Playing Catch Up

I was about to get on a roll here...

So two weeks ago, the pastors of LifePoint Church and I, as well as the head of our board and all the spouses, went to a conference in Austin, TX. called Verge. It was a really good conference, full of great ideas and excellent speakers, and not a few surprises. I'll do a future post on the experience, but between the conference itself, my wife's illness while we were there, and travelling there and back, there wasn't any time to post. Sorry.

Then, the week I'm back, it's the typical, "Pastor's been gone a week" week. It never fails that when I'm out of the office, there's more than twice the work waiting for me when I get back. Decisions on Easter, seeing our newest admin have to leave to move to California, pushing on our Student Pastor search, and getting ready for our 'Thanks To You' volunteer appreciation event. Somehow things always back up when I'm going to be gone.

So I'm still in catch up mode. I'm pushing to get interviews set up for the Student Pastor search, trying to make a few minutes here and there for work on my talk at Easter, plus all the rest of the stuff. But this is also what I love about my job: it's totally unpredictable. I never know what each week or even each day will hold. I have to trust God for wisdom and strength each day, starting when I get out of bed, and continuing till my head hits the pillow at night. The constant variety is one of the appealing parts of what I do, and the constant reminder that it's God who is in charge.

A book written in sorrow, Lamentations, contains this amazing reminder: "The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning." (Lam. 3:22-23 NLT) As I attempt to catch up in my life, as we press forward with all manner of agendas, projects and deadlines and as we anticipate the celebration of Easter in a few weeks, we all need to be reminded: God renews His love and mercy for us each day; it's fresh and new every morning. There's more than enough for what we're up to today, and God won't run out before tomorrow.

Now, on to the next on my "To Do" list...

Why we own a house

We held the first 'official' event at our home yesterday, and it reminds me of why we bought a house in the first place.

Yes, we've had a few friends over, and yes, we're not counting those as 'official' events, because we just called some folks and invited them to hang out. Yesterday was an Open House for our Senior Adults at LifePoint Church, and we had over 20 people fill up our living room with smiles, conversation and laughter. It was great!! We're launching a new Senior Adult ministry next week (we're looking for a cool name, don't have one yet...), and Beth and I wanted to take the opportunity to invite these precious folk over and let them see us in our 'natural habitat.'

It was great fun to talk to the folks, get to know some new people and enjoy some goodies, but the best part was hearing how they were so excited about where we are going as a church family and how they are looking forward to having their own ministry as Seniors, complete with small groups, Bible study and outreach projects to do. These folks have more experience and more time than working folks, and combined with a real desire to follow God, this is going to be the beginning of something great!!

The whole event reminded me why we own a house: it's a tool to do ministry. We live here, yes, and we raise our kids here, which is a ministry unto itself, but like everything God has given us, it's a tool for Him to use to serve His Kingdom. I love it when we get to enjoy the gifts God has given us with other people, and to use them to see His church grow. Our house is God's house, and His gift to us is a place to live and a base for ministry.

Here's to the good gifts God gives, and the opportunity to use them for Him!

Remembering 2010 - Part 2

I've been having this ongoing nostalgia for where I was this time last year, both physically and emotionally, and it got me thinking. For those who are newer to Roof Crashers, this time last year I was in the beginning stages of interviewing for the job of Lead Pastor at LifePoint Church, and was wrestling with God about the call to leave a place I'd been for 14 years as Senior Pastor at FBC Pocatello. It's been a year of constant transition (we've had three home addresses, two moves, and bought one new couch), and like I said, it got me thinking.

Before you move, you should always decide on what goes with you and what you sell, give away, throw away or otherwise leave behind. We did that with furniture, mattresses, clothes, papers, etc... in each move this year. So I was thinking about what I would want to take with me and what I want to leave behind as we moved from 2010 into 2011. When I tweeted about it, I got some good responses. Here's what I've been thinking:

I want to leave behind 5 things:

• My insecurity as a leader - I'm here because I've been called by God, and affirmed by prayerful people. I have nothing to prove and no one to impress. Thanks, Larry Osborne, for that great quote and lesson!
• My fear of failure - I don't have to be right all the time, and I don't have to be perfect. I just need to try my best to hear from God and do what I hear Him say. Failure is a great teacher.
• My 'people pleaser mode' - Moving to a larger church has taught me quickly that there is no room for being a people pleaser. I thought I could please everyone in my life before, but couldn't, and it befuddled me to no end that I couldn't do it. Now, I know I can't do it, so I do my very best, trust God for the results, and leave the people pleasing in the past.
• My resume' - What got me here isn't what's going to get me there, so I need to put aside the 'gold stars' on my past resume' and focus on what I need to learn to move God's church ahead here and now.
• My fantasy job - There is no church with too much money and not enough problems. Bigger isn't better, it's just bigger. It's not worse, it's just bigger. A church is people, and people have both problems and potential. There are more opportunities for both, so don't waste time dreaming of somewhere else, make the Big Dream happen here.

And 5 things I want to take with me into 2011:

• A hunger to know God more - I am more aware of my need for God than ever before, and I want to know and hear and obey more and more the God who holds all things in His hands, who pours out Grace and Mercy from His heart to mine.
• A closer bond with my family - this move has opened up more avenues for the four of us to connect, grow closer and listen to each other. I never want to lose that.
• A deeper respect for the past - both mine and that of LifePoint Church. I see over and over again the amazing work that God did through Dr. John Jackson, his wife Pam and the founding families here at (CVC) LifePoint. This is a hard, hard area to do ministry, but God used them all to break through, and now, ministries across the valley are more effective, while this particular church continues to thrive and lead. This year has also taught me that God has been preparing me for this time, this calling, this place. All the difficult ministry of my past nearly 20 years as a pastor have been preparing and building me to face the challenges of "such a time as this." So humbling to follow a great leader, and to know that God has been preparing me to do just that.
• A deeper appreciation for my friends - the move has helped me to reconnect with some friends, deepen bonds with others, make new friends, and see the value in friendship in a fresh way. Nothing like starting over to show you that you never really start over when you have real friends in your life.
• Special memories - the last weekend in Pocatello, the send off party for the ages, the gift of a beautiful nativity set from my FBC staff, the drive to Minden, the first weekend at LifePoint Church (thanks again to Curt Harlow!!), the first staff meeting, the Easter blackout, the first Tahoe Baptism, the help of the church family to move (again), the amazing Christmas season... just a sampling of what I don't ever want to forget about 2010.

What are you taking/leaving from 2010?

A Powerful, Peaceful Thought

I am always looking for people who are doing better and smarter work than me so I can learn from them. I listen so I can maybe shave a few extra steps off my journey where possible, and overall grow as a person, leader and pastor. I know that if I am limited to using only my own ideas, not only am I in trouble, but so is my church.

So when I got the opportunity to visit with a prominent pastor (name withheld by request), I took it. A small number of other pastors got to hang with him for a day, pick his brain, watch his process, and basically soak in whatever wisdom, leadership and spiritual growth we could carry away. I learned a great deal in that day, and I'm already putting some of it into practice in my life and in my leadership, but one nugget for sure is worth sharing.

He said that one of the thoughts that he holds onto every day is this: "I have nothing to prove and no one to impress."

Seriously, read that again.

This is an impressive guy. He's got an impressive church. He's doing impressive ministry on a national stage, and making a HUGE difference in his community. But his ministry has been built on this idea. He's made choices to not grow his church as fast as it possibly could grow, in favor of sustainability, sanity and health for him and his staff, volunteers and the rest.

When I took the role of Lead Pastor at LifePoint Church 6 months ago, I realized that I could easily fall into the trap of pushing to 'earn' what I had been given me. Much like grace, sometimes we want to earn what God has freely given us by our own good works, even though the Bible teaches we cannot add anything to what Christ has done for us. As a pastor, it's easy to think to yourself, "I'm saved by grace, but I minister by works" as if God will not love me if I'm not killing myself, over-committing, and burning the candle at both end's and in the middle, too. There's always something to do, always someone to talk to, always one more box to check. But who am I trying to impress with my schedule? What am I trying to prove with my hectic, worried pace? Does it make me a better pastor? A better leader? A better Christ-follower? I don't think so.

Hearing this obviously successful leader admit that he's trying to continue to live by this axiom, and hearing how he succeeds at that most of the time, I was able to take a huge, deep breath of peace. I do not have to impress anyone, either. I don't have to earn what has been given to me. I didn't hear this as a call to be a slacker (Proverbs calls them "sluggards"). Certainly, I must do what I've been called to do, and do it to the best of my abilities. But no more than that. I have no one to impress (meaning if God is happy with me, who else matters?), and nothing to prove (I can't add to what God has done for me, so what else is there?)

I feel like I'm giving my best to God in this new adventure, and I feel like I'm honoring Him with my time. At the same time, I am feeling a peace with myself and my life that can only be explained as supernatural. God is giving me peace, because I'm able to say: I have nothing to prove, and no one to impress.

This thought has layered peace on my heart. I hope it does the same for you.

Keeping Your Balance, Part 1

There are two types of balance in life: the kind that isn't really possible, and the kind that you can't live without.

Some people talk about balance as if we as human beings need to be a little good at everything, as if a successful life includes at least moderate success in every possible endeavor. Being out of balance means being either too invested in one or just a few areas, or being totally out of touch in some area. I was told once by a person who was very successful in business that knowing too much about sports is a liability. His advice was to know just enough to be able to talk about it, but don't go overboard. I have managed to ignore that advice thoroughly.

I love sports. I don't love politics. You want to talk politics, I can, but I would rather talk sports. I can go at length and with depth on several sports, and glance over the surface of a few more. I am totally out of balance in this area, but it is one of my passions, one of my heartbeats, so instead of ignoring it, I lean into it and let my love for it flow through my life.

I don't believe the kind of balance where someone pretends to be interested in areas they don't care about and simultaneously tries to ignore areas of real passion and interest in the name of some false sense of 'balance.' That's not balance, that's wasting passion. Passion is so vital to success in life, in ministry, in anything; too vital to waste on 'balance.'

Truth is, you can't really live that kind of balance. There are too many issues, too many options, too many opportunities and ideas to try to 'balance' all of them in your life. Spread yourself across too many of those options and opportunities, and whatever passion you have will dwindle down from a flame to a flicker.

Instead, choose wisely the places where you invest your life. Choose God first and develop passion for Him, His Word and His Kingdom, then let Him move you to follow what you're passionate about. Don't buy the lie that says you have to 'balance' your life. Instead, be off balance, leaning heavily on God, completely tilted His direction. The rest will figure itself out.

I'll share the helpful kind of balance next time, but tell me what you think: 'Balanced' life or 'Leaning' life?

Pass The Sunshine

This morning was not a good morning.

I ate something last night that didn't agree with me, my mind was swirling until way past midnight, and I just didn't have the good night that precedes a good morning. My family is up at Lake Tahoe for the day, having fun and goofing off, but for me, there is still much work to be done, and not all of it the fun kind of work. I like work when it's fun. But the work that feels like work, that's just... work.

I had scheduled a phone call for this morning with someone I hardly know, another church leader whom I had met at a training I attended in April. I really didn't have much in the way of expectations before the call, and as out of it as I was feeling this morning, I wasn't really seeing my expectation level moving anywhere. When the time came and I made the call, I was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm and the encouragement that I received. It was literally 35 minutes of non-stop ideas, encouraging words, planning for possible future ministry, news of God's kingdom moving in unlikely places, and by the time we ended in prayer, I was a different man.

Amazing what a little encouragement can do. I thanked God for my call with Patrick, big time.

Then, in my Priority Time, I read 3 John, a tiny little book with a personal and powerful message. Verse 11 said, "Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good." That's direct. There's so much that we emulate in our lives that isn't good, and John says to choose better. Choose to copy the good we see in the world. Imitate, emulate the positive, Godly things we see. So I'm going to imitate Patrick. He encouraged the daylight INTO me, and according to God's word to me today, I need to copy him. So I'm going to pass the sunshine today.

Join me? Who can you encourage today? Who do you know needs a lift? Don't be stingy, give all the encouragement you have to give. I promise, there will be more tomorrow.