In Jesus everyone gets a second chance…

If you were to spend a month in a Church office your eyes will be open to a whole new world. I suppose this is true for every charitable organization. I know it is also true of people who work in the office at the school or other government agencies. In my conversations I have had several people share similar stories but I see the world from a Church office.

The issue that some of us understand and you may not is benevolence. Benevolence is defined as charity or a charitable donation. Honestly it is about money. People come through the doors of the church on a weekly basis asking for money. People want money for their gas bill, water bill or rent. They need help and they want the Church to provide it.

Here are things I have learned from the Church about benevolence requests.

1. Over 90% of all requests are from people outside of the Church. The majority of requests for help are from people who have never nor ever intend to attend our Church or any Church.

2. Most requests are needed today. I received two phone calls this morning and the people need money today. Note – this is hard for a Church who runs on volunteers who are at their jobs. It takes days and sometimes a week to process a request.

3. Everyone has a sob story. I am not trying to be mean in any way. Honestly every request seems to involve a child, someone handicapped, cancer, disability, funeral, divorce or elderly. I have heard similar stories so many times I can usually guess the ending.

I could list many other things I have noticed but these are the biggies.

With so many requests for help, what is a Church (or any organization) to do? Well, I want you to know a few things.

1. We help members, attendees and the people they recommend first and foremost. Knowing the situation is a huge plus for helping. We try to take care of our own.

2. Connection with other local organizations or churches is a must. With an email or two I can usually find out more of the situation. This is especially true in a small town. We have people in our community who request help from every church using different names and family members. Knowledge is extremely helpful.

3. Never give cash. This is true for any one. First priority is to help with food. After that, we help pay bills and that is it. No prescription meds, no pet food, no tobacco and no cash.

4. Most likely you are being played. Just being 100% honest. Very, very few are legitimate needs. People are foolish with their money and that is how they ended up in this situation. I have decided that God asks me to give and I will be judged for that. They will be judged for what they did with it. I can only handle my part of that equation. As a result I ask questions and give to people I think will use it the best they can.

No request is easy to handle. As a Christian I take my faith very seriously and that involves the way I treat other people. I always want to err on the side of being too generous as an individual and as a Church. There is also a point where I have to be wise. There is a fine line between being helpful and supporting laziness. There is a fine line between supporting people’s foolish decisions and helping people who have had a few things go wrong. If you think this is easy, spend a month in the office and I am sure I can convince you otherwise.

Your thoughts?

I first heard it in college. Later I heard it again. One time even used it in a sermon. I am sure you have heard it. Lately I have seen it posted all over Facebook. It is the teaching that the Bible says “Do Not Fear” 365 times. That is one for each day of the year.

The first time I heard it was from a wise older preacher so I was sure it had to be right. Then when I started seeing it everywhere I began to have my doubts as to its validity. Honestly, I really began to wonder about this because this is a leap year. There are 366 days this year so what are we supposed to do on the extra day?

All this lead me to my computer software program to do some research. I searched “do not fear” and “fear not.” I could only come up with 50 to 100 verses. It seemed no matter what phrase I searched I could not come up with anywhere near even 300 verses.

Then I started to actually read some of the verses. Many of them were when angels showed up to talk to people. When people see a real angel they are terrified and most of the time the messenger of God has to begin with saying “do not fear.” How did that get applied to how we should live every day? I guess it applies if you are going to see an angel everyday but I am guessing by day 181 you will stop being so surprised and scared.

So where did this concept come from?

After do some searching around the internet I think I found the source of this concept. There was a book entitled “Fearful to Fearless” that promotes this idea. It takes verses that say “do not fear” and “fear not” along with verses that say “do not worry” and “be strong and courageous” and anything similar. Basically the concept is that God’s word says something about resisting fear each and every day in some way. I am not saying this book was the first to promote the idea but I can see where this thinking came from. There is a broad idea that we should live without fear in our daily lives and with a little editing you can come up with one verse for each day.

It is not true that the Bible says “do not fear” 365 times – one for each day of the year. I do believe that God wants us to live without fear but it does not help us to bend scripture out of proportion. We need to be honest in our reading, study and application of scripture. It is important that we live without fear but it is equally important that we live with honest truth from God’s word.

My ultimate hope is that whenever you hear something about God’s word that you check it out for yourself. Do a little reading and research. In the end good Bible knowledge will help reduce your fears better than cliché’s.

I have a series of books in my library entitled “Six Word Memoirs.” The book is a collection of people describing their life in six words. The first one is entitled “Not Quite What I Was Planning” and the sequel is called “It All Changed In An Instant.” Both titles are examples of six word memoirs people used to describe their life.

The title of the second book has always been on my mind. Life experience has taught me that these words are so very true. Life can change in an instant. In fact, this is one of the first things that went through my mind while sitting in the emergency room with my 14 year old son on Friday night.

First, I sat there thinking about all the plans we had with Dakota over the coming weeks and months. Basketball games and tournaments were in the plans no longer. His life was radically altered for the next 8 weeks at least. Surgery, a cast and multiple doctors visits became our immediate plans.

Second, we were taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. I have to admit that you almost feel embarrassed that your son only has a broken ankle while waiting in the emergency room. One of the nearby rooms had four adults standing outside the room weeping. Another room had a very small child and there were doctors running in and out. In the chaos I wondered about those families. Had they woke up on Friday morning like every other day and found themselves facing unbelievable circumstances by the end of the night?

Life changes in an instant. Maybe it comes as a bad decision on my part. Maybe it comes as an accident that was really no one’s fault. Maybe it is an unexpected report from the doctor. Maybe it is a phone call giving you news you never expected. Life turns on a second’s notice every day for someone. Some days it does that for you and me.

The Christian faith provides people with two great comforts when life is changed in an instant.

1. God can use anything for good. Romans 8:28 gives us a promise that God can uses all things for good. The story of Joseph in the book of Genesis is a living example of how that looks in a person’s life. That does not mean that life will go on the same, but through the difficulties both meaning and purpose can be discovered.

2. We have an eternal hope. I know this is both a good and bad reality. As believers we hold onto the hope of heaven every minute. That is hard because it does mean that we have to say goodbye to people we love. I have been there and I hate it – hate it, hate it, hate it! The flip side is that in our grief we have hope. We have the promise of a land with no more morning or crying or pain because the old order had been replaced.

Someday life will change for all of us. Some way, some day. In my faith I take comfort that God can use it and transform it. I hope and pray you find the same comfort before that day comes.

This past Friday night my son Dakota jumped up to save a basketball going out-of-bounds. It was a simple hustle type play that is often made during a basketball game. The only different to this maneuver was that Dakota came down on his ankle wrong, very wrong. In this one bad fall he broke four bones in his ankle and damaged his growth plate. It required surgery and will take at least 8 weeks of recovery and some physical therapy. His mother and I spent Friday night in the hospital and most of the day Saturday until he was discharged and we could go home.

Many of you know that part of the story but I want to share “the rest of the story.” My wife was talking with Dakota last night and he wanted me to write a blog for him. He wanted everyone to know how he was blessed through this experience.

First – People immediately began to pray for him. Within minutes of the news the emails, texts and Facebook posts came rolling in of people who were telling me of their prayers. Before I left for the hospital at least a dozen people said their family would pray.

Second – People immediately volunteered to help our family. I was offered rides to the hospital. Meals for my other children and any type of childcare needed. People were willing to come to the hospital. Numerous people offered their help.

Third – People contacted Dakota and showed him so much concern. Phone calls and texts came from people to Dakota asking how he was doing. People he never would have thought cared about him suddenly were asking about him.

Fourth – People were giving to him. We received a meal, and he personally got cookies and he even received a gift bag. It made a 14 year old boy feel like a king.

Fifth – People were generally concerned for him. On Sunday morning people continued to ask Dakota about his status and how they could help. He did not feel like anyone was being forced or fake. He was overwhelmed that people cared so much.

While Dakota has experienced a great amount of pain over the past 3 days in his ankle the love and support he has seen in his Church family has been uplifting. All of his brothers have said somewhat jokingly that they hope they break their leg someday. Honestly, I know they do not want the pain but they are jealous of the way Dakota has been treated. That is really a good thing.

I know when I write something like this there will be people reading it who say, “That was not my experience with the Church.” “No one ever treated me like that when I was hurt.” I truly am sorry that was what happened to you. The Church does not always get it right. But when the Church does get it right it is a beautiful thing to watch.

I often tell people that Church is not just about what you are personally experiencing. It is also about the experience you are creating. Thank you to those who made Dakota feel so special. You touched a young boy’s life forever.

I love this quote. It is so very true.

It happened again just the other day. A preacher I know began talking about being called to ministry. He spoke of feeling God’s call upon his life. In some ways his speech was inspiring and challenging. Personally, it led me to quiet reflection about my own life.

I think I understand his idea of being “called” to ministry. The prophets were the spokespeople for God in the Old Testament and they often had an angel show up and call them out of their normal work into proclamation for God. In the New Testament Jesus personally invites his disciples to follow him or he calls them into discipleship. There are several references in the New Testament to someone being “called” by God but they are really about people accepting Jesus as their Savior and not a call to a particular ministry. The closest we may have in the Bible is a story in Acts 16 of a dream Paul has of a man from Macedonia calling him to come over and preach the gospel. Honestly, after years of searching I have not found a story or passage that speaks of someone being called to ministry. I suppose the idea continues to circulate because it somehow makes preachers feel special or closer to God.

I tell you this because I have never personally felt called to ministry. I have not heard any voices speaking to me from the heavens. I have never had a prophetic dream or seen an angel. At no point in my life have I ever felt special or specially gifted to be a preacher.

Instead, when I became a Christian at the age of 8 I committed myself to following God wherever he wanted me to go. Once again I did not hear a voice saying go this way or that. Usually God spoke to me through open doors of opportunity. Many times my life has been the simple result of choosing the path of least resistance. For starters, I thought Bible College would be easy. I had no intention of becoming a preacher. Yet while in Bible College a friend asked me to preach on Sunday. I couldn’t come up with a good reason to say no to him. After the sermon a woman encouraged me with some very kind words so I decided to try again. Once again I had some positive feedback so I decided to preach again. This went on for about a year. By my third year in college I found I could make money on weekends preaching and it paid better than working at a fast food chain. Since people seemed to enjoy my sermons I made it my job. Pitiful story for a preacher, I know.

Since I decided to become a preacher I have tried to quit a few times. I was going to take an office job somewhere. I could get involved in manual labor and leave people in the church behind. Every time I tried there were no job offers. No one wanted to hire me. There were never any doors to go anywhere else. In time I decided this is what God wants me to do until someone offers me somewhere else to go or something else to do.

I see my story not as some sad failure to be a special man of God. I see my story as an opportunity for anyone and everyone to follow God. You do not need to hear voices to become a preacher. You do not need a special invitation to teach a class. You do not need an angel to show up in your life to serve the Lord. All you need to do is simply follow his leading through open doors of opportunity. I never set out to be a preacher, but God has taken me on an incredible journey of faith. Honestly, I think he wants to do the same with all of us.

My earliest recollections of television are of watching Indiana University basketball. I have watched more hours of basketball than anything else on TV. Growing up in Indiana we did not have a pro football team to watch. The Colts did not move to Indy until 1984 and then they were terrible. Over time my interests changed and I became a football fan, especially as my boys began to grow and they took an interest in it. It is safe to say that I have watched thousands of hours of football and basketball through my life.

Each of these sports is built on the production of a team. While a team may have an all-star or two they depend on a number of people filling roles to make a team successful. Some players are specialists who only do one thing like kick a field goal. Some positions are more general in nature like the sixth man in basketball. Everyone has a role and everyone is important to the end result. In fact, it is rare to see a team become a champion with only one great player. Even the great Michael Jordan walked off the court one time after a loss and said to the camera, “I can’t do it alone.”

I tell you all of this because I am convinced the same thing is true of a Church. The Church is a team. Each and every part is important and helps the success of the whole. A great preacher is a huge asset to a Church but his success will be limited if he is the only one trying to score. The Church needs people to greet and be friendly. It needs nursery workers and people to teach children. It needs people to clean and do maintenance on the building. The Church needs people to visit the sick and elderly. It needs leaders to make decisions and serve selflessly. The Church needs people to serve in dozens of areas to have any success in reaching the lost for God. It needs people willing to reach out and share if they hope to develop people in their faith. Every person has a part and every part is important.

So today I ask a simple question, “What is your contribution to team Church?”

What role do you fill? How are you helping the Church reach its goals? What are you doing for God through the local Church that is furthering His kingdom?

A high school basketball teammate used to say “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Don’t be that weak link.” A little cheesy and trite expression, but it is still true, in sports and in Church.

This past Sunday I took a day of vacation. We had decided to travel as a family but bad weather and school sports changed our plans. As a result we were home on Sunday morning. After some conversation, my wife and I decided to take our family to visit a large Church in our area. After some searching we found a Church of our brotherhood a little over an hour away in Blue Springs Missouri that averages over 1000 people in worship. We agreed that this would be the place for us on Sunday morning to worship the Lord.

I like visiting other Churches a couple of times a year for a few reasons. One, I like to worship the Lord without the pressure of being a preacher. When I attend a smaller Church the people are usually very friendly, but once they find out that I am a preacher the dynamic changes. Sometimes it can turn into a consulting visit rather than worship. Two, I like to see what other churches are doing. I like to hear their music, their preaching and the way they handle everything. I am especially interested in Churches that are reaching lost people and how they reach out through their program. Finally, I like to remember what it is like to be a visitor to a new location. Many of us, myself included, have attended one Church so long we forget what it is like to be new and not know anything about what is going on.

That last concept is the point of today’s blogs. I wrote down several lessons that long time Church attendees need to remember about people visiting their Church.

1. A Great Website is a Must. As I looked at Churches to attend, I quickly made judgments about the Churches based on their website. An old looking or outdated site told me something. At ACC where I serve over 200 people visit our site each week. What judgements are they making?

2. Signage is Crucial. Where do I park? Does it matter? Where do I enter? Where is the worship area? Where are the restrooms? Show me please.

3. People are Powerful. A single person saying hello is scary yet personal. Someone asking if I need help in a friendly manner is inviting. Be open to visitors and help them without being pushy or angry.

4. The PowerPoint Person is the Most Powerful Person in the Church. I used to say that greeters and nursery workers had the greatest impact. Those have slid to number 2 and 3 on my list. Announcements on the screen, a countdown clock, song lyrics, videos, and anything else on the screen is controlled by one person or a small group. They can make or break a Church. Thank, hug and tip your PowerPoint people regularly. Seriously.

5. Explain, Explain, Explain. I know that people who attend regularly get tired of hearing the same old lines – But don’t stop doing it. I need to know when to stand and sit. I need to know what happens at communion. I need to know everything since I have no past experiences with this group.

All in all we had a good visit on Sunday. My pen was working and my mind was working even faster. I had some great take-aways while being a part of worship. The high school minister spoke while the preaching minister was on vacation. I can only assume he was off at another Church doing the same thing I was doing. I pray both of our Churches are the better for it.

The past week I have been enjoying some down time with my family. No sermons to write, no lessons to prepare and no Church related work was my goal. With that said, a break like this gives me time to reflect on my life and my personal journey with God. The longer I have thought about the past year of my life I have focused my attention on one big lesson God taught me. That is simply the power of prayer.

In the past 12 months I have prayed for situations ranging from my father’s recovery to the growth of our Church. With each issue that comes up God handles the matter better than I ever dreamed. One of the most dramatic answers to prayer was when our elders prayed for a leader and his relationship with his daughter. God used a series of unpredictable events to bridge the gap in their lives and make their relationship healthy again. I could literally spend pages writing about prayer and all that God has done as its result this year.

To top it off one of the final movies my family watched in 2015 is called “The War Room” and it is all about prayer, especially praying for your spouse. It was like God took out a highlighter and drew across the word prayer and said, “Don’t forget this.”

While 2015 drew my attention to prayer and its power it also set me up to grow in my prayer life in 2016. So this year I am going to attempt to get better at prayer. Here are some of the things I am trying to do this year.

1. Pray Daily. I want it to be one of the first things I do every day.

2. Pray more often. One of my leaders says, “I don’t pray a long time, but I pray often.” That is not bad advice.

3. Expand my time of prayer. When I do pray, I do not want to be on a tight schedule.

4. Expand my circle of prayer. I also tend to pray for my family and my ministry and my needs. I need to expand my prayers to include other people in my life. The prayer of Jesus that we call “The Lord’s prayer” in Matthew 6 has plural pronouns. Prayer is not selfish.

5. Keep better track of prayers. I have downloaded an app. If that doesn’t work I am thinking of a notebook and pen. Just simple tools to keep me focused on topics of prayer. That way I can be remind of all the needs that require prayer and possibly how God is answering them.

I know those are simple ideas that are not very original, but they are my goal for 2016. If 2015 taught me the power of prayer, I hope 2016 will be the year of increased prayer.