in my life for a reason and I won't throw that away so that I can handle more stuff that doesn't really matter.
When you move to a new place you have to decide what can be replaced and what can't. I've made my choice.
This is kinda like the reason people told me I'd fail at this church plant. I had a pastor once tell me that I would never make it as a pastor because the only thing I cared about was my friends. That's a bit of an understatement, but it isn't that far off from the truth. I care about more things than just my friends and family, its just that I decided that I won't sacrifice those two things so that I can carry around everything that the world ( or the church) thinks I should care about.
I've been thinking about the times in my life that my friends needed me and I was there, whether because they needed help moving, or had a big event in their lives, or just needed someone to be there when they were hurt. I realized that at those times if I would've been made to choose between being there for the people that I love who needed me or being there for the church as an organization, the church would lose.
I think this makes me a bad pastor. I think this means that it is beyond me ability to have have a large church. I think all the people who told me that this is why I would fail might be right, but I just don't care.
I have watched countless pastors sacrifice their friends and family for the "church" until they are alone despite being surrounded by people and I just can't do that. I have failed the people I love many times in my life and I will keep failing them, but if I'm going to spend time and energy in one area of my life this will be it. I believe God put the people who are close to me in my life for a reason and I won't throw that away so that I can handle more stuff that doesn't really matter.
When you move to a new place you have to decide what can be replaced and what can't. I've made my choice.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Free Food
This Sunday The Venue is having its first Memorial Day Barbecue. We are going to cancel the regular church service and just eat some ribs. So far we have a lot of people that would never go to a normal church service signed up to come because there friends invited them to a barbecue. We are just going to eat and get to know each other better and maybe a couple of people will want to give the church thing a chance after hanging out with us for an hour or two.
On the other side of it, it's nice for us because we only have to load and unload 10% of our gear and the only sound we have to set up is the stuff for house music. This should give the team a well deserved break this Sunday and make it so we can all enjoy our three day weekend a little more.
On the other side of it, it's nice for us because we only have to load and unload 10% of our gear and the only sound we have to set up is the stuff for house music. This should give the team a well deserved break this Sunday and make it so we can all enjoy our three day weekend a little more.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Pastor Bekah
It was Bekah's Sunday to preach today. With everything that she's be through this week, I wouldn't have thought any less of her if she'd asked me to take this one (if you don't know what I'm talking about read her blog here). I'm glad she didn't though, her message hit home and she had half the house in tears.
The fact that I have a female pastor on my staff is something a lot of members of the Christian faith would not find favorable. There are some who would inform me that allowing a woman to teach and have authority over men is contrary to scripture (1 Timothy 2:11-15)
I have problems with this:
First, Paul thought Scripture had to be interpreted within culture. When Paul began going to the gentiles with the gospel he had to decide what commands were important in pleasing God. One of the truths that Paul held to was that the physical act of circumcision was not important for the gentiles to follow. This is amazing when you look at the importance circumcision was given in the Old Testament (Moses was nearly killed by God for overlooking this command in Exodus 4:24) and the fact that Jesus never gave any command to stop performing it. Paul had to defend his actions to the church in Jerusalem and after thinking it through and consulting the Holy Spirit they decided that Paul was right (Acts 15). They deemed a major command in Scripture optional because it was hindering the spread of the gospel.
Second, I've never seen a church, no matter how literal they claimed to take the Bible, ever not treat at least one command of Paul's as cultural. How many churches do you know that forbid women ministers based on a few verse yet claim that the chapters Paul's spends talking about the gifts of tongues or prophecy are not for toady? How many keep the rules about head coverings given in 1Corinthians 11?
What about the Holy Kiss? This is an imperative command given five times by Paul, backed up countless times in the Old Testament, and attested to by the early church fathers, yet I've never been in an American Protestant church where two men were encouraged to kiss each other when greeting. Every church chooses which commands in Scripture apply to them, the only questions are, which ones and why. We know that the rules of greeting have changed in the last two thousand years and it would be strange to try to apply those rules to today, yet we refuse to believe that the roles of women have changed since then.
I would wager that Bekah knows her Bible better than 99% of the men in your church. She is a better preacher than 99% of the pastors I have heard (and I have heard a lot of preachers). She has a vision and a heart for this church. She cares nothing for usurping authority, nor is she trying to rule over anyone. She's not trying to play the part of a man. I believe fully that God sent her to this church to minister and the evidence that supports this is that when she speaks people see God a little more clearly. There is not a mega church leader that I would trade her for. To tell her that she can't share the gospel because she is a women seems absurd to me.
To those of you that do not allow women ministers I'd like to say I understand why and I can respect that you are trying to serve God in the way you think best and I hope you see that I am trying to do the same. A few of you however have written some accusations about women ministers that are nothing short of cruel and slanderous. I would advise this small group to be careful when speaking of people they don't know.
If you are in the habit of making such remarks about women pastors The Venue is not the church for you. Neither her husband or I would look kindly on anything that could be taken as an insult to her character or her ministry. I am overly protective of three things in my life: my immediate family, my best friends, and my staff. I consider Bekah all three.
On the last day we will all stand before God to give an account of what we did with what we were given. On that day we will all discover we were wrong about somethings. It may be that I will discover that I am wrong about this, but I would rather have to repent to God because I went too far using everything in my means to spread the gospel, than to explain to him why I turned away the people he sent to preach His Word.
The fact that I have a female pastor on my staff is something a lot of members of the Christian faith would not find favorable. There are some who would inform me that allowing a woman to teach and have authority over men is contrary to scripture (1 Timothy 2:11-15)
I have problems with this:
First, Paul thought Scripture had to be interpreted within culture. When Paul began going to the gentiles with the gospel he had to decide what commands were important in pleasing God. One of the truths that Paul held to was that the physical act of circumcision was not important for the gentiles to follow. This is amazing when you look at the importance circumcision was given in the Old Testament (Moses was nearly killed by God for overlooking this command in Exodus 4:24) and the fact that Jesus never gave any command to stop performing it. Paul had to defend his actions to the church in Jerusalem and after thinking it through and consulting the Holy Spirit they decided that Paul was right (Acts 15). They deemed a major command in Scripture optional because it was hindering the spread of the gospel.
Second, I've never seen a church, no matter how literal they claimed to take the Bible, ever not treat at least one command of Paul's as cultural. How many churches do you know that forbid women ministers based on a few verse yet claim that the chapters Paul's spends talking about the gifts of tongues or prophecy are not for toady? How many keep the rules about head coverings given in 1Corinthians 11?
What about the Holy Kiss? This is an imperative command given five times by Paul, backed up countless times in the Old Testament, and attested to by the early church fathers, yet I've never been in an American Protestant church where two men were encouraged to kiss each other when greeting. Every church chooses which commands in Scripture apply to them, the only questions are, which ones and why. We know that the rules of greeting have changed in the last two thousand years and it would be strange to try to apply those rules to today, yet we refuse to believe that the roles of women have changed since then.
I would wager that Bekah knows her Bible better than 99% of the men in your church. She is a better preacher than 99% of the pastors I have heard (and I have heard a lot of preachers). She has a vision and a heart for this church. She cares nothing for usurping authority, nor is she trying to rule over anyone. She's not trying to play the part of a man. I believe fully that God sent her to this church to minister and the evidence that supports this is that when she speaks people see God a little more clearly. There is not a mega church leader that I would trade her for. To tell her that she can't share the gospel because she is a women seems absurd to me.
To those of you that do not allow women ministers I'd like to say I understand why and I can respect that you are trying to serve God in the way you think best and I hope you see that I am trying to do the same. A few of you however have written some accusations about women ministers that are nothing short of cruel and slanderous. I would advise this small group to be careful when speaking of people they don't know.
If you are in the habit of making such remarks about women pastors The Venue is not the church for you. Neither her husband or I would look kindly on anything that could be taken as an insult to her character or her ministry. I am overly protective of three things in my life: my immediate family, my best friends, and my staff. I consider Bekah all three.
On the last day we will all stand before God to give an account of what we did with what we were given. On that day we will all discover we were wrong about somethings. It may be that I will discover that I am wrong about this, but I would rather have to repent to God because I went too far using everything in my means to spread the gospel, than to explain to him why I turned away the people he sent to preach His Word.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
New Mailer
What do a plastic dashboard Jesus, some cardboard, an empty bottle, kids' toys, a stool, a couple desserts, and a gamma correction all have in common?
They are all part of the process of coming up with our new mailer. It's going to be interesting to say the least.
They are all part of the process of coming up with our new mailer. It's going to be interesting to say the least.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
First Communion
We had our first communion service today. I know, we've been meeting since March and are just now having communion, but it's been a crazy couple months. We decided to go with the come and take the elements when you are ready style instead of the traditional passing of the elements. This might not work when we grow larger, but for now I think kit works just fine.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
I'm So Hot
Church went pretty well today. The only thing I think that needs fixing right now is how hot it is. No, I'm not talking about how sexy I am, we all know about that. I'm talking about how it was 97 degrees in Vegas today and how we were beginning to feel it near the end of service.
We pay for AC in the school but it doesn't come on until 8AM and two hours isn't enough time to cool down that large of a room. I think we are going to have to bite the bullet and pay for the AC to come on a few hours before we get there for set-up so that the place will be comfortable by time service starts at 10AM. It's not that bad right now, but come late July when we start hitting 115+ degrees we'll be in sad shape if we don't do something.
What made today really nice is after church I got to do my favorite thing on a hot day, lay around with a friend in a quiet and climate controlled living room doing absolutely nothing. Man, I love being done working by 2PM.
We pay for AC in the school but it doesn't come on until 8AM and two hours isn't enough time to cool down that large of a room. I think we are going to have to bite the bullet and pay for the AC to come on a few hours before we get there for set-up so that the place will be comfortable by time service starts at 10AM. It's not that bad right now, but come late July when we start hitting 115+ degrees we'll be in sad shape if we don't do something.
What made today really nice is after church I got to do my favorite thing on a hot day, lay around with a friend in a quiet and climate controlled living room doing absolutely nothing. Man, I love being done working by 2PM.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
The Things That Concern Us
In getting my message ready for tomorrow I've been thinking about the Pharisees. On paper they believed most of the same things that Jesus taught, yet they clashed with Jesus time after time. It was as if there was a large gap between what they claimed to believe and how they lived it out. Or maybe, it was a problem of the order of their priorities. They seemed obsessed with their rules and themselves while Jesus was obsessed with the lost and God.
It makes me wonder sometimes if we don't get carried away with things that aren't as important as we think they are. I know that times and cultures have changed, but I see many churches focusing on things that I don't think Jesus and the early Church gave a whole lot of thought to. I'm not saying that these things aren't covered at all and God knows I might be missing something, but these are somethings I've picked up from my readings of the life of Jesus and the early Church:
They weren't overly concerned with leadership development - No twelve step principles, no annual leadership development retreats, not even quarterly leadership training classes. I'm not saying these things are bad, it's just that it seems that Jesus thought that the best way to train a leader was to put them in a situation bigger than themselves and give them opportunity to succeed or to fail.
I don't think they ever took spiritual gift assessment tests - These might not be that familiar to all of you, but if you ever spend any time in a charismatic church chances are you've seen classes offered on "discovering your gifts" or something similar. Paul tells the church to pray for the greater gifts, but other than that it doesn't seem to be something that he was worried about. People discovered their gifts by serving God in the way he called them. Just like Moses at the burning bush, if God calls you to speak He'll give you the gift of speaking. If He's called you teach you'll have the gift of teaching, etc. If we believe that "spiritual gifts" are tools to accomplish God's purposes then we should focus on the purpose and have faith that God will provide the tools needed to do the job.
They didn't care about buildings, stage design, or production - These are all nice things, but I think we give them to high of a priority in our minds. The early Church got things done outside, in public squares, and in borrowed houses and locations with nothing but themselves and the message. We can too.
They weren't afraid of sin - Jesus was a friend of sinners and tax collectors, He was accused of being a drunk and a glutton and guess what. He didn't care. You don't find the lost sheep inside the sheep pen and a shepherd that can't keep himself from being eaten by the wolves isn't much help to the sheep he's to protect.
It makes me wonder sometimes if we don't get carried away with things that aren't as important as we think they are. I know that times and cultures have changed, but I see many churches focusing on things that I don't think Jesus and the early Church gave a whole lot of thought to. I'm not saying that these things aren't covered at all and God knows I might be missing something, but these are somethings I've picked up from my readings of the life of Jesus and the early Church:
They weren't overly concerned with leadership development - No twelve step principles, no annual leadership development retreats, not even quarterly leadership training classes. I'm not saying these things are bad, it's just that it seems that Jesus thought that the best way to train a leader was to put them in a situation bigger than themselves and give them opportunity to succeed or to fail.
I don't think they ever took spiritual gift assessment tests - These might not be that familiar to all of you, but if you ever spend any time in a charismatic church chances are you've seen classes offered on "discovering your gifts" or something similar. Paul tells the church to pray for the greater gifts, but other than that it doesn't seem to be something that he was worried about. People discovered their gifts by serving God in the way he called them. Just like Moses at the burning bush, if God calls you to speak He'll give you the gift of speaking. If He's called you teach you'll have the gift of teaching, etc. If we believe that "spiritual gifts" are tools to accomplish God's purposes then we should focus on the purpose and have faith that God will provide the tools needed to do the job.
They didn't care about buildings, stage design, or production - These are all nice things, but I think we give them to high of a priority in our minds. The early Church got things done outside, in public squares, and in borrowed houses and locations with nothing but themselves and the message. We can too.
They weren't afraid of sin - Jesus was a friend of sinners and tax collectors, He was accused of being a drunk and a glutton and guess what. He didn't care. You don't find the lost sheep inside the sheep pen and a shepherd that can't keep himself from being eaten by the wolves isn't much help to the sheep he's to protect.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Change
I went back to work today, but I'm going to take the next two days off to help with Ethan while Autumn recovers from the wonders of birth. I only have three more weeks left with the first graders and this is a wonderful thing. They aren't a bad class and I like the kids, I just feel bored with it now. I'm ready for something different even if it's not that great.
I've become one of those people that longs for Friday, when I can do the things I really want to do and be with the people I really want to be with. I want to get to the place where everyday is like that and maybe I'm just being overly optimistic, but I don't think that day is so far off.
I know I should be content where I am at the moment and I am content in the sense that I'm right where I'm suppose to be, but there is another part of me that isn't content because I know more is coming and, for better or worse, I want it. I guess this is kind of a confusion I struggle with.
Sometimes I come off like I think I have everything figured out and the truth is I'm a long way off. There are a lot of things that have came into my life with this church plant that confuse me, but I'm thinking and talking through them and each day I feel like more things are becoming clearer. It really feels like God is reforming me in ways I'm not fully grasping yet. I'm not the person I was five years ago and I don't know what I'm going to look like five years from now (other than even more incredibly hot) but I think God is getting me ready for something big. This is scary to me, but here I am.
I've become one of those people that longs for Friday, when I can do the things I really want to do and be with the people I really want to be with. I want to get to the place where everyday is like that and maybe I'm just being overly optimistic, but I don't think that day is so far off.
I know I should be content where I am at the moment and I am content in the sense that I'm right where I'm suppose to be, but there is another part of me that isn't content because I know more is coming and, for better or worse, I want it. I guess this is kind of a confusion I struggle with.
Sometimes I come off like I think I have everything figured out and the truth is I'm a long way off. There are a lot of things that have came into my life with this church plant that confuse me, but I'm thinking and talking through them and each day I feel like more things are becoming clearer. It really feels like God is reforming me in ways I'm not fully grasping yet. I'm not the person I was five years ago and I don't know what I'm going to look like five years from now (other than even more incredibly hot) but I think God is getting me ready for something big. This is scary to me, but here I am.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Easter Lessons
We had our first Easter service today and it went great! I'm amazed by how many people get blown away by what we are doing here. We didn't blow up big like some churches but every Sunday the people who check us out tell me how impressed they are with us. People that I would've never guessed would want to be a part of this church keep coming back every week. At the rate we've been retaining, we are well on our way to making an impact in our area.
We had a couple bumps this morning, nothing major that we couldn't handle, but it's made for a few good Easter lessons.
Lesson #1 - When moving equipment in a truck tie down everything - Jason usually oversees the loading of the truck, but he was with his in-laws last night, so Mike, Tyson, (not Mike Tyson) and myself were on our own. When we got to the school this morning we discovered that one of our five foot tall powered speakers had fell over on top one of the candelabras. Our concern was for the speaker and not the candelabra, drop them too much and the amps inside powered speakers will disconnect causing you to have to send it back to the manufacturer for repair. You have to pay for the shipping by the pound and those things weigh more than a compact car. Thankfully the speaker was fine, I can't say the same for the candelabra though.
Lesson #2 - Don't settle for cheap chairs - We bought cheap folding chairs because we were just about out of money and needed something other than the benches the school provides for seating. This morning during the last song before we dismissed one of our chairs collapsed out from under someone. The dude wasn't even that big of a guy, I just think the chair wasn't meant for the stress of a mobile church. Anyway It happen to a guy that is really cool, it wasn't a large problem, but there are and will be people at our church that need a sturdier chair if you know what I mean. We will be ordering stackable chairs sometime this week.
Lesson #3 - People want something real - This wasn't inspired by a problem we had this morning, but its something that God reinforced in us today. The number of people that told one of us that we are not what they expected from a church is amazing. They told us when we started that we were going to be a nice church for young people, but what we are seeing is that we are attracting all ages and backgrounds. It turns out we're a nice church for anyone that needs something different in their lives.
So that was Easter. It will be incredible to see what the next one looks like. Now I'm going to get some rest I'm tired and my wife is being induced at 4am tomorrow, looks like next week there will be at least one more new face at The Venue.
We had a couple bumps this morning, nothing major that we couldn't handle, but it's made for a few good Easter lessons.
Lesson #1 - When moving equipment in a truck tie down everything - Jason usually oversees the loading of the truck, but he was with his in-laws last night, so Mike, Tyson, (not Mike Tyson) and myself were on our own. When we got to the school this morning we discovered that one of our five foot tall powered speakers had fell over on top one of the candelabras. Our concern was for the speaker and not the candelabra, drop them too much and the amps inside powered speakers will disconnect causing you to have to send it back to the manufacturer for repair. You have to pay for the shipping by the pound and those things weigh more than a compact car. Thankfully the speaker was fine, I can't say the same for the candelabra though.
Lesson #2 - Don't settle for cheap chairs - We bought cheap folding chairs because we were just about out of money and needed something other than the benches the school provides for seating. This morning during the last song before we dismissed one of our chairs collapsed out from under someone. The dude wasn't even that big of a guy, I just think the chair wasn't meant for the stress of a mobile church. Anyway It happen to a guy that is really cool, it wasn't a large problem, but there are and will be people at our church that need a sturdier chair if you know what I mean. We will be ordering stackable chairs sometime this week.
Lesson #3 - People want something real - This wasn't inspired by a problem we had this morning, but its something that God reinforced in us today. The number of people that told one of us that we are not what they expected from a church is amazing. They told us when we started that we were going to be a nice church for young people, but what we are seeing is that we are attracting all ages and backgrounds. It turns out we're a nice church for anyone that needs something different in their lives.
So that was Easter. It will be incredible to see what the next one looks like. Now I'm going to get some rest I'm tired and my wife is being induced at 4am tomorrow, looks like next week there will be at least one more new face at The Venue.
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