What’s important?

This is probably the hardest Christmas I have ever experienced. Things are tight financially and we still have a house for sale in another state. But, we are closer to family. This season, we had a chance to have Thanksgiving with my brother, participate in my family Christmas and this weekend we will be traveling to spend Christmas with both sides of my wife’s family. Also, I have a chance to reconnect with school friends that I have not seen in over 10 years!

Maybe we cannot get our children everything that they want. Maybe I cannot get my wife something that she really deserves for going through one of the roughest years we have known. We still get to see family and friends! We have not experienced the business and stress to get a Nintendo Wi this year – which is a good thing.

So far this has been one of the best and fulfilling Christmas’ I have ever known. The next time you get stressed this year – remember what is important. Remember to keep your focus. I believe you will be blessed if you do…

Your Fired!

Well, it really did not go down like that. I was let go not based on my performance. As I reflected in the weeks and months that followed my letting go, I was a part of a miracle of the Lord! Too bad the other leaders did not see the Lord working. I was let go based on the budget. I am starting to here that this is starting to be common place among the North American church. Poor spending and getting in way over our heads in dept all in order to have a building with all the toys in it. Why, because we needed to be culturally relevant! Yes, I was let go so that the church can make a mortgage payment. Bricks and mortar were chosen over people. It was a typical scenario that we are seeing – church becoming more like a business than the body of Christ!

Am I spoutin’ – why yes I am! But as the last several months unfolded in my life, I saw that getting fired was one of the best things that have happened to me in my ministry career. People told me this during the storm but I did not see it! Through this experience the Lord has taught me what HE desires from my leadership and ministry. That is to be shepherd. To place a high value on people. To enjoy the journey and not get so focused on the mission or vision that relationships take a back seat.

What about this church? I do not know. I am still in contact with people there but refuse to know or discuss the ministry there. I have forgiven, and have handed that ministry to Christ. If He chooses to bless then it will be blessed. If not, well then it will suffer the fate that many churches in North America are experiencing right now.

I am thankful for the time spent there. It was a place that the Lord used to sharpen my leadership skills and cemented in my life and ministry various Spiritual Gifts and abilities. Through this experience I have also learned the true meaning of the church and forgiveness…

God Given Creativity

I know that there there is becoming an age old question in ministry these days; What do you think about using other peoples sermons? I remember reading from Bill Hybles a couple years ago on an article that was passed out a the Leadership Summit stating that when you purchase a sermon series from Willow, use it to spark creativity but do not copy. Now, I have been in a pinch before and have done this. What I am talking about here is the weekly abuse of the pulpit plagiarism.

I really only have three things to say about this; one is that writers get sued if they write other peoples words and students in college and graduate schools get kicked out of school for doing the same thing that pastors are doing week in and week out in America's pulpits - PLAGIARISM.

Secondly, I am coming to the belief that pastors who do this feed there people scrapes from other pastors plates. They lack the Faith that the Lord will use them and the words the Holy Spirit gives them during methodical preparation to launch life change.

Lastly, if you look at the basic principles of effective communication; Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, Ethos referrers to the speakers integrity, trustworthiness, and knowledge of the content. If we as communicators continue to steal other people sermons, well.... we have very little integrity and little Faith that the Lord will use us and that the Lord has given us creativity.

Will I ever use other peoples sermons - I know that that there will be a time when I have to. But the difference is that we should let our hearers know this - it keeps our Ethos is tact. I also believe that there is nothing wrong with using these sermons as a spring board for your own creativity. I believe that is why they are out there. Anyway, those are my random thoughts about this topic. Until next time...