Being confident of this...

It's late...well that's really relative to our age isn't it? Anyway, in between the different things I've done today, I've been drawn to the words Paul wrote to the folks at Philippi...

"In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me."

I've been amazed thinking that the God of the universe is so connected with us that He wants to not only begin a good work in us...but complete it as well...without our help. And don't forget the last part..."all of you share in God's grace with me."

That's the part that I've been thinking about...He begins and wants to complete a good work in us (salvation and beyond) and in spite of what we do, His grace is there all the time. It's not about what we can do...it's all about Him.

We can be confident when we realize that it's all about Him...He does it all, we don't have to do anything but walk in His grace...live in His grace...rest in His grace...operate in His grace...love in His grace...give His grace to others...you get the picture.

We don't have to be confident in our own strength or abilities. As I've thought about it today, I've walked a little more in freedom...freedom from myself and from my self-inflicted expectations. I've realized that the good work God has begun in me (and He wants to complete) is done by Him...not me. Quite a different view of life than what we're taught over and over again--it's all about what we do. Hmmm.

Crazy...we become more confident in His work in our lives the more we let go and let God live through us.

Having a vision statement doesn't mean you have a vision

Posted on www.ministrystrategies.com 20. Jul, 2010 by Paul in Vision & Values

If you’re like many churches, you and your leadership team have developed a vision statement that defines who you are—or who you want to be—as a church community. And perhaps, like many churches, it’s displayed on your website, written on your printed materials, and even routinely shared within your congregation.

However, is your vision evident in every aspect of your ministry? Do your policies, procedures and budget reflect your vision? On occasion, I’ve asked pastors to not send me their vision statement but allow me to look at their job descriptions, policies, budget and staff handbook to see if their vision rises from the pages. Sometimes the differences are astounding.

From your handbook to your financial planning, if the vision doesn’t permeate all your printed materials, human resources, finances and administrative areas, then it’s, well…just words.

What can you do to make sure your vision is the foundation of your ministry? Take your team through a simple exercise. Write your vision on a white board and identify the key points. Once identified, use those points as filters for your policies, procedures and budget. Don’t overwhelm everyone. Prioritize the areas you want to examine and take them one at a time.

For instance, if your vision includes reaching pre-believers as well as seasoned Christ-followers, does your budget express that in your expenditures? Where are you spending your monies? If you believe your vision is true, steward your finances in order to make it a reality. Perhaps it means reallocating money to different ministries.

If a key belief is that community plays an integral role, is your organizational chart created with community in mind? Are your ministries organized in a way that they express community as a major part of your vision? If you believe small groups are important to spiritual formation and most of your ministry is done in a large group or mid-size group setting, you either need to transition your vision or your organization.

Have you hired your staff or identified lay leaders that reflect the key directions of your vision? What about their job descriptions or annual goals? Are you measuring expectations from your team that reflect the vision? Or are you placing expectations on them that deal more with numbers alone or peripherals? You and your team should never be exempt from living the vision of your church. If serving is an integral part of your vision, be a servant leader. Don’t be a leader who feels entitled to live outside the vision that you expect your congregants to live.

Whether your church is well established, transitioning or just starting, intentionally breathing your vision into every aspect of your ministry will infuse new life. Using your vision as a filter for everything you do—from ministry to policies—allows you and your team to stay laser-focused on what God has called you to do.

Vision living

I was reading Proverbs 29 and came upon that familiar verse (18) to many of us, "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." Here it is in a few different translations:

"Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law." NIV

"If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed." The Message

"Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law." ESV

"When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful." NLT

For some reason, I was intrigued by the fact that even though I've read and said this verse many times over the years, it was impressed on me more clearly this time that vision living comes about when we keep the law...obey the law...God's Word. We tend to emphasize the vision piece and talk about what happens if we don't have one.

But where does it come from in the first place? Scripture...God's written communication to us. And not only that, but God's divine direction to us that he speaks so clearly as we read the Scriptures.

Over the years, I've seen both leaders and individuals who "run wild...cast off restraint...stumble over themselves" because they don't stay on course with the vision God has given them...personally, professionally, and corporately. And sometimes it even feels like we're doing good and meaningful things...but for some reason it feels busy, disjointed, crazy. Could it be that in doing the good things we lose sight of the God things we should be doing?

I have to admit, I've found myself in that place.

So my challenge for us is to live out Proverbs 29:18 by following what it says:
1. Get back to or discover the vision God has revealed to you,
2. Stay with it,
3. Stay in or get back into God's Word on a consistent basis, and
4. Be blessed...be happy...be joyful because you know you're in the middle of God's vision for you.

It's better to live with a God vision than a good vision.

Transformation Church

It's been awhile...a long while, since I wrote my last entry...a lot has happened. It's amazing to see how God moves in our lives and directs us on this journey here on earth.

I'm reminded of a statement I've said to hundreds of folks..."God never wastes an experience" and I have to say that it's such a blessing to know that if we allow Him, He totally uses our life experiences to bring glory to Him!

So, I'm going to try and be a bit more faithful on my blog posts...

A few months ago...God once again surprised me and Sandy and we joined with Pastor Derwin and Vicki Gray and a wonderful team of folks and we planted a new church called, Transformation Church (www.tc521.org).

In the last eight weeks we've averaged over 700 folks a week and had over 800 this past weekend...very humbling to say the least for our team...but validating that what we're doing is so right on...

More later...

How may I serve you?

Wow, we (www.southbrookchurch.com) closed our UNITED series today by sending our folks out to serve at seven different locations. I had the privilege to serve at Plaza Baptist Church (www.plazabaptistchurch.org) with about 85 Brookies and about 25 folks from Plaza.

I was humbled, impressed, and amazed...these folks joined together to paint the hallways and classrooms in a two-story education building at the church and handed out light bulbs and picked up trash in several neighborhoods. Meanwhile, there were hundreds of other folks at other locations throughout the area doing the same thing.

We were being the church, and it reminded me again, that serving shouldn't only be a special time or place where we do something for others, but it should be a way of life...our lifestyle...our mission...our command...it should be something in our blood...our spirit...just sayin'.

So, for anyone reading this...are you a servant? a servant leader? a servant follower? how 'bout a good ol' servant? Ask yourself, "how may I serve the people around me?"

Courteously revere one another...

"Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another." Eph. 5:21

I've thought about this verse all day....Paul is talking to the Ephesian church and he's transitioning to a conversation with them about how they should live as family.

I just can't get out of my head how life would change...sometimes drastically...if we considered to courteously revere people as we interact with them...everyone.

Think about it....courteously revere. I grew up in the baptist camp in the south and we were taught to respect folk but I have to defer to those of you who understand what it means to revere someone....one friend said "it's a step above respect."

Wow, what if we courteously (that needs no definition) revered (honored someone a step above respect) everyone we come in contact with on a daily basis...no matter who they are...what they do...what we think?

It means we totally die to self, not just talk about it...and we honor them one step above respect. How would that change the way we interact with folks?

Just a thought...

32 years....and more to come

Last week my lovely bride and I celebrated our 32nd anniversary. Amazing...it's hard to conceive that we've been married for 32 years. More alarming, our oldest son will be turning 30 in August. What's up with that? I look in the mirror and can't believe I'm old enough to have a son that age...must less four adult children.

We spent our anniversary on the beach (Belleair beach in Florida) with our daughter and Sandy's brother and sister (who by the way celebrated their 29th anniversary last week as well).

During that time, I actually spent some quiet time walking on the beach and looking back at all the activities of those years--having four great kids, staying married to the same woman (or should I say she stayed with me in spite of me), taking several occupational journeys (teacher, interior designer, principal, tractor trailer relocater, editor, writer, pastor), my wife's second bout with cancer, my myasthenia gravis, various moves (Florida, Virginia, Hawaii, Texas, Colorado, and North Carolina), parents aging and the passing away of my mom and father-in-law, kids discovering life (both joyous and prayerful moments), and the list goes on...and on...

It's hard to believe. I think I've forgotten more things than I remember, and I realize that there's still more to come. And in the midst of it all...one thing I know, God has been a constant throughout it all and will continue to be so.

That is comforting to know.