In my quest to run a half-marathon, I have begun reading various running magazines and books.  I have quickly discovered there is a whole new language I need to learn.  From muscles I’ve never heard of (but I’m supposed to be stretching) to running form & technique, the language of running is definitely foreign to me.

It made me wonder how foreign our language is in the church.  Do we use language that the average non-churched person would understand?  Are people sitting out in the audience confused and unfocused simply because we use words that - though familiar to us - are foreign to them?

Let me give you an example of a simple change in vernacular at Great Oaks.  We don’t use the term “elder.”  While it is a word that is understood by many church-going people, we are striving to eliminate the language barrier for people who have never stepped foot in a church.  We simply refer to that group of individuals as our Leadership Team.  Plain and simple…and understood by all.

Every tribe and every culture has a unique language.  Listen to accountants or Scout leaders or engineers talk - especially engineers - and you will discover a foreign language that includes numerous acronyms and code names.  And that’s fine for everyone who is a part of that sub-culture, but when your culture is intended to connect the unconnected…to unite every person who walks through the doors regardless of background or knowledge-base…you cannot afford to have a “secret” language.

If you are a pastor or church leader, take some time this week to pick up a magazine focused upon some topic you know nothing about.  See if you can understand what they are saying without referencing any other material.  Now go back and evaluate what you say on stage on Sunday morning.

Are there words you use that new people won’t understand?  Are there sub-ministries or retreat facilities you reference by name but don’t explain?  (e.g. “Culture Shift will be meeting at The Barn tonight at 6:30pm.”  What’s Culture Shift and where is The Barn?  New people don’t understand your language, so provide explanation or translation anytime you reference something like this.  “Culture Shift - our ministry to HS students - will be meeting at The Barn tonight.  The address for this off-site location is in your bulletins.”)

Do your best to eliminate the language barrier.

I have some friends who are missionaries in a country that deeply opposes Christianity.  In a recent communication from them, they wrote these words which struck a chord in my heart…

“I deeply trust that [God] is writing the story of our lives…”

You see…my friends understand something significant and life-altering about their relationship with God.  Each person is given a choice.  Either they can write the story of their lives, or they can submit themselves to God and allow Him to write the story of their lives.

I will warn you, though, that the two stories will be vastly different.  One story will be safe & predictable.  The other story will be filled with risk & adventure.

Who’s writing your life story?  The choice is yours…

Tags: trusting God

I am currently reading Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups by Nelson Searcy & Kerrick Thomas.  Interestingly enough, they are espousing many of the conclusions I have been coming to in the last few months of prayer, observation, and strategic planning.  (More on that later.)

I underlined the following quote in the book…

“Only in the reflection of our potential do we recognize the truth of our current reality.”

There is an often impersceptible shift that we all make in our lives.  We begin (our lives, our marriage, our parenting, our business, our relationship with God) with a clear Vision and focused efforts but then the routine of life combined with a small side-step here and a barely noticeable shift there, and we are suddenly 10 degrees off our intended target.

Oftentimes it takes the keen observation of a trusted friend (or a brazen remark by a complete stranger) to make us realize that we are no longer moving towards our target with as true accuracy as we began with.  We suddenly come face-to-face with our current reality…and it is often far from our true potential.

What would your life look like if you suddenly got serious about getting back on track?  How would your marriage, your parenting, your job, your relationship with God be different if you re-aligned yourself and your efforts?  What are those things that are holding you back from realizing your full potential in all of these areas?

I frequently remind leaders to “only do what only you can do.”  If you can embrace this simple mantra, you will make strong headway towards making your “current reality” and “full potential” one and the same.

Are you realizing your full potential?

I don’t recall where I read it recently, but there seems to be a subtle difference between Obeying God and Trusting God.

When we Obey God, we simply agree to do what He commands.  We read it in His Word, and we respond accordingly.  There can be great comfort in Obeying God.  Studies have shown that we all have a deep need for some sort of boundaries and direction in our lives.  We tend to be better human beings when we are given some ground rules for our conduct.

However, Trusting God seems to require more boldness…more faith.  It requires us to take steps and make decisions without concrete evidence telling us it will be okay.  We can’t always explain why we do what we do when we Trust God, but there is something deep inside of us that tells us it is the right thing to do.  The road may be tough and we may go down unexpected back alleys, but we will arrive at the destination God intended if we remain faithful.

I think that Obeying God is so much easier than Trusting God.

Trusting God means that we have to live in the grey at times…where there are no black-and-white answers…where there are no safety barriers on the side of the road.  This was the experience of the Apostles during the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15.

The church in Antioch had posed a grey question, “What rules do the Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians need to follow?”  Up to this point, this situation wasn’t even on the radar of the church leaders.  So they huddle up and come up with this response…

“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…”

You can almost here them saying, “We’re not sure what to do here, but after some intense prayer & conversation, we are going to Trust God and live in the grey.  It may not be comfortable at first, but we are going to see if this God we follow is big enough to handle this situation.”

So, where do you need to start Trusting God?  In what area of your life have you been waiting for a black-and-white answer to appear? What is God calling you to do but you haven’t moved forward with because there aren’t any rules to follow?

Maybe it’s time to stop waiting for an opportunity to be Obedient and instead start Trusting God…

I will readily admit that I am not a political junkie.  I don’t align myself with one party or another - in fact, I get extremely frustrated with the party bickering that is so prevalent in our presidential elections.  I do not enjoy the political turmoil that takes place in our country every four years, and I honestly cannot wait for it to be over with.

However…in the same breath that I state that…I do believe it is my responsibility to cast my vote and to have my voice heard, so I did my civic duty and voted this morning before going to work.

Will my chosen candidate win?  Maybe…maybe not.

Regardless of who wins, though, I do have a responsibility - to pray for the President.  I will pray that whoever fills that role will listen to God’s voice.  I pray that God will have the opportunity to shape & mold that individual so that His will is accomplished in this country.

Scripture tells us that “there is no authority except that which has been established by God.” (Romans 13:1)

This does not mean that our nation is a “Christian” nation.  It simply means that God is ultimately in control and, when allowed, can influence the future of our nation.  Of course, as the Great Bard once said, there’s the rub.  We must allow God to have influence in our nation.  We must allow God to have influence in our schools and our communities and our homes and our individual lives.

Regardless of who wins the election, I would challenge each of us to rally behind that person by praying for him and his actions as leader of our nation.

Stories are powerful.  If you are a leader, you want to hear stories from your people.  Stories allow you to peek behind the curtain and see if what you are doing is making an impact.  If you are a communicator, you need to tell stories (not “should”…not “it would be a good idea”…not “it would be helpful”); you NEED to tell stories.

Stories connect the head and the heart.  Stories present truth in a personal, relevant, applicable manner.  Stories are powerful.

As the leaders of Great Oaks Community Church, we know this truth.  During our 40 Days of Purpose campaign, we wanted to hear from our people, so we have included a God Stories card in our bulletin each week for the last 7 weeks.  We wanted a simple way to collect stories - particularly as we approach our Celebration Sunday this upcoming weekend.

We pushed the God Stories cards.  We talked about them from the stage every Sunday.  We have had our small group leaders talk about them in their small groups.  We have told our people that we want to hear how God has been changing their lives, and that we wanted to share that with the rest of the church.  Just fill out the card and put it in the offering or turn it in at the Welcome Center in the foyer.  And our people responded.

Both of them.

Y’up…over the last seven weeks, we received a sum total of two God Stories.

We knew God was doing things in people’s lives.  We knew there were God Stories out there that just needed to be harvested.  So this Sunday we took a different approach.  We gave them time to fill out the God Stories cards during service.  We handed out pens, played some music, and gave everyone a couple of minutes during service to fill them out.

I came into my office this morning to discover a stack of God Stories cards on my desk.  Eighty-one of them to be specific.  We went from two God Stories to a total of eighty-three God Stories in one Sunday - that’s a 4,150% increase in God Stories!  (Somebody better check my math…)

Here’s why I share all of this.  Albert Einstein once said that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  We took something as simple as collecting God Stories cards, changed our approach, and experienced a much different result.  It leads me to ask…

Are there other processes or strategies or practices at Great Oaks that need to be changed so that we can experience a 4,150% increase in life change?

Are there things in my marriage and parenting that need to be overhauled so that my family can have a 4,150% improvement in our family dynamics?

Are there other spiritual disciplines that I need to introduce into my life so that I can experience a 4,150% increase in my personal walk with God?

I’m getting a little carried away, I know, but you get the picture.  What minor shift in your thinking or your actions could result in a completely different life for you?

On a side note, I am really looking forward to reading all eighty-three of the God Stories today and sharing some of them with the church this Sunday during our Celebration event.

UPDATE: I just found three more God Stories cards - total of 86 now.  That makes a 4,200% increase!

Time is your greatest resource.  How you use it reveals your passions and priorities.

I am in the middle of determining the best use of my time.  Factors to be considered include the obvious - God, family, church/career (for me they are one and the same), personal hobbies.  But there are other factors to be considered as well.

I love to network with other leaders, so I am working with a fellow pastor from a church in Bloomington to develop a regional network of small group pastors.

I am on the Board of Directors for a retreat ministry run by some very good friends.  I have been asked to assume greater responsibilities on that Board.

I have been approached by another local business who would like me to partner with them in some capacity.  I have agreed to serve in an advisory role at this time and have committed to praying about possibly being involved in a larger capacity.

Add to that my desire to write a book (several ideas floating around in my head), my love for the outdoors, a desire to travel, and of course, just kicking back with friends…and there just isn’t enough time!

Why am I telling you all this?  Since time is one of our most valuable resources, we all need to be intentional about how we spend it.  Pray for me as I determine the best use of my time.  Pray and evaluate yourself so that you are using this precious resource in the best way possible.

Love this quote from Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life:

“You are as close to God as you choose to be.”

I have encountered so many people who complain about not being close to God yet they are unwilling to practice the spiritual habits that will draw them close to Him.  They are unwilling to change their perspective and attitudes and actions to align with God’s Word.  They are unwilling to do what’s necessary to make the changes necessary, and yet they still complain about not being close to God.

The author of Hebrews said, “Let us draw near to God…” (10:22)

God never moved.  God hasn’t changed.  If you are feeling distant from God, you are the one who has created the distance.  If you aren’t feeling close to God, take a step in the right direction.  God did His part; now it’s your turn.

I’m stepping off of my soapbox now…

When & where do you spend time with people who don’t know Christ? Call them seekers or unconvinced or whatever…but when do you intentionally place yourself in a situation where the people around you are far from God?

Here’s why I’m asking this question. If you have been around the Bible or the church for any length of time, you know that we are called to share the love of Christ with people who don’t know Him. Over time, though, we have this tendency to surround ourselves with Christians. We attend church with fellow believers somehow forgetting that there are seekers present. We spend time in small groups studying the Bible and doing life with believers. We have cook-outs and birthday parties and play sports with people who know God. We become comfortable in our Holy Huddle.

At this very moment, I am sitting in The Blend - a public coffeehouse in Washington. As I look around, I realize that this coffeehouse has become a haven for Christians. Everyone around me is praying or studying the Bible or talking about church or small group. Groups of teenagers & college students gather here regularly for connection & conversation - much of it centered around Christ.

Don’t get me wrong. These are all great things, and I love The Blend, but I have to wonder…would a non-Christian feel comfortable coming in here? Have we - the local believers - inadvertently turned this into a Christian coffeehouse and thus ruined any chance of connecting with people who are far from God?

And it’s not just The Blend. Have our churches become places solely for believers? Have our homes become a place solely for believers? Have our athletic teams and kid’s schools and community centers become places where we Christians gather together and ignore the vast number of unconvinced people around us?

When was the last time you left the safety of the Holy Huddle to connect with an atheist or an agnostic or a believer in another religion? When was the last time I did?

Let’s be sure that we enjoy the benefits of connecting with those who are like-minded, but let’s also be sure we never forget that we are called to reach out to the unconvinced. As a pastor, I spend most of my time with those who are already convinced. I have to be extremely intentional about finding ways to spend time with people who don’t believe what I believe.

Many of you work in “secular” industries and live in neighborhoods where you are surrounded by the unconvinced. Do you see this as a possible challenge to your faith, or do you see this as an opportunity to share the love of Christ?

Consider a radical shift in perspective. Begin to see your job - your neighborhood - your school - your community center - as a place where God has strategically placed you to make a difference. Leave the safety of the Holy Huddle every now & again and connect with those who are far from God.

Last week I asked this question: “How many apostles are there in the New Testament?”

First of all…I’m disappointed in all you “silent readers.” I know I’ve got more than four people who read this blog! One of my goals in this blog is to create dialogue, so feel free to share your comments/thoughts in the future. Especially if I ask a direct question…sheeesh!!!

Alright, back to the main point. As Andrea guessed, this is somewhat of a trick question, but at the same time, it is a question that is meant to challenge you to think about what you believe/know about the Bible.

Most people would say there are 12-14 apostles in the New Testament. We’ve got the original Twelve plus Matthias (who replaced Judas Iscariot) plus Paul. This is - in fact - how I would have answered this question until two weeks ago. However, I read an article that stated there are at least seven more apostles (lower-case “a”) identified in the New Testament.

• Barnabas - Acts 14:14
• Apollos - 1 Corinthians 4:9 (”us apostles” references back to 4:6)
• Silas & Timothy - 1 Thessalonians 2:6 (”as apostles of Christ” references back to 1:1)
• Andronicus & Junia - Romans 16:7
• Jesus - Hebrews 3:1

The word apostle comes from the Greek word apostolos which means “sent out ones.” These were men & women who were sent out from the church to preach the Gospel where it hadn’t been preached before and to leave in their wake a fully-functioning church body.

The question that we must wrestle with today is, “Are there still apostles?” Considering the definition of an apostle stated above, I would whole-heartedly say, “Yes!” We simply call them missionaries and church planters - men & women who are sent out from the church to preach the Gospel and raise up churches.

Thoughts?