Ministry, money, abuse and the fallout

There are many things I love about being a pastor.  I love people, I love seeing God change people's lives.  I love seeing people set free from all types of bondages and addictions.  I love knowing I cant talk to God.  I love hearing that still small voice of the Holy Spirit.  Christ is real.  He is risen.  He is alive and is doing incredible things on our planet today.

There are certain things that, as a pastor with a heart for people, I can't stand.  Jim Allen does an excellent job summing up some of the erroneous practices of Television ministries.  Unfortunately, these are also practices that have crept into our local church.  Yes, it's been around for a while but it doesn't make it ok.  For a description of what I am talking about and the harm that it does, you can click here and read Jim's blog.

the fishing nightmare!

My wife got a friend, Craig Eason, and myself a fishing trip a 20 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean for my birthday.  I have gone fishing several times in the Gulf of Mexico but never in the Atlantic Ocean.  Craig and I boarded the boat after eating a big breakfast (mistake #1) ready for a big day of catching trophy fish!  After two hours riding out to sea to reach our fishing destination, I quickly realized that the north/south winds and east/west currents were rocking the boat in ways that caused my stomach to experience feelings it had never experienced before.  We had only been stopped for about five minutes when the first person got sick (and he was a LOUD yacker as well).  Many people followed suit, including Craig and me.  I have never been motion sick in my life but I guess there is a first for everything.  The next 4 hours saw both us hanging over the side of the boat.  It was a horrifying experience.  I was waiting for my organs to come out of my mouth.  On top of this, a little stocky fisherman from Oklahoma (probably about 11 years old) kept walking by us with plates of bacon and Ketchup. Did I mention it was 90 degrees?  It seemed like every time we got sick the fish would appear.  This young fisherman recognized this and asked my friend if he would “puke on his bait”.  Craig responded, “Son, this isn’t on demand!” 

The nightmare ended with Craig catching one fish and I caught NOTHING.  Not even a guppy! I tipped one of the salty boat workers because he had to clean off my side of the boat.  I honestly swore at one point that I would never fish, eat fish, swim, or touch a fish stick again in my life! 

After a LONG ride back to shore and a 2-hour car ride home, there was only one thing left to do in regard to dealing with this trip.  Laugh.  It’s amazing how many times some of the worst experiences in our lives can become endearing if we are willing to laugh at ourselves.  This will definitely be something that Craig and I will laugh at for years to come.  Hopefully, our next trip will involve far more fish and far less spewing!

Having a positive attitude.

Does anyone else struggle with keeping a positive attitude?  No matter how good things are, I can always see how they can be better.  I enjoy working with people and having fun but I have a lot of trouble being satisfied with where things are.  I fail at seeing the positives in life. 

Last week I attended a conference for ARC (Association of Related Churches) and Pastor Stovall Weems dealt with this subject.  He pointed out that in Genesis 1, God ended each day by looking at what he had done.   He always states that “it’s good”.  The message hit home on many fronts. I began realizing that I don’t look at life and see what is good.    I determined that every Monday I will journal nothing but the positive in my life.  No “but’s” or “what if’s” are allowed. 

Last week was my first attempt and I have to admit, it was much harder than I thought.  I kept thinking of how the good things could be better.  When all was said and done, I ended up with three.  Three?  Of all of the blessings in my life I could only think of three positives?  I kept thinking of a better version of the good stuff in life.  This week though is going better.  The week hasn’t been great, but I am now looking for the positives that are occurring all around me. 

Try it this week and I would love to know how it goes!

Spring Football and prepping for the next season...of life

Virginia Tech football has always been known for it’s tough, blue-collar mentality.  If we weren’t the most talents or most athletic team on the field, we would outhustle and outwork you for the win.  We would deliver a whoopin’ in every game.   Last year my Virginia Tech Hokies went soft!  Our offensive and defensive lines were manhandled.  Our receivers didn’t block and just seemed to go through the motions.  When players were asked what the problem was, almost to a person, they said it was a lack of leadership. 

Coach Beamer saw where things were trending.  He changed almost the entire offensive staff and brought in a group of coaches who had “been there” and new what needed to be done to right the ship. 

Spring practice has begun andI love seeing what the coaches are doing to change the environment. 

*more intense 6:00AM practices that are pushing the players and separating those who want to be great compared to those who are just going through the motions.

* Coach Loeffler is being more verbal and demanding of an offense, that underachieved and a quarterback who had some seriously bad habits that were detrimental to his game and the team.  Everything is going back to the basics.

*Bull in the ring!  Those words bring fear to every person who ever played football who didn’t want to hit (Dion Sanders?).  Coach Grimes is requiring toughness from an offensive line that was anything but tough last year.  Check out the video!

These coaches understand that you can’t wait until game time to change a team’s culture and habits.  It must be a day-by-day event that begins right now.  It’s true what they say, “you will play like you practice”.

What areas in life do we need to change now to see long term change in becoming who we want to be?

Who are the people we need to surround ourselves with (our coaches) who will help us get headed in the right direction?

May we all have the heart to want to be all that we can possibly be.  

What happened to the Apostles?

Happy Resurrection Day!  I think most people know what happened to Christ.  The unfair trial, the beatings, the crucifixion.  Then comes the resurrection!  I think to many Christians figured "Jesus suffered so my life can be easy."  We NEVER see this in Scripture.  To make the point, let's look at what happened to those closest to Christ.  His 12 Apostles.

For convenience, the Apostles are listed in the same order in which they appear in Leonardo's famous painting, The Last Supper:

Nathaniel traveled to India to preach to the people there, leaving behind a copy of the Gospel of Matthew.  The king there had him beaten with rods; and after having been thus scourged, was beheaded.

James the Lesser, according to Foxs' Book of Martyrs, was beaten, stoned and clubbed to death.

Andrew "It is generally agreed that he was crucified by order of the Roman Governor, Aegeas or Aegeates, at Patrae in Achaia, and that he was bound, not nailed, to the cross, in order to prolong his sufferings” during the reign of Nero in 60 AD.

Peter  It is believed that Peter was crucified upside down in Rome during the 60s.

Judas Iscariot was not a martyr. He killed himself after betraying Jesus.

John is believed to have died of natural causes, and he might have been the only Apostle to have done so.  He was imprisoned along with Peter by the Jewish authorities.

Thomas was killed with a spear, according to Foxs' Book of Martyrs: "Called Didymus, preached the Gospel in Parthia and India, where exciting the rage of the pagan priests, he was martyred by being thrust through with a spear."

James The martyrdom of James son of Zebedee is recorded in the New Testament of the Bible, in Acts 12:1-2. He was executed, with a sword, by order of King Herod Agrippa I in the year 44 AD: it was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. - Acts 12:1-2.  We also learn in Acts, chapter 12, that King Herod Agrippa I also imprisoned Peter for a while.

Philip was crucified, according to Foxs' Book of Martyrs: "He labored diligently in Upper Asia, and suffered martyrdom at Heliopolis, in Phrygia. He was scourged, thrown into prison, and afterwards crucified, A.D. 54."

Matthew was killed with a spear, according to Foxs' Book of Martyrs: "The scene of his labors was Parthia, and Ethiopia, in which latter country he suffered martyrdom, being slain with a halberd in the city of Nadabah, A.D. 60."

Thaddeus was crucified, according to Foxs' Book of Martyrs: "The brother of James, was commonly called Thaddeus. He was crucified at Edessa, A.D. 72."

Simon   Simon was crucified, according to Foxs' Book of Martyrs: "Surnamed Zelotes, preached the Gospel in Mauritania, Africa, and even in Britain, in which latter country he was crucified, A.D. 74."

I pray we remember that this is not our final reward.  And the price paid by believers who have gone before us and been martyred for their faith in Christ.

Ode To A Heroine Addict

This past week I had an incredible opportunity to join Pastor Marty and Ronda in speaking to a group of students at Anderson Seminary in Indiana.  The classroom experience was fun but what really made the trip for me was getting in touch with my roots.  My grandparents attended this same college in the 1930’s and I found their freshman yearbook pictures (just a side note, my grandmother turned 99 this year).  Anderson is also where I began school.  Lynhurst Elementary School is where I attended Kindergarten and 1rst grade.  I was able to find the old house where we lived and I was flooded with memories from when I was 5 and 6 years old. 

In the early ‘70’s, my dad was traveling a lot speaking at conferences and camp meetings.  He was on TV a number of times and was working in both prisons and corporate offices sharing the testimony of what God had done in his life and assisting others on their road to recovery.  Looking back only about 10 years previous to these days in Indiana, my dad was still on heroine in New York.  He was addicted, violent, angry, and had served 2 jail sentences.  This was before meeting Christ in his mid-twenties in the mid 60’s.   In the early 70’s he had started a rehab center in Miami, Florida (F.Y.I.- there are a few drugs in Miami). We then moved to Anderson. Here he was a dad of three and having a profound impact on this blue-collar city.  Dad wasn’t perfect. He was still working through some of the ghosts of his past. 

We only lived in Anderson for about two years before moving to Blacksburg, Virginia. where my brother, sister, and I spent the rest of our childhood.  We made the move for stability for the family and because he didn’t want to be an absentee dad. What is amazing to me is that in going back to Anderson 35 years later, I still found a number of people who remember dad and the work he did in that short time.  This challenged me to ask two questions:

1-    What am I doing in life that is going to have a long-term effect on people?

2-    What am I doing with the testimony of what God has done in my life? 

Thanks dad for being a role model to me and so many other people.

A Word of Encouragement for Parents

Most parents know that there are moments in life where you wonder if you are going to survive the season that your children are going through.  It may be your child’s crying in the night, teething, hospital visit, puberty, relationships, grades, scary phone calls after midnight, visits from a police officer, or breaking up the fights between sibling where you wonder if they will kill each other!  As children get older, some of those challenges seem to get more intense.  However, there are times where you look at your kids in absolute awe of what God has done.  

Last week was a highlight moment for me as a parent. I hung out with Joey -my oldest child- on the campus of the college he attends.  He has connected with great friends and he has a heart for God.  I left campus with Joey and then the whole family drove to Richmond, Virginia for, my daughter, Maddie’s graduation from Youth With a Mission.  Over the next 48 hours, I watched my four kids laugh, hug, converse, and celebrate each other’s lives.  We even rode in the good old family mini-van without an argument over who sits where!  That may be the first time that has EVER happened.

I want to encourage all parents to find joy in the journey.  Also, REMEMBER that the battles you fight with, and for, your kids right now will bear fruit in the long run.  Every confrontation you have with your child now can protect and preserve them for something better in the future.  I wasn’t so sure of this even one year ago. This year, my kids thanked me for keeping them out of some messes they wanted to get into.  As long as the motive is love and not control for what you want for their lives (I had to fight that battle within myself) your children will grow and eventually realize that you loved them and weren’t crazy after all.