Sunday Thoughts on Monday

I have gotten away from doing a Sunday wrap up post. However, I wanted to do one this week. I know I am writing this on Monday afternoon, but it's still focused on Sunday.

Sunday started very early as I was awake before 6 am. There was a spiritual tension building for the day. That tension is not anything new. I know it well. I'm glad I do. Every pastor should be familiar with it. The tension should always be there, though there are days when it is stronger than others. This was one of the stronger ones.

We had a great time of praise with music led by my favorite leader. She happens to be quite beautiful too! :) (for those who weren't there, I am talking about my wife of course.)

The board presented myself and the pastoral staff with a very generous gift for pastor appreciation. We have a tremendous group of men who serve our church as board members. It is a privilege to work with them. On behalf of the staff and my family, Thank you everyone for the kind words and expressions. It is truly our honor to serve God at Capital City.

Sunday kicked off our missions convention. I love this event! This is when we get to cast vision for our partnerships with missions around the world. It is also when we get to highlight and tell the wonderful stories of what God is doing. We'll take faith promises in two weeks. A good friend and missionary to eastern Africa will be with us on November 1. We are showing the documentary "Beyond the Gates" about Jim Elliot and his friends who gave their lives in Ecuador 50 years ago. We will wrap all of it up with a banquet on the 8th.

Yesterday, I spoke out of Romans 10 and Philippians 2. Our theme for this coming year of missions is "Every Way." Jesus did whatever needed to be done to accomplish the work of God. We need to have the same attitude. We must be willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill the great commission. People are living and dying without hope all around us and around the world. We have the hope and peace and answer they need in Christ. "How can they believe if they have not heard?"

There was a tremendous response at the end of the service. Several indicated a move to commitment without reservation. One person took the step of accepting Christ into their life! That is what it is all about for us.

In the middle of our convention we also have two community connection opportunities. For Halloween we have homes throughout the community handing out candy bars and hot chocolate along with an invite to CapCity where three lucky guests will receive a gift card. On Saturday, November 7 we are hosting a tailgate party around the OSU @ Penn State game.

I can't wait to see what God is going to do in these next two weeks!

Coming Up

Let me tell you, I am PUMPED up about what is next for Capital City Church!

Today is a vision planning/focus day for me and already (10 am) I am ready to jump up and get going on these things!

Here's a few of the things that have me so excited right now:

• THIS SUNDAY! I have great expectations for every Sunday, that is never more true than it is for the next one coming up. This Sunday, we launch our missions convention. I love this event as we dream and prepare for how God wants to use us to touch souls around the world.
• The rest of missions convention - Sunday, November 1 missionary Jim Thacker from Burundi will be with us. Wednesday, November 4 we will be watching the powerful missions documentary "Beyond the Gates." Sunday, November 8 we wrap it all up with a banquet and we are going to be announcing the 2010 missions trip!
• The 2010 missions trip! It's quite difficult for me to not spill the beans on this trip right now!
• TAILGATE PARTY - Saturday, November 7 we will be hosting a community wide tailgate party in out parking lot. OSU plays @ Penn State that day and we will have big screen TVs games for kids, cornhole, and of course, lots of food!
• Our new Saturday night service! This will be launching early in 2010. Again, I want to share everything that is in the works for this, but it is not time yet.
• Christmas Eve service - I love this event. It is one of my favorite traditions at Christmas. We will have a candlelight service with carols, stories, and family coming together to celebrate the birth of Christ.

These are some of what has me charged up and I just wanted to let you in on it.

Bible Study

A couple of weeks ago I preached a message on reading the Bible. Due to the electric going out and operator error on my laptop, the message was not recorded. Here is a quick breakdown from that message.

We have all heard it said that we need to read the Bible. Too often that is all that is said. I know I was never really taught how until I was an adult and I grew up in church. I was taught to memorize and even bribed to do so with trophies, candy, etc. But, I was not really taught how.

It's amazing the positive response I get when I bring up this subject and start talking about it. People are hungry to know how to have an effective pattern and life of reading the Bible.

The thing is, it is simple. There are no secret tricks. There's no insider information only given to Reverends. God hasn't made it complicated. He gave us the Word in written form and then provides the Holy Spirit to guide us through and reveal the applicable truth us.

The Bible is called the "Living Word" because it is always applicable and transcends time and culture. For us to have a truly vibrant spiritual walk with God, the Bible must be a significant element in our lives.

Here is a quick run down of how to read the Bible effectively:

• Get a translation you can understand. All English versions are translations of the original. What is important is that you are reading and that it is understandable to you. I even recommend using multiple translations in deep study to get the full essence of what is written.
  

• Pray, ask God to make His Word clear and applicable to your life.
  

• Start with Jesus. It’s all about Him. The books of Mark & John in the Bible are great for reading His story.
  

• Have a plan. Use a study Bible or get a devotional journal or book, pick a topic, study a person’s life in the Bible, whatever, just have a plan of what you are going to read. Random does not work long term and you will get frustrated.
  

• Journal your reading. Get a notebook or journal and write down your thoughts each day while and after reading. This will help you to think on what you have read as well as have a record of what you hear God’s Spirit say to you through the Bible. I have found this to be the best way to process what I have read and keep track of what God speaks to me through His Word.
  

• Have a set time. Know when you are going to read each day. Make it an appointment on your calendar if that’s what it takes. Guard this time.
  

Staying Focused

My last post gave a run down of last week and some of the unexpected it entailed. Let me tell you, it is very easy to get off track when things get busy and surprises happen. How do we stay focused in these times?

Great question and one I have struggled with over and over again. Today is another great example of having a certain flow in my mind when I came into the office and it all blows up with unplanned and unexpected issues and directions. It is 1:20 pm and I am just now getting to what I had planned as my projects for today. On this front, an agenda and having things organized and well planned out is one big key.

There is a bigger issue along this line also. Sunday morning when we were scrambling around trying to get the computer stuff straightened out, I was aggravated. It had been a less than smooth weekend and we had been dealing with the computer for a couple of days. Also, my girls had been less than cooperative that morning. The tendency would be to let it get to me and lose focus for the day. I have grand experience with letting that happen.

We must remember the big picture and what is truly important. Fact is, if the computer had not been able to work, so what. That is not a needed element. It is a nice touch and wonderful tool, but not an element. God's Spirit and Presence do not rely on technology or even on things going smoothly. It is important that the leader stay focused with a right heart attitude.

Sunday morning, I had to stop and make the decision not to get upset and not to lose my focus. It takes a big picture mindset. How insane would it be for me to preach on prayer and that very day have let little things get me off track and not pray?

We all face scenarios that will try to distract us from what really matters. There are things every day that come in and demand attention away from the truly significant. Little things can seem so big when they are immediate. The old saying, "the devil is in the details," does apply here. I believe the details matter and that we must be aware and attentive to them. However, there comes a point where the details can actually take over. This is usually at a critical mass moment and the details seem to be falling apart. Sometimes we must let them go and get back to the basics and focus in on what it is really about.

Staying focused takes discipline, intention, and resolve.

Flexibility - the word of the week

I have written here about flexibility before. This past week has been a real opportunity to live it out.

It started early on Sunday, October 4. We had a schedule for the morning to get things ready for the day. Jacob's Road was with us as special musical guests. A couple of things happened to throw that schedule off. No problem, adjustments were made and it all came together. At about 9:40 or so I was in the sanctuary and the lights literally went out. My first thought was a breaker had blown, then I heard the fire doors coming down with a loud crash in the kitchen. This was more than a breaker. After the initial check of the building, we learned from the power company that over 1700 in our area were without power due to an incident. (We later found out the "incident" was "animal contact at a power pole.")

You can imagine, this caused a bit of scrambling to take place. Everyone involved did fantastic. Jacob's Road rolled with it and put together a fully acoustic song set for a time of praise. Our children's workers adjusted and kept the children in the lobby where we receive the most natural light in the building. We got everyone to sit as close to the front as possible in the center of the sanctuary and we opened the doors around the sides allowing sunlight to come in. We had church! It was a great time!

I have received so many positive comments about the day. People really connected with the time of praise and just got into the feel of the day. No technology, no hype, no pretension, just simple. Just awesome. I greatly enjoyed it.

Monday brought a couple more surprises that changed my schedule a bit for the week. No big things, just had to flow and adjust. Monday night an opportunity arose to spend some time with other pastors in serious iron sharpens iron time. It was late and unexpected, but it was very cool. Having it take place over wings and Monday Night Football didn't hurt! :)

Tuesday night had me out unexpectedly at 1 am helping a group out that was in from out of town. Wednesday brought schedule changes as appointments shifted and plans were changed. Thursday, Friday, & Saturday welcomed an outside group of Korean churches using our building for evening rallies. This was planned, but these events always involve a surprise or two and this one did as well. Friday morning brought an inspection to our HVAC and Fire Alarm system that we weren't aware was going to take place. Friday also brought with it a good amount of rain which was a problem for the men's campout that night. We held it anyway and just made some adjustments.

In the middle of all this our main computer that runs the projection in the sanctuary had a serious virus issue that rendered it unusable. Sunday morning we were loading software onto a different computer to make things work for the day.

It was a great week in so many ways. God moved and spoke. People contacts were made. Lessons were learned. Much was accomplished.

All of that to say, when you speak of flexibility, be willing to live it. :)

Got Questions?

Got questions?

You should. I know I do. I have way more questions than I have answers. That is a good thing. Someone who has run out of questions, has stopped learning.

As soon as we start to believe we know all we need to know, our minds begin to dull and lose the ability to retain knowledge. The human mind is an amazing thing with great ability to store huge amounts of information. Like anything else, it needs on going use to remain sharp. Let your arm hang by your side for a couple of weeks and don’t use it and see what happens. It will become weaker, less mobile, less flexible, less useful. The mind is the same way. If we don’t keep it engaged and thinking and growing, it too will become weaker, less mobile, less flexible, less useful.

So ask questions. If you don’t know something, ask someone. If you aren’t sure, ask. Seek knowledge, understanding. Grow in capacity. Expand your creativity. Discover new horizons. See things in a new light, a fresh perspective. Think. Learn.

This is discipleship. What did Jesus do? He opened people’s eyes to new things and took them to greater heights of understanding. As He led the disciples, He taught them to think and to learn. The way Jesus prepared Peter, James, John, and the others to impact the world was by preparing them to never stop. Never stop asking questions. Never stop seeking truth. Never stop finding answers.

The average 4 year old asks 400 questions a day. This probably does not surprise parents, especially those who currently have a 4 year old. There is no question that a person’s greatest capacity to learn is when they are young. One way this is accomplished is by asking questions. Kids ask questions. Much to the annoyance of adults some times. We should be more tolerant of their questions as we realize they are just trying to learn; something we should greatly encourage and not suppress. In fact, we could take a cue from kids and begin to ask more questions ourselves.

The keys to effectively asking questions:

1. Think about the question and word it well to get the most complete answer you can. Know the question before you open your mouth to ask or begin the search
2. Ask the right person or look in the right place for the answer
3. LISTEN to the answer to its completion. One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone asks a question and then continues to keep talking or interrupts the answer with an argument or another subject. This indicates they really didn’t care about learning anything. They either just wanted to enter the conversation or they had their own agenda and the question was their way of inserting their view, opinion, or manipulation. If you are going to take the time to ask, take the time to hear the answer.
4. Think about the answer. Sometimes it is best to not respond immediately until you have processed it. This all is weighed on what’s appropriate for the question asked and answer given. Some things are minor and don’t need much thought to the answer, others require time to meditate on the answer.
5. Ask more questions. Follow up questions and clarity questions are vital for things in an answer that were not completely clear. Remember the goal is understanding and growth.
6. Keep asking questions/seeking answers - never stop.
7. Repeat all the steps above.

Got Questions?

Quick Thought

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."
Albert Einstein

The legends surrounding Einstein are vast. Whether or not they are all true has nothing to do with the fact that he was a great man and a great thinker. His ability to think beyond his context and transcend into higher realms intellectually has been repeated by very few.

The quote above is very appropriate for the state of things in the church today. There is no question that we face significant problems in the American church. However, those problems will never be solved by trying to do the same things and think the same ways we always have. That is what got us here in the first place.

The answers we need lie in a radically new way of thinking and doing things. I am not saying a new theology as some fear this means. I mean embracing new techniques and methods and using technology and situations that exist within the culture to impact individuals. Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. is often quoted as saying, "I believe the best ways of doing church haven't even been invented yet."

If we will be honest with ourselves, the vast majority of problems we face were created by us directly or through inattention.

God is calling us to a new thing and a new level.

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19

The 24 Hour Rule

This past week I had the privilege of teaching a couple of sessions at the annual Ohio A/G minister's retreat. This event is always a highlight for me. The speakers and sessions are always good, but mostly, I enjoy the interaction and laid back atmosphere. There is so much of an iron sharpens iron element. In the lobbies, the cafeteria, hallways, throughout the campus there are conversations happening that are strengthening and encouraging. Leaders learning from each other is a great thing!

It was a very real honor when I was asked to be a part of this event as a presenter.

I taught both sessions on technology in ministry. The first was a basic look at organizing and using email effectively and efficiently. The second was talking about being mobile and leveraging technology for our benefit.

I will from time to time post some of what I taught as well as what I am currently learning in these areas.

Michael Hyatt has a great series of posts on his blog regarding email. Click here to read his insights. I used some of what he has written in my sessions this week as they are things I have implemented.

One thing we use around here that I feel is very important: the 24 hour rule. It simply states that ALL phone calls and emails are to be responded to within 24 hours (those that require a response , of course). This holds, even if the answer is no or not now. The reply might be as simple as, "Thanks for the email, I will get back to you with that information when it is available," or, "Received your message, I will be in touch with you to follow up by ________."

There are some specific reasons and benefits related to this rule.

• It is common courtesy; something this world could use more of.
• It keeps us responsive.
• Nothing is more frustrating than feeling ignored.
• It shows that we care about people.
• It makes a person feel valued that they received a prompt response.
• It keeps things from falling thru the cracks.

A couple of exceptions to the rule are days off and vacation. Otherwise, we return calls and emails. I do allow for exceptions to unsolicited sales calls. No need to rush a return call there, they will call back. I learned this rule a long time ago and rarely does it get broken. Now my staff follows it as well.

While I am on the subject, if you are a Pastor or church leader, return your calls! Even to missionaries. I know they are asking for platform time and money, but even when the answer is no, they will appreciate the returned call. It is hard to do what they do in contacting churches and pastors. I know how hard it is to tell a missionary no. I have to do it as well. At some point in the future you may be able to work with that missionary or may have an opportunity to get to know them. Think how much better that will be if there is already some respect there.

I have personally experienced this. At my last church, we supported missionaries, but did not have the ability to add more. The number, while good for that size and location church, was much smaller than the number of missionaries the church I am currently pastoring supports. When I moved here and suddenly became a supporting pastor for many missionaries I had not been for the previous years, it was great to know that I had no reason to avoid any missionaries because I had not returned their calls before. Several times, missionaries have commented how much they appreciated me returning their call, even when the answer was "no." At least they knew and could move on and not spend time trying to track me down.

Sorry, I'll get off me soap box now.

What rules do you have regarding emails, phone calls, etc. that work in your context?