New Year's Eve

2009 is almost in the books. How time flys.

As we wrap up this year, I have a few thoughts to share with my readers.

• The annual ball drop in New York City's Time's Square to ring in the new year has to be one of the biggest let downs in all of the world's New Year's celebrations. I'm sure the party on the ground is cool, but for the television viewer, all we experience is a less than glamorous ball dropping followed by a short and cheap fireworks display. This is NYC! Can't someone put together a bigger celebration?!? Blow the roofs off those skyscrapers. Fireworks should go for at least an hour. I'm just saying....
• We're on the brink of having nationalized health care. It will be the biggest mistake the United States will have made since Social Security (which we all now know is not secure). Government has never been the solution to any of the nation's problems...NEVER!
• I look forward to the congressional elections in November. If I had already had my hand in politics, I would probably be running. There will be a lot of angry Americans seeking political office this coming year. Be sure to choose the best ones to right the ship that the liberals are trying to sink.
• Speaking of liberals. Give them a hug, but don't give them any power. Democracy and Capitalism are the answers to our country's problems, not Socialism.
• Eluding to conservatives. Conservatives have the best answers, but don't be fooled by liberals and moderates in conservative clothing, lest they sell out their public image in order to improve their financial and political standing. The conservative uprising of 1994 was a great one for the country. Sadly, the real conservatives were beat down by the pretend-conservatives, and the conservative movement lost out in 2006 & 2008.
• Speaking of the Republican Party, 2010 will be the resurgance of the GOP if true conservatives regain control of the party leadership. Otherwise, 2010 will the the year the GOP is replaced by a third party.
• Speaking of third parties, I think some will win congressional seats in 2010, and we could see a third party (conservative) candidate win the White House in 2012. Conditions are ripe for that.
• Government is not the answer, and 2010 should be the year that the Christian church rises up to provide the answers. The church doesn't need to get political to supply those answers. It just has to live up to the design Christ left it.
• I have one resolution this coming year: to become more disciplined. That way, I should be able to tackle all the other things I want to accomplish in the upcoming 365 days.
• If all goes as planned, my wife and I should be debt free in a matter of days. I still remember when we got into debt for the first time. It still makes me vomit a little in my mouth. We will not be going down that roller coaster ride again...not even to buy a house. I expect people will be looking at us oddly as we stop relying on credit to live.
• I'm planning on reading through the entire Bible this year. One of my favorite ways to read the Bible is on my smart phone. It's easier to take it in chunks, and I can carry it with me everywhere I go. Now, if I can only get a more reliable phone.
• 2009 had it's ups and downs. I'm hoping 2010 will be a great year.

That's it. Have a Happy New Year.

Bragging a Little

Friends, I'm in a jovial mood today. Some big stuff is on the immediate horizon that will change the lives of myself and my family.

And, today I learned that I am the winner of the Singing News Golden Mic award for the March 2010 edition.

So, today I'm totally jazzed. I hope you're having a good day, too.

Christmas Is Over, Now What

I've harped about it for most of the month, but alas Christmas is now behind us. Most of the world has moved on, and forgotten about all the needs that are out there.

We came out in droves to help people in need for the past month, but with a new year starting up we have turned our focus back to ourselves. For most of us, we don't have needs. We have wants.

If all you've ever had was wants, then you don't really know what it's like to start a new year with real needs. Needs are things like:

• Shelter - Not a new home or bigger apartment, but shelter. Most people want bigger, better, newer. But, one drive down Commercial Street here in Springfield, and you'll see people who just want shelter.
• Food - Whenever my pantry runs low, a trip to the local grocer takes care of my shortage. But, over the past year, my family experienced the real need for food. When money is tight, the economy is sour and prices are soaring, surviving two weeks on less than $50 cash becomes a crisis, especially if you have kids. This experience has helped me to relate to those who struggle just to feed themselves and their families.
• Work - One of the biggest characteristics of recessions is the loss of jobs. Right now, nationwide, unemployment is around 10 percent. Essentially, one in ten people who want to work do not have a job. The Bible instructs us that able-bodied people should work to meet their needs, and take care of their families. But, in recessions, work can be hard to come by for someone who has lost their job.

All around us there are people with real needs. These are needs that you and I can help meet. Some of the best ways are by volunteering at local organizations who are commissioned to address these issues.

As we approach 2010, I encourage you not to neglect the needs of those in your community. Because, someone else's need today could be your need tomorrow.

Monday Ten

Here we go with the final ten of 2009.

1. Rebekah and I were talking last night and agreed that 2009 is ending up to be a much better year for us than 2008 was. 2008 was disastrous, but 2009 is ending on a high note.

2. That, of course, means that we're excited about 2010. We're anticipating some great things happening in the early part of the year...like being debt free. Big time WOOT for that.

3. That all being said, 2009 is ending a lot differently than I had pictured just a couple of years ago. I had originally pictured myself doing something completely different than what I am still doing today. On a side note, by the end of next year I might be doing something completely different than what I had thought I would be doing. Sound confusing?

4. My wife informed me last night that she doesn't do resolutions anymore. They're just a waste of time. I kind of agree, but I am going to make one resolution for 2010...become more disciplined. That should take care of all the other things I could resolve to do.

5. I'm brainstorming an idea that could revolutionize the way churches interact with their communities. I'm going to be taking come input from area church leaders to see if this idea stands a chance. The biggest obstacle I foresee is "denominational separation." In other words, churches in different Christian denominations just don't like to work together. We have to get past this if we are ever going to change our communities for Jesus.

6. White Christmases are over-rated, especially when you (a) don't get as much snow as had been forecast, and (b) it's too cold to go outside and enjoy the snow. On that note, it's a shame snow couldn't be on the ground in 45 degree weather.

7. I love the start of new years. If my birthday weren't in April, I think January would be my favorite month. There's just something refreshing about the start of a new year. We have a chance to do a year all over again...only different.

8. I also love the end of years, because the holidays can be fun, especially if you have children. However, this week between Christmas and New Years is rather anti-climatic. It's almost as if the calendar makers many centuries ago knew that people would someday need a week of nothing just to recover from all the Christmas gatherings.

9. I won't be getting plastered on New Years Eve. In fact, I don't drink alcohol. I like to remember what I did the night before, and not spend a holiday with a hang over. But, for those of you who get your kicks that way ... CHEERS and some aspirin!

10. Finally, I've referenced this already, but I'll put the question to you. Did your 2009 end up as you had planned it to be back in January? If not, it's most likely because you didn't plan your year out. As we head into 2010, why not take some time to map out your path through the year. You can fill in the details later, but I would encourage you to set some goals for the upcoming year. Maybe it's a trip you would like to take. Perhaps it's pounds you want to shed. Maybe it's a career you want to change. Maybe, just maybe, it's a God-sized task that the Almighty has been prompting you to do.

Monday Ten

Heading into Christmas week, here is today's Ten.

1. Today is the last day of my week-and-a-half vacation. I had never taken that much time off, and had a blast. I think I'll do it again next year sometime.

2. I'm glad I took seven work days off. It took a couple of days just to unwind from work. Seven days has really helped me get rid of the stress that has accumulated over the past few months.

3. We didn't really do a tremendous number of things on the vacation, but the few things we did go do were wonderful.

4. My whole family got new shoes over the weekend. Rebekah got hers here in town, and the boys and I got ours in Branson on Saturday.

5. Rebekah and I celebrated our 15th anniversary last Thursday. It was the best anniversary we've had in a long time. Four out of the last five years, I have been sick, mostly with the flu. That other year, we spent our anniversary in the hospital with our youngest, who was a premmie in the nicu of a local hospital. No sickness this year made for a great day.

6. The day was made even greater by a special phone call that shared some tremendous, life changing news.

7. One of my best friends did something life changing over the weekend. He proposed to his girlfriend of three years. Congrats to Sam and Emily.

8. The boys are out of school for the next couple of weeks. I really feel sorry for Rebekah. At least she'll have me today, Thursday and Friday of this week and Friday of next week.

9. I've raised a lot of feathers on Facebook this week (as have some folks from my church) in talking about the Xmas Christmas series. I'll probably blog about it this week, but let's say for now that I understand why Christians get all upset about the world taking Christ out of the list of December celebrations. However, I think this part of the discussion is one of those missing-the-forest-for-the-trees moments for western Christians.

10. By the way, church was a blast as we concluded the Xmas series. Today was the last day for our worship pastor (good luck Jeff May). We had a record, non-Easter attendance of just over 4,400 and 47 decisions for Christ. Pastor Tommy pointed out on his blog that nearly 200 people gave their lives to Jesus over the four week series. That is totally awesome.

Guest Blog

This past May, I made a decision that has changed my perspective on a lot of things. I chose to help out our church's kids area by teaching 4th and 5th grade kids during our Saturday night service. Prior to that, I had only helped occasionally with the class that my wife would teach.

This experience as a children's teacher has been eye opening. As a result, I probably wouldn't have appreciated a blog post from pastor Perry Noble from NewSpring Church in South Carolina. Enjoy.

15 Years and Counting

It's hard to believe, but my beautiful wife and I are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary today.

I love you, babe.

Life Chapters: One Ends, One Begins

You have heard the expression "chapters of life?" Well, I'm experiencing the end of one of those. As of yesterday, I am no longer an ordained minister.

This decision has been several months in the making, and was based on a continual set of walls that popped up in front of plans that I was making to start and pastor a church. I have struggled to release this chapter of my life, but decided to end it, because I sense God is moving me in a different direction.

Part of me feels that the past three years have been a waste as I worked toward obtaining my ordination papers. But, as I survey that time period, I have come away with some valuable lessons. Here are just a few:

• Ministry must maintian God as it's focus. Difficulties arise when it becomes focused on you and your ego.
• It isn't easy for a public figure to let go of their ego in order to serve God, but it is necessary.
• Always listen to your spouse.
• Even though one dream dies, God still has a mighty plan for you.

And, that last point brings me to a new chapter in my life. I'm not totally sure where this is leading, but I believe that God is imprinting a new burden on my heart. When He called me to full-time ministry, it was with the instruction to change lives. The ideas that swirl through my head would accomplish that, and probably more than a single church plant ever could.

Additionally, the closing of the pastoral chapter of my life is going to allow me to become even more involved in the church my family attends now. I really love North Point Church, and am extremely excited about our future there.

Thank you to everyone who supported us over the past couple of years. I trust that you will continue to pray for us as we move forward in our lives.

Monday Ten

1. I am on vacation this week. I'm way overdue for one.

2. I'm taking a week and a half off. I've never taken this much time off.

3. This week of vacation emcompasses my youngest son's 4th birthday (yesterday) and my 15th wedding anniversary (Thursday).

4. I am slightly fearful this week. I typically take a week of vacation around my anniversary. But, the past four or five years I have ended up with the flu for my anniversary. Hence, the fear.

5. People keep asking me what my plans are for our vacation. "Where are you going?" is the most common question. The most common answer is, "No where."

6. The thing I'm going to enjoy most about this vacation is having nothing to do with my place of work. It's not that I don't enjoy my work, but the past three months have been some of the most stressful. An event back in October caused me to cancel a planned vacation that month. So, I'm going to enjoy this time off.

7. One of the things I'm missing at the radio station this week is our Great Christmas Giveaway. Check it out and enter. You don't even have to listen to win. There are lots of great prizes.

8. I am in the process of ending one dream, but am starting to dream a different one.

9. I am moving much more carefully on this new dream. I want to be sure it's what God wants before leaping in full steam.

10. Church services this past weekend were tremendous. I had a great time Saturday night teaching the 4th & 5th graders, then came back for the service on Sunday. North Point Church's music is the bomb, creativity is always a thrill and Pastor Tommy is the cat's meow. This weekend saw the largest non-Easter attendance of over 4300, and 65 people gave their lives to Jesus.

Can We All Get Along

The world chuckled a bit when Rodney King uttered those words back in 1992 in a public plea to calm rioting in the Los Angeles area after he was beaten by police in video that was seen worldwide.

While the world didn't take his phrase seriously at the time, it's interesting how a simple plea can stick with society. Sadly, few if any people during those riots put that phrase in to practice. They didn't care about Rodney or the police. They were merely interested in destruction and looting.

But, it's the phrase King uttered that sticks with us. It was a plea to end senselessness.

It's a plea that we could stand to use in the Christian world today.

Last fall, author Bruce Wilkinson chaired an event in Springfield for pastors to come together and work on a plan to work together. There was great potential in the event, but sadly nothing came out of it. One of the primary reasons for inaction, I believe, was revealed during a survey session when pastors admitted that most churches in the region don't cooperate outside of denomination boundaries. To be truthful, some churches won't work together inside their own denominations.

As I look around at our communities in the Ozarks, I see a lot of people in need. There are people living with sickness, in poverty and without Christ in every neighborhood around us.

The solutions to these problems lie right inside our churches. Christ commanded his followers on several occasions to take care of the poor, widowed and needy. Yet, a survey of churches today shows that most ignore the needs of those outside their walls. Others simply don't have the resources to do it on their own.

That leads to a suggestion. Can we all get along? At least enough so that we can work together to tackle the needs of our towns and cities.

Ideas and Dreams

Last week, I eluded to working on an idea that could have an impact on our communities. I'm no where close to disclosing what it is, or even if it will actually happen. But, I am still exploring it.

One of the major factors that I'm working through is whether or not God is encouraging this on me, or if it's just my dream. To me, that has to be a key factor in deciding whether to go ahead with the idea or not.

If it just impacted me alone, the decision would be a lot simpler. I can handle a success or failure if only I am impacted. But, a decision that has the potential to impact several or many people isn't that simple.

In my case, this idea could potentially impact entire communities. Hence, the desire for God to be the inspiration for it. For I know that if God is behind this idea, it will be a success. If it's just my idea, it might be a success in certain circles, but not the ones that will make the impact this dream is seeking.

Prayer and patience. That's where I'm at until God gives me a green or red light on the idea.

What about you? Ever had any ideas that you had to wait on God before making the big move? Share them.

Monday Ten

1. This is going to be a short work week. Ten day vacation starts Friday. Cannot wait!

2. Of course, vacation only means double the work this week to prepare for it.

3. KWFC goes all-Christmas music this Saturday. The majority of this week will involve adding Christmas music to our computer system.

4. Next week we will be giving away some awesome on air "Christmas presents." Be listening to 89.1-FM or online at kwfc.org.

5. Personally, I'm in a funky place at the moment. Trying to figure some stuff out, but not quite sure what it is yet.

6. More great services this weekend at North Point Church. Saturday night's kids class was wierd. We had enough teachers to split the 4th/5th grade boys and girls into two classes, but I only ended up with six boys. Meanwhile, the 2nd/3rd grade girls class had 22 kids. I think most of my kids went into the service.

7. The service was awesome. Music was torching the place and the message was practical. Xmas is putting Christ back into Christmas. Be there this weekend. BTW, over 4100 in attendance this week. 51 people gave their lives to Jesus.

8. Pyrotechnics can have a place in worship. Check out these pics at my pastor's blog.

9. I've been dwelling on a big topic the past couple of weeks, and that has led to one big question:

10. What is your church doing to meet the needs (not the wants) of your community?

Doing What's Right All Year Long

I haven't blogged in a couple of days, because I have been stewing on something. Today, I'll share.

I'm reading through the book of James right now, and chapter two has really grabbed my attention. This section of scripture takes two different topics and ties them together in a way that I need to speak about. I need to speak on them, because we Christ-followers mess these fundamental things up all the time.

We read this chapter, and believe what it says, but most of the time we neglect what it commands. That neglect will be amplified three weeks from tomorrow. That will be the day after Christmas. That will be two days after the red kettles are collected. That will be the day after the Christmas season's giving comes to an end. The day after Christmas, the poor and hurting will be suffering for another eleven months.

That is the part that has me bothered.

I've witnessed -- and been a part of -- too many churches that push for Christmas care for the poor and/or orphaned, but once January hits, these people get the treatment mentioned in the first part of James 2.

In this section, James encourages believers to not show partiality. It's human nature to want to shun people who are less fortunate than us. James saw this problem too, and he called out the Christians who were doing it. His words should burn our hearts today as well.

Too often, we see Christians and Christian churches doing what James describes in verses 15 and 16, "If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?"

What's the proof? Look around. Every community, every neighborhood has people in great need. Their need doesn't end when the holidays pass. Their struggles continue on into the next year.

So, as we move through this giving season, I would encourage you to determine to be a difference maker in the lives of the needy in your community -- and do it all year long.

Christmas Carols for the Hurting

A few years ago, I led the college class at the church we attended at that time. One Christmas, I got the wild idea that our group of ten or so should do something for someone else. We decided to go sing Christmas carols to sick children at one of the local hospitals.

On the surface, that can sound like a pretty good idea, and I'll go ahead and tell you that it is. But, before you go waltzing your group into the pediatric ward, you need to prepare yourself.

We thought we had a pretty good grasp on what we would encounter. We anticipated there would be some very sick kids there, and some about ready to head home. We didn't anticipate our encounter with one school-age girl.

In the course of our caroling, our contact with the pediatric ward asked if we would be interested in singing a couple of songs to a girl in the ICU burn unit. She had been the victim of a gasoline accident at her home a couple of weeks prior.

The nurse prepped us for what we should expect. The child had suffered critical, life-threatening burns over a vast majority of her body. Her entire body was wrapped in gauze and bandages. The only thing visible were her eyes and mouth. One's mind can only picture the scarred and burnt flesh that lay beneath those wrappings.

Only two of us could go into the room, while the rest of the group stayed at her door. A young lady from our group joined me in greeting the girl and her father inside her sterile room. The jump suits we had to wear seemed somewhat heartless, because you wanted to just hold this precious girl...to do something to relieve the situation.

My heart broke when we entered the room. Having worked in news media for several years, I knew what was going on with her body. I knew the chances for survival were minimal. The nurse confirmed that she could last a few days to a few weeks.

Because our time was limited, we were only able to offer a greeting, and our group sang a couple of Christmas carols. They appeared to touch the very soul of this girl who would never see her classmates and playmates again on this side of eternity.

A couple of weeks later, I read the story of this girl's death. My heart still breaks at the sadness of that tragedy. Even though we didn't know her, I believe we were able to minister to her in her greatest time of need.

But, I often wonder if we could have done more. We were all young adults who were inexperienced with life -- and death. I would've liked to have known if she knew Jesus. Perhaps that is why my heart still breaks for her. Perhaps that is why my heart breaks today for the hurting.

Monday Ten

1. Christmas time is finally here. I try to avoid it like the swine flu until after Thanksgiving. My wife wanted to put up the tree on Halloween. Since I'm the only one who can get the tree off the top shelf in our garage, I won that battle. But, she's been playing Christmas music for the past month when I haven't been home, so I guess it comes out as a draw.

2. Christmas time is finally here. Christmas has always proven to be an exciting time at our church. North Point Church does something neat every Christmas season. This year's message series is titled "Xmas: Putting the True Christ in Christmas."

3. As I do every Saturday night, I taught the 4th & 5th grade kids at North Point. In our teachers meeting before the service, our team leader commented that it should be a light evening since it was a holiday weekend. I ended up with 20 kids (about average), and several that normally don't attend Saturday service.

4. On that holiday weekend attendance thing, NPC saw more than 4,000 people attend services Saturday and Sunday. Four thousand...on Thanksgiving weekend. That's totally whacked, but also totally cool. Several people gave their hearts to Jesus in each service. That is totally awesome.

5. The blue men showed up during service this weekend. Well, actually, it was NPC's version of the blue men. As fun as it was, the offering special blew away the entire service. It was simple, yet phenomenal. We do serve and awesome God.

6. I closed the door on a chapter of our lives this weekend...and, I'm okay with it. A few months ago, it was depressing to consider, but today I'm ready to move on. Sorry, no details are forthcoming.

7. I'm taking off a couple of days from work this week, and have no idea what I'm going to do. I don't have money to shop or travel, but I don't want to sit at home the entire time either.

8. The radio station I work for, KWFC, went into Christmas mode this weekend. I'm most excited about our re-vamped overnight schedule. We're airing all-Christmas music until Christmas day. After that, we go all southern gospel. This change has been a long time coming, and I'm jazzed about it. Can't wait for December 26th.

9. As I sit at my laptop writing some of this week's blog entries, I am reminded of a time the college group I led at church went caroling at a local hospital. I'll write about this for tomorrow. The experience was very moving, and still brings tears when I think about it.

10. My wife and I are expecting some news any day now related to the automobile accident she was in a year-and-a-half ago. It will be life changing, but at the moment, the wait is causing a lot of anxiety.

Happy Thanksgiving

No blog posts for the next couple of days. Happy Thanksgiving.

The Church Website: New School

Ok, let's be realistic, every day is a "new school" day with technology. So, keeping up to date with the latest scripts, codes, systems and ideas is not realistic. However, it is important to realize that the world of web design is in a constant state of flux.

With that in mind, churches have to try to balance this flux with their own fluctuating revenue and generally tight budgets. An advantage some churches might have could come from a web designer in the congregation who could provide the services on the cheap. But, the Bible instructs that the worker is worthy of his pay, so I think the church shouldn't expect the designer in their midst to work for free (unless the guy offers).

The church might be tempted to just let the pastor or the office secretary design the web site. Two problems here: 1) it's very likely neither has real experience in web design, and 2) they have more important things to do than babysit the web page.

My suggestion, as I mentioned yesterday, is to use a content management system. They're cheaper, and can be set up to give different users differing amounts of access. So, if you wanted to post your nursery schedule, you can give the person in charge of that limisted access to make those edits. That's the general idea behind content management. One person doesn't have to be responsible for all the editing, and it becomes a team effort.

But, back to reality. Most churches don't go to this extent. They either settle for some poorly designed page (as referenced yesterday), or they don't have a site at all. With today's society so reliant upon the Internet, and web hosting relatively affordable, there is no excuse for not having a site. If you're serious about reaching your community for Jesus, you MUST have a web presence.

More and more people are leaving the yellow pages and going to the Internet to find a church to attend. They do this, because a web site can provide much more information about a church than any phone book ad ever could. And, they'll base the quality of your church by the quality of your web site. I know you probably don't like this little punch of reality, but it's reality, so accept it.

All of this intertwines to bring us to where we left off yesterday. What are some of the things your site can and should have? I've made a list:

• Your basic information, like service times and directions. The service times tend to be a no brainer, but you'd be surprised how many sites don't include directions, both written and map forms.
• Information that visitors would want to know. Highest on this list is what to expect during services, such as casual or formal attire, hymns or praise songs, etc. Visitors also want to know about childcare, and whether their kids will be getting a lesson about Jesus.
• Information about the various ministries and activities of the church are also important. Some churches include a calendar of events, which is helpful for visitors and regular attenders alike.
• A place for online giving. I know this one will be controversial with people who believe that all tithes should be given at the church building, but technology has moved well beyond just checks and cash. I don't know about you, but I rarely use checks anymore. An online portal for giving only makes sense, plus most are safe and secure.
• Video and/or audio casts of the messages. My personal preference is to include the entire service, but adding music also requires that license fees be paid, so I understand if your church doesn't go that route. But, the ability to include the messages online is as easy as creating a website. This is a great way to spead the church's message outside of the normal service times. And, your congregation will appreciate it any weekend they're not able to be in attendance.
• Contact information is a must. I wouldn't include the staff's email addresses, but there should be a general information email address and phone number included for anyone that wants to contact the church. You don't really want to publish your staff email links unless you're prepared for all the spam that will come with that. But, a general email address is great for people to contact the church from the outside world. Oh, by the way, please be sure to check it.
• Real pictures of your real people. One of my pet peeves with church websites is that when you let a design company develop the website, they have a tendency to use stock photos to give the site a human feel. A human touch is fine and all, but stock photos are pictures of people who don't go to your church or live in your area. When you have pictures of people on your website that no one in your church ever sees, your site becomes corporate and non-human. An even worse offense is when your designer rips off photos from other websites and tries to convince the world that those photos of people and their worshipping happened at your church. By the way, if your church is small, the hoax is all the more noticable.

Those are my things to do. Now, the things not to do can be summed up in one sentence: Don't let your site be cheap or cheesy. That's it.

Jesus didn't die on a cross so that the face you show to the public -- the impression the world gets of His church -- is one that comes off as cheap, cheesy and meaningless.

The Church Website: Old School

At one time in this world -- not so long ago, mind you -- there wasn't a creation known as the Internet. Now I know it's hard to fathom, but when I first entered college in the fall of 1992 the Internet wasn't even that popular yet.

Networks were starting to take off. For universities, we relied on a 'net called Gopher, which was kinda like the Internet for Moses. But, within the first couple of years there, the Internet started to make some ground.

I still remember self-learning HTML -- all of it -- well, almost all of it. At the time, to know HTML was to be king. You could design websites. Let's rephrase...you could design BASIC websites. I say that only because the web you know today is nothing like the web I was introduced to in college.

Taking that a step further, the web sites designed today are nothing like the first one I put together 15 years ago. Yet, when I visit many church websites today, I get the old school feeling -- and not for good reasons.

Many sites are barely functional. They may only tell the basic information about the church. If they contain messages, they're not that easy to listen to. If you're lucky, you might find a link to a web map so you can get directions. And, more times than not, you're out of luck as to any information on what to expect when you visit.

A lot of times, churches look at their Internet presence like many businesses did 15 years ago -- as something they HAVE to do, because others are doing it; and not something they SHOULD do, because it can have an impact.

With 15 years of designing under my belt, I can verify that owning and building a web presence today has never been easier. In many places, you can easily get a site that uses a content management system. That's fancy talk for just saying that it can look good without you doing much to it.

Taking this a step further, I'll go ahead and say it -- there's no excuse for a church to 1) not have a web site, and 2) not to have a good looking site.

Tomorrow, I'll talk about some of the things your site can and should have.

Monday Ten

This is Thanksgiving week. Here are ten things I'm thankful for

1. I'm thankful that Jesus took what I deserve, and died on a Roman cross to provide salvation for my family and I. (psst...He did the same for you, too, so accept that free gift.)

2. I'm thankful for God's protection on my family. This has been a difficult financial year for everyone, yet God provides through the good times and the bad.

3. I'm thankful I have a job. It's been a challenging and fearful year for many who lost their jobs. For those who lost their job, I know you have to put food on the table, but I'd encourage you to dream some dreams and work them out.

4. I'm thankful to be working in Christian radio. There was a time this year that I wanted out. But, my wife is encouraging me to take a different approach to life, and now I'm thankful. Still trying to work out my dream, though.

5. I'm thankful for North Point Church. My wife and I started going there five years ago, and it's one of the best things that has ever happened to us. I never knew "church" could do what this place is doing for Jesus.

6. I'm thankful 2009 is about over. Aren't we all?

7. I'm thankful my wife's medical treatment on her injured right hand is over, and the insurance settlement is being processed. I don't envy anyone who has to go through that stuff. It isn't easy on the injured person or her family.

8. I'm thankful we haven't captured the swine flu. A lot of people have, but we're doing what we can to avoid it...and that does not include a flu shot.

9. I'm thankful for our military. They're in places I don't want to ever go or danger I won't ever want to face. I have a deep respect and love for all of you.

10. Finally, I'm thankful for quiet times. Life is loud, obnoxious and difficult. Peace and quiet help us to reflect and process what's going on in our lives, and gives us a chance to connect with our God. I think God meant for it to be that way.

Do Something

In Matthew 26, Jesus tells us that we will always have the poor with us. I wonder if at times this reality doesn't seem too big for the church to handle. I know just by looking at all the needs in my community that it can seem overwhelming to try to tackle all of them.

For the church, especially the small ones, I'm sure the task of caring for the poor seems equally daunting. Yet, scripture doesn't let us off the hook.

One of the most beautiful passages regarding the church helping the poor comes at the end of Acts 11. The Gospel message is being preached outside of Jerusalem and churches are being established through the Mediterranean region, and into an area of great poverty. Here you find churches consisting of people with less than those in Jerusalem.

Yet, Acts 11:29 shows us something remarkable. These people didn't let their lack of funds get in the way of God. It says, "So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could."

It doesn't say they gave millions of dollars, or rubies and gold. It says they gave as much as they could. Simply put, they did something. Just something. They couldn't solve the world's problems, but they recognized an area of need that they could address and they fixed it.

In your town or your neighborhood, your church can do something. So, band together and DO SOMETHING. Fighting the injustices of this world requires that much at least.

The Poor Among You

"You will always have the poor among you...."

Those words of Jesus to his disciples still ring true today. One doesn't have to drive far from the comfort of their home to find those without a home. On your way home from your job, you'll no doubt pass someone without a job.

All around us there are people in great need. Yet, for far too long, the Church, especially in America, has ignored them. We live in the wealthiest country in all the world, yet most of us refuse to lend a helping hand to fight poverty.

"The poor can just go get a job."

"Let them ask someone else for help."

Have you heard those lines before? Maybe you've used them. Whatever your excuse may be, the Bible tells us that we have no excuse.

Matthew 25:31-46 contains one of the more familiar passages about the poor. The most well known line is found in verse 40, "I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!"

In this passage, Jesus tells Christians what we're supposed to be doing in regards to those in need. "For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me."

To His disciples who follow this command He says, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world."

To those who didn't follow this command He says, "Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons."

That tells me that the Church will not get off the hook for ignoring the poor and needy. It is our duty, our responsibility as Christ-followers to lead the charge toward helping those who need help.

To not do so is the same as flipping Christ the middle finger. How do I know? Because of what Jesus says in verse 45, "I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me."

Don't Ignore IT

In Christianity, IT's the given ... the assumption ... the ignored. IT's the thing we all know is right, but the thing we do the least. IT's the thing that calls for us to get our hands dirty with people in places that most don't want to go.

IT is the poor, the needy, the abused, the widowed, the destitute, the diseased, the addicted, the uneducated, the homeless, the lonely, the depressed, the challenged, the unemployed, the broken. We live in a world filled with IT.

Sadly, many of us who call ourselves Christians treat IT like an it. We make IT nameless and faceless with no personality -- just a fuzzy slate framed on the wall. We may send some money to someone else who can get the funds to IT, but we distance ourselves from actual contact with IT.

Jesus, however, took a different view of IT. He used terms like "he," "she," "they," and "them." He saw their great need, and commanded us to do something about it. In fact, it wasn't just a single command. The Bible has nearly a hundred passages devoted to the poor, needy, widowed and fatherless. And, not a single one of them lets us off the hook in caring for them.

Proverbs 21:13 - Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.

Monday's Ten

1. Great weekend with the family.

2. It was nice enough after church on Sunday that I lit the grill, and made some burgers before the rain came.

3. This weekend's church services were a great ending to a great series called ImpACT.

4. This series illustrated the needs of this world and the ways the church should address it.

5. North Point Church can't defeat all the needs of the world, but we can tackle some.

6. If every church would tackle some, we could defeat all the needs of the world.

7. I'll be writing this week on how the church should be impacting the world, not only leading people into a salvation relationship with Jesus, but also meeting the needs of a hurting world.

8. My wife and I pledged more money today than ever before to help people in need.

9. I with Missouri's NFL teams would show more signs of improvement than incompetence.

10. This week could be a life changing week for my family. More on that another day.

Movie Time

I enjoy good movies. I love really good movies. Some may find it strange, but my favorites are old ones. "Singing in the Rain," "Mary Poppins," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," etc. I love a good story. One that's entertaining. One that you can watch over and over again.

Movies I don't really care for are ones that push agendas, or paint certain types of people to be more than they really are. We see that a lot today coming from Hollywood. We call it propaganda. Television and film have proven to be powerful forces in shaping the way future generations think about subjects.

Those pushing the propaganda aren't terribly concerned about shaping our opinions. They're interested in our children. History has shown that cultural shifts usually begin with the youth. Educate them a certain way, and they grow up believing that as truth.

So, when Hollywood pushes films that promote violence and dysfunction, we shouldn't be surprised that our society gradually embraces that violence and dysfunction. No singled movie or TV show is to blame. They all work together to numb our senses to the atrocities around us.

As a Christian, I want to see films that promote family values. I want films that illustrate how men are supposed to act, how dads are supposed to be there for their children, how moms are supposed to care for their families, how spouses can work through their difficulties without violence and dysfunction. That type of film may sound phony to most people, but I would remind you that the stuff you see on the silver screen is mostly phony.

Here's an example. One of the great movies of all time, Mel Gibson's "Braveheart," botches the historical accuracy just to make a compelling story. And, the botch job isn't a small one. We're talking people in wrong time periods inaccurate.

I'm writing all of this to point out that the newest installment in the Sherwood Pictures line of motion pictures will be announced this Sunday. You will recognize their three existing offerings as "Flywheel," "Facing the Giants," and "Fireproof."

Critics of their work would point to the unrealistic and somewhat hokey nature of the first two films, plus the poor production and scripts of all three. I'll even grant it that elements of all three films are kinda lame. But, these are all progressions in Sherwood's maturity. The newer has always been better than the predecessors as these film makers learn the trade.

Whatever your opinion of Sherwood's work thus far, you have to credit them with one thing. They're trying. For decades, Christian film makers have put out some of the worst possible productions with terrible scripts and horrendous acting, slapped a dove sticker on it, aired it on TBN and tried to claim their work glorified Jesus. Instead, they end up being a slap in the Almighty's face for their lackluster efforts.

Back in the early 90s, I interviewed Steve Wiggins of Big Tent Revival. At the time, he was an aspiring Christian film maker, but admitted to running into difficulties, because there was little to no support from the church community to see wholesome films made. He had a desire to make the type of movies that Christians wouldn't be embarrassed to show their friends.

I think that's what the people behind Sherwood are trying to achieve. Their most recent title, "Fireproof," went where no other film was going, into the home of a couple on the way to divorce. It tackled some of the issues that most churches are afraid to touch, because they're uncomfortable. And, it provided a solution, a forty day study to "fireproof" your marriage. What's more, it worked.

So, here's hoping the next installment in the Sherwood feature film line will be an improvement on their previous work, and one that offers a way out of the troubling path Hollywood is leading society down.

Ticket Giveaway

I'm giving away three pairs of tickets this week through my radio show on KWFC and at my station page on kwfc.org for the Stained Glass Theatre's production of "The Christmas House." These ticket vouchers are good through November 28, 2009, and all winners will need to reserve their seats in advance by calling 417-581-9192. Winners will be announced Friday.

Simply click here and comment to the post to enter. Only one entry per household. You must enter your email address in the form to qualify. Winners will be selected at random and announced Friday at 4 p.m.

Monday's Ten

1. The great weather this weekend made for some awesome outdoor fun for the family.

2. It also prompted me to pull out the grill, hopefully not for the last time this year.

3. I went to church both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday, I taught the kids. Sunday, I enjoyed an awesome worship service.

4. My church is renewing the ImpACT program which is the church's outreach vehicle.

5. ImpACT focuses on meeting four needs of the community: Poverty, Disease, Illiteracy and Spiritual Emptiness.

6. This current preaching series reminds me why we fell in love with North Point Church five years ago.

7. Last week was very stressful for me, which is very unusual. Normally, stress doesn't get to me. It did last week.

8. I realized last week that I have felt as though I have something to prove as a church leader and a radio program director.

9. I'm learning that trying to prove yourself to mankind is not what's important. Seeking God's favor is the important thing.

10. Galatians 1:10 is the game changer for Christians.

I'm a Sinner

Are any of us perfect?

That's the question I keep asking myself each time that religious crowd directs their boney fingers my direction. They're pointing out my imperfections.

I know I've made mistakes. I know what I've done. Some of it has been public. Most has been private. I don't need you to use me as an example of how great you are.

You know, I hear your loudly spoken prayers. I hear you thanking God you aren't like me. If only you knew my heart. If only you could know how desperate I am for God to fix my failures.

Fortunately, I have found a solution to the junk in my life. His name is Jesus.

I am His disciple.

I'm a Tax Collector

He spotted me through the crowd.

I was manning my post dutifully. Well, as dutifully as a tax collector can.

Rome would get theirs, and I would get mine. Just enough to ease the pain of selling myself to the emperor, enduring the hatred of my people, and overlooking how much I despise myself for this career I have chosen.

I was manning my post dutifully. As dutifully as a tax collector can, I assure you.

He spotted me through the crowd.

"Follow me and be my disciple," he said.

I am changed. I am no longer scum.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I'm a Tent Maker

Fishermen, tax collectors, shepherds, carpenters and tent makers all have one thing in common.

They're supposed to be ordinary.

They're supposed to go through life, and never create any trouble.

They're supposed to do their work dutifully, then go home and live a peaceful, quiet life.

Their primary duties in life are to make a living, raise a family and disappear quietly into the pages of history.

FISHERMEN. TAX COLLECTORS. SINNERS.

These did not go quietly into the night. These were changed people. They had met Him.

I have met Him.

I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I'm a Fisherman

I'm a fisherman.

I'm a tax collector.

I'm a tent maker.

I'm a carpenter.

I'm a farmer.

I'm blue collar.

I'm white collar.

I'm not the kind of person you would expect Jesus to pick to spread the Gospel.

Three years ago, God called me out of the ordinary to use me for something extraordinary. Three years ago, I went from punching the clock to punching Satan in the throat.

I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Monday's Ten

1. I'm starting a new blog series today that should run through Friday. It's a bit abstract, and each day's entry is a short, easy read. I hope it makes us think.

2. I had a very interesting weekend of church. Halloween night, I taught the 4th and 5th grade boys and girls, then we all went on a hay ride. I came back Sunday morning to catch the message (on the advice of my wife who had heard it Saturday night).

3. North Point Church's ImpACT outreach program is one-year-old this month. The program seeks to combat four spiritual giants: Poverty, Illiteracy, Disease and Spiritual Emptiness.

4. Pastor Tommy announced that the next phase of expansion for NPC would be in the form of a video campus. I'm totally excited about this prospect. I believe video campuses are the best thing to hit churches in a long time.

5. I took a three-day weekend to spend with my wife and kids. We had a blast trick or treating Saturday night. Then, Sunday, I raked the leaves in our front yard into one big pile for the boys to jump and play in.

6. I almost jumped in myself, but didn't want to be picking leaf flakes out of my hair and clothing the rest of the day.

7. I entered the Sunday determined not to shave my face until the Kansas City Chiefs won another game. I aborted that plan when I realized they were on their bye week. I should've gone for the St. Louis Rams. They won...finally.

8. I am determining to become more disciplined.

9. My first step in becoming more disciplined is two-fold: a) re-organize my office (a recent staff change has thrown it into chaos), b) lose weight (I really need to get into shape. I'm okay, but that's not good enough).

10. My wife and I missed out on the time change's extra hour. We stayed up until after midnight (Daylight) talking.

Looking Ahead

Have you ever gone through a major change in your life? The last three years have been a major transition for my family and me. This transition has not been an easy one. It's required sacrifice and humbling. But, I'm looking forward to what God has in store for us.

With that in mind, I'm looking ahead.

And, speaking of looking ahead, here are some things to look forward to.

Halloween night, the radio station I work for, KWFC-FM, will be broadcasting C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters." produced by Focus on the Family Radio Theatre. It airs 7p-10p CDT on 89.1-FM in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas or online here. Be sure to tune it. It's an awesome program.

I'm excited about next week's series of blogs. I won't drop any hints, other than to say the posts are short, and I'm probably talking about you. Check back Monday. I'm interested to see where this little series leads.

The Twittering Church

One day I plan on pastoring a church. That's what God has called me to do. An idea I'm toying with is something that has become commonplace at conferences all over the world...Twitter.

I attended a church leadership conference earlier this year and attendees were encouraged to tweet their notes and speakers' comments as they listened.

So, I'm wondering how that would go over in church? It's been rather taboo to be using your cell phone or laptop during a church service, but I'm thinking that it might be rather cool to allow the congregation to tweet their thoughts, the message points, etc. during a service.

Tell me what you think?

Book Review: The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley

Our destination in life doesn't just occur by accident. That's the gist of this book by Andy Stanley, the pastor of North Point Community Church based in Alpharetta, GA.

Andy draws from a lifetime of experiences, his own and those of his acquaintances, to point out that the paths we choose always lead to a certain end. He suggests that if we can consider the destination we want to arrive at, we can then choose the right path to get there.

For the longest time I have wanted to get my hands on some of Andy Stanley's material, primarily for its leadership value. However, this book isn't really packed with leadership insight. Instead, this book's value comes in pointing out what seemed to be the obvious. I think most people will read this book and easily recognize the truths that Andy brings forth. The challenge is to accept the truths and live by them.

Being 35-years-old, I found myself wishing this book had been handed to me 17 years ago as I left high school. The high schooler and college student is best suited for this book. The older you get, the less interesting this book becomes.

Monday's Ten

I'm going to try and start a new feature for Monday's on this blog. Monday's Ten will be ten things on my mind, about me or about you. I'm not sure where we'll end up, but it'll have a ten-count to it. So, let's go...in no particular order.

1. I love my wife and kids. I know it's a shock, but I really do.

2. I going to start exercising. I need to lose a lot of weight in order to do a lot of things I want to do.

3. I really love my church. I've been in good churches in the past, but really discovered spiritual freedom when my family started attending North Point Church in 2004.

4. Spiritual freedom isn't about music or preaching styles. It's all about attitudes and atmosphere. At NPC, your life history is irrelevant. Your future is what is relevant.

5. A majority of people who attend NPC go there because they have been either burned or burned out by churches that focus inward, play political power games and scorn people who don't have a plastic "Sunday smile."

6. God called me into full time ministry three years ago.

7. I am planning on pastoring a church.

8. That church will do great things in Jesus' name, not my name.

9. I have applied for the lead pastor position at a local church. I'm totally jazzed about the prospect of leading this church if chosen to be it's pastor.

10. I went to NPC today and realized that it will be difficult to leave the best church I have ever been a part of when the day comes for our next step in life.

The (Christian) Jerk

Let's be real honest about something...the world is full of jerks. People who think they are IT. You can find these people anywhere.

Married man ... sometimes is a jerk.

Boss ... sometimes a jerk.

Drunk sports fan ... generally a jerk.

Steve Martin ... in 1979.

Me ... more times than I'd like to admit.

But, this week I had my first real encounter with a terrible kind of jerk. The kind that claims he has a relationship with Jesus. The kind that attends church each time the door is open. The kind that is a pastor.

The details about what led to the jerk-dom are irrelevant. Suffice it to say that this pastor posted something nasty and uncalled for on my Facebook wall regarding a personnel decision my employer made. I removed the offending posts, and attempted to converse via private message, but quickly learned that he was only bent on venting his anger. I was the target of the moment.

Fortunate for me, I suppose, he deactivated his account before I could become a jerk. I was ready to fire my salvo of comebacks, but he saved me from ruining my reputation.

Now, I fully understand that folks inside and outside an organization are going to be curious when personnel changes occur, but EVERYONE should understand that the remaining employees are not allowed to talk about it. Of all the people in the world who should understand this are pastors. They have to keep all sorts of things private (including personnel moves) even when the rest of the church is clamoring to find out the gossip. I'm going to post more on this subject in the future, but let's just leave it there for now.

Back to the Christian jerk, because I think it's a very important topic that needs some air. I have witnessed Christian jerks do their best to destroy other Christians and pastors, even going so far as to completely embarrass themselves in order to complete the havoc their heart is bent on wrecking.

I have heard many references by non-Christians about the bad attitudes and experiences they have had in dealing with people claiming salvation in Jesus. I've often wondered if it was really that bad.

Enter this week's experience. My first as the victim of a Christian hit-and-run. Now, I have seen for myself why a growing number of people in the world do not like Christianity. They aren't mad at Jesus. They don't like His followers.

The world KNOWS that Christ's followers are supposed to be different. I don't think the world expects us to be pansies, but I do think the world knows that we are supposed to have different motives. That our purposes are different than the rest of society.

Instead, the world is seeing, with increasing frequency, Christians who live just like they do:

sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility,
quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension,
division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. --Galatians 5:19b-21a

The Apostle Paul follows this list with the way Christ's followers should be living:

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control. --Galatians 5:22b-23a

It's the stark contrast that makes Christian jerks stand out. It's this contrast that convinces the world that Jesus must not be for them. Paul follows the "fruits of the spirit" list with an encouragement for Christ-followers to live this way and to not fall into the trap of the first list.

And, to top it off, Paul also adds, "Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life (the first list) will not inherit the Kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:21b)" I'm just saying.

Changing Methods: Don't Kill the Messenger

"Anything short of sin." That quote is credited to LifeChurch.tv pastor Craig Groeschel to describe the methods his multisite church uses to spread the Gospel.

That little phrase is a great way to sum up what Paul was saying in the latter part of 1 Corinthians 9. This section of scripture is best remembered for part of verse 22, "I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some."

Do you see the correlation between the two quote's I've posted? Paul understood the importance of spreading the Gospel. He knew his goal was to do what he could short of sinning to bring people into a relationship with Christ.

I'm reminded of Paul's trip to Athens in Acts 17. As Paul journeyed through the Athens region, he continued to preach Christ. The philosophers in the area recognized that Paul was promoting a religion they had never heard of before. What caught their attention most was his talk of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead. These strange concepts had never been heard before, and they brought Paul to the Areopagus to tell the other great thinkers of this new religion.

What's most interesting is that Paul illustrates perfectly what he taught in 1 Corinthians 9. He didn't pound the pulpit, shout and spit, and declare them all sinners in the hands of an angry God. No, Paul met the Athenians on their level. He talked to them in terms their thinking minds could relate. He used the things in their culture to connect to these people.

I'm sure the folks back in Jerusalem, especially the Pharisees, would've thrown a fit at Paul's use of Greek culture to illustrate Jesus. But, if that didn't raise the hair on their necks, what Paul does in verse 28 would've had other preachers blasting him from their pulpits and claim he was selling out the scriptures.

Here's what he said,

...for "'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own
poets have said, "'For we are indeed his offspring.'

Take special note of these two quotes. They're the only quotes Paul uses in his sermon. AND, THEY WEREN'T A PART OF SCRIPTURE. Honest, they weren't. The first is generally credited to Epimenides of Crete, and the second is from Aratus’s poem “Phainomena.”

Now, if you've been following along at home, I hope you've just realized that Paul didn't use Old Testament scripture a single time in his address. Paul simply told the Gospel story as he knew it, from his heart, and in terms the people could understand.

Try doing that in a church today, and the pastor would get hanged. What's amazing is that a lot of church folk today like to criticize all the different methods used to tell people about Jesus. And, if your church is growing by leaps and bounds, that critical heat gets turned all the hotter.

Recently, Outreach Magazine announced it's annual report of the fastest growing congregations in the United States. Three churches from Missouri made to Top 100 list: (#5) Faith Church of St. Louis in Fenton, (#9) North Point Church in Springfield and (#26) James River Assembly in Ozark.

That's pretty impressive that two from the Springfield-metro area made the list. For those wondering, North Point is a church plant of James River Assembly. JRA shared people with NPC when the younger was founded. Oh, but their similarities don't end there. Both have been accused by critics of watering down the Gospel, and entertaining crowds to get those numbers.

The truth is, these churches are simply duplicating what Paul did...meeting society on it's turf with things familiar to the people in order to share Jesus.

Paul proved that sometimes you just have to explain it in terms the world can understand, even if you never use scripture. Paul never compromised the Gospel, but the methods he used changed all the time.

Times Have Changed, The Methods Need to Also

One of the biggest debates in the Christian church today is whether or not we should do away with our traditional format for the worship service. This debate commonly centers itself around music styles with multiple sides digging their trenches and lobbing volley after volley of un-Christ-like attacks to salvage their point of view.

To be honest, I used to play that game. I thought my point of view was right, and the other side(s) were old fashioned and whacked out of their mind. Not a very Christian attitude on my part.

What's funny is that the style that I fought for in my 20s (I'm mid-30s now) is not the style I prefer today. No, I'm not a big fan of the other side of the worship debate. My perspective has changed.

In previous days, I fought to get what I wanted. It was all about MY preference and MY likes. When we look at any debate in this manner, opposing views become the ENEMY. The end results of this line of thinking are bitterness, restlessness and hatred. Not exactly the recipe Christ wants in His church.

Probably the saddest part of all is that the opposition tended to be two or three times older than I, and they should've learned the lesson I did back in their mid-30s.

So, what is this lesson? It's a two-parter.

1. The debate isn't really about music. It's about the approach to worship services. In our country's history there have been nearly a half-dozen well defined "music wars" in our churches. The music drew all the attention, but the underlying cause was a major shift in the way the Gospel was received by the people. Not only did music styles change in these shifts, but so did the preaching and programs offered at churches. Yet, without these struggles, we never would have had some of our most loved hymns. Sunday School never would have been a reality. Bus programs would never have gotten out of the garage. Church services would never have been sent worldwide via radio, television and the Internet.
2. The reason for these shifts has more to do with the way people receive the Gospel than anything else. Over generations, perceptions change, culture changes, and the way people perceive and respond to the Gospel changes. As a result, the church MUST adjust to the changes. Without the continuous change in approach to ministry, a church will miss the shifts, and eventually nail the lid on it's own coffin.

So, what should churches be doing? For starters, ALL churchgoers, YOUNG and OLD, need to remember that the church isn't ours. It belongs to Jesus. Our thinking that the churches belong to us is both arrogant and stupid on our part.

Once we really start viewing the church through Jesus' eyes and heart, we become more open to shifting the approach to ministry as the culture around us shifts. Make note that NO WHERE has it been said to change the Gospel message, or to become sinful like the culture. Some folks like to use those two excuses to justify their selfish desires to keep things the way they've always been.

Be open to the change, no matter your age and preferences.

Happy Birthday Babe

Today is my wife's birthday. If you have twitter, send her a message at @momof3rascals.

Happy Birthday, dear.

Distraction Update

It will probably be Monday before I get any new posts up. My regular job has gone through a major change in our leadership, and that is consuming my time. See you next week. Or, if you'd like to see me live, I'll be speaking Sunday morning at the Faith & Hope Free Will Baptist Church on North Elliott in Aurora, Missouri, during the 10:30 a.m. service.

Temporary Distraction

Hey all, there likely won't be any new blog posts for a few days. A situation in my employed life is requiring more time, energy and concentration. See you in a few days.

Lessons from Numbers 13-14: Part One of Four

Last week I dove head long into these two Old Testament chapters, and pulled out a few leadership lessons. The truth is that I barely scratched the surface of all the leadership material in Numbers 13 & 14. There are so many angles that I could take a month of blogging just to cover them.

Today, I want to begin looking again at these passages, because I think there are more than just leadership lessons that we can pull from this story. What I write about today describes a phase I feel like I am in at the moment.

To refresh your memory, as we get to Numbers 13, the Israelites had been wandering in the desert for some time. They finally arrive at the Jordan River, and are preparing to cross it in order to claim the area known as Canaan that God had promised them. But, before they could go in, God had a recon mission that needed to be completed.

Numbers 13:1-2a reads:

The Lord now said to Moses, "Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites."

Moses would end up sending twelve tribal leaders into Canaan to scout it out. I can only imagine the excitement of the moment. No doubt there was a great anticipation among the people. Their long, tiring journey had reached it's climax. All the grumbling during bad days; all the rejoicing during the miraculous times has brought them to the edge of the Jordan. In only a few short weeks, they would be moving into their new homeland.

When we read the scripture from the exodus out of Egypt, through the dry desert heat, and finally to the doorstep of Canaan, we see many times where the people grew impatient with both God and Moses. When things didn't go the way they expected, they declared their desire to return to slavery in Egypt. When Moses went away to get the Ten Commandments, the people became restless and took matters into their own hands, and created a golden calf to be their god.

But, as Numbers 13 starts, all that is behind them now. Perhaps that's a good lesson for us to keep in mind. Those times when we feel like we're wandering in the desert of life, when God seems a hundred miles away, and we're tempted to take matters into our own hand.... Well, those are the times when we need to silence our restlessness, and recognize the truth of Numbers 13:1-2a. God isn't through with you. In fact, if you stay on His course, you'll eventually find yourself on the edge of a mighty opportunity.

That truth especially applies if you are a Christ-follower. God has an awesome plan for you. A few years back, Steven Curtis Chapman sang about this plan, calling it "The Great Adventure."

So, my encouragement for you today is that as you go through those deserts in your walk with God, be prepared to encounter the Jordan. You may not be able to see it at the moment, but it's there. God's just leading you to it. This desert phase is temporary. At the right time, God will lead you into that "promised land."

New Kids Resource

The makers of Veggietales and Focus on the Family have teamed up on a great new kids resource. Jelly Telly recently made it's Internet debut, and provides children with great, Christ-centered entertainment.

My boys discovered JellyTelly.com while reading their Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. magazines this month.

Each day of the week, JellyTelly.com presents a different episode, combining many different Christian entertainment programs into the show. Kidmo, Drive Thru History, Hermie the wormie and many others are all part of the show.

So, add this new resource to your children's online experience. You can even get the shows for your church.

By the way, they haven't paid me to brag about them. I'm a fan of Drive Thru History and Kidmo, and thrilled to see this come along.

Prepare Yourself To Win

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that as a leader, you need to surround yourself with other good leaders. Good, smart, strong leaders will compliment the other leaders in the team, and definately benefit the group or organization as a whole. Plus, each individual will bring their own set of specialties and insights to the group, making it stronger and smarter.

But, what happens if you don't have good leaders on your leadership team? I've certainly sat in on my share of board meetings that had individuals filling a leadership position, but they had very little leadership skills about them. The Bible gives us a great example of what can happen when unqualified people are placed in leadership positions.

In Numbers 13, we find the Israelites preparing to cross into Canaan to claim the land God had promised them. These people had witnessed some of the most legendary acts of God, had stumbled in their journey with God, been disciplined, returned to God, did this song-and-dance several times, and finally arrived at the Jordan River.

Moses had taken this rag-tag bunch of people, many of them true Israelites, but also a good number of "moochers," from the bonds of slavery through the desert and to the edge of their new home. In the process, Moses had offered some of the best leadership known to mankind. He had an amazing relationship with God. He had trained many of the leaders of the future nation.

Yet, we still arrive at Numbers 13. God tells Moses to send out twelve leaders, one from each tribe of Israel, to explore the land of Canaan. So, Moses chooses the twelve tribal leaders. Now, we're not told exactly how these men were chosen, whether Moses hand picked them or if the tribes chose the men. What we do know is that they were leaders among their people, and Moses sent them out to explore the land -- suggesting Moses gave them a final approval.

Had Moses thought they would give a dishonest account, he would've replaced them. These men were trustworthy. Or, so it was believed.

This chapter tells us that these dozen men did their job faithfully. They scouted the land, the cities and the people. They followed Moses' instructions entirely. After forty days, they finished their mission and returned to the camp.

Their report was pretty basic about their journey up until verse 28. That's where we find the description of the people who lived in Canaan. Hope and excitement get crushed by the giant size of some of the residents in the land. Optimism is replaced by pessimism.

We know from this story that Joshua and Caleb come out as the heroes of this bunch. These two stood out, because they saw Canaan through God's eyes, as a land belonging to them and easily conqured with God's help. Caleb, sensing the coming uproar, tried to calm the Israelites, and encouraged them to take the land.

And, it's at this point, at verse 31, where we learn what the ten other leaders are really made of:

But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

Their lack of backbone, wisdom, reliance on God and real leadership stirs up the people to the point they want to head back to Egypt and into slavery. The revolt gets to the point that the community even considers killing Joshua and Caleb.

There's more to this story in Numbers 14, but I think the point is made. Weak and inexperienced leadership is an automatic recipe for disaster. Poor leaders will tend to spread fear and doubt. They'll be quick to speak and slow to think. They'll give bad advice and make terrible decisions.

In any endeavor, leaders must prepare themselves to win. That process begins by surrounding yourself with the right leaders. You don't need "yes" men. You need people who can give an accurate assessment of the situations you're facing, weigh that evidence against what you have going in your favor, and provide wise counsel on how to deal with those situations.

Victorious leadership has no room for cowardace. So, who are you surrounding yourself with in order to win at what you're facing in life?

Craig Groeschel Congratulates My Church

Outreach Magazine recently published it's annual survey of churches, and among the fastest growing in the country is the one I attend, North Point Church in Springfield, Missouri. Check out this short video from Lifechurch.tv's Craig Groeschel.

Blogger Check-Out

Today, I want to point you to another blogger, Herbert Cooper, who pastors Peoples Church in Oklahoma City and is friend of the church I attend.

The past couple of days he has shared some interesting thoughts about doing anything short of sin to reach people for Jesus. The concepts and ideas he presents will likely be a bit tough to swallow for people from a traditional church background. I encourage you to read and digest these thoughts with an open mind on the many different ways God can reach people.

Enjoy reading Part One and Part Two.

What's Wrong With Healthcare?

With the debate over health care reform raging across America, we've been subjected to a wide range of view points on the subject.

I personally believe that the federal government needs to stay out of the insurance business. Government has terrible track records for every agency it has ever set up...save for the military. Key examples of government's ineptitude include social security, medicare, medicaid, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the postal service.

Given the misuse of the health care portion of this list by certain politicians wishing to stay in power, I believe that those in the Washington power circle don't want health care reform so it can benefit us. I believe it's a political ploy to ensure certain figures can hold onto power for many years to come. Evidence of this can be seen every election cycle when certain candidates are accused by their opponents of wanting to take social security away from senior citizens.

That all being said, let's look at the health care system that we have today. Is there anything wrong with it? It doesn't take but a brief look around the globe to realize that America has one of the best health systems in the country. Our doctors and hospitals are some of the best the world has to offer. So, the health system can't be the problem.

However, the biggest complaint people have about their doctors visits and hospital stays is the cost. I remember when I was a child, and the annual physical for school sports would cost about $25 for the visit. Today, that's just the co-pay. My wife has gone through three surgical procedures to fix damage on her right hand caused in an automobile accident last summer. I've been amazed at the prices charged for what should have been simple tasks.

So, we have the best health care, but some really bad prices. Some folks might argue that you get what you pay for. However, I don't think the price associated with the care is justified. Something else has gone wrong to bring the system to a costly point. And, that leads us to the last remaining major player in the health care system -- insurance.

Now, I'm not anti-insurance, but I do think we must place the blame for the cost increases in our health care system on the insurance industry. But, to understand the increases, we must understand what led to them, and the economics involved. The following illustration is a bit simplistic, but it will make the point.

In a system where health insurance is used only for catastrophic situations, such as a severe accident, heart attack, cancer, etc., the patient foots the entire bill for regular office visits and basic surgical procedures. This process leads to price competition, because the patient will intentionally shop around for better prices. In many cases, patients can negotiate or barter medical costs. Price competition in a capitalist market always lowers costs.

How does this work? It's the same concept that you find using cash over credit or debit cards. As you see your own money going out to pay for services, you will do what you can to curb costs, and that will lead you to pick your physicians more wisely. Insurance acts as the plastic card in that you don't actually see your money changing hands. The impact on your bank account is delayed. Hence, our love of insurance.

By spreading health insurance to cover all medical expenses, we have pushed off the cost of it to other hands. Corporations have taken control of what used to be the consumer's responsibility -- shopping for medical care. This has led to HMOs, PPOs and the like, which has in turn reduced the consumer options by limiting the doctors available under the chosen plans.

Tack onto that, the insurers have also walloped the doctors by charging extremely high rates for their malpractice insurance. This has forced medical offices to charge more to cover those expenses.

The end result is a never-ending cycle of increasing expenses on the consumer and physician end.

Whether someone or some corporation is getting rich off this system is irrelevant. The politicians would like to paint this as some big, evil company or doctors group as the bad guy. But, they are wrong in this portrait of the health care system. Every person and company has a right and a duty to earn a profit in the capitalist economic system.

The problem is that the system is broken in the way that it is set up. No government program will ever fix that. If anything, a government program will only intensify the problem by imposing bureaucratic red tape, great inefficiencies and extremely high taxes.

The only way to fix the health care problem is by resetting the system. We must return to a consumer-oriented system where the patient makes all the decisions regarding their medical care, including paying for those decisions out of their own pocket.

Sadly, no one is talking about the reset option.

The Healtcare Idol

One thing has been bugging me lately about the debate on healthcare reform. I was watching some of the public comments on one of the cable news channels, and someone made the claim that health insurance was a right, not a previlage.

The reform of the healthcare system has captured the American spotlight as liberals try to take us into socialized healthcare and conservatives try to prevent it. I've stated my take on the healthcare debate before.

What concerns me today is this notion that we all deserve healthcare. That it is our right. That we cannot survive without it (which is a bogus argument, considering we've done pretty well so far).

When did our very existence depend on a need for health insurance? From where did the notion come that says we cannot survive without it?

Friends, we have made healthcare and health insurance our newest idol in America. We have taken something harmless, and turned it into a necessity. We're replacing our reliance on God with a reliance on the government. Hmm, I suppose that makes government an idol, too.

Exodus 20:3-6 says:

"You shall have no other gods before me.
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

As Mark Driscoll would point out, insurance itself is a good thing. There's nothing necessarily wrong with having insurance to cover the catastrophic events of life, or planning long term care of an elderly loved one. But, as Mark says, when you take a good thing and make it a god thing, that becomes a bad thing.

The Week of Galatians 1:10 - Part Five of Five

In the discussion about seeking the approval of God and not the approval of man, one thing needs to be made clear -- having the approval of man is not a bad thing. Proverbs 22:1 says, "A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold." Clearly, having a good reputation is a very good thing.

In the book of Philemon, Paul uses his good reputation in an effort to pursuade Philemon to be kind to his slave, Onesimus , who had run away, but was returning. Fearing that Philemon would do his slave some kind of harm, Paul write these words, "So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me."

Even Jesus had the approval of man. We referenced this earlier this week regarding Jesus' pre-teen years. Luke 2 concludes with a statement that, "Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man." This would all change as he later challenged the religious establishment, but the point is that people genuinely liked Jesus.

The point I'm trying to make is that it's a good thing to have a good reputation. We run into trouble when we sacrifice what God wants us to do in order to please mankind.

The Week of Galatians 1:10 - Part Four of Five

In his book, The Grace Awakening, Chuck Swindoll recounts a time early on in his ministry when the church he served faced a very difficult decision. A major meeting on the issue was set. His leadership board was split right down the middle.

Swindoll says that the day before the meeting, he drove out of the area to get some alone time with God. As he was reading the Bible, he came across Galatians 1:10.

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please
men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

That verse became the game-changer and liberator for Chuck. During that meeting, Swindoll says he voiced his support for the direction God was leading them. It wasn't popular, and he several people left the church over the issue.

Those are hard situations to deal with. During those times, we don't have God wagging his finger in our face, threatening to leave forever. Instead, those situations pit us against people we used to eat and spend time with.

Some people cave to the pressure. They don't like conflict, and as such, they'll sacrifice their beliefs, God's word, or God's commands to make peace with the people around them. Maybe you're like that.

Let Galatians 1:10 be your game-changer. Conflict isn't fun. But, when you're seeking God's approval, the threats and angry words of people you thought were friends can more easily bounce off of you. The approval of a perfect God overrides the approval of imperfect man each and every time.

The Week of Galatians 1:10 - Part Three of Five

Jesus was a popular dude. Have you ever considered that? An average Joe wouldn't have been able to attract crowds of thousands into the wilderness. But, it wasn't just His teaching or miracles that made him popular, although I'm sure those helped.

The Bible in a round-about way, lets us in on a little known fact about Jesus. He was a likable guy. Jesus had just started His public ministry when he was invited to a wedding.

Keep in mind that Jesus had never performed a miracle in public (or private as far as we know), so "miracle worker" hadn't become a part of his resume. Jesus didn't get into this wedding celebration based on His religious beliefs or any endorsement from the local rabbi.

None of that applied. Jesus was at this wedding, because he was well-liked. So well-liked, in fact, that the wedding party extended their invitation to a half-dozen or so strangers Jesus had picked up along the way.

What I like about this wedding story is that Jesus didn't strive to be a popular guy. We see evidence of that through the events that unfold over the next three years. Someone who strives to be popular never would've ended up nailed to a Roman cross.

Jesus' early popularity was because He was a genuinely nice guy. I'm sure the elders in His hometown had noticed that Jesus had a good head about Him. He probably had the same wisdom he displayed in his pre-teen years. In fact, the end of Luke 2 makes special note that Jesus was liked by those around him.

But, Jesus lived the Galatians 1:10 principle:

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please
man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

As we see throughout the remainder of the Gospels, even though he was popular, Jesus wasn't driven by that popularity. It didn't consume Him. Even when tempted, Jesus didn't compromise His mission or message to remain popular. Instead, Jesus was driven by the approval of God.

What are you driven by, the approval of man, or of God?

Kanye and the Gospel

Much has been made of Kanye West's disruption of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the VMA's this past weekend, so to add another voice in the discussion would be rather pointless. However, I think what Kanye did perfectly illustrates what happens all the time in our churches.

Get some momentum going and BOOM, along comes a disruption. Jesus starts moving among the congregation and WHAP, there's a distraction. Begin a new service program in your community and THUD, a diversion takes your attention. Make major changes to the way the church operates and CRASH, you get division.

Anytime you begin following the path God has laid out for you, whether the YOU in this case is you as an individual or your church, expect someone or something to come along and try to disrupt what God is doing. Let me re-emphasize that...EXPECT IT TO HAPPEN, because most likely, it will.

So, how do you deal with the disruptions that try to tear you from God's promises? Well, the first thing you do is turn the trouble over to God. He has a knack of dealing with disruptions while protecting His people. And, secondly, you can't let the disruptions take the microphone (see: Taylor Swift). Once you give a disruption a foothold, it'll grab that and take some more until the disruption has become a distraction, which in turn creates a diversion and eventually leads to division.

The Week of Galatians 1:10 - Part Two of Five

Every election season, we see it happen time and again. The scene has been played out so often that it is now almost predictable. Somewhere along the road to the office they are seeking, candidates cease touting their credentials and begin playing the popularity game.

"Vote for me, I'm popular."

"Pick me, I hang with the President."

"Choose me, I'll give you a government program so you'll never be in need again."

I'm only 35, so I can't speak to much beyond those years, but politics in America have become less about leadership and much more about popularity. I suppose its the nature of that beast to create a bunch of glad-handing people who's sole work is to make you happy rather than to actually lead. See, leadership is not about happiness or warm, fuzzy feelings. Many times, leadership involves making very unpopular decisions for the betterment of the organization, industry or nation.

The same is true when it comes to following Jesus. When you read the Gospels, it's pretty obvious that Jesus didn't play the popularity game. The religious leaders of His day wanted Jesus to side with them, and were disgusted when Jesus would hang out with the sinners and tax collectors.

Jesus' teachings were sometimes offensive, and John records a time when He lost many followers, because he claimed to be the bread of life. When Jesus had finished speaking, many of his followers grumbled to themselves, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"

John 6:66 may very well be one of the saddest sentences in the whole Bible, "After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him."

That's pretty clear evidence that Jesus wasn't into popularity contests. He knew His mission, and being popular was not a component in completing it.

Life isn't about being the most popular. It's not even about being well liked, although I think it is a good thing to have a good reputation. As Christians, we are meant to be servants of God, to follow His instruction and remain obedient, even if it's not popular.

After all, there will come a day when we will all kneel before the Almighty. On that day, our popularity won't matter, but our obedience will.