This coming Sunday night I am Taking InDependence on the Road (sort of). I just wanted to let all my “groupies” know. This is the first time I have ever been invited to preach a revival. To be honest I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I have preached outside of my home churches. It isn’t really something that I have pursued so I guess if you aren’t asking for opportunities you probably aren’t going to get many. Combine that with not knowing too many people and not being that evangelistically talented, you get a pretty lean preaching schedule. Even though the environment at The River is pretty different than
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Exhilaration, joy, pain, peace, anxiety, humbled, proud, fulfilled, desiring, exhausted, pumped… so many emotions…so little energy to process it. I know that it has been a while since I blogged and I would apologize but I was working diligently toward today and it paid off HUGE! I will get to that in a moment but some of those emotions I need to layout really quick for my own posterity.
I am exhilarated because it’s here! The day that we have been looking toward since early December of last year and planning for the past six months. I am als exhilarated because it is over. What an incredible amount of effort - mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually but it was SO worth it. (Don’t worry I’ll get to that!)
I have joy because we experienced victory today. Victory over the people that doubted, including myself at times. We had victory over the enemy that has been diligent in his efforts to keep us from this day. I have pain because I almost ripped my thumb nail off on a section of stage and sliced my fingers on a cart. That just means we had blood, sweat and tears. But it was worth every drop of each.
I have peace because I know that even though we couldn’t do everything, I know that we did all that we could do and brought glory to God’s name. I believe that we did Him proud today and really nothing else matters. I have anxiety because the day went amazingly smooth but I know we have to do it again. Not only do it again but I want to do it better.
I am humbled because God chose me to experience all of these emotions. I am humbled by the fact that God chose me to perform one of the most important roles in His earthly kingdom. I am proud of the effort that our volunteers put in and the spirit of excellence with which they did it. We turned Sagemont School into a great place to do church. The pictures taht are attached later don’t begin to do it justice.
I am fulfilled because we had a GREAT response with a lot of positive feedback our first time out of the trailer (box). I desire to accomplish so much more, to reach so many more, and to infect Weston with the love of Christ.
I am exhausted because there was an insane effort involved to pull it off. I am pumped because God met every need with volunteers to share the load at just the right time. We walked by faith, did all that we could do and as one of our core values states, we prayed like it depended on God and worked like it depended on us. In the end, as He always does, God came through BIG.
I know that everybody is expecting me to rattle off some statistics from our first service and tell you how many people were there, how we did in the offering, etc. Well to be honest God and I had a little conversation about that last night because I was pretty wrapped up in some of those things. I have some pretty good intentions because numbers have some value. Church is a business (one of the most important businesses in the world) that takes people and finances to operate. Without people, volunteers, staff to help carry out the vision, there really is no vision. Without the finances to do outreach, to market, to pay rent, etc. your ministry is dead in the water. God reminded me that there really is only one number that matters… that is the number that we increase heaven by.
I wish that I could say that we helped somebody become a Christ follower today, but I can’t. What I can tell you is that I think God is sending the right people so that I won’t have to give a 0 number every week. God is up to crazy stuff and I am just so in love with Him that I am sick. You know how you feel when you want to be with a person so bad that you just hurt. I know it could be the lack of sleep or the fact that we have been living on pizza, but that is not it. I just want to give you on example of God’s choreography from this past week…
I blogged a while back that I was going back to work to make some ends meet. So I found an Architectural Firm in Boca that hired me and I actually started this last Monday. Financially I needed to start last Monday even though I really would have liked to wait until next week. Here’s God’s plan: So because they are using a different CADD (Computer Aided Drafting & Design) program then I was using they wanted to send me to a refresher course. So Monday through Wednesday I was in this class and discovered that my instructor lived in Weston. So I intended to wait until Wednesday to give him an invitation to our Test Drive.
At lunch on Wednesday he brought up church and God allowed an open door to tell him while I was really here. He seemed interested but I wasn’t going to be too pushy. After lunch I gave him the invite and at the end of class the subject of our weekend schedule came up. I was telling about Church on Wheels coming Saturday and the training to set up and tear down. Out of the blue he says, what time are you starting and I can bring my son and we will help you. I did a little happy dance on the inside because I knew that five members of my team were not going to be able to make it.
So long story short… they came, worked like dogs all day, go home and invite all of their neighbors who are some wonderful people that seem extremely interested in doing ministry with us in Weston and were excited that we were starting this church. One family was so excited they took probably 100 invitations and is going to door hang her entire neighborhood. Can I get a YEAH GOD!
Can I tell you that I was discouraged to have to go work a secular job? In one sense I felt like a church planting failure because we couldn’t get started fast enough to enable me to maintain a salary and financially I had placed my family in a challenging position. I have always found that providing well for my family has been very important to me so to have to tell my wife that the end of the rope is very close and need this job otherwise…was incredibly painful for my ego. Even though my humanity hurt my spirit was incredibly calm. To be honest my wife and I actually laughed. This was just one more near calamity to add to the list and we knew that God would get glory we just were unsure at what expense.
So we made up our minds that whatever the cost… and as always God gets the glory. I think there will be much more to this story later and I can’t wait for the next turn to see how God is going to use this chain of events to lead to even greater things.
I know this blog was a book but I would love to tell you more because God is just that awesome and today God blew me away! If I didn’t have to get up and go to work… I have put in some pictures of what InDependence sanctuary looks like.
InDependence1
InDependence2
InDependence3
By the way for any church planters out there who read this let me just tell you to do preview services a month apart because I can’t imagine trying to do this again next week…
It has been a week since my last post and some of you may be wondering why. Well since my last post I have been on a whirlwind tour that included Tampa and also northeastern Ohio. Monday and Tuesday of last week I spent in Tampa with some other COG (Church of God) church planters. The group has expanded which is really awesome because each new face represented a new congregation of Christ followers. Even though a majority of them are revitalizing existing congregations it is exciting to see God resurrecting some dying churches and giving them new life. I am not sure which is more difficult starting with nothing or starting with baggage but I know that God will get the glory either way.
The COG has brought in a coach for all of us, Dr. Owen Weston which we will be meeting with once a month. It is exciting to see the use of some talented outside resources to assist us in the state to be more successful. I don’t know how many other states around the country are being this aggressive regarding church planting/revitalizing but I don’t think there are many within our denomination.
While in Tampa us church planters had dinner with the State Council and Dr. Martin Taylor (State Bishop) shared his heart regarding us and the vision he carries for the rest of the state. Even though I had heard the basics of this before I enjoyed the refresher. When he started the discussion he said that he liked taking opportunities like that to have new, existing and retired pastors in a small intimate gathering because he recognizes that in the 13 years since he has pastored that he has lost touch with the local church. Can I just say that the fact that he said that speaks volumes of his character, intelligence, and his desire to be a catalyst for change within the state? Thank you Dr. Taylor for recognizing it and making a great effort to connect with the pastor’s you represent. My opinion may be somewhat swayed by the fact that your vision is part of the reason I am here but I have heard similar opinions from many other pastors in our state.
All in all I had a great time on the trip even though I feel a little like the black sheep of our planting family. I am the only one this far south, one of two without a building, of the ones without a building I am the only one that parachuted into unfamiliar territory, and I am seemingly working off a different plan than everybody else. Even though that last part may not be by choice it is the direction we are going and I have some level of confidence in it. I am not one to back down so even though the challenge seems overwhelming at times, I know who sent me and we will keep pressing toward the goal. My prayer is that fear of failure isn’t the source of my will but that it is my desire to do what God is asking me to do that drives me. I don’t want to reach the goal and have unnecessary casualties or miss out on God’s perfect will. So continue to pray for us that we will get to the place God wants us, using the methods He intends for us to use.
We’re back from our mini retreat in Tallahassee with the people of Genesis Church. We had a great time, learned some things and also got some much needed alone time with my wife. We started the roundtable on Thursday night with a time of sharing our stories. It was funny how so many of stories had some similar characteristics, one of which Brian Hunter spoke about on Sunday, which is that our biggest seasons of growth come in the times of waiting. Almost all of us had our seasons on the back side of the desert like Moses, or in a pit like Joseph. There is a time of preparation before a time of spotlight. How you handle the season of preparation is a direct relation to the size of the stage which God elevates you to. This does not only apply to preachers but is evident in any direction that God may be leading you. God is at work even when your life feels a million miles away from your destiny.
Sermon over…I think Brian’s intentions for the roundtable were more relational than educational even though there is much to learn from a guy who has led his church from 8 to 1200 in 4 years. The best part was his openness to share his mistakes. I have listed them here because I know he would want others to learn from them:
1. Did not teach giving in the first 2 years.
2. Did not have effective leadership training.
3. Hired a person, not for a position.
4. Implemented some changes too quickly and too often.
5. Adopted multiple models.
Even though he listed five mistakes and only the three successes below, it would be tough not to argue that the victories outweigh the losses.
1. Organizational Process
2. Worship Experience
3. Marketing
When asked what my biggest take away from the roundtable was I said I was excited that I don’t have to be a super hero. It is okay to fail and it is okay to share your failures with those around you. You can learn together from them and move on. Brian has been the cutting edge in the Church of God, especially in our state, and it was good to experience his personality, including the humble spirit which he boldly leads out of. I enjoyed the times with the other guys because it is important to remember in the overwhelming days of this job that there are others out there just like you.
Even though I have many notes on Structure, Strategies and Systems I want to leave you with some basic principles we were given which are the foundation to Genesis Church’s success, besides the fact that they have a great leader. I know a little brown nosing, but he really is a genuinely great guy with a passion for the lost.
- If it doesn’t work small, it won’t work big!
- Organization is the key to long term success.
- 3 Leadership Principles to live by:
1. Fast now - Feast Later
2. Schedule the pain - schedule it early (Deal with difficult situation quickly)
3. Work you do today must be connected to your vision. (That includes spending time with your family because losing your family is not a part of your vision.)
- Simple is better.
- Less is more.
- Same is better than different.
- Start small. Do only a few things but do them with excellence.
- Deliver what you advertise.
I am packing my bags to go to Tallahassee for the rest of the week. Genesis Church’s pastor Brian Hunter has invited some of the Church of God planter’s to hang out with him for a day and a half for a roundtable coaching group. I am real excited because I love to glean from people but I also get to hang out with Rocky McKinley of Destiny Community Church in Newberry, FL (suburb of Gainesville) and Jason Turner who is planting a new church in Pensacola.
Even better than all of that is I get some alone time with my wife. We are dropping off Owen at his grandparents and we are traveling up together. The roundtable is Thursday night and all day Friday but we are going to stay over through Sunday to see how Genesis Church operates. So Saturday will be all about us. We will use a little bit of the time away to catch up on some sleep too. It seems like we both have been up way too late. I love my son beyond belief but this will be the longest span of time that we have been away together and I am looking forward to it. I know we will miss him like crazy but we need this time.
I’ll download some of the information when I get back. I did start the process of selecting a laptop today so in the near future I will be able to blog on the fly.
I spent the morning a World Harvest Church in Pembrook Pines where Earl Cushman is the Pastor. It was the first time being in their church and Pastor Earl should be proud of the job his team did as hosts. I am never a great judge of how many people are at an event but I believe there was in the neighborhood of 50 people in attendance representing congregations around south Florida. The south Florida Evangelism Director, Waymon Miller opened the seminar with the topic of Developing our Leadership Potential. Here are some highlights of his message:
Leadership develops daily, not in a day.
The secret of our success is found in our daily agenda.
- What can be discovered in our daily agenda?
1. Our Priorities
2. Our Passion
3. Our Abilities
4. Our Relationships
5. Our Attitude
6. Our Discipline Habits
7. Our Level of People Skills
8. Our Influence Ability
9. Our Vision
Leadership is developed on the foundation of trust.
- Trust is the glue that holds a congregation and its’ pastor together.
- Trust is built over time by demonstrating:
Consistent Character
Consistent Competence
Leadership requires both commitment and sacrifice.
Fundamentals to climbing the mountain of success:
1. You have to get up to go up!
Face your challenges head on.
2. You have to grow up to get up!
Maturing yourself to the level needed to face your mountain.
3. You have to gather up to go up!
You need a team and supplies to make the climb.
4. You have to give up to go up!
There will be things that you have to leave behind to make it to the top.
After Bishop Miller was finished he turned the seminar over to our State Administrative Bishop, Dr. J. Martin Taylor. I believe this is the third or fourth time that I have heard him speak but I feel that today was the best message yet. I think that was due in part to the fact that teaching leadership is a large part of his vision for the state and his passion. I don’t have enough time to type out all of the notes that I took but if you get an opportunity to attend one of these seminars I would suggest that you go. Bishop Taylor exemplified the traits of Nehemiah which was the heart of his teaching. As he said, he is a terrible teacher because he ends up preaching but whether it was teaching or preaching he did, he gave us an encouraging word. I was once told that a teacher is nothing more than a preacher in low gear, and a preacher is nothing more than a teacher in high gear.
The book of Nehemiah is one of the greatest lessons on leadership in the word short of the examples given by Christ himself. Nehemiah’s task to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem included dealing with a difficult boss, selling a difficult vision, rebuilding some walls and the spirits of the people, inspiring the people, and battling a bunch of people who didn’t want to see God’s people or their city restored.
The characteristics of Nehemiah that the Bishop talked about were:
- Nehemiah was first Spiritually Sensitive
- He was Divinely Favored
- Singularly Wise (Street Wise)
- Effectively Inspiring
- Supremely Focused
In addition to his inspiring study on the leadership ability of Nehemiah we were also treated to a great illustration using an egg and comparing it to us as church leaders:
An egg is full of itself.
Inside of an egg is egg and we often times can be full of ourselves too.
The shell is pretty hard but if you drain the egg the shell becomes incredibly fragile.
Such are we. If you remove the Spirit of God that resides in us we are a fragile shell. With the Spirit inside we are tough to crack as we move in the direction God has called us.
An egg can only be used if it is broken and poured out.
This is also the only way we can be used by God.
Lastly, once it is poured out, it is very difficult to gather back up.
When we pour ourselves out we need to do it to honor the Lord. Once we have given a portion of ourselves to something it is difficult to get it back.
The Bishop also challenged us with three simple questions regarding our ministries:
- Why am I here?
- What do you want me to do?
- How are we going to do it?
It was a great time of training and fellowship. I think that we have a lot to be thankful for in this state. We are truly blessed with some great visionary leaders that have more than political advancement on their mind. They are looking for Florida to become a part of advancing the Kingdom of God!
It has been a few days since I have posted in short because I have been out of town attending the Florida Church of God Summer Camp Meeting. This is a gathering of pastors and church laity from around the state gathering together to worship. A pep rally of sorts and an opportunity to catch up with each other.
This year was quite a different experience for me. For the first time I attended a morning service and more than two evening services. When we lived in central Florida my wife and I would just drive over for a night or two but this trip we got a hotel and stayed Wednesday through Friday. During the day I got some down time with Harmony and Owen at the pool, mall or park between services. I had some great meals with some of our states pastors and leadership. I got to spend some time with Travis Johnson’s new Arts Pastor Jesse Santoyo. I know Travis is excited about Jesse and his family being there, and he should be, because they seem to be awesome people. I also got to hang out with some other church planters from Pensacola, Jason and Susan Turner, which was great. It seems like over the past year God has blessed me with some great new relationships. Our State Bishop brought in some great speakers and I think on a whole was one of the most successful camp meetings in a while.
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