Wade's Words

Change

2012-01-12T23:35:00.001-05:00

Change is inevitable just like death and taxes. Change comes with life. You may not want it and you may not like it but it comes. Sometimes change is hard like when your family moves to a new city and as a child you have to change schools. Sometimes you must change your ways if you want to save your marriage or if you want to make better grades in school. It can be hard but necessary. Change can be good as well. It can make you a better person! It can make you more appreciative of who you are as a person and where you've come from and what you have! I recently made a change! I decided to leave the church I started from scratch with my wife and about twenty people over five years ago! It wasn't an easy decision but one I knew was the right thing to do and the right time for me and my family and hopefully for Crosspoint! Change is not always easy but when you make a change knowing that it's the right thing to do, life takes on such more meaning! You come to realize what's really important in life like family and health and you value those you love more. Change brings questions. Some have wondered that it must be a waste that Crosspoint is no longer a church, since it went through a struggle following my departure and eventually merged with and became Next Level Church? My answer to that is an emphatic NO! What Christ did through Crosspoint will live on forever! Just ask Carol Cavanaugh, and Jeff Johnson and Ken Horgan and Sherry Hundley and Janet Poole and many, many others who came to know Christ at Crosspoint, or who found acceptance in our fellowship or who came to know real community through the friendships of others or who were blessed by the weekly teaching and worship! Ask the kids who received weekly hugs and love from the faithful volunteers or the many tireless servants who served together setting up week after week for the new folks who found a home at Crosspoint? They would say it was not a waste! If only one had come to know Christ during the four and half years it existed, it would have been worth it all! A waste? Not for a second! God will have the final say about Crosspoint and I'm confident that He will say his name was glorified and that his will was done! And the good news is that the ministry still continues there! It just doesn't say Crosspoint out on the front sign! It says Next Level and indications are that things are alive and well there! So, change happens! It may not always be what we imagined but it comes! The question is how will you respond to it when it does?

Leadership

2011-12-27T14:02:00.000-05:00

I have had the good fortune to be able to lead several ministries over the past thirty years! First as a middle school teacher and coach, then as a middle school pastor, high school pastor, family and men's pastor and finally as a Lead Pastor. These positions included leading numbers of adult volunteers, thousands of students, and several staff members as well as hundreds of congregants. The past few months I have reflected on what it means to be a leader, whether it's the leader of a church as I was, the leader of a family, the leader of a committee or the leader of an athletic team or any other group or organization! We see and hear much today about leaders and leadership. Tim Tebow, the quarterback of the Denver Broncos has been described as a leader. Much has been made of his prayer pose on the field but he tries to let his abilities speak for themselves on the field with his team. Certain politicians in the GOP Presidential race have been trying to stand out as the right leader for their party. CEO's of major corporations have been branded as poor leaders of failed institutions. We could go on! As I have reflected on what it takes to be a leader today in any setting, I have noticed certain qualities that arise from those who have set the standard of leadership. Moses, Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa and Truett Cathy are just a few great leaders who come to mind for me. I'll let you read up on their own personal qualities if you don't know their stories. I'll post a couple of these qualities here today for your consideration and a few more in later posts.To be a leader requires first and foremost humility! It's not about having a great vision or being relational or having a dynamic personality. Those things are fine but they are not the most important essential. It has to start with humility. I think humility is missing in many who call themselves leaders today! Jesus said that he who would be great must be the least of all. In other words, if you want to be a great leader, you must first learn what it means to be humble. Jesus said of Moses that he was the most humble person who ever lived. He was referring to Moses leadership. He was strong but tender. He knew that great leadership was about knowing from where one came and the great responsibility that comes with the job. Humility has been described by some as power under control. It's likened to a wild horse that's been broken and tamed. There can be no room for arrogance or ego or feeling as if you're above everyone else! To go up one must first go down. It was the epitome of how Jesus lived his life! If you think you're a leader or if you want to lead others, take on the attitude of humility. Humility enables one to see that leadership is hard and tenuous and requires an understanding heart for others who lead! Humility doesn't take pot shots at other leaders. Humility enables one to come alongside of other leaders to help and encourage and not tear down, because they sense and understand the difficulty of leading. Humility is never mentioned in most leadership books. It's usually about being strong and tenacious and driven and having a plan. But plans and goals mean nothing if you're not humble. Don't say you're a leader if you're not willing to humble yourself! A second quality of leadership that I believe is essential and the last we'll touch on here in today's blog is submission. Leaders aren't born and they don't assume leadership just because they may want to lead. There must be a willingness to submit to someone, to some group or to a process that channels people into leadership. They show by example that one can lead by the things they do (attitude-humility) and (action-submission) and prove that they're worthy of a leadership position. The best leaders at home are the ones who serve the rest without complaint. Jesus said he came to serve and not be served. Remarkable if you think about it. I mean, after all, he was the Son of God. He could have chosen to set up his throne and government right in the heart of Jerusalem. Yet he chose to lead in an upside down way that is contrary to what we usually think of leadership. In other words, he wasn't here to lord over others by strong arming and controlling. Leadership is born out of service to others and the willingness to do any and every task that may seem a long way from being the top dog, but it's the only way to leadership. Some of the greatest CEO's and president's of great companies started in the mail room or as a clerk or swept floors before they were ever appointed to the top. But they were willing to submit to a process that can take time and patience but in the end lead to places of leadership that was never imaginable. Many today have plans, ideas and visions that sound great. They're good people with great ambition. But they often try to assume leadership and leapfrog over the hard work of submission that's required to learn to lead. When Moses was young, you may remember he saw how his adopted nation of Egypt was mistreating his own people of Israel and he thought he could take matters into his own hands and kill an Egyptian who was beating an Israelite slave. He ran over and killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. He began looking for more of these opportunities to end the oppression of his people. He was looking to be a self-promoted leader. But it wasn't the right way or the right time. God wasn't ready for him to lead yet. Moses needed to learn humility and submission. Guess what happened to him. He spent the next 40 years on the back side of the desert herding sheep. Then after years of silence and solitude and hanging out with sheep, God was ready to let him lead. He learned the two greatest essentials of leadership. For all who yearn to lead, who may even have the biblical gift of leadership, check everything else at the door and let God work these two essentials deep into your character and life. Then and only then will you be ready to lead!

Friends!

2011-12-20T23:46:00.000-05:00

I love good friends! You know the kind I'm talking about? They are unpretentious around you and they love you for you! You can be yourself around your friends and there's no need to impress. You don't have to! And good friends have your back. They know you so they can vouch for you and will take a bullet for you because they love you! Tonight, we were out with good friends. They know who they are. There was good conversation and laughter, funny moments and serious, thoughtful moments and the time to just be yourself. These friends are safe because everything we say stays there. There's no need to worry that something you said will be shared because friends don't share. And you're known and accepted for who you are and all that goes with that instead of known for what you do! When I'm in a conversation with someone I've just met, I try not to ask what they do until I've gotten to know them. And then, as the conversation dies down, I may ask what they do for a living just to keep the conversation going and to get to know them better! Sometimes I don't ask at all because I don't wont that to make me size them up financially or socially. You see, we are all more than the title we wear, whether it be pastor or manager or vice president of marketing or administrative assistant! The job is not who I am but something I do! With good friends, it doesn't matter what you do! You're accepted and loved for who you are, warts and all! May we all learn to accept each other and the friends and neighbors we love just for who they are, not for what they do or for what they can give! Jesus said to "love your neighbor as you love yourself!" That means fully, without reservation, through and through! It's at the heart of what it means to be Christian!

Volunteerism

2011-07-16T15:13:00.000-04:00

Today I was a volunteer at the Morrison YMCA Triatholon event that ran in South Charlotte around the Y and surrounding community! There were several hundred participants and a host of volunteers to help run things. I don't write this to toot my own horn so that you'll look at me! But I do write this to encourage those who follow Christ to get out in the community and serve! It was a pleasure to serve today and to help point runners in the right direction and then to help take down and clean up! There's something about rubbing shoulders with total strangers and working together on a unified event that stirs you to care for others and to make things better. Now this was just a race event but being able to encourage runners and support the Y was very rewarding and hopefully inspiring to others! It reminds you why we live in this community and why we should serve others. I did it because I love Christ and love others and so I feel compelled to volunteer! I think it's what Christ would do if he were here! It also reminds me that there's more to life than just hanging out with the same folks that I'm most comfortable with! That's easy to do and it's what I'm most likely to do! But I'm so glad I spent my Saturday morning doing whatever was needed to make a great event happen for the community! For those of us who love Christ, let's look for opportunities to get out of our comfort zones and serve our community and serve others! Let's do what Christ would do! Let's put our faith to work!

The Highs and Lows of Ministry

2011-06-09T11:34:00.003-04:00

This past week, I rode a roller coaster of emotions as I was involved in several personal encounters with very good friends that typifies the highs and lows of ministry! On one hand, I visited a former student of my youth ministry days who is battling a brain tumor now for almost four years. His wife and parents moved him here to their home so that he could finish out his days among family and friends. I was able to spend two great hours with them and recall fond memories of youth ministry days! My heart aches for them as they walk this path. You aren't supposed to outlive your students! But it was so refreshing to see their spirit and courage of faith and hope in the midst of suffering!
The day before this visit, another former student who attends our church gave birth to her second child! There's always such great joy at the birth of a baby! It's fun to watch former students experience life in this way!
Then, finally, on Saturday of this week, I was invited to baptize an entire family of very good friends in the backyard pool of their parents. There were some twenty plus family members and friends there to witness the baptism and testimony of this family! They wanted everyone to know of their faith in Christ and their desire to live for Him! What a thrill to be able to participate with them in this blessed day!
As I reflected on this past week and the highs and lows of the events I was fortunate enough to share in, I thought of how life is surely a journey of trust and faith in the midst of joy and pain! But through it all, the same God is present in every situation with each person, no matter where the journey leads them. I'm grateful to be a pastor and to be able to share in these moments with friends, as hard as they may be sometimes. Thankfully, He is there every step of the way!

NT Wrigth's Repsonse to Hawking on Heaven

2011-05-18T22:08:00.000-04:00

Stephen Hawking, the great physicist of England, says that "Heaven is a fairy story". And NT Wright, the renown Theologian, also of England, responds to Hawking's view. I have his response here!

What Stephen Hawking doesn’t understand about heaven

It’s depressing to see Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant minds in his field, trying to speak as an expert on things he sadly seems to know rather less about than many averagely intelligent Christians. Of course there are people who think of ‘heaven’ as a kind of pie-in-the-sky dream of an afterlife to make the thought of dying less awful. No doubt that’s a problem as old as the human race. But in the Bible ‘heaven’ isn’t ‘the place where people go when they die.’ In the Bible heaven is God’s space while earth (or, if you like, ‘the cosmos’ or ‘creation’) is our space. And the Bible makes it clear that the two overlap and interlock. For the ancient Jews, the place where this happened was the temple; for the Christians, the place where this happened was Jesus himself, and then, astonishingly, the persons of Christians because they, too, were ‘temples’ of God’s own spirit.

Hawking is working with a very low-grade and sub-biblical view of ‘going to heaven.’ Of course, if faced with the fully Christian two-stage view of what happens after death -- first, a time ‘with Christ’ in ‘heaven’ or ‘paradise,’and then, when God renews the whole creation, bodily resurrection -- he would no doubt dismiss that as incredible. But I wonder if he has ever even stopped to look properly, with his high-octane intellect, at the evidence for Jesus and the resurrection? I doubt it -- most people in England haven’t. Until he has, his opinion about all this is worth about the same as mine on nuclear physics, i.e. not much.

As for the creation being self-caused: I wonder if he realises that he is simply repeating a version of ancient Epicureanism? i.e. the gods are out of the picture, a long way away, so the world/human life/etc has to get on under its own steam. This is hardly a ‘conclusion’ from his study of the evidence; it’s simply a well known worldview shared by most post-Enlightenment westerners. It is the worldview which enables secular democracy to consider itself an absolute, despite its numerous and rather obvious failings right now. The depressing thing is that Hawking doesn’t seem to realize this and so hasn’t even stopped to think that there might be quite sophisticated critiques of Epicureanism, ancient and modern, which he should work through. Not least the Christian one, which again focusses on Jesus.

Of course, the old set-up of the ‘science and religion’ debate was itself deeply influenced by this same worldview, and needs realigning. In fact, the ancient Christians would have been shocked to see their worldview labelled as a ‘religion.’ It was a philosophy, a politics, a culture, a vocation... the category of ‘religion’ is part of the problem, not part of the solution.

N.T. Wright | May 16, 2011 4:15 PM

Thoughts on Pursuing God!

2011-03-10T13:07:00.004-05:00

How much do I want the Spirit of God to work in my life? Well, to answer that question I must compare that thought to other things I want. There are many things that I want and usually if I want them, I will go to great lengths to get them. It's the way I am, probably the way most people are. Depending on our motivation and the desire that fuels it, and maybe because of need if I want to really rationalize it, I will go to absurd lengths to get whatever it is I'm after. It could be clothes, a gadget, a car, food, just about anything. Recently I helped find my son a car. His car was totaled in a wreck by someone who ran into him, so he needed a car. We needed him to have a car. So, out of necessity I drove all over Charlotte and surrounding towns in an effort to find the right car that was safe, reliable and affordable. I'm talking about hours spent on the internet, driving, and sitting in garages having cars checked out! Now, I do believe it was out of due diligence that I did those things. But I wondered after that experience if I really pursue God with that same all out abandon, where nothing is going to stop me from getting what I want! Sadly, I don't think I do very often, at least not enough! Yes, we need cars and other things we rely on to get us through the daily grind of life. And there's nothing wrong with taking time and effort for things that are a necessity. But it really made me think about how easily I can go after things I want, and yet, the one thing or Person I need more than anything else, I sometimes hardly pursue. Don't I need God more? Doesn't He deserve my all out pursuit of Him more than the things of life I pursue? Part of following after Christ is learning what's important. This day and the days that follow, I commit to not only desiring more of God, but also of pursuing God more than the things of this life! May we all do the same! www.crosspoint521.org

A Glimpse of the Woman I Love!

2011-01-04T23:18:00.004-05:00

My wife writes a blog and she is writing about the people who have meant the most to her. This will give you insight into the great woman she is! Read below and check out her blog here: http://musingsofapastorswife.blogspot.com/2011/01/2011-cheer-year-letter-4.html Enjoy! Jimmy

2011 Cheer Year - Letter 4
This blog entry will never get read by the person who has greatly impacted my life (probably the one single person who has impacted my life the most). So a handwritten note will be sent to my mother, Barb Shrider, with the following thank you. Please know that everything we do regarding my mother, we always consider it the “last” time to be able to do it. We are having a “long” goodbye with her. She was diagnosed over a year ago with Multiple Myeloma cancer, this on top of the stroke that she had suffered several months before. She lives in the later stages of her life with my sister, Penny who considers it a privilege to have mom in her home to give her the dignity that she deserves. I am so grateful to my sister for doing this; but that’s a letter on a different day. She now is under hospice care, still living with my sister, and is presently stable but weak.

Dear Mommy Dearest (it’s a term of endearment and not in the Betty Davis sense!)

Your silly daughter has decided that 2011 is the Year of Cheer, so I’m looking back and thanking someone each day that has greatly impacted my life. This is your day and I want to thank you for being my mommy! It’s so funny to me how two people could be so different but yet their hearts be knitted together! I think it’s because there is so much mutual respect for each other’s differences! Thank you for teaching me so much. It’s not that you sat down and gave me lessons; it was more me watching you live life! I watched you go to work each day and provide extra money so we could enjoy a new dress or shoes without Dad knowing! I watched you give away your money to coworkers who couldn’t afford medicine. I watched you enjoy your home, friendships and neighbors when you moved out on your own. I watched you get involved in hobbies like painting, photography and dancing. I watched you take care of my grandmother when I was so young and she was dying of cancer and then your own husband when he was dying. You are a great caretaker and a person of sacrifice. Thank you that you never wallowed around in your dysfunctional upbringing but decided early on that your life would be different for yourself and your children when you left home. You always said the most important thing is what your children say about you when you aren’t in the room. Besides thinking you are a little crazy at times, you are truly held in the highest of esteem! A short letter cannot contain all the emotion I have for you but I’ll just simply say, thank you!

Lovingly, your daughter,
Patty

God and Everyday, Ordinary People

2010-12-23T11:53:00.001-05:00

Part of the miracle of Christmas is that God chose to use the everyday, ordinary experiences of everyday, ordinary people to accomplish his will.
Yes, the central message of Christmas is that Jesus came into the world as Immanuel, God with us, but he came through a young girl named Mary.
Now that is really uncommon and such a mystery. Think about it. Mary was probably around 14 years of age and Joseph was more than likely between 18 to 20 years old, according to Jewish culture. And then to top it all off, Mary, though most likely unsure of what the future would hold as the events of her life changed overnight, said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Luke 1: 38 (NIV)
Wow! What faith and what courage! You know God could have come up with some other way to accomplish his will. You and I would have certainly thought of another way. It could have involved angels coming to earth to be spiritual police or maybe we'd create some sort of cataclysmic event, but he didn’t do that. He became one of us via the womb of a virgin and grew up in a Jewish home under the care of everyday, ordinary parents who happened to love God and followed him.
The intriguing thing throughout the Bible is that God has always taken the initiative to act on behalf of humanity and he has always used men and women whom he has chosen to carry out his plan and purposes.
All of these people were not chosen because of their intellect or abilities or reputation or any other human quality. They were chosen because of God’s unmerited favor and grace. And he believed they could and would be able, with his help, to do what he asked of them, including Mary and Joseph.
Do you know God wants the same for us? He wants to work through you and me to accomplish the unbelievable. He wants us to trust him and believe that he can use our everyday, ordinary lives to accomplish his will.
All we have to do is say what Mary said some 2,000 years ago: “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”
Merry Christmas!

Is it All Real?

2010-12-09T12:33:00.004-05:00

Lanny Donoho, who heads up BigStuf Camps and the 410bridge posted this on his blog today. I must repeat it here! It really sums up what we all feel about life and death and God and existence. Please read! It's worth the time.

Is it all real? “an excerpt”
Posted by: Lanny Donoho on December 9, 2010 at 1:06 am

we dont connect unless we are forced to.

we have to feel the need.

drowning, you reach for the air hose

falling, you reach for the rope

lonely, you reach for people

down, you connect to music..

hopeless, you just wish for hope..

and you hope there is a God.

can we connect with who or what God is????

do we believe or not?

dad gets cancer.

mom dies…

bobby is in a wheelchair

unplanned pregnancy…despair…

friends die and get sick

people make fun of me and i feel like crap

hell doesnt seem right or fair

god loves us…but a billion people dont have water?

tsunamis kill thousands…and where again was god?

jesus loved us but he’s dead now and…maybe… some people saw him alive after he was crucified or maybe they didn’t.

history books are really too sketchy to know for sure. nobody even wrote about it for at least 40 years after he died.

the old testament is bizarre…leviticus…ha! that’s just weird.

the new testament books share similar stories but different timelines, and have different details in different books that don’t match up

biblical scholars dont agree with scientists even on the age of the earth

what the hell? what’s real? what isn’t?

why do we say “what the hell?” if we aren’t even sure it exists?

But…when I stop to really think about all this….if god doesn’t exist….then how does anything else exist?

if there was once nothing …can something come from nothing?

why is god any harder to believe in than “something coming from nothing”?

If it all started with nothing…from our perspective “something” had to be there…because we just said “IT” all started from nothing.

“nothing” isn’t fathomable.

so why would it be hard to believe in “god” existing if you can believe in “nothing” …and then everything coming from “that”

so think about this:

the symmetry of the universe.

the balance of nature

the rhythm of the seasons

the regularity of the electrons around atoms

water

air

what it feels like to BREATHE that air

and drink that water…

the fact that you can have feelings about breathing.

the ability to think…

the ability to say that something or someone is beautiful…

and then

that a smell can trigger a memory of a time with someone you love.

that a sound through a phone is simply vibration of particles in the air, and that sound is a voice on the other side of the world, and the first vibration of that sound, and the recognition of your daughters voice can cause your heart to stir… and whatever might be described as a soul, swells up inside you and you smile and your heart beats faster ….because of a vibration of atoms?

that a touch on the lips by another being could stir every fibre in your being

that the incredible pain of childbirth can be forgotten completely when a mothers eyes get the first glimpse of her baby boy

that we could actually feel so deeply the pain of the death and loss of someone we care so much about

that we can actually care and love…and there is no way to adequately explain what caring and loving really are

that we absorb light through cones and rods to the point that the hues and colors and vibrations of those light waves allow us to label unexplainable art as sunrise and stars and ocean waves and mountain ranges…

and so many illustrations of beautiful art can move us to tears

that the vibration of strings and wind through instruments cause music to happen and that very music causes us to sing, and dance and love and celebrate and weep…

how can any of this be explained by only matter and heat and movement….a cosmic happenstance of sorts?

we create love and art and music and poetry and beauty… or should i say we re create it… and with all of the reason we can muster, the only way that any of that is possible is if it were created for those purposes …for our pleasure …for our ability to feel so we can know that beyond our grasp of knowledge there is something more mysterious… way beyond knowledge…

something that makes us who we are and how we are

we cannot see it we cannot explain it but IT IS there. we KNOW it….in the middle of all the doubts we just know

because we have touched something that contains no matter…

with a part of our soul that has no substance.

we dance to a tune that no man has written

we see art that cannot be painted or drawn

we love an individual who is not defined by anything in our 4 dimensions

we know what we cannot know because we are what we cannot define.

so how could we even say what love is if it may come from a creator who exists outside of all we can comprehend?

love and everything about it seems to be why most of us have any desire to even exist…

and so IT MUST exist…and if so where would it come from except from a thinking creator who…

cannot be defined, understood, described, or really even imagined…

so whoever jesus was ..his words seem to echo all of what we have just said…

trust in what you do not understand ….live in that trust…take the little pieces that you can comprehend and connect with those pieces.

then look around…

the people who live as though all of this were true seem to experience life in a more satisfying way than those who do not.

and for some reason everyone’s goal (other than to be loved) is to be satisfied.

and the mere thought that that is what everyone desires signifies that there must be a desire-maker and therefore maybe…

a desire-fulfiller.

One last thought…

all of the universe has movement…without movement there is no time and no space…

Since the beginning, our planet, our solar system, our galaxy, our cluster, all galaxies, are not only spinning…they are all moving.

Towards what?

Away from what?

In space if there were nothing visible around you, you could be moving at a million miles an hour and not even know you were moving. So everything moves, but movement only exists if it is relative to something else. If we know our solar systems and galaxies and clusters all move because we see them in relationship to other galaxies, we deduce that the whole universe is moving. So again, the question is posed…what are we moving towards or away from….???

Well… it must be something outside of our universe…because our word universe incorporates everything we can possibly imagine…which brings us back to the fact that something we cannot imagine or begin to comprehend exists… beyond even what our understanding of the word “exists” means.

Maybe it is the same incomprehensible “what if” that created the unfathomable, non-definable experiences of love and wonder and passion.

Leaving a Church

2010-10-28T13:09:00.002-04:00

I recently came upon a blog post from a fellow pastor, Michael Lukaszweski, whom I met at a church planters conference a few years ago and I thought I'd share it here. It's a timely word to us all in a city where people leave churches like they leave a hair dresser.

As Francis Chan so eloquently put it recently, you’d be hard pressed to read in the book of Acts about a guy who got upset about service times or music style and deciding to leave a church. It’s true…people really do leave churches for silly reasons. I recently heard about someone who left our church because we focused too much on reaching the unchurched. Pretty amazing, since that’s exactly why Jesus came to earth. Sometimes, a Christian leaves a church for a good reason – perhaps to be a part of a new work or perhaps because they move. Let me offer some tips and comments on leaving a church and dealing with the fact that people leave your church.

* If you’re leaving a church, talk to the pastor or a leader about your reasons. Don’t just disappear. My friend Kyle recently talked to me about why he was leaving our church to help out a church plant. I appreciated the fact that he wanted me to hear it from him before I heard it from somewhere else. He was kind and gracious, and I was able to bless him and will continue to pray for him.
* If you’re planting a church, don’t try and steal people from other churches. Ed Young calls this pirating, and I’d tend to agree. If you’re trying to talk up what you’re doing and how your church can offer more opportunities than the church they are currently attending, you’re doing a disservice to the Kingdom.
* If people come to your church from another church, make sure they left well. Make sure they have the conversations they need to have and that they left on good terms. In the early days of Oak Leaf Church, there are a few people I would not let step into leadership because they hadn’t talked to their previous pastor.
* If people badmouth their previous church to you, they will badmouth you to their next church.
* As a pastor, it’s tough not to take it personally when someone leaves your church. I compare it to someone not liking your kid.
* I promise you that the kids ministry is going to do something that upsets you, or the pastor is going to say something that you don’t totally agree with. If you’re involvement there is shaky enough to be threatened by those things, then check your heart and see why you’re there in the first place.
* 7 times out of 10, leaving a church because the teaching isn’t deep enough is a sign of your own personal shallowness and has nothing to do with what the church is doing or teaching. Christians are supposed to learn how to feed themselves.
* Many times, when people say they “had a bad experience,” what they mean is “they tried to pastor me, hold me accountable, actually help me grow, or expected me to honor my commitments and I didn’t want that.” Not all the times, but many times.
* Leading a church is tough. Christians, pray for your church and for all of the pastors. You have NO IDEA what they go through. They deal with their own stuff, but they also worry and deal with the stuff of hundreds of people. On top of that, they know they are being judged more harshly by God. (James 3:1)

Wrong Reasons to Love the Church

2010-09-29T13:42:00.002-04:00

Here's a blog I read from Josh Harris, Pastor of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland. I think it's a timely word to all of us about the church!

Do you love the church? Romans 12:10 tells Christians to "Love one another with brotherly affection."

The affection and love we're to have for fellow-Christians is to be based on the work of Jesus Christ for us. It's not about elitism, it's not because Christians are better than anyone else, it certainly isn't because Christians are necessarily more lovable. We love the church because we love the Savior who redeemed the church.

Acts 20:28 tells us that Jesus obtained the church with his own blood. Is this what your love for the church is based on? If it's anything less, it won't last long.

* Don't love the church because of what it does for you. Because sooner or later it won't do enough.

* Don't love the church because of a leader. Because human leaders are fallible and will let you down.

* Don't love the church because of a program or a building or activities because all those things get old.

* Don't love the church because of a certain group of friends because friendships change and people move.

Love the church because of who shed his blood to obtain the church. Love the church because of who the church belongs to. Love the church because of who the church worships. Love the church because you love Jesus Christ and his glory. Love the church because Jesus is worthy and faithful and true. Love the church because Jesus loves the church.

Excerpted from the sermon "We Are Here to Love the Church." by Josh Harris

The Nines

2010-08-11T16:05:00.006-04:00

As a pastor of a church plant now going on four years, I still feel at times like there are so many things I don't know. This is coming from a youth ministry veteran of over 16 years and one who has been in ministry for over 25 years. But I'll admit it. I'm still learning. But I think that's a good thing. Know one should ever stop learning or think they've learned all there is to know, because the truth is, there's always something new around the corner. The culture changes, the nature of church ministry changes, the methodology of ministry changes and certainly in scripture I find that I continually learn new things from God! So, as I navigate the tenuous nature of church plant world, I'm still finding the need to learn from others. That's why I love to attend conferences such as Catalyst in Atlanta or North Point's Drive or sit down with fellow pastors and hear what they've learned along the way. One really cool ministry venue that I'm excited about is an online conference called the Nines. In one day, over 100 ministry leaders will share for five minutes via video everything they know! Not really, but they will share one nugget that has help them grow and change and feel that others could glean from. If you're not familiar with the Nines, check them out here http://thenines.leadnet.org and register today. You'll love it!

My Friend Bob Pace

2010-02-11T23:49:00.005-05:00

My friend Bob Pace died last week. We had his funeral last Monday. I've never been to a more God-honoring memorial in my life! It was truly awesome! Bob was a great individual and a true friend. He loved God passionately and he had this desire to see God's people spiritually formed. In fact, he told a friend that the reason most Christians never grow up spiritually is because they don't know what it means to love God. He said that Christians need to focus on loving God and then all the other stuff that goes with being a follower of Christ will take care of itself. I think he is so right! What if we spent more time learning what it means to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength? Can you imagine what that would do to a person? It would revolutionize every facet of a person's life! There's no way they would be the same. Life would hold new meaning, relationships would take on a whole new life and the world would look so different from their point of view. You could not possibly stay the same. So maybe we need to stop spinning our wheels worrying about being better christians or running to another meeting on church growth or being concerned about creating another study guide on what it means to be a mature christian. Maybe we just need to focus on loving God. I have a sneaking suspicion Bob is smiling right about now as he's discovered the love of his life is far greater than anything he could ever imagine! Love has never looked so good to him right now! "We love because He first loved us!"

Seven Thoughts on Suffering

2010-02-04T15:07:00.005-05:00

In light of the news about Pastor Matt Chandler and his very public battle with cancer, I came across a great article on suffering from one of his pastors at Village Church. Here's the link to the article, Seven Thoughts on Suffering. Would love to hear your thoughts. http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/blog/theology/?p=287

Such Great Faith in Suffering!

2010-01-31T11:24:00.002-05:00

DALLAS — Matt Chandler doesn't feel anything when the radiation penetrates his brain. It could start to burn later in treatment. But it hasn't been bad this time. Not yet, anyway.
Chandler's lanky 6-foot-5-inch frame rests on a table at Baylor University Medical Center. He wears the same kind of jeans he wears preaching to 6,000 people at The Village Church in suburban Flower Mound, where the 35-year-old pastor is a rising star of evangelical Christianity.
Another cancer patient Chandler has gotten to know spends his time in radiation imagining that he's playing a round of golf. Chandler on this first Monday in January is reflecting on Colossians 1:15-23, about the pre-eminence of Christ and making peace through the blood of his cross.
Chandler wears a mask with white webbing that keeps his head still as the radiation machine delivers the highest possible dose to what is considered to be fatal and incurable brain cancer.
This is Matt Chandler's new normal. Each weekday, he spends two hours in the car — driven from his suburban home to downtown Dallas — for eight minutes of radiation and Scripture.
Chandler is trying to suffer well. He would never ask for such a trial, but in some ways he welcomes this cancer. He says he feels grateful that God has counted him worthy to endure it. He has always preached that God will bring both joy and suffering but is only recently learning to experience the latter.
Since all this began on Thanksgiving morning, Chandler says he has asked "Why me?" just once, in a moment of weakness.
He is praying that God will heal him. He wants to grow old, to walk his two daughters down the aisle and see his son become a better athlete than he ever was.
Whatever happens, he says, is God's will, and God has his reasons. For Chandler, that does not mean waiting for his fate. It means fighting for his life.
Chandler can be sober and silly, charming and tough. He'll call men "bro" and women "mama."
One of Chandler's sayings is, "It's OK to not be OK — just don't stay there."
Chandler's long, meaty messages untangle large chunks of Scripture. His challenging approach appeals, he believes, to a generation looking for transcendence and power.
His theology teaches that all humans are wicked, that human beings have offended a loving and sovereign God, and that God saves through Jesus' death, burial and resurrection — not because people do good deeds.
Congregation explodes
After college Chandler became a fiery evangelist who led a college Bible study and traveled the Christian speaking circuit. He was hired from another church in 2002 at age 28 to lead what is now The Village Church, a Southern Baptist congregation that claimed 160 members at the time.
The church now meets in a renovated former grocery store with a 1,430-seat auditorium; two satellite campuses are flourishing in Denton and Dallas, and Chandler speaks to large conferences.
Matt prays that his friends and family, especially his children — Audrey, 7, Reid, 4, and the baby — do not grow resentful.
Chandler says learning he had brain cancer was "kind of like getting punched in the gut. You take the shot, you try not to vomit, then you get back to doing what you do, believing what you believe.
"We never felt, still have not felt, betrayed by the Lord or abandoned by the Lord," Chandler said.
Chandler never thought such a trial would shake his faith. But until now, that was just hope.
"This has not surprised God," Chandler says on the drive home. "He is not in a panic right now trying to figure out what to do with me or this disease. Those things have been warm blankets, man."
Chandler has, however, wrestled with the tension between belief in an all-powerful God and what he can do about his situation. He believes he has responsibilities: to use his brain, to take advantage of technology, to walk in faith and hope, to pray for healing and then "see what God wants to do."
"If he suffers well, that might be the most important sermon he's ever preached," said Mark Driscoll, pastor of Seattle's Mars Hill Church and a friend of Chandler's.
Chandler has preached the last two weekends and is planning trips to South Africa and England. He lost his hair to radiation but got a positive lab report last week and feels strong.
The average life expectancy for a patient with the type of malignant tumor Chandler has is two to three years. But his doctors say Chandler will live longer because of the aggressive surgery, treatment and Chandler's otherwise good health. There's also a chance the cancer goes into remission for years.
Chandler is drinking life in, watching his son build sand castles at the park, preaching each sermon as if eternity is at stake, and feeling a heightened sense of reality.
"It's carpe diem on steroids," he says.

God's Knowledge of Me! Wow!

2010-01-29T15:08:00.002-05:00

"What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it--the fact that he knows me. I am graven on the palms of his hands. I am never out of his mind. All my knowledge of him depends on his sustained initiative on knowing me. I know him because he first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when his eye is off me, or his attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when his care falters.
This is momentous knowledge. There is unspeakable comfort... in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love and watching over me for my good. There is tremendous relief in knowing that his love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion him about me, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench his determination to bless me."

J.I. Packer, Knowing God,InterVarsity Press, 1993, as quoted in "Intimacy with the Almighty", Chuck Swindoll, Insight for Living, 1996.

Haiti Rescue

2010-01-20T23:30:00.003-05:00

There was a great video image coming out of Haiti today. The story said that a ten year old girl and her eight year old brother were found alive in the rubble of a building. The video showed a host of rescuers gathered around an opening in the rubble and all of a sudden the eight year old boy was lifted up out of the hole and the crowd began to cheer and applaud and the little boy, dirty and bruised but alive and well, raised his arms into the air, smiling all the while, as if he had just won a race at the Olympics. It was awesome to see! Cameras flashed and people were smiling and celebrating the rescue of another missing Haitian, snatched from the claws of death and destruction. I wonder if that's what happens in Heaven when another person, lost in the clutches of sin and death, is rescued by God's saving grace? I have a feeling there's a party going on there always! Just a reminder that life is short and oh so fragile and we have a job to do-never stop telling the Story!!

Praying for Matt Chandler

2009-12-16T23:29:00.002-05:00

Recently I asked that you pray for Matt Chandler, the Lead Pastor of the Village Church near Dallas. He was found to have a brain tumor on the right front of his brain. Surgery was performed over a week ago and yesterday the pathology report was shared with Matt and his wife. Today they posted a blog about Matt's tumor. You can read the blog by going to this site: http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/blog/pastors/ Please continue to pray for Matt's healing and for strength for his wife and family and the Village Church.

Immortal, Invisible - “Something Greater”

2009-12-15T22:00:00.001-05:00

The following is a blog from a very good friend of mine, Laura Story. You may know her from the popular worship song, Indescribable. She wrote that a few years ago and Chris Tomlin made it famous.

“In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever.

They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
- Revelations 4: 6-11 (NIV)

There is something mysterious about worship. Even as I child, I remember singing songs like, “‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” and “I Surrender All,” and feeling all warm inside. Whether it’s the thunderous voice of a hundred-person choir or “Amazing Grace” being played by a single violin, there is a tenderness that cannot be explained with words. It’s the feeling of being part of something greater than myself. And in the book of Revelation, John gives us a hint of what that “something greater” might be. There are many theories suggesting how the book of Revelation should be interpreted. Some think that John, the self-professed author, is speaking strictly about the end times. Others view the book as a panorama of historical events throughout the life of the church. But either way you slice it, God gave John a vision and what he saw was magnificent. It was so magnificent that John was in too much shock to even stand! The Lord spoke with a voice like a trumpet, and there were angels and other creatures consumed with worshipping the One who sat on the throne. They were bowing low in awe of their Radiant King, singing “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power…”

Though this may not sound like normal worship services at your church or mine, we still may see small glimpses. Here on earth, we will only experience a taste of this splendor. But it is enough; it’s enough to remind us that this life is about something greater than ourselves. When we sing praises to our Lord, we join in the chorus that creation has been singing from the beginning of time. And it is the same anthem that we as believers will be singing for all eternity.

God, may I savor each moment in your presence as a glimpse of the glory that is to come. May I never grow weary of singing Your praise.

Prayer for a Pastor

2009-12-02T15:25:00.002-05:00

Well, it has been a few weeks since I last left a post on my blog. Sometimes life gets in the way! But today I wanted to post a special prayer request for a pastor whom I've never met, but have followed for sometime because of his great passion and skills as a communicator. His name is Matt Chandler and he is Lead Pastor of The Village Church in Denton, TX. He is 35 and his church has grown from a few hundred to several thousand in a few short years. His church blog says that he suffered a seizure earlier in the week and it was found that he has a tumor on the front of his brain. He will undergo surgery this Friday morning to remove it! So pray for Matt, his family, the Village Church, the surgeons and all touched by his ministry. We know that God is sovereign and is with Matt. So we trust Him. The body of Christ is an army of saints who prays for each other, whether we know each other or not! So let's join together to pray for Matt during this very difficult time! Grace and Peace!

Spiritual Growth

2009-11-02T23:20:00.003-05:00

I often wonder if we get things confused sometimes about who really is at work when it comes to growing as a follower of Christ. I think we often have the idea that if we do something, then God will do something. In other words, because we read our Bibles, we'll grow or if we pray, we'll grow. But is it really left to us to grow spiritually on our own? Philippians 2:12 says "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling," as if it's left to us to somehow grow and mature spiritually. It is true that we need to be people of the Book, God's Word, and seek to let it permeate our hearts and minds. And we need to talk daily with God through prayer. He uses those things as a means to grow us and to reveal more of himself to us. But the next verse in Philippians 2:13 also says, "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."
In other words, apart from God working in us and moving in us and shaping our lives, we wouldn't even have the desire for maturity, much less a spiritual hunger for the things of God. God does his work in us to create the desire to want to know him. He initiates and then we follow. He does his work so that we that we can then work. He works and we work, in that order. So today, thank God that he is so gracious to work in you and me so that we can grow in him to be the person he wants us to be! It's really all about him! And then, as a good soldier, discipline yourself for battle. As an athlete trains to be the best, train yourself to be all that God wants you to be. Work hard, sweat, be disciplined, stay at it and watch as God works in you to make you conformed to the image of His Son.

Happenings!

2009-09-29T15:35:00.003-04:00

I'm very excited about some happenings going on within our Crosspoint community these days!! We have a couple of new small groups with some great leaders that have just formed and many new people in these groups! Small groups are where it's at! Secondly, we're having a Tailgate Party Sunday, October 11 that is going to be awesome! We'll have a shortened version of our worship gathering and then we're moving outside to the courtyard parking area in front of Ardrey Kell and tailgating complete with bouncies for the kids, cornhole games, football and frisbee throwing, grilling and the company of lots of people as we sit out around the back of our cars and have a great time together! This is a first for us and maybe for a church in Charlotte on a Sunday morning, but it should be fun! I've never had a hotdog at 10:30 in the morning but I'm sure it will be just as good as one eaten at noon! Can't wait to see how well everyone decorates their cars and trucks like a real game, too. Also, our Kids ministry is going to rock this October as they prepare 100 boxes to be sent to Operation Christmas Child. They'll be spending the entire service on October 25th to put the goodies in the shoeboxes that will be sent to kids all over the world! Very cool. Lastly, we're planning our first ever overseas missions trip to Kenya for next Summer. Over twenty people showed up at our Info Meeting or expressed an interest in going! We'll probably be partnering with another church in the area which will draw two churches together for a global outreach that is going to be awesome! It's exciting to be a part of Crosspoint these days as we seek to love God, love others and serve our world!

Small Group

2009-09-16T23:59:00.005-04:00

Tonight our small group or Life Community, as we call it at Crosspoint, reconvened after taking most of the summer off! And it was like we had never missed a week. Some things just fit like an old glove. I think that's a good description? Yes, it is. When you can share openly and honestly with the group you've come to know and pray with and laugh with and even cry with, you know it fits well! Tonight we shared stories of our summer vacations! Each went to a different place and had a different experience but each was similar in so many ways because they were about family and memories and rest. But the one link we keep coming back to in our group are our teens. We all have kids in their teens and we share that one bond that unites us in so many ways! It's powerful, encouraging and freeing. We know what each is facing and feeling and we are together in this. That's the power of a small group! It's where we share life together! If you're not in a small group, get in one today! Learn what it's like to be cared for by others. Find out what it means to truly carry one another's burdens. You'll be so glad you did!

People

2009-08-31T11:01:00.002-04:00

We like to think that we do church well. I think we do for the most part. We have a welcoming entrance and a up and coming Kids Program and awesome volunteers and quality musicians who lead us in worship each week and hopefully there are engaging messages on life and what it means to follow Christ. But we can have the best show in town and still miss out on what the church is about. It's about people. It's about relentlessly pursuing people who walk through our door each week. It's about getting up close and personal with these people by learning their names and finding out where they're from and what issues are going on in their lives and why they came to our church. It's about loving them, no matter how messy it may be. It's about staying after them and challenging them to not only want to pursue Christ themselves, but to push them to see the church as a healthy functioning community that needs each other. That's why church attendance is so important because it spurs us on and encourages us and reminds us that no one is in this race alone. That's why it's so necessary to find small groups called life communities for everyone because we believe they are so vital in giving us a place to be safe and belong, to laugh and cry together, to share the load that comes with living life. So sure, we strive each week to do church really well from the front and every area that requires planning and execution. But if we fail to be about the one thing that gives a church its life, the relentless pursuing of people as we relentlessly pursue God, then we are nothing better than a big show each week. God help us to never lose sight of why we open the doors each week!

Movies in the Park @ Ballantyne

2009-08-19T23:45:00.002-04:00

This coming Friday night is our last Movies in the Park @ Ballantyne for the summer. There's something about this event that is so refreshing and fun and rewarding! It always draws people out each month that we've never seen before. It seems like it's a new crowd each time. The whole idea of doing a free movie for the community is a blast to me. I think it's great that we as a church can provide the event and the popcorn and the drinks, if only for the purpose of meeting new people and letting them know we care. Over the past couple of years a few folks who attended the movie decided to give Crosspoint a try and a few of them have stayed. Now that's really cool! I think the people who attend are truly appreciative of our efforts and what we're trying to do for the community! So, if you're in the area of Ballantyne and south Charlotte and are looking for a family event, then come on out by dark this Friday night and take in Madagascar Two with the kiddos and have a great night together! We look forward to seeing you there!

Conversion

2009-08-12T20:41:00.006-04:00

All of us who are in ministry and really, everyone who knows Christ by faith in his finished work on the cross, long for everyone else to know the truth we have come to believe. That is, that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah and Savior of the world. What is fascinating to me at least, is that I have come to understand that salvation is a process for most and an event for some. Let me explain. I came to understand and believe that Christ is who he says he is at the age of twelve sitting in a church service in 1971. I can see it like it was yesterday. It was a very vivid moment for me. Although I had been hearing the gospel for about six months prior to that I didn't respond to it til later. So it was both a process and an event. Now, that doesn't mean I knew everything there was to know about Christ and his work, but I knew enough to know that I needed a Savior from my sins. Some will tell you that they don't know exactly when they came to believe in Christ. It was as if they had known him for a long time and they just learned to trust Him and believe. There is no date to remember or a special church service or event. It's more about a process of the gospel working in their lives over time to bring them to a place of belief. Scot McKnight in his book The Jesus Creed argues this same point using the Apostle Peter as an example. He writes, "For some, conversion is like a birth certificate, while for others it is like a driver's license. For the first, the ultimate question is "What do I need to get to Heaven?" For the second, the question is "How do I love God?" For the first, the concern is a moment; for the the second, the concern is a life." Explaining in more detail he says, "If conversion is likened to a birth certificate, we produce babies who need to be pushed around in strollers. If it's like a driver's license, we produce adults who can operate on life's pathways." He then goes on to ask, "when was Peter converted?" Was it when he was first introduced to Jesus and agreed to follow him? Or was it when he confessed he was a sinner? Or what about when asked by Jesus who he said he was and he answered that "he was the Christ, the Son of the living God?" Or could it possibly have been after he denied Christ and was then asked three times by Jesus if he loved him and he said three times that he did? No one knows for sure but it appears that salvation for Peter was more of a process than an event but no one denies that Peter knew Christ as Savior. McKnight says, "Peter's conversion was a gradual growth of what he understood about Jesus." On the other hand, one could argue that the apostle Paul's conversion was an event. Either way, salvation comes to each person in a different way through different means. The gospel hasn't changed and the requirements of belief and repentance are still the same, but what we must understand is that God's work of salvation can be a lifelong process. We leave the results to him.

Encounter

2009-08-04T23:27:00.005-04:00

We've begun a new series at Crosspoint called Encounter. It's a look at five different people who had one-on-one encounters with Jesus and whose lives changed forever. This past week we looked at John 3 and the story of Nicodemus. We learned that even though Nicodemus was a good Jew in every sense of the word and sought to live an upright life by trying to keep the law, Jesus told him that he needed one thing and that was being born from above. It must have rocked his world to hear such direct language from Jesus, but Jesus wanted Nicodemus to know the truth. And Nicodemus was willing to hear what Jesus had to say. I'm so glad for this story for I know there are many who have come to believe today that because they are good Catholics or good Baptists or religious or were baptized as a baby or attend church every week that that's good enough to get them to Heaven. But Jesus stated unequivocally that those things are not good enough. It's not what we do or have done, but what Jesus has done for us. His death on the cross for our sins was the price paid to bring us into relationship with the Father. All we must do is believe in this and repent and accept this free gift of grace. Nicodemus came to believe this for at the end of the gospel of John we see Nicodemus step forward to bury the body of Jesus. May all of us come to encounter this same Jesus in all his glory.

Deeper

2009-07-27T22:17:00.003-04:00

I long to go deeper! Have you ever said that as a Christ-follower? I have many times. Just what does it mean to go deeper? Well, for one I know it's a hunger to know Christ more fully in every way possible. By that I mean that nothing else matters but Him. His glory, his will, his joy, his love, his view of life is all that you desire. Now this is hard because I don't always live here and it doesn't come naturally. I have to desire it and I have to let go of me and be filled by Him. But I do want him so more and more to be my life. I believe this starts with a hunger and a thirst and desire and that if we're willing, God will fill us up with himself. And there has to be the disciplines of waiting on God in prayer and study of His Word. And I have to learn to sit in his presence more fully, waiting and listening and reflecting. That takes time! I have to free myself of distractions which is so hard but so necessary! Paul said, "I want to know him..and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death." (Philippians 3:10) That's hunger. That's wanting to go deeper! That's not just Sunday religion but an everyday pursuit! God, I long to go deeper with you, to know you more fully. Help me to hunger for that and to pursue it and may you fill me up with yourself. May that be enough!

Vacation

2009-07-20T19:49:00.002-04:00

Wow, vacation at long last came for me and my family last week! It was wonderful! I can't explain it any other way. Yes, we were at a resort in the Bahamas with the coolest waterpark anywhere and yes it had beautiful clear blue water and all that goes with being in the Caribbean. But beyond all these things my family laughed together and just had fun! Whether it was riding on the plane down to Nassau or catching the current on the rapid river or the winding tubes in the waterpark, we had the best time laughing and playing and just being together! Sometimes we forget about the laughter of our families because as kids grow and hang out with their friends, they're more inclined to laugh with their friends than with mom and dad! But not this week! For five days we had each other and it was great! We laughed out loud as we rode the rapids for the first time and the tenth time and we were nervous together as we dared take the plunge on the Leap of Faith! We took in the beauty of the island as we walked the beach and we enjoyed the differences of the culture of downtown Nassau. All this to say that I'm so glad for the moments we get to be together and the memories we make when are freed from the busyness of life! This will be a vacation we will long remember and I'm so glad we dared to venture somewhere else this summer!

Watershed and NoDa

2009-07-03T09:58:00.006-04:00

My good pals, Matt O'Neil and Scott Hofert, co-pastors over at Watershed, a local church community that meets near uptown and is part of the same network of churches as Crosspoint has just announced that they are moving to the NoDa area of town this coming August. The move is huge for them but what's even more incredible is the new space they have secured for their weekly gatherings. It's called Center Stage, an existing building in the area and is just an awesome space. It's in a perfect location, has the urban look and feel that is Watershed and will be a great facility to grow out of and reach the community. I am so thrilled for Matt and Scott and can't wait to see what God does through their ever-expanding ministry! It makes me long for the day we have our own space in the Indian Land area so that we can feel like a permanent part of the landscape and reach more folks in our community! Take a look at the video they put together to get a feel for what they're moving into. And as you look, thank God that He is alive and well in this city and moving the kingdom to every corner of Charlotte! Go to my blog list in the left column of my blog page to see the video from Matt.

Caution

2009-06-24T15:18:00.005-04:00

Shawn Lovejoy over at Mountain Lake Church in Forsyth County, GA near Atlanta wrote the following caution for pastors in his blog as it relates to sexual temptation. But I think it applies to all of us, whether we're pastors or not. It's always worth it to make sure we're guarding our hearts. So, I share his words here.

"Pastors have a HUGE spiritual bulls-eye on our backsides! We are targets of the enemy. Strike the shepherd. Scatter the sheep. That’s the enemy’s strategy.

That’s why, more than ever before, I’m convinced that to protect ourselves as Pastors, we must NUTURE VITALITY. It’s the #1 Best Practice we talk about in our churchplanters.com ministry and coaching network. To NURTURE, means to care for; pay attention to; attend to; feed…our VITALITY: our spiritual, emotional, spiritual, and relational strength!

Below is just a simple list of practical ways to keep ourselves from being picked off by the enemy as Pastors. These are simple. But easier to KNOW and PREACH; than DO. Here are a few (OK, more than a few):

* Read your Bible daily, and read portions of Scripture that have NOTHING to do with this week’s message.
* Take your off day Religiously. Burnout leads to spiritual failure and dropout.
* If you don’t rest, you will burn out. Period. You are not exempt.
* Tell you congregation you will NOT be out more than 2-3 nights a week.
* Keep office hours. Go home at 5 or 5:30 PM. People have to see their doctor, their dentist, their lawyer, and their counselor from 8-5. Spiritual counsel should be no different. You MUST have a life at night with your family.
* Don’t open your laptop after you get home.
* Don’t answer your cell phone after you get home.
* When you walk in the house after work, don’t be on the cell phone.
* Spend less time on Twitter and facebook. Spend more time communicating with your family.
* Get secure in your own skin. The desire for attention or pleasing people is a flag that will get you in trouble.
* Confess your temptations or addictions to a trusted friend NOT in your church.
* Schedule a date night with you spouse AT LEAST once a month. If you don’t have the money, ask the church to pay for it. (my church doesn’t, BTW) Your church will, though, if you ask them.
* Tell your congregation that the best gift you have to offer them is NOT a close relationship with every one of them, but a close relationship with God and a close relationship with your spouse.
* Don’t just talk about ministry with your spouse. Start a hobby TOGETHER!
* Exercise! Flabby body=flabby mind=flabby spirit.
* Take walks with God early in the morning when you can talk out loud to Him and share your hurts, pains, struggles, and dreams.
* Get your spouse out of that ministry they feel tied to because no one else will do it. You’re burning them out.
* Have a family night regularly where you allow your kids to set the agenda.
* Have a hobby you enjoy by yourself.
* Tell your spouse you love them EVERY DAY!
* Speak positively of your spouse from the stage.
* Listen to friends that raise flags about your behavior.
* Don’t ever be in the car, or your office, or ANY PLACE alone with opposite sex with the door shut. NEVER. NEVER. NEVER.
* Make the above policy for every Pastor on your Team.
* Don’t flirt, including online, or in emails! If you’re flirted with (and you will be), don’t respond, and immediately tell your spouse.
* Think about the consequences of your sin if carried out and found out. Who and how many will get hurt?
* Remember, pride goes before a fall, and you can not stand too close to a fire and not get burned.
* Make Nurturing Vitality the most important part of your job description."

Father's Day

2009-06-15T11:01:00.007-04:00

This Sunday is Father's Day. Dad's will get goofy cards telling them how great they are. Some will receive neck ties, although I'm not sure why when so few men wear them today. Others may receive grill utensils or a sleeve of golf balls. All of these things are good and well meaning. But what if this year you wrote your dad a letter telling him how much you love him and what he has meant to you? Why not tell him how grateful you are for the sacrifices he made for you to work long hours or to provide the things you enjoy or enjoyed when you were younger? I think most dads have this need to know that what they do matters and that they are respected for who they are. I know I do. It's part of being male. Dad's have enough insecurities worrying about their failures and mistakes. And believe you me, most dads know when they've blown it. At least internally. And for those of you whose dad made some major mistakes, don't write him off completely. Yes, he may have failed to be there for you and he may have been hard to live with. And maybe he wasn't the best husband to your mom. Those may all be true and you probably have every reason in the world to be angry at him. But don't let it control you. Allow yourself to extend forgiveness to him even as Christ has forgiven you for your mistakes. So, this Father's Day, take some time to write a letter to your dad. Let him know you still love him. Tell him you are so glad that he is your dad. Go ahead and make his day! I would love to be able to tell my dad what I feel, but I can't since he passed away over five years ago. So, tell him while you still have him. It's the least you can do this Father's Day!

Graduation

2009-05-29T14:55:00.004-04:00

Well, today my daughter graduated from eighth grade. Now that might not seem like such a big deal to some of you, but to me, it's HUGE! My only girl is no longer in middle school. She is now a high school student. And you know what that means! Yes!! It also means she is growing just a little more independent and a little less in need of mom and dad. At least until she wants money or clothes or a car. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for growing up and becoming independent. That's what we raise our kids to be, independent. But it's just another reminder to this old dad that the minutes I have with "my little girl" at home are fleeting and the way of life as we've known it becomes a little less common with every single day that passes. But that's okay! The reason it's okay is that God is growing this "little girl" into the woman he wants her to be. He has stamped his love on her heart and he is not finished with her yet. Hopefully we have modeled for her a love for God, imperfect though it is, that will carry her through all of her life. It will be okay. I know that, but I just like the way things are now with my little girl, a slight dependence on mom and dad, the innocence of being a young teen, the lack of a serious boyfriend, the cute little girl who curls up on the sofa watching TV with dad and the constant sounds of "I love you dad" ringing down the hall. Some of those things will continue, but not all. So, today I take in and savor every minute. And I pray like crazy that "daddy's girl" never really grows up, at least not now and I trust God that he will see her through! Congrats Tay!

Burden

2009-05-11T23:42:00.007-04:00

I have such a burden for my church and for my community. I want our church to know the joy of following Christ as a way of lfe. I want them to know what it means to radically submit their lives to Him in complete abandon and surrender. I want them to realize that our church is a body that isn't complete unless everyone finds their place of service on Sunday mornings throughout every ministry. I want them to long for Sundays and not dare miss our worship gatherings because they know Christ is there. I want our church to see the vision of filling every seat in Ardrey Kell, not because we want to be big but because we want to make a dent in the vast seventy-five percent of people who don't attend church. I want them to feel the burden that Jesus has for our community and see it through his eyes and sense the lostness and hopelessness that pervades much of our city! I want our church to find ways to tell their friends to "come and see" because they know they won't be ashamed to bring them to Crosspoint! I want them to see themselves as Christ's hands and feet in this community and give of themselves because they have so much to give and they can share of the world's goods because they know they have more than they need. I want our church to love this community, not because it offers them so much but because we can offer it so much! I want our church to love the unloveable, to touch the untouchable, to give to the ungrateful, to forgive the unforgiveable, to do whatever Jesus would do no matter who it is! I dream of this, I long for this, I pray for this, I believe in this. May God make it so!

Vision

2009-05-04T23:54:00.009-04:00

Tonight our staff and spouses and one member of our band attended the first session of the Drive Conference here at North Point Church in Alpharetta, GA. To say that it was incredible is an understatement! There are over 2000 pastors and staff members from all over the world here. After experiencing engaging worship that rocked the house, Andy Stanley spoke on how uncertain times are the best times to minister to people and when God does his best work. I think that is so true. If you look at the scriptures, that's what the stories are all about. God working in uncertain times and using people in uncertain times to do his work! That's especially true for church planters in young churches like ours. We don't know all the answers about where we're going and what it will look like when we get there, but we know that we're called to lead our churches with the vision God has given us. Our vision is and has been since we started two years ago to create a culture where people live out the values of Jesus. And within that vision to help people follow Jesus by learning to Love God, love others and serve the world. It's that simple. So, we are determined to keep it simple and live by this vison. If we do anything else, we'll be doing the wrong thing! And even though there will be those who will try to deter us from our vision with other well-intentioned ideas and opinions, we're sticking to what we were called to do in our neck of the woods! So, I may not know all of the answers to the who, what and where questions. But one thing I do know is that God called us to lead this church plant to reach our community and so we'll continue to go forward with this vision! Hope you'll join us!

Beach Retreats!

2009-04-17T18:30:00.019-04:00

I just dropped off my fourteen year old daughter at Ardrey Kell with the other students headed to the beach for their first ever retreat with Crosspoint. I must say it's a little surreal. She was going on the kind of retreat that I led every year for sixteen years. You know the routine. Parents drop off students, luggage is loaded in the vans, parents wave good-bye and youth leaders head off with teens in-tow for a time of fun and sun and bible study. The cool thing about this retreat is that I left my daughter with our volunteer team and one happens to be a former student of mine from back in the day. Her name is Lauren and she was one of our finest students. She loved God passionately then and she does today. She had a heart for her friends, constantly bringing them to our youth gatherings, and she does the same today, bringing friends to our church with her husband Chris. I tell you all of this because I'm moved that my daughter is now part of youth ministry being led by a former student who has taken up the mantle of ministry. Another generation leads another generation! That's the beauty of discipleship and giving your life away to something that has so many returns! God calls and adds new leaders to fill the shoes of others all of the time. So today, as my daughter drove away to the beach, I was awed that God has chosen to use every generation to reach the next generation. It's all the same. People loving students so that they will carry the same mantle that Jesus first gave to his disciples. And it never ends!

Good Friday?

2009-04-10T22:13:00.000-04:00

It's commonly called Good Friday. I always wondered why the day the Lord died would be called "Good Friday." After all, it was a day of scourging and crucifixion. How would it be a good day? But of course, we all know as followers of Christ that because of his death it would surely be a good day for all who would come to understand what his death meant for those who believe. It would be a day of the just dying for the unjust, a day of God bringing man to himself. It would be a day of beginnings as Jesus would invite all to leave behind a life of self and give their lives to him so that all would know what it really means to live. It was truly a dark day in history but it was only Friday. Sunday was coming. And just as he predicted his death, he predicted something even greater that was about to happen. So, this day, focus on what his death means. And as you reflect, remember, it's only Friday and Sunday's coming! Peace!

"No Evolution, No Cussing, No Baggy Pants"

2009-04-03T22:43:00.000-04:00

More times than not, my wife shares her wisdom and sage advice on life and faith. Today was one of those times, as she felt compelled to write her thoughts on Facebook. I thought I'd post them here.

By Patty Wade

Driving through the countryside of rural Waxhaw, NC, I came upon a small marquee of a church that usually has one of those pithy sayings. Most of the sayings that I remember have "creepy crawled" to the countryside appearing as if some new revelation has been revealed. Remember “Church is a hospital for sinners...Not a museum for saints”; or “If you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything?” Well the marquee that I saw last weekend was one that I had never read before. It simply said “No Evolution, No Cussing, No Baggy Pants.” At first glance, we might smile and somewhat agree especially if our religious roots go deep into the ground. These three phrases have been rolling around in my mind all week sort of like a cow chewing on its cud which is regurgitated at least three times before finally digested. I just can’t digest these phrases. Although probably unintended, my translation of these “rules,” are:
1) No Evolution – If you don’t believe the same as us, then keep on going.
2) No Cussing – If you don’t talk the way we do, then keep on going.
3) No Baggy Pants – If you don’t dress the way we do, then keep on going.
My translation could also include no thinking, no discussing, and no disagreeing and by the way, no entering without proper attire. And, if our religious roots go deeper, we might translate this not only to the front door of our churches but it could be written on our heart’s front door as we move through the week and encounter people. We may find ourselves contained within our “holy huddles” at church and throughout the week, “safe and pure” obeying the rules. Christ had a lot to say about “holy huddles” that obeyed rules and regulations and looked down on others. So now I have a new mantra as I encounter people this week in my neighborhood, workplace, fun places and also at our church:
1) If you don’t believe the same as me, welcome. I’d love to listen.
2) If you don’t talk the way I do, welcome. I’d love to converse.
3)If you don’t dress the way I do, welcome. I’d love to learn why.
The commandment “Love your neighbor” doesn’t come with conditions that the neighbor needs to meet prior to receiving my love and acceptance. It makes me wonder what other criteria that I may mentally use to unfairly judge others and cause them to keep on going without stopping.

2nd Birthday for Crosspoint!

2009-03-23T23:54:00.001-04:00

Sunday was special! It was our church's second birthday and we got to celebrate what God is doing in us and through us! Throughout the worship gathering we had interwoven video stories from people who have seen God do something in their lives because of coming to our church! We also watched a slide show of all the things we participated in as a church this past year! I'm amazed at all that we've been doing. Not only did we have a great crowd Sunday, but over 160 people stayed around to enjoy a catered meal from Moe's Southwest Grille and a smorgasbord of desserts brought by our own members. To say that it was just another Sunday at Crosspoint would be an understatement. God is at work and we're just hanging on for the ride! Now that we're entering our third year, I pray that God continues to use our church community to be the church He so longs for us to be!

Two Years Ago Today-Crosspoint's Launch!

2009-03-18T16:24:00.000-04:00

So, here we are on March 18 and we're two years old as a church community. How is that possible? Has it really been two years? Well, as I look back over these past two years, here's a few things I've learned along the way as a church planter hoping to engage the unchurched and formerly churched in our community.

1. When you go past surface stuff with people, life can be messy
2. Everyone (no matter who they are) has some issues they deal with that gnaw at them and cause unrest
3. We are right on target with our vision and mission and that will continue to propel us for the future
4. People are looking for something that’s real and that calls them to something bigger than themselves (greater purpose and fulfillment)
5. Church is less about what happens on the stage than what happens in the seats
6. Some people need to belong before they believe
7. Not everyone believes our message but they sure do respond to whole-hearted acceptance
8. Small groups aren’t perfect but they are the best chance to go deeper with others and find a place of connection
9. Announcements from the front help raise an issue, but the best way to get involvement is one on one!
10. Church is a team sport! (we have an awesome team of volunteers)
11. Don’t ever tire of preaching the message-it does find its way into hearts
12. God has led us every step of the way and one day I'll write a book about it!
13. God changes lives in the trenches and sometimes we don't even realize it
14. God delights in people coming with all their messes and allowing him to change them
15. This has been the single most exciting thing I have ever done in my life! (apart from my family life)

Mark Driscoll on St. Patrick

2009-03-17T13:29:00.000-04:00

Vintage Saints: Saint Patrick

Mark Driscoll

“I am a servant of Christ to a foreign nation for the unspeakable glory of life everlasting which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” – Patrick

My family name was originally O’Driscoll until it was changed a few generations ago by relatives hoping to more fully assimilate into American culture after immigrating from Ireland. Though I was raised Irish Catholic, I knew virtually nothing about Saint Patrick other than the green beer, parades, shamrocks, leprechauns, and drunken Red Sox fans that celebrated in his honor every March 17th.

Technically, Saint Patrick is not even a saint, as he was never canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. Additionally, Patrick was not even Irish. Rather, he was an Englishman who was a Roman citizen that spoke Latin and a bit of Welsh.

Patrick was born around 390 A.D. When he was roughly 16 years of age he was captured by pirates and taken to Ireland on a ship where he was sold into slavery. He spent the next six years alone in the wilderness as a shepherd for his masters’ cattle and sheep.

Isolation

Patrick was a rebellious non-Christian teenager who had come from a Christian family. His grandfather was a pastor, and his father was a deacon. However, during his extended periods of isolation without any human contact, Patrick began praying and was eventually born again into a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ. Patrick endured the years of isolation in rain and snow by praying up to 100 prayers each day and another 100 each night.

In his early twenties God spoke to Patrick in a dream, telling him to flee from his master for a ship that was waiting for him. Amazingly, Patrick made the 200-mile walk without being caught or harmed to find a ship setting sail for his home, just as God had promised. The sailors were out of food for the journey, and after Patrick prayed a herd of pigs miraculously ran toward the ship, providing a bountiful feast for the long voyage home.

God Speaks to Patrick

Upon returning home, Patrick enrolled in seminary and was eventually commissioned as a pastor. Some years later God spoke to Patrick in a dream, commanding him to return to Ireland to preach the gospel and plant churches for the pagans who lived there.

The Roman Catholic Church had given up on converting such “barbarians” deemed beyond hope. The Celtic peoples, of which the Irish were part, were an illiterate bunch of drunken, fighting, perverted pagans who basically had sex with anyone and worshipped anything. They were such a violent and lawless people, numbering anywhere from 200,000 to 500,000, that they had no city centers or national government and were spread out among some 150 warring clans. Their enemies were terrified of them because they were known to show up for battles and partake in wild orgies before running into battle naked and drunk while screaming as if they were demon-possessed. One clan was so debased that it was customary for each of their new kings to copulate with a white mare as part of his inauguration.

Unique Missionary Strategy

In faith, the forty-something year-old Patrick sold all of his possessions, including the land he had inherited from his father, to fund his missionary journey to Ireland. He worked as an itinerant preacher and paid large sums of money to various tribal chiefs to ensure he could travel safely through their lands and preach the gospel. His strategy was completely unique, and he functioned like a missionary trying to relate to the Irish people and communicate the gospel in their culture by using such things as three-leaf clovers to explain the gospel. Upon entering a pagan clan, Patrick would seek to first convert the tribal leaders and other people of influence. He would then pray for the sick, cast demons out of the possessed, preach the Bible, and use both musical and visual arts to compel people to put their faith in Jesus. If enough converts were present he would build a simple church that did not resemble ornate Roman architecture, baptize the converts, and hand over the church to a convert he had trained to be the pastor so that he could move on to repeat the process with another clan.

Patrick gave his life to the people who had enslaved him until he died at 77 years of age. He had seen untold thousands of people convert as between 30-40 of the 150 tribes had become substantially Christian. He had trained 1000 pastors, planted 700 churches, and was the first noted person in history to take a strong public stand against slavery.

Roman Opposition

Curiously, Patrick’s unorthodox ministry methods, which had brought so much fruit among the Irish, also brought much opposition from the Roman Catholic Church. Because Patrick was so far removed from Roman civilization and church polity he was seen by some as an instigator of unwelcome changes. This lead to great conflicts between the Roman and Celtic Christians. The Celtic Christians had their own calendar and celebrated Easter a week earlier than their Roman counterparts. Additionally, the Roman monks shaved only the hair on the top of their head, whereas the Celtic monks shaved all of their hair except their long locks which began around the bottom of their head as a funky monk mullet. The Romans considered these and other variations by the Celtic Christian leaders to be acts of insubordination.

In the end, the Roman Church should have learned from Patrick, who is one of the greatest missionaries who has ever lived. Though Patrick’s pastors and churches looked different in method, they were very orthodox in their theology and radically committed to such things as Scripture and the Trinity. Additionally, they were some of the most gifted Christian artists the world has ever known, and their prayers and songs endure to this day around the world, including at Mars Hill where we occasionally sing the “Prayer of Saint Patrick” and the Celtic hymn “Be Thou My Vision.”

For Further Study:

At www.ccel.org there is a free copy available of Patrick’s book Confessions.
Steve Rabey’s book In the House of Memory is a good introduction to Patrick and Celtic Christianity.
Thomas Cahill’s book How the Irish Saved Civilization is a fascinating historical look at Patrick and the implications of Celtic Christianity on western history.
www.ChristianityToday.com/history is the site for Christian History and Biography magazine, which is a wonderful resource that includes an entire issue on Patrick and Celtic Christianity.

Neglect

2009-03-16T22:56:00.004-04:00

Have you ever neglected something only to see that something fall into disrepair? It may have been your yard. It only takes a few weeks for a yard to turn into weeds if left to itself. What about a car? If you neglect to change the oil, rotate the tires, and give it a wash every so often, a car can turn into a piece of junk. Or what about something closer to home, your teeth? Go without brushing for awhile or stop making visits to the dentist and watch what happens. Plaque builds up and teeth yellow and before long you have cavities. And then you're in for long hours in the dentist's chair. Isn't it amazing how the smallest things, no matter how insignificant can turn into broken down pains in the rear if not tended to. Well, if those things need our attention, how much more so our hearts? I'm not talking about the muscle beating within your body. I'm talking about the real you. The place where you live on the inside. That inner most part of you that dreams and believes and loves and yearns and wishes and hopes and cares and is consumed with anything that catches it's attention. It's more than just your mind. You can't see it but you know it's there. It's the place where desire can run wild. The writer of Proverbs said to "guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life." What happens if we don't? Well, it can become hard and full of junk that distracts it from what is real and true. Of all the things that need tending to, the heart is surely the one we cannot affort to neglect! Had a heart check up lately?

Weekend

2009-03-02T22:53:00.000-05:00

It was one of the rainiest days I can remember in a long time yesterday. But we still had a decent crowd for the worship gathering.
Loved the snow last night but hated that it melted so fast!
I'm so grateful for all of our volunteers! They serve so faithfully and consistently!
We have two female vocalists that rock each Sunday! What a difference they've made in our worship times!
It's so amazing that God has given us a Children's director now in Rachel Sawhook. I just know our Kid's program is going to rock as we unveil the new direction in the coming months!
It was a tough weekend knowing that one of our church attender's was slowly losing her dad to illness. Having talked with him on Thursday night and Friday morning, it was tough to hear that he passed away Saturday night. Part of the ministry that is never easy!
James has turned into a fun series. Not that I didn't think it would, but it has been cool to hear the responses on the truth of the messages each week!
I always look forward to Mondays after Sunday! It's my day off and I love to do almost nothing sometimes after a busy weekend!
Another week and more opportunities! Looking forward to it! Amen!

Scripture and Preaching

2009-02-25T19:52:00.000-05:00

I'm presently teaching through the book of James each Sunday to our church community at Crosspoint here in Charlotte. This is really the first series we've done where we've actually walked through the entire book a passage at a time. For the first 19 months, we've primarily done topical messages or themes that have dealt with specific issues relevant to the audience we are reaching. I've heard from many church planters that they've resisted preaching through an entire book of the Bible because it's either too systematic and long or it's either not very relevant to where people are today. In other words, to preach through a passage as it comes up each week may force a subject upon you that's not really relevant to the context you find yourself in. Well, I have to say that this series for our church has been the most eye opening and relevant thing we've done. Our people who've never ever read the Bible didn't know that the Bible is so relevant or that it even dealt with some of the issues they've been hearing. You see, I believe that we can preach whatever text comes up in a given week and then make the necessary jump from "that world" to "our world" and connect the scripture to everyday life. That's the job of a good communicator. To bring the story of God from thousands of years ago and help our people find themselves in the story and continue to live out what was first given to a people in a different context and a different day and make it ours today. I will admit it's not always easy, but the study and preparation is well worth it when you find the newest Christ follower saying they never knew the Bible said what it says. So I say, "preach the word in season and out of season!"

Church Hoppers

2009-02-16T22:48:00.000-05:00

We've all seen them. You can hear them coming. They have the same m.o. You know who I'm talking about right? Church hoppers. Those folks that move from church to church because the grass is always greener on the other side. The ones who are a small fish in a big pond in one church, so they move to a smaller church so they can be a big fish in a small pond. You know why they hop around right? The music is too loud there, or the preaching's not deep enough over there, or the kids program is not cool enough for their kids here, or they need more programs to entertain their whole family, or... I think you get the picture. They're in every city and in every church. The first line is always the same. "We're looking for a church that's a fit for us!" What? A fit for you? As if church was meant to work for you? Sounds like a country club or a fitness center where you get serviced instead of saying, "how can we serve Christ here?" These folks, God bless them, think that the church exists for them instead of them existing for Christ and his Church. What we need is good people who understand God's vision for his church, where true Christ followers engage in the church so that they can find ways to serve their fellow brothers adn sisters and look for ways to take the church beyond the walls on Sunday to impact their community for Christ. Until we find followers of Christ who are willing to take on that kind of missional attitude, our churches will be full of nothing but overfed, critical christians who are neither healthy spiritually nor a joy to be around!

Schedules

2009-02-02T22:31:00.000-05:00

I often wonder how other pastors spend their days each week. For many, I assume, it's very structured and ordered. For others, I imagine there is flexibility and less structure. But one thing is sure, we all need time alone to study and prepare messages. I'm the type that needs lots of time to perculate. From time to time, I'm asked how I spend my week. The joke of course, is that people say we have banker's hours. They may or may not be true. You can be the judge of that I suppose, but let me give you a glimpse into a typical week for me.

Monday
This is my day off. I usually do nothing church related, or at least I try, but sometimes I'll meet someone for lunch if necessary. It's a day for doing nothing, running errands, playing golf, working in the yard or just about anything I like to do. Monday night is home with family. The second Monday night of the month I meet with the Lead Team and Scott Spruill for dinner. I watch 24 every Monday night if possible.

Tuesday
I meet with Scott each Tuesday at 9:30 at Starbucks. We'll meet for two hours to talk about life and family or just about anything. Then we shift gears and talk through the previous Sunday and then plan for the upcoming Sunday. I usually meet someone from church for lunch. After lunch, I head to McAlisters or back to Starbucks and study for a few hours for Sunday's message. I then work out for an hour. Tuesday nights our small group comes over to our home from 7:00-9:00.

Wednesday
I work at the YMCA from 8:45-12:45. I work out after work, then grab a quick lunch and then off to McAlisters to study til 5:00. We have dinner at home with family. Some nights we'll meet with someone over coffee for counseling. I usually catch the Tarheels on TV Wednesday nights during basketball season.

Thursday
I study at home in my office til noon and then head off to lunch with someone from church. I head back home and study more for Sunday. Would love to prepare two or more weeks out but I just haven't gotten that good yet. Thursday we're home. I watch ER every Thursday night.

Friday
More study time for Sunday. I leave usually meet someone for lunch. Afterwards I put out about 12 Crosspoint signs around the area near the school where we meet. Friday afternoon I'll try to get a few more hours in on my message and then workout. Most Friday nights we're either out with friends, have someone over for dinner or take in a movie.

Saturday
I tweak my message Saturday. Get final copy on paper from the computer. I may run an occasional errand. Send any scriptures to Scott for powerpoint. Try to relax Saturday night for a couple of hours. Always in bed by 10:30 or 10:45.

Sunday
I'm up by 6:00. I study one last time, load up and head to Ardrey Kell High School by 8:00 to join the set up team in prayer and then I head to the back and pray and get alone. Our worship gathering is from 10:-00-11:20. Afterwards we go to lunch with the band and tech team or with someone new from our church. After lunch I pick up the Crosspoint signs and then home by 2:30. We either crash and watch TV or we may have a leadership team meeting in our home every other month around 5:00 through dinner.

Memory Lane

2009-01-14T23:51:00.000-05:00

This month I'm speaking every Wednesday night at the church where I first met Christ. I'm there at the requst of a friend as they search for a new pastor. It's Northside Baptist off I-85. It's the place where I cut my teeth on the gospel, where I learned who Jesus was, where a youth pastor named Marty taught me how to follow Jesus and made such an impact on my life that I would grow up and be a youth pastor myself one day for sixteen years. It's the place that laid the foundation for my spiritual journey and made me what I am today. As I spoke last Wednesday night to about 150 people, most of whom were there when I was there over 30 years ago, I had a huge sense of gratitude for the place Northside has in my heart. God used it to shape me, to teach me, to give me a heart for ministry and I'll always have a special place in my heart for this church, it's founding pastor, Dr. Jack Hudson, and the many friends there who invested so much in my life! It's always good to go back to our roots! For its there we remember from whence we've come! Thanks God for the special places in our lives that remimd us from where we''ve come! I'm forever grateful for a church called Northside!

Christmas

2008-12-25T21:35:00.000-05:00

Well, Christmas Day has come and gone. It's Christmas night as I write. The presents are opened an laying around the tree and other parts of the house. The big meal was consumed with family and friends who had no family of their own in town. Our extended family has left or retired for the night and now we are left with the memories of another Christmas. The memories are always good, and the time together is always sweet. But there's something about Christmas that always leaves you wanting. Maybe it's the build up to the big day that comes and goes as fast as it came. Maybe it's the expectation of the day itself. Whatever it is, you can never hang onto it. It's so fleeting. You tire of all the Christmas shows and Christmas carols all of sudden seem old. But much of life is that way, isn't it? Everything is so temporary. Nothing lasts very long, whether it's the expectation of opening presents or the time with family or the day itself. It fades so quickly. But the greater truth and the reason I'm not sad or depressed is the fact that Christmas isn't about just one day. For us who follow Christ, we know that Christmas is forever. The real gift that God is with us every moment of every day causes us to press on! It's not about the presents or anything else for that matter. It's what Christ has done for us that changes everything. Because he is Immanuel, God with us, our expectations are always for more than this life. They are eternal. Thank you God for your Son, and thank you that Christmas is forever!

Birthdays!

2008-12-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

December 10. Well, another year, another birthday celebrated. What is it about birthdays that makes you feel important, at least for the day? And why is that they are sometimes hard and difficult to accept? I think we love the "Happy Birthday's" we hear at work or from friends, and the cards we receive. We love the attention. We love that we're noticed on "our"day. But when another year is added to your chronological age, you know reality is setting in. Am I that old? Do I look that age? Maybe my birth certificate is a mistake? But then I'm brought back to reality. Birthdays are to remind us that our lives are not our own. Each day we live, each breath we breathe, each step we take reminds us that God gives us life. And then I remember Psalms 139:16 and it all comes together. "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Birthdays are not bad. They are a gift forged by the hand of God in whose infinite wisdom I must trust. Thanks God for my birthday today. Thanks for the days given to me to live. Help me to live each day to the full. Amen.

Thankful!

2008-11-25T10:55:00.000-05:00

As I sit here in Starbucks, where else of course, I'm moved to realize how grateful I am for all that God has allowed me to experience in my years of ministry, not to mention my lifetime. I've been fortunate to know a lot of people from all walks of life. I've been privileged to teach the Bible to middle school and high school students and adults, speak in schools, preach in churches of all sizes, go on mission trips to other countries and experience Christ among the poorest of the poor, perform weddings for so many friends, honored to say last words at friends funerals, open our home up to neighbors and friends to celebrate life, build homes for the homeless, build churches for Haitian refugees, hand out winter clothing to coal miners in West Virginia, have coffee one on one with friends and new acquaintances, work at the YMCA as a fitness instructor and I could go on. The point is I have had a blessed life. I am so privileged to be a servant of the King.
To top it all off, I'm blessed with a beautiful wife, friend and partner who has enriched me more than I can say. I have two wonderful kids who love life and keep us young and we have a beautiful home and health and are blessed beyond measure.
And I'm privileged to serve in a young and growing church community that is learning what it means to follow after Christ in this world we find ourselves in. What a thrill to be able to stand before them each week and show them Christ from the scriptures!
Finally, I have the joy of being called a son of the King, a child of God, and one who is forever joined to his Kingdom! What a privilege to be a follower of Christ!
What more could I ask for? This Thanksgiving season, what are you thankful for? May you realize how blessed you are and may you revel in the richness that is yours in Christ!

Hello Again!

2008-11-10T18:54:00.000-05:00

Wow, it has been awhile since my last post. Actually, about one year. It's not that I don't like to blog, it's just that it was a new thing for me last year and I never got into the swing of it. But I've decided to turn over a new leaf, so here goes. From now on, there will be at least one blog a week. That way I'm not overly ambitious nor self-defeating. I hope you enjoy these and that you'll enter the conversations from time to time.

I don't know if you've been in front of a group of people and confessed your failures or not, but I did just that recently. I preached a series of messages called Confessions of a Pastor. In the series, I shared a few areas where I felt I had failed. I spoke of my failures as a husband, a father and as a Christian. Now understand, I didn't air out any dirty laundry. But I did share enough to let people in on who I am a little more than they had ever heard before. And I must tell you, it was rather freeing to let people know that I'm not perfect and that I don't have to play the game of trying to keep up the perfect image. That's part of the beauty of the gospel though isn't it? The gospel story is about Christ, the Perfect One, redeeming the imperfect ones. The ones who fall short, the ones called sinners. And the greater beauty of the gospel is that it keeps on redeeming us. And it allows us to be who we are without playing any games. It's about admitting we are sinners. It's about letting Christ do his work of restoration and sanctification in our lives. He does the work in the heart and it transforms us. Yes, I still fail more than I care to admit but God only sees the work of his Son in my life and as far as He's concerned, I'm holy. Today, why not revel in the fact you are forgiven if you've trusted Christ and his work on the cross. And be the person you've been made to be. When you fail, admit it. But don't stay there and don't beat yourself up. Be real and stay authentic. That's what the gospel is all about!

Are we Unchristian?

2007-11-05T13:37:00.000-05:00

I recently attended an event in Atlanta called Catalyst. It's an exciting two day, high charged celebration of worship and great speaking from some of our best pastors and thinkers in the christian world. While there, a new book was unveiled called Unchristian by Dave Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. The premise of the book is that people between the ages of 16 and 29 that consider themselves non-christians have a very negative perception about those of us who call ourselves christians. In fact, most of those surveyed for the book said that we're mostly known for what we're against. They would go as far to say that we dont represent what Jesus was known for, that our brand of christianity is nothing like the christianity that Jesus spoke of. That begs the question then, what has gone wrong? What have we been presenting to the nonchristian world that would give them this negative perception of what christians are about? Personally,I think that we have been so consumed with all the "sins" we're against that maybe we've forgotten what's more important and that's being friends with all kinds of people and loving people for who they are. Sure, they're are lots of issues that demand our attention that we should be against, but maybe it's time we let people know all the things we're for as well. Things like showing compassion to all people, serving the outcast, bringing justice to the oppressed and meeting the needs of the poor. Maybe we need to let our actions speak louder than our words. Jesus was very comfortable in the homes of those labeled as "sinners" by the religious crowd of his time. Maybe Jesus was on to something. Maybe those of us who call ourselves "Christ followers" need to spend more time following the way of Jesus and then see what happens to the negative perceptions. God help us make it so!

Thousands

2007-10-04T21:30:00.000-04:00

Have you ever been in a room with over eleven thousand other people singing worship songs in unison? If you haven't you'll have that to look forward to one day in Heaven with millions upon millions of voices in unison. Until then, we have conferences like Catalyst here in Atlanta. I'm here this week with our worship pastor, Scott Spruill and my son, Tyler. This is one of my favorite conferences that I look forward to attending every other year or so. Each year I come away with one thing that God challenges me with for my personal life or ministry life. This year it's humility. Andy Stanley challenged us all to use our power of influence to serve others as Jesus did when he washed the feet of the disciples. He referred to him as "the most powerful person in the room" who stunned them with his act of humility. He leveraged his power on behalf of the others he led. That's the nature of true leadership. My desire is to humbly serve those I lead. Power can intoxicate those in leadership. It can lead to using people instead of loving people. Stanley said our response to power will determine our legacy of leadership. May God help us all to walk humbly before him as we seek to lead others.

Who is Jesus?

2007-09-18T15:45:00.000-04:00

It has been a few weeks since I last posted a blog, for which I feel terrible, but don't worry about since I'm still getting used to blogging. I have a desire to do it, but the will power to get it done, hasn't caught up with it yet! With that said...

I'm sitting in Starbucks at Blakeney here in the Ballantyne area of Charlotte as I type this, studying for this Sunday' message on misconceptions about Jesus. I'm sure you've heard some of them yourself... "Jesus was good moral teacher, a prophet, a historical figure but there's no way he was God!" I've thought a lot about that. And it requires an abandoning of all bias and assumptions you may have had about him in order to take an objective look at him. It's kind of like having a negative or for that matter, positive perception of someone before you meet them. Going only by what you've read or heard about them or what others have said about them. But until you meet them for yourself or in the case of Christ, study his life and words, with the goal of really getting to know him, you can't make an objective declaration until you've done that.

That's the core of Christianity. You must make a careful research of his life and using his own words to come to that conclusion, "And who do you say that I am?"

Thoughts on Life

2007-09-06T23:16:00.000-04:00

Last Monday on Labor Day, a friend of mine died of a massive heart attack. He was 38 years old and had no health problems. He and his family have been attending our church the past few months. He was one of the best people I have ever known becuase he was so caring and concerned about others. You will never meet a nicer person. As I've reflected on his life and knowing him, I was reminded again of the shortness of life. Death is no respecter of persons and it stinks. I hate it! It robs families of parents and kids and grandparents and so on. It comes with no warning. But then again, life is always full of surprises, some good and some bad. I know that in this life there are no easy answers to situations like these. I wish there were, but sometimes I'm glad I don't know the answers to these questions because I might not be able to handle it. I'm sure I will ask God when I get to Heaven "why?" Maybe then I will understand and appreciate it. Until then, I still have my questions but I must trust God. I must believe that He knows the beginning from the end and has a purpose to everything under the sun. God, I don't won't christian cliches and platitudes and pat answers. I want to know that there is a purpose for everything under the sun. May it be so in the life of this dear family who lost a husband and father this week!

New Life

2007-08-29T16:22:00.002-04:00

Sunday was an incredible day in the life of CROSSPOINT! There were at least four people who said they wanted to cross the line of faith to begin following Jesus Christ. This is the reason we started CROSSPOINT and the past five months in our brief history have been building to this day. This is what I was called to do! This is what I gave my life for! There is something about new life that's so hard to describe! When a person comes into relationship with Christ, a new life has begun. It's young, raw, organic, rich, fresh, exciting, challenging, beyond comprehension and all that God desires for a new Christ follower! Now they begin to take baby steps. Heck, they'll be crawling for awhile and as they grow in their faith, they'll learn to walk. Now it's our turn to walk alongside of each of these people and encourage them in their new faith. II Corinthians 5:17 means so much more to me today. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

It's Brand New

2007-08-22T00:01:00.001-04:00

This is my first ever blog. I've done prayer updates for the past year and a half that go out in the form of an email to over two hundred people each week, but this is different! Now I can share my thoughts, opinions, insights, concerns in a very straight forward way. But more than anything, I want to share what God's doing in my life and in the life of our church, CROSSPOINT! I hope that you'll find this blog inspiring, informative and encouraging. At times it may seem like a peek behind the curtain of my life. That's okay too. I look forward to communicating regularly. Thanks for reading!

Jimmy