Vision -vs- Values

I have spent a good deal of time in the church world.  My wife, Deidre and I have been in full-time pastoral ministry since 1998.  It started when we moved everything we had from Elkton, MD, where we were youth pastors, to Port St. Lucie, FL to assume the pastorate of a church in South Florida.  We were young, energetic, and in some ways, very naive.  But what we lacked in experience we made up for in passion for the vision God had given us.

It didn't take long to realize that vision was just not enough.  We learned this the hard way, over almost ten years of pastoral ministry in Florida.  We watched as pastors across the country fell into dark places or financial  indiscretions, moral issues, and even things that were just plain illegal.  We struggled personally with the desire to grow a church, and fell into the trap of following the newest ministry fad.  We tried to be all the "successful" preachers we knew.  I would even stand in front of the mirror on Saturday nights and "practice" the right walk, cadence and timber.  None of this seemed to make any difference.  We still struggled in developing a healthy, growing congregation.

I became a church junky.  I read all the newest trends, could tell you the numbers and the stats of growing churches.  I knew the newest language, culture and trends.  I dressed in my Buckle shirts, Aldo shoes, and cool jeans.  We had the look, the vibe, and the groove... yet we were still struggling.  What else could we possible do?  We prayed and fasted - we were told to pray more, so we did.  We went to conferences and listened to every podcast and read every resource we could find, still nothing...

Then one day it hit me.  What we, and many other pastors, were lacking was not training - I had been to a great college.  It was not passion or spirituality - I spent many nights on my face crying out to God for direction and help.  What I lacked were the values in ministry that would allow us to grow a successful, solid, and healthy ministry that would stand the tests of time and storms of life.  I was like a ship being tossed by the winds, one style and strategy followed by another depending on the crowd I was being influenced by.  What I had to determine was what I was going to build my life and ministry on.

I began to see that there are three things you can build your ministry or organization on.  You may be saying, yes but the most important is Jesus.  I would say you are right - conceptually.  But Jesus is not the foundation, he is the Chief Cornerstone from which the foundation is built.  You still have to go though the process of building your own foundation.  Trust me, I was not lacking Jesus as my cornerstone.  He was the beginning and the end, the alpha and omega of everything I was.  What I was not grasping was what came after that.

So the three things you can choose to build on are:

          1. Personality
          2. Vision
          3. Values

The first, Personality, is the most shallow and volatile of the three.  It is so because it is built on the ability and performance of a person.  If the person is doing good, at the top of his/her game, everything is going good.  The moment the person begins to stumble the entire system begins to unravel.

We have all seen this at one time or another.  We have watched as businesses, churches, ministries and even politics seemed to rise over night just to fall just as fast.  They were built on the charismatic personality traits of an individual.  

The second, Vision, is the place where most organizations stop.  This is where I stopped, and it ultimately hindered my success.  Vision, while deeper and more stable than personality, is still not the most solid of the three.  When you build on Vision you can come to the end and still not have answers to some very important questions.  What happens when the vision is fulfilled?  What happens when life steps in and the vision is no longer applicable?  Where do you go then?  In order to become a healthy organization you have to move to the third, deepest and most stable of the three possible foundations - Values.

Values are like the strong support under a skyscraper.  They will keep you rooted and planted, even in the stormy times.  They will give you substance to build on.  They are deeper than personality in that they are not built on performance.  They outlast vision because they never change.  Situations, culture, time and space do not effect them.  They are not based on what is cool or trendy, they are just the right thing to do - always.

So, armed with this new information, we set out to develop a ministry that had sustainability and would be effective.  We set out to determine who we were, who God was calling us to be, and to lead from that platform instead of performance, or even inspiration.

We prayed and studied, and then did it again, until we developed the 10 Core Values that we now live by.  They are:

1. The Value of a Soul.
2. The Value of the Local Church.
3. The Value of Excellence.
4. The Value of Innocence.
5. The Value of Relationships.
6. The Value of Balance.
7. The Value of Integrity.
8. The Value of Community.
9. The Value of Generosity.
10. The Value of Faith.

Over the next few blogs I am going to dive into each of these values and show you why they are pillars, foundations, in our family and ministry.  Why they make up the footers in my life - personally, and why you need to define your own values.  I want to encourage you to not just clip and paste these. You are welcome to use them, but put in the time necessary to develop your own set of Values.  Then right them down, enlist others to hold you accountable to them, and watch as God helps you build something great on this firm foundation.

Remember this tweetable phrase, "Your personality will open doors for you, your vision will propel you, but only your values will sustain you!"

God Bless,

JT

For information and messages by James click on the links below...

https://www.facebook.com/jamesect

The Value of a Soul

     I am starting with this value because, quite simply, it is the most important.  It is the hinge pin that supports all the rest.  The remainder of the Values will be in no particular order, but this is the first, the foundation and the cornerstone for everything else that will follow.

     I have to start this blog on the value of a soul with a story Pastor Rick Bezet told the staff at New Life Church in Conway, AR during a staff meeting.  He said he would think so much about reaching the "next one", looking for the "next one" that he prays for God to show him the "one" that he was speaking to in every service.  No matter what the venue, the size of the audience or the location, he is always looking for the "one" that God has brought to that service for him to speak to.

      We have an example in the Gospels in the form of a parable that Jesus told.  It is the story of the lost sheep.  It appears in Luke 15:4-7.  In the Message version it says, "Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, 'Celebrate with me! I've found my lost sheep!' Count on it—there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue."

     In this parable we have an example of the importance of the lost "one" to Jesus.  And if it mattered that much to Jesus, it must matter to us.  That is why this value is "The Value of A Soul" and not "The Value of Souls".   In the church we know instinctively that people matter to God.  We say we exist to "seek and save the lost", and we know we are called to "see souls saved".  But I am afraid that we have allowed the usage of the plural descriptive noun that we have generalized it to the point that we can easily excuse away our lack of action.

     It is easy to value souls, the big picture, and not reach the homeless living behind the dumpster on our church parking lots.  But when you value every single "ONE", now you are looking at the world differently.

     The Great Commission, Matthew 28:19, "Go into all the world and make disciples…" That is our mission on earth, but I want to challenge you to not make it so generic trying to reach everyone that we miss the ONE sitting in our services that need to have a friend, or the ONE serving us at our favorite restaurant that needs a prayer.

     “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in his will not die, but will have eternal life.” (John 3:16)  I love the fact that God could love the world so much to make the ultimate sacrifice of sending Jesus to die on the cross.  I have heard the argument many times, "If he loved us that much, why did not send another?"  Because, as a father, the ultimate act of sacrifice is not to throw yourself in front of the bullet, it’s to let your child take it.  God loved us more than anything else.  But don't get lost in the text theologically.  He loved the whole world, yes, but he also loves you and I, individually.

      I believe that every person matters to God, that he knows the number of hair on your head.  That he dies for every-ONE, so that no-ONE would have to die, but would have everlasting life.  

     People matter to God, therefore they MUST matter to us. We will do everything within our power to reach ONE more person.  Because there is ONE more person that needs to know this life-giving message.  ONE more person that is searching for something real.

     Am I going to continue to grow a large church? Yes!  As long as ONE more is out there we are going to do everything we can to reach them.  We are going to, in the words of Pastor Greg Surrat of Seacoast Church, "Cast a wide net."  But we are never going to allow the numbers to be more important that the ONE.

     It's time for some people to stop huddling around the 99 and run after the ONE!  We believe the Value of a Soul is the most important value that every church, ministry, and life should be built on. Who is the ONE Jesus has placed into your life?  As Rick does when he speaks, let us walk into every situation, every venue, every environment and every gathering we find ourselves looking for the ONE.  Then let's have the courage and the drive to go after them, pulling them in with the love of Jesus Christ, who, by the way, loves THEM so much he put YOU in their path today...

     Run After the One!

For more information on James go to: www.facebook.com/jamesect




Mission of Hope - Haiti 2012

I just retuned with the NLC Missions team, 31 people giving a week of their summer to help the people in Haiti.  We went to the Mission of Hope, about 40 minutes from Port A Prince.  Mission of Hope is a great organization dedicated to touching the lives of every man, woman and child in Haiti with the Message of Jesus Christ.  That is a lofty goal, but they are well on their way to doing just that.  They currently feed 50,000 children a day, house 65 orphans, facilitate the Church of Hope, teach 2,500 kids in their Christian School and employ 15 North Americans and 130 Haitians to make it all possible.  

This is a photo of the Church of Hope - about 1,500 Haitians and North Americans joining together to worship God in Creole and English combined! 

We were very blessed to be able to be able to minister to people and to help them complete some very important projects that will make them more effective in their ministries and efforts.

However, I was struck with one important weight through the entire trip.  I have been called to support the local church in America, so missions has never been the top of my priority list.  I believe in it and respect those who have a calling to it as their primary ministry but I also believe it takes all of us working together, in our individual areas of calling in order to be truly successful in this day and time.  And I know I have been called to the local church.  I am a church junkie, I love working in the church and learning better ways of doing church.  I truly do believe that the local church is the hope of the world.  I believe the planting of more local churches is still the number one way to evangelize the world.  With that said, I was looking through that lens the whole time I was in Haiti.

I saw the same poverty and the despair, but from a little different perspective then most.  The whole time I was looking at them physically, God was showing me a picture of the States and the people who live here.  While they are not as poor physically, the are just as poor spiritually.  The despair the Haitians had on their face, I saw in the eyes of people right here at home - spiritually.

Please do not get me wrong, I am in no way trying to lesson the need there, nor would I ever want to take support from or diminish the calling of those working to meet their needs.  In fact I solute them.  My plea today is for more people here to see their cities and the towns in which they live as the mission field as well.  

There are people on our streets, in our towns and cities, living in the same county and state as us who have everything they could ever ask for, and yet they are living in spiritual poverty.  Let's keep sending missionaries and money to Haiti, and Africa, and South America, but when we get home lets lift up our eves and see, in the words of Jesus in Luke 10, "the field is white and ready for harvest.  Don't make this missions trip a one week a summer event, but rather a way of life.

We need more missionaries today in every country of the world, in Haiti, Japan, London, and New York, Little Rock, Washington, Hot Springs, and Miami.  It's time that we see those around us as Jesus sees them, a people in poverty, living beneath their means, not fulfilling the mission and vision God has for them.  A people in need, suffering and desperate for the words of truth.

This summer, go on all the trips you can and when you come home, engage where you are.  Get involved, don't take the summer off, but be the hope the world needs in the city where you live!!!

Just a thought...

Me and my new friend at the MOH 500 Project in Haiti

I Love Life's Transitions (NOT)

Have you ever had this happen to you? You are just getting settled into a routine, getting yourself organized, figuring this thing called life out, when out of the blue, BAM! (copyright Emeril) something changes. Maybe its something as common as a fender bender; you know someone hits you from behind as you turn into Starbucks for a Grande Cinnamon Dolce Latte, in case you wanted to buy me one, and your day is shot. (No coffee/Starbucks/Expresso pun intended)

It can be something that simple, and annoying, or it can be some of the big stuff. You know what I mean, we are surrounded by it. People lose their jobs with no warning, health problems set back your dreams, hopes and finances. There has been an increase of young males dying early because of hypertension, caused by high blood pressure... Pressure, it is all around us. Transitions always bring pressure.

Paul says in II Corinthians that the "light afflictions come to bring in our lives a greater weight of glory". Could it be that the pressure we are feeling today, the inconveniences we are tolerating are purposefully and strategically designed to transition us to a greater level of "glory", the new carrier we have been too scared to pursue before, the ministry we have been too "successful" to start? Could it be that the transitions we are in are not just an accident, but have been designed to bring God's purpose and plan into our lives?

I think this is exactly the case. The Bible says that if you love God, everything works together for your good. That everything means everything - the job loss, the helpless feeling you have right now, the fender-bender, the spilled cup of coffee on your new shirt, the seemingly mundane irritations of life - all things work together for our good.

I know in my life that is exactly how it has been. When I was the most irritated, and the most troubled by an irritation or situation, God was working in the background for a greater and eternal weight of glory, he was working out my purpose. It was a set back that ultimately brought Deidre and I to Hot Springs. Had it not been for a job lay-off I would not have been desperate enough to ask God what He had in mind for us. I had already began to devise a plan, but God had something different in mind, and the pressure got my attention.

I challenge you today, when the irritations come, and they will, stop cursing them and hating them (at least for a moment) and look around at what is happening. Maybe, just maybe, God is applying pressure so He can take you closer to fulfilling your purpose. Take a minute right now to ask God what He is up to in your life...

Rise or Resist?

Growing up, I spent a lot of time around the ocean. I was born and raised on Chincoteague, VA, a small island just south of the Maryland line, on the Eastern Shore of VA. There I learned many of the basics of water safety, how to handle a boat, and probably the most important information of all, how to negotiate a big wave! When I was a freshman in high school my parents moved us to South Florida, again near the beach. There I learned and honed my skill of avoiding being thrown about like a beach ball by the powerful force of the ocean.

"The Key?" you ask... well that is a great question, and I am glad you brought it up, because I am very anxious to tell you. For some this key will be very intuitive, for others it will be life changing. But before I tell you this key, I need you to understand it is very, very powerful. This key, which I am going to share with you in just a moment, holds power, not just in the ocean, but in life. OK, here goes, the key is... very important, don't for get it. This power, important, life changing key is... Don't Resist It!

WOW, were you waiting for something a little more theological, more King James Versionish maybe? Sorry, that's it, no deep hermeneutical argument, just stop resisting. You see, in the ocean when a wave comes at you and you stand firm, squared off at this powerful force of the ocean, it will win, every time. It will knock you down, throw you about and get sand in your shorts. BUT, if you will turn your body sideways 90 degrees, and give yourself a little hop, you will cut through and rise above the wave that once knocked you down.

The same is true in life, you can choose to either rise or resist. To rise you need to lean into it, become more agile, and give yourself a little hop. To resist will cause you to be thrown down by life everytime, because, as the BORG say in Star Trek, "Resistance is Futile".

There is an old saying that preachers and leaders like to make to motivate people, "When the water rises, all the boats float". Oh how I wish that were true. The problem is, I have found that with boats, as with people, there are two tings that keep that from happening.

Number 1 - They are tied too tightly to the dock. I found out at a young age in VA that you have to leave slack in the line when you tie up a boat or the tide will damage it as it rises and falls. When it drops, the boat can have the cleats pulled too tightly and can rip them off, or cause the boat's side to be damaged by the dock. When the tide comes back in, because it always does, if you are tied too tightly, it will drag the boat under.

Some people need to let go of the dock. If you are holding too tightly to the past, the traditions, the pain, the hurt, or maybe even the successes, it may be time to let out some rope. I am not saying to let go all together, because then you will just float away. I am saying don't hold those things so tightly to you chest. Leave a little room for the tides to rise and fall.

Number 2 - They have holes in their boats. If you ever get to Saint Lucie County, Florida, drive down Indian River Drive. It is a breathtaking view of the Indian River, the barrier islands, and the Atlantic Ocean just beyond. But it is also littered with the shells of old boats. Boats that failed to give enough rope to rise with the tide, and boats that, for whatever reason, leaked. When the water came back in, instead of the boat rising, it filled up.

Maybe the reason you have been resisting change is because the last time change came you were damaged, and you had a breach in your hull. I want to challenge you to take some time, hit the dry dock. Put your life on hold for a season, and patch the holes. I know, that means you will have to actually deal with some issues that you have been burying, but it will also mean you can finally begin to rise on top of the waves instead of constantly being beaten by them. So call the Pastor, get some counseling, confront the pain, overcome the fear, ask for forgiveness, accept Christ as your Savior and follow Him, whatever the hole is in your life, take some time to repair it...NOW! Because one thing I do know, the tide is getting ready to come back in again, and you can either rise to the top and see sights you have never been able to see while sitting on the ocean floor, or you can continue to resist and allow the waves of life to keep beating you further down.

So, will you rise or will you resist? Will you let go of some of the rope holding you to the past? Will you take the time necessary to repair you leaks, your marriage, your relationship with your kids, your relationship with Jesus? Or will you continue to live in denial and keep doing it your own way?

In the words of Joshua, "Choose you this day who you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord". The choice if all yours, the ball's in your court, and the tide is on it's way back in...rise above it today!

Three things I have learned about walking by faith…

Daniel 3:16-18 (NIV) Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”


I you have spent any time at all in church as a kid you probably have heard the story of the three Hebrew boys and the fiery furnace. If not, lee me recap, there are three boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego (not their real names – long story for another time…) Anyway, these boys have been commanded, along with the rest of the Babylonian Empire, to boy down and worship an idol that was made by the King, Nebuchadnezzar. As you read above in The Message version of the Bible, they said “No!”. This makes the king very unhappy so he threatens to throw them all into a fire and burn them as an example to anyone else who would get the same idea.

This is where it gets good, they make a statement to him in two sentences that have absolutely revolutionized my thinking. I don’t know about you, but I have a thinking problem. Every time God promises something I start with the “What is he doesn’t?” stuff. It really drives me crazy and makes me mad all at the same time. You know what I’m talking about, God says He wants to bless you or heal you or whatever, and we believe for a minute, then we start the how, when, where questions. We know we heard from God for our lives, but we still struggle with doubt.

I have found that faith is actually the exact opposite of the natural, human reaction and thought process. In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 10:39 (NIV) ”Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” In Matthew 19:29 He said, “…the last will be first and the first last.” In our world the first are first and the last are, well, last, but Jesus has come to bring a new kingdom, new thought and a new reality.

So back to the Hebrew boys and thre three things they taught me. Number one, they teach us that God can do it. v. 17a - If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it… They had no doubt as to God’s ability to perform. In order to truly walk in faith you have to know that He can do anything. You have to believe He is your source, your supply, your everything. The first thing I had to learn to walk by faith and not by sight was that God CAN. That simple.

If I do not believe He is able to that I can not make it to the next step, that I believe He will. v.17b- and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. Step one is knowing He can, step two is believing He will for you. It is easy to believe that God spoke everything in existence and that He can heal the sick, and that He can provide all you need according to His riches in glory. It is another thing entirely to make that personal and believe He will for you and for me.

The three amigos were not happy just knowing that God could do something, but they were facing a very personal need and they believed that He would do it again, FOR THEM! How much more would we accomplish, or at least attempt, if we truly believed that God would take care of us?

That brings us to the third and final lesson, v. 18- But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Even if He does not come through for us, we will still not bow, we will not stop, we will still believe and we will not worship any other God but our God.

This is the hardest thing for me personally to get my hands around. I know God has called me to do things, I believe He will, but now God is challenging me to walk with the determination that even if He does not answer the way I thought He should, I will not stop serving Him.

My prayer today for each of us is, “God let me know you can, let me believe you will, and let me trust you so much that I can say that even you don’t, I will serve you. This is the true attitude of faith and the attitude that can see God do the miraculous in our lives. It will allow us to truly walk without fear. What is the worst thing that can happen? Name it and get comfortable with it, and then get over it. God has not called us to love in fear, He has called us to walk by faith.

So what happens if he doesn’t come though as you thought He would? I think we are asking the wrong questions. The correct question should be, “What if He does?” Well in the story we read, it caused the entire nation to serve the true and living God. What about you, what would happen in your life if He really did do it? Would it turn your home, your job, your finances, your relationships upside down? What do you have to lose? Take on the attitude, “God Can, I believe that He WILL, but even if He does not, I will still walk in faith…” and watch God move in your life.

Share your stories with us today. Just go to The Bridge – Hot Springs FaceBook and go to the My Story page. Let us know what God has done in your life this year!

Port St. Lucie to Hot Springs

On October 4, 2007, three years ago today I was laid off from a very good job as The Director of Commercial Real Estate in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Our life had been in chaos for some time at this point and we were trying to find God's direction in it all. We knew what God had said to us and what we were called to do, but were not sure if that would be a reality again or not.



Within a week of that transition Deidre and I received a call from her mom, Dianne Bates in Hot Springs, AR, with an invitation to work with The Master's Table and begin a mission in this soup kitchen on Sundays to the down and out in Hot Springs. The problem was we were still in South Florida and Hot Springs was a long way away. So we did what we knew to do, we prayed and asked God for His direction. We had some very big issues that needed to be addressed, so I put out a "fleece" to God and said this is what has to happen for me to know it is your will for us to move to Hot Springs; 1. I needed a job there. 2. We had a house in Port St. Lucie, FL to sale in a pretty bad economy. 3. We did not have a place to live and no money to rent it if we did. 4. We did not have the means to make the move 21 hours across the country.



In late October, the 29th, I decided to come on out to Hot Springs for a few days to just check everything out. The day before I was scheduled to fly out I received a call from a national head-hunter I had contacted that said I have a potential job for you in, of all places, Little Rock. She said the only problem was I had to interview there immediately. I told her I was flying into Little Rock the next day and so the meeting was set. I was driven from the airport to the McCain Mall in North Little Rock, met with the mall manager, and in less than an hour I had the job. I left there with the first obstacle checked off.



That night I met with Doug & Lain Rodgers, the founders of the Master's Table. We hit it off and went to the facility the next day. We served 486 people that day, then had 30 return on Sunday for a mission service in which I spoke. By the time this was done I was sold. I called Deidre and told her we were moving to AR. I still did not have a place to live, our house sold, nor did we have money to move, but I had a word from God.



When I returned to Port St. Lucie we decided to go to dinner at Bennigan's. On the way home from dinner my car was rear-ended by a Ford F150. It did a good deal of damage and put me seeing a chiropractor for a couple of weeks. What Iwe did not know was that God was using this event to "give seed to the sower". We settled with the insurance company with all bills paid and $500.00 in cash for pain & suffering. Now we have been around long enough to know that "if it's not big enough to meet your need it must be your seed". We decided to sow that $500.00 in Pastor Clint Brown in Orlando. He was a great mentor and had been our covering pastor for over 5 years.



Within just a few days things started heating up. We had a couple of Hispanic men come to our front door at 9PM and asked to come in and see the house. They said they liked it and wanted to make an offer on it. We showed them around, against my better judgment at that hour, and sure to their word, they made an acceptable offer and bought the house; 2 down, 2 to go!



We then received a phone call from a lady in Hot Springs, she said, "We really feel this is a God thing. We will have signed a lease on a house for 6 months for you, we are going to pay for it and all you have to do it move in." 3 down! Then we received a call from a man who said he wanted to pay for our entire move; gas, hotel, food, everything. He sent me his credit card and that was that. On November 13th, 15 days form the time I flew to Hot Springs I was in a truck with my nephew Andrew and the Twins, Mikayla & Mariah, headed to Hot Springs, AR.



I wish I could say that it has been easy the whole time, but that would be a lie. But I can say, thanks to an initial $500 seed, and many since that, we have been able to walk into the purpose and destiny God has designed for us. My challenge to you is to step out in faith, sow into the ministry God has attached you to, watch God move on your behalf, oh yea go to http://www.facebook.com/note.php?created&¬e_id=100692326663310&id=151781231524220#!/pages/Tell-Us-Your-Story/151781231524220 and let us hear YOUR story.

Live Where You Are!

I am sitting in a Hampton Inn in Baton Rouge, LA. Pastor Jeff and I just left All Access 2010 Church Planter's Conference for the evening, what a day! We just sat through a message by the host Pastor of The Healing Place Church, Dino Rizzo who challenged us to not despise the small things. Everything starts small, but that is just the beginning...

My take away is that we need to "Live", truly live, where we are. So many times we spend our lives looking for what's next, praying for the next BIG thing, that we forget to enjoy where we are. I am in a town on the Gulf Coast, my family and my church are seven hours away and I am reminded of what is most important. I am so very blessed. I have the greatest wife and kids anyone could ask for. My wife, Deidre, is the most amazing, talented, gifted person I have ever met. She has spent her life giving of herself for people to be saved. She never ceases to amaze me with her love, compassion, and passion for The Bridge. My girls are the prize of my life. God has blessed me greatly. I am so blessed to be able to minister to the greatest church in Hot Springs! I have decided to live where I am and watch God take us to the next place.

Here is the point of my rambling, God has put you and positioned you right where you are. You have two choices, walk around the mountain for 40 years grumbling about where you are, or thank God for his provisions and blessings and watch Him remove every obstacle and take you into the promised land. In the words of John Maxwell, Bloom Where Your Planted! God has great things for you, enjoy the ride!

EPIC

It has been way too long since I sat down and put my thoughts to paper (or keyboard as it were). I am sitting in front of the fire in my living room at 5:30AM just thinking about how great and wonderful God is and decided it has been long enough.

We have just crossed into, not just a new year, but a new decade. For some of us we can remember a few of these transitions. I remember graduating high school 20 years ago in 1990 and the feeling of anticipation I felt to finally be "in the nineties". Then who can forget Y2K, the year 2000. A transition into a new millennium with its confusion, uncertainty, fear and yes, amazingly disappointing total lock down of all things electronic. (That didn't happen for those who are confused right now, but Microsoft did post record sales in Windows related upgrades that year, just saying.)

We are once again standing at the entryway of a new decade, 2010. We have crossed the threshold and are looking into a new time, a new era, with excitement, fear, frustration, expectation, and longing. Longing for this year to be better than last year. To finally live up to the resolutions we made two days ago, for our marriage to be better, or jobs to be better, to make more money, to lose weight, to pray everyday, or to stop smoking.

It is against this backdrop that God has placed a single word in my spirit for 2010 - EPIC. I believe this year, this decade, will be an epic one for God's people. Epic means to go beyond what is ordinary or commonly accepted in scope and size. I believe this year the body of Christ will begin to see different than it has ever before (scope) and that vision will cause us to become greater than we have ever imagined (size).

Habakkuk said that, "even though the vision takes a little longer to get here than you would like, wait for it. It will come, that you can depend on". I am sitting in my living room at 5:30 in the morning with a prophetic message for you today, your life it getting ready to turn a corner. You are in the place of transition, moving from one arena to another.

In the math world the number 10 is significant because it transitions us from counting in single digits to double, or from 1's to 10's. It begins a new system of measurement. It takes us from simple addition to multiplication. God is speaking, through this Epic year that you are going to be moving to a different counting system. Your church will not be able to count the same as it has before. Your life is exploding this year to a new level. Your relationships are transitioning to a new depth of intimacy.

This year, 2010, is an Epic year for every child of God, every Christ follower. Take your vision, write it down, make it plain. Picture yourself walking in it. Take the time to put together a Vision Board, see it, feel it, smell it and live it. This is the year of faith, of advancing, this is an Epic Year! God bless!!!

Jesus & the Swine Flu

We are facing a "pandemic"! People are running through the streets donned with surgical masks and hand sanitizer. We are walking our days out in fear and anxiety over who had, has or will have the dreaded virus.

While I am not here to minimize the threat, and even horrible loss that has been connected to this sickness, I do want to take a minute and see how Jesus handled the issues of sickness in his day.

We are called to be followers of Christ. As children we all played "Follow the Leader", the basketball game "Horse", "Simon Says", or some other game that called for us to follow after someone else and do whatever they did. As followers of Christ we are called to play a similar game, to do what he did and, in his words, even great things.

Leprosy was a big deal in his day. It was contagious and people would walk around the leper colonies to avoid contact. When a leper came around other people they were required to make the statement "unclean, unclean" so people would not get too close. But in Matthew 8 Jesus reached out and touched them, and even crazier, healed them. In fact, not one time in the Bible does Jesus say the word leprosy, he never acknowledged the sickness, just the person.

James 5 says that if you are sick the elders of the church are to "anoint you with oil and the prayer of faith will save the sick". Instead of running away from and avoiding the sick, Jesus and the disciples went after them.

We are going to be devoting this Sunday at The Bridge to this end, saving those who are sick! If you know anyone that is suffering from any sickness bring them with you this week. We are believing God is going to do great and mighty things in the lives of HIS people!

Pass this on to anyone you know that needs prayer and let them know there is still a community of Christ followers that are "following our leader"! Visit us one the web at www.thebridgehotsprings.org for information and directions!

The Horrible Truth About Your Pastor (By Mark Johnston)

A ministry friend of mine, whom I have known for many years put this on his most recent blog and I feel to pass it on to you today. There are so many emotions I felt while reading it that I feel it is worth the hand-off to you. God bless!


He’s a human being.

"Yep. He worries – like you do. He puts his pants on (or she puts her pants on – or her skirt… or, well, you get the picture) one leg at a time… just like you do. He gets overwhelmed… just like you do.

He feels pressured sometimes. Fifty years ago, he would’ve been a success if he helped people grow close to God. Today, to be a “success” he needs the gift-set of a CEO. He’s supposed to keep attendance and finances on a steadily upward trajectory, speak with a remarkable blend of hipness/diplomacy/skill/humor/passion/anointing, smile constantly, maintain a blog, twitter, network, write a book, regularly convert other Starbucks customers to Jesus, speak at conferences, be covered in at least one national publication… and in his spare time help people grow close to God.

The thing is he’s not a superhero to be revered or an archaic throwback to be derided or a goofball to be avoided. He’s a human being who happens to have been called by God to help you grow spiritually. He’s a leader and a servant; a boss and a busboy; a vision-caster and an empathic listener. Sometimes he leans too far in one direction, sometimes in the other. That’s because he’s human.

But here’s what else I know about your pastor: he prays for you. He works hard to shepherd and feed you. Know why? Because he loves you. He loves you, the passionate Jesus-follower who gives their best to Christ and his body… He loves you, the faithful supporter who’s always at everything… He loves you, the sporadic attendee who assures him “you’re plugged in” when you both know you’ll forget you said that by the time you get to the parking lot… He even loves you, the critic who questions his vision and motives and the direction of the church when he’s not around to defend himself.

His heart, all at once, bubbles over with anticipation and hope for you when you move forward, grasp a little more of God’s grace, and do good for others… and breaks for you when you stumble, suffer, or slack off spiritually. He loves to see you succeed, rejoicing with you in your victories. He hurts to see you fail, weeping with you over your weaknesses. He forgives you. He hopes you’ll forgive him too.

He has nothing to gain in this world by leading and serving you. He’s burned his bridges. All of his “could’ve been’s” have died at the cross of Jesus so he could do this. And you know what? He doesn’t mind at all. If he was asked to run as president, he’d decline… because pastoring you – and doing it well – is more important to him than anything else in the world.

I just thought you’d want to know. Your pastor, whoever he or she may be, is first of all a human being just like you; who just happens to have been called by God to help you grow spiritually.

And he’s glad. I hope you are too."

Creativity & Teamwork

I am sitting in my parent's office at their house. We are in South Florida getting ready for the weeding of the century on Saturday and catching up with old friends. It has been a great trip so far. We had dinner with John & Brenda Paquette. They are some of the most creative people I know. We just bounced ideas off of them and got a lot of input and ideas back.

It got me thinking about our gifts and abilities. We are all gifted in so many different ways. But when we put them all together in a team we can accomplish much more than by ourselves. I am learning that in order to do what God has called it takes a great team. This is no one man show. The old school Senior Pastor and everyone else attending will only allow you to go so far, but when you equip and empower a group of people to apply their strengths, your potential is unlimited.

I am so excited about the bridge because God has begun to bring together a great team. We are in the learning phase and are getting to know each other, but as synergy is developed we will be able to apply the individual strengths to the team and watch what God will do.

If you are reading this and you are trying to do life alone, it's time to rethink some things. We have been challenging The bridge to a 10-10 Challenge, now being renamed as the 3:10 challenge. Spending 10 minutes a day in prayer, praying for 10 minutes for 10 people to be saved and being a part of a small group with 10 people - because you were never designed to live life alone.

Doing What You Love...

I am sitting in Starbucks working on this blog, making contacts with people, planning the rest of my day and just enjoying what God is doing in my life. We had a new small group kick off last night, Success iN Life (SNL). It is designed to help people find true, Biblical success in their lives. We talked about what success looks like last night. We had a white board out and people gave words to define success. We had money, security, "Mother Theresa", but my favorite was from Mike Bates, he said, success for me is Happiness. Wow what a statement. I believe that true success is seen in that simple word that most of us find hard to find - happiness.

The true test of success in life is whether or not you are truly happy where you are. The Bible says, "the joy of the Lord is our strength". The word joy denotes happiness. I have heard many people preach that joy and happiness are two different things, I don't thank so. I think that when you are fulfilling God's purpose for your life, you can truly say I am happy - right now, where I am! That is truly freeing.

Now, don't get me wrong, in this world you will have trouble, BUT BE OF GOOD CHEER, He has overcome the world. In other words, you can be happy even in the middle of trouble, if you know you are living the life God has purposed for you to live.

I believe that every person has been given the gifts and talents necessary to fulfill the purpose you have been given life to achieve. Like Esther in the Old Testament, you are here for such a time as this. While I do not believe in predestination in the Calvinist tradition, I do believe that God has a purpose, and yes, even a destiny for your life. The key is unlocking that destiny and your potential to be all you were created to be.

So, how do I do that, how do I "get happy"? Well it starts with a relationship with your maker. You have to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ to be able to have him share your propose with you. Then you have to learn to hear his voice, this comes from reading his word and spending time listening in prayer to the Spirit speaking to you.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, determine your purpose, and begin to take the steps necessary to achieve that purpose. Maybe that means going back to school, or getting your finances in shape, of making that very important decision to become a follower of the Christ. Wherever you are today, throw caution to the wind, put up your sails and see where the Spirit blows your life today!

By the way, I will be preaching next week, August 16, in Melbourne, FL at Fusion Church, Sunday at 10:30AM. Pastor Brian Gregory and I would love to see you there, contact me for more information!

Until next time...

No Perfect People Allowed...

BEST POEM IN THE WORLD

I was shocked, confused, bewildered,
As I entered Heaven's door.
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

And why's everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.
Hush, child, He said, they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.

I think we all fit in this category from time to time. We all "Think of ourselves a little higher than we ought". But I have learned that God does not look at the outward appearance, but the heart.

At The Bridge we have become a church of mis-fits, just like David's crew in I Samuel 22:1- (The Message) So David got away and escaped to the Cave of Adullam. When his brothers and others associated with his family heard where he was, they came down and joined him. 2 Not only that, but all who were down on their luck came around—losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts. David became their leader. There were about four hundred in all. At The Bridge we love seeing what God can do in the lives of messed up people.

We just finished a series based on the book, No Perfect People Allowed. Together we learned that God came for the messed up, that you can come as you are! If that describes you, great, you are the reason Jesus came to the Earth - the sick are in need of a physician, not the well...

I'm Coming UP!

I was just talking to Gus this morning and he reminded me of a message I preached a few months back. (Its good to know someone is actually listening!) I decided to make it the topic of this blog. As we stand in this economic climate we need to be reminded that everything that goes down, in the Kingdom, must come up!

Matthew 19:30 (NIV)- But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

Matthew 19:30 (TMNT)- This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.

In this world we understand that what goes up must come down, but the spiritual world is a kingdom of opposites. It’s a world where the last will be first, where the poor say they are rich and the weak say they are strong. It’s a world where in order to get you have to give, and to increase you must decrease. It’s a world where his strength is made perfect in our weakness. It’s a kingdom that if you want to go up you have to go down. Though you walk through the fire you will not be burned…. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death you will have no fear… In this world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world! And everything that goes down is destined to come up. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy’s coming in the morning! The very fact that you are down is an indication that you are on your way back up!

2 Corinthians 4:7 (TMNT) If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. ⁸ As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, ⁹ but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven’t broken.

Romans 8:35 (NIV) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You may be going down right now, but hold on for a minute, cause your on your way back up with more power and energy that you have ever had before.

Pastor James, why do I have to go down in order to go up, that’s a great question, I’m glad you asked it! Newton's first law: law of inertia- Every body perseveres in its state of being at rest… except insofar as it is compelled to change its state by force impressed. In other words, we are will remain just like we are until the pressure to change becomes greater than the desire to stay where we are. Only when we are allowed to fall to the bottom do we then create the pressure to cause change in our lives.

Newton's third law: law of reciprocal actions- For an action there is always an equal and opposite reaction… The pressure that is created in our lives that pushes us down is not just creating pressure, but also momentum. But remember for every action, the pressure pushing us down, there is an equal and opposite reaction, the momentum that will carry us higher than we were to begin with.

If I were bouncing a ball, the harder I try to push that ball down, the faster and higher is comes back at me. I can push as hard as I want, that ball is still going to respond to the pressure and bounce back to me faster than I push it down. Its like those power balls you get out of the dispenser at Wal-Mart. You can throw them down as hard as you want, but they will keep on bouncing back.

Anybody ever seen one of those things when you were a kid that when you hit it, it lays way over and bounces back up, cause its weighted at the bottom? No matter how hard you hit it, it always bounces right back up. Somebody needs to get a bounce back in their spirit. Somebody needs to look life in the face and say you may hit me and knock me down, but I have to go down in order to come back up.

I may be down now, but I am on my way back up. I may have fallen down one more time, but I have a bounce back in my spirit and I’m on my way back up! Tell ‘em, I’m like George and Wheezy, "Baby, I moving on up…"

There’s a song by the great American Theologian, Rodney Adkins, that says, If you're going through hell, keep on going, don't slow down, if you're scared, don't show it. You might get out before the devil even knows you're there. If you're going through hell, keep on moving, face that fire, walk right through it. You might get out before the devil even knows you're there

It’s time for someone today to make their mind up that you will not quit. I will not give up! I might be down, but everything that goes down, MUST come up!

Take a Stand...

I was reading Isaiah 7 in the Message this morning in my devotion and God began to speak to me in verses 9-11. It says "...If you don't take a stand in faith, you won't have a leg to stand on." ..."Ask for a sign from your God. Ask anything. Be extravagant. Ask for the moon!"

As I was reading this my spirit began to jump. God was telling me it is the season of harvest, the season for faith to be increased. He literally issued a challenge to me this morning to ask him anything. I believe there are many of us who have sown in tears, but now is the time to bring in the harvest rejoicing. Now is the time to fill the barns. We have been building bigger barns, expanding the tent posts and expanding our territory, now God is ready to fill them.

Stand in faith, pray in faith, walk in faith, ask in faith, give in faith. Ask for great things from your God. Stop asking for "believable" things, the things you are pretty sure God can do. Meaning the things that if God does not do, you can pull off yourself. Be extravagant, over the top in your faith. Design the ministry God has placed in your heart and ask for the finances, the staff, the facilities, the people, the buses, the sidewalk trucks, the sound systems, the resources to make it a reality.

Ask for the moon! The time has come that we lose our "earthly" thinking. It's time to shoot for the stars, to have faith that propels us to the heavens.

God is challenging us to move beyond this life of doubt cloaked in false humility. Walk in boldness and confidence knowing that he who began a good work in you is able to finish what he started. He is able to do EXCEEDING, ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL we can ASK or even IMAGINE!

So dream big dreams, pray big prayers, walk in big faith because if you don't stand on faith you won't have a leg to stand on!

The Walk of Faith

I am learning a lot about this walk we call faith. Faith is sometimes this mystical thing that we talk about, but may time confuse as a noun, when in actuality it is a verb. Many people say they walk in faith, when what they are doing is walking in the faith. This faith walk requires more than just knowledge about God, it requires that we chase after God. It is getting up every day and walking where God says walk and doing what God says do.

I am learning that this starts with the little things. There is an experiment in the world of theoretical physics called the Butterfly Effect. This theory states that in the perfect situation, and the right environmental conditions that if a butterfly flaps its wings of the coast of Africa it could result in a hurricane in NY. While this theory may be a little far fetched, it proves a very valuable point. Even the littlest things have great consequences.

There was a scientists named Fermi', he invented the ferimeter which measures things as small as 10:16th power (meaning very tiny) He demised that even the smallest things have tremendous effect on the things around us.

So, my point is this, when we walk by faith we automatically look for the big stuff, the walking on water, the healing of the sick, the financial breakthrough. But God is challenging me to look at the everyday decisions that I make in life. Am I making decisions based on faith or fear? Am I pursuing a life that places obedience to the leading of the Spirit of God ahead of personal security? Am I truly walking in faith?

My challenge to you today is look for the little things, the choices, your attitude, your perspective, your conversation. (Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. Whatsoever things are ...pure and lovely...think on these things!) Walk in faith today!

Where's the Wind Blowing?

John 3:8 (The Message) You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.”

When you enter this life of following after the Christ you enter into a life no longer guided by the same landmarks as your old life. The old life is measured by tangible things, years, money, possessions, titles. The new life is measured by the things you cannot see, faith, hope, love, grace, mercy, maturity. The old things are visible, tangible, they are perceived by your senses, you can taste, touch, smell, see and hear them. This new thing is visible as to the effects, you can see and hear where happened after the fact.

This new thing is driven by the wind of the spirit. Like a natural wind, it is invisible, yet it can be seen, it is mad of "nothing" yet it can produce something. Our job in life it to learn to ride the wind. To learn to perceive the direction, the speed and the destination of the wind. To put up the sails of our lives and catch the uncatchable, and hold the intagible.

This is the source of great frustration for most. For sometimes the wind seems to be clear, it is blowing NNW at 50 miles/hour. Other times is seem to be still, and yet other times it seems to be spinning widly in circles. These are the times that we have to know who is in control of the wind. Jesus is the master of the uncontrolable, as the Disciples said, "Even the wind and the waves obey him".

In the middle of the hurricane, tornado, stillness or breeze you are in right now, take you hands off the controls and allow the master to steer the ship. You may not be able to navigate this storm, you may not be able to make the boat move, you may be going in a direction that is oppostie what you thought, allow Jesus to speak to the wind in you life today.

Stop right now and say Jesus, I give you control of my life. Now take a deep breath and watch the effects of the wind, for the steps of a righteous man and woman are ordered after the Lord. He said he knows the plan he has for you, a plan to bless you and give you a future and a purpose! Speak to the wind today Jesus!

Something Stinks!

In John 11 there is a story about a man named Lazarus. He was a man that was a dear friend of Jesus, but one day he died. Jesus, hearing that he died, stalled. He took a few days just hanging out, knowing that his friend was dead. I have some personal issues with this text, but this is not about my need for therapy, there is a very important point buried in here that God wants you to get.

Verse 15- Jesus says I am glad I was not there when he died, so that you can believe. There are some things in our lives that have died. Important things, things that meant a lot to us. Our dreams, our passions, our direction. These things have died on purpose. I need to say that again. God has ALLOWED some things to die in our lives, so that we may believe.

We all have things that have died, we have buried them, walked away and stopped allowing ourselves to think what might have been. But then out of no where Jesus shows up and says that thing is not dead, it's just asleep and I am here to wake it back up in you. But many times our response is, "Jesus its been dead for a long time, now it just stinks". Jesus is saying to you today, "I am the resurrection and the life, he that is in me, thought he were dead, yet shall he live".

Today, you have some things that are dead, that stink, in your life; your finances, your dreams, your relationships. It is that very fact that attracts Jesus to your house. The reason that thing died is so He can walk in and restore your faith. What an amazing dichotomy, he let it die so that your faith can live!

So I ask you today, what's that smell? Something stinks!

Somebody needs to walk in their house today and declare "Something stinks!" (then apologize to your husband). Shake off the spirit of heaviness and fear, Jesus is on his way. He has been waiting for it to get good and ripe, so you would believe again.

Just a thought...

Friction -vs- Traction

I am reading a book by Erwin McManus called Unstoppable Force and he makes the distinction between friction and traction. The same issue, substance or obstacle that causes friction in our lives also gives us traction to overcome it. I think over some of the greatest obstacles in my life and have to say they have been just that, friction (pain, road-rash, etc...) and traction. The very things that I asked God to remove have been the platforms to get me to where I am today.

Had we not gone through the struggles we did pastoring our first church, The Sanctuary, we would never have joined the staff at New Life Christian Centre. Had we not joined that staff we would never have received the experience and training to see the amazing growth and momentum we are enjoying at The Bridge - Hot Springs today. It is easy to curse the darkness, but remember if it were not for the darkness you would never enjoy the light.

Two things I learned in the darkness that have kept me until daybreak:

1. Never let go of His hand. There is an old song, "When you can't see his face, trust his heart". I say, "When you can't see His face, hold on for dear life!" When Peter started to sink, Jesus reached out for him, or probably more accurate, Jesus reached out and Peter grabbed Him. The best place to be when you are sinking is holding on to the Rock.

2. Learn all you can. When it's darkest it seems like your other senses step up to compensate for the loss of sight, especially your hearing. When you are in the dark, listen carefully. John Maxwell says when you fall, pick something up while your down there. Don't be too quick to jump back up. Learn all you can. Listen to the Spirit, to mentors, to friends. The more you learn while you are there the better your chances are of not being there again.

Lastly, know you are not alone. Even though it is dark and you cannot see anyone around you, know there are many others in the dark with you. One commonality we all have is that we all find ourselves in the dark from time to time...