Author: Addis Andy

Here’s a quick thought I would like to share with you all, specifically my pastoral and ministerial friends, but everyone else is welcome to listen in if you would like.

I’ve been reading through 1 Thessalonians as a part of my quiet time and never realized how great a manual it is a conflict management within the church. Even though I know there are others who have lived in far greater conflict than I have, I am no stranger to the difficulties of life within the church.

As a young preacher with a very pregnant spouse sitting in the congregation I have had the microphone taken from my hand and then told that my work for the Lord was the same as that of the terrorists who destroyed the twin towers.

I have been screamed at on a Sunday morning in the church foyer after changing the lights out on a workday with the claim that I have created the “abomination of desolation” and desecrated the temple.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much bad theology is in the last statement, but it doesn’t matter… it all still hurts.

Managing conflict in the church is no different than managing conflict anywhere else, but it stings more when you realize that God’s people should act more… well,Godly toward one another.

Paul was writing to the church in Thessalonica knowing that his integrity had been questioned and his motives had been lied about in his absence. There were men in that congregation who are trying to destroy him at a distance.

Now, if I were Paul, I would’ve dropped the apostle card and sent some people directly to hell, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Probably a good thing I’m not an apostle, eh?

Paul’s response is… amazing! As pastors and ministry leaders, when we are attacked or come under fire, we know we are to follow the Matthew 18 principle and go to the offender one-on-one before we go to them with a caring brother sister and long before we take them before the church.

But, what Paul does here supersedes any of that. It’s an attitude that he displays on his own part that takes Christian love to a whole ‘nutha level. So how did Paul deal with conflict in the church at the attitudinal level:

First, find your position of thankfulness.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

The first thing he did to this gossiping, backbiting, character devouring group of people was share that he thanked God for them constantly. If it wasn’t in the Bible, I would think he is lying. But look closely, he is thankful not necessarily for them, or even their relationship… He find something to be thankful for: he is thankful for what God is doing in them.

Sometimes you have to look hard, but there’s always something to be thankful for. And even if someone is being difficult, ugly and out of God’s will, we can still be thankful that God has not given up on them and is using, even these moments, to shape them for what they could be in the future.

Second, don’t give up on intimacy with them.

Second Thessalonians 2:17 But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us.

The language Paul uses here for these people who were being ugly and difficult looks more like a junior high schooler’s puppy love statements about someone he met in band camp and can’t bear to be apart from them:

1 Torn away

 

2 Endeavored

 

3 More eagerly

 

4 Great desire

 

5 Face-to-face

 

6 I, Paul, again and again

This man obviously believed that these difficult people were still his brothers and sisters, and that he strongly desired to be near them. Most of the time we do just the opposite, the minute conflict erupts we run the other way and start disconnecting from them at every level. I think we really have something to learn from Paul here.

Third, never forget who the enemy is.

2 Thessalonians 2:18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us.

This is a huge, monsterously big, relationship changing, life altering realization… when you’re in conflict with someone else they aren’t the enemy. The issue is not the issue. The problem is the devil.

If we can remember that every hurt feeling, every skirmish over politicking issues and every stupid thing said or done is the product of the one who wants us to be divided. If we can remember this, we can make him the target and not one another.

I hope this is helpful, because conflict is going to be in each one of our lives. But, if we can have the attitude Paul in conflict we can see God stuff happen… and, wasn’t that really the point in the first place?

One of our favorite off-season camping experiences is being alone in big places. There’s something a little amazing (and sometimes a little creepy) about camping in a place where hundreds of recreational enthusiasts often cram in, but you’re the only one there.

With our odd ministry schedule, the Addi cram in family time whenever we can make it and that puts us at campgrounds and state parks when many others just aren’t.

On campouts like those, we get to abandon the social norms and expectations of neighborly camping and run a little wild. Playing UNO around the campfire at top volume, no noise curfew so the radio plays all night long, and the occasional round of squatching.

You know squatching, right? Bellowing out your best yeti yell, or bigfoot bark and then waiting for it to echo back off the valley walls, or ripple across the lake. It’s a hoot… unless someone answers.

Thank you Jesus that has never happened yet.

I was reminded of those moments as I read in 1 Thessalonians today. Paul was greeting the church at Thessolanica and expressing gratitude for them when he said:

1 Thessalonians 1:8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.

What a great thing to say about someone, a family, or a church. The word in the original Greek for “sounded forth” is ἐξήχηται whose root is the source of the English word ‘echo’.

That’s the kind of life each of us should strive to live. That’s the kind of church we should pray for and serve in to create. That’s the kind of legacy we should dream that we could leave.

Without a word spoken, without a plaque hung on the wall, or without an article written for the history book, the word of your life, deeds and faith “sounds forth” to everyone, echoing into eternity.

What are you doing today to live that way?

Just remember, everything you do in life will echo for years, but as you hear it bounce back off the canyon walls of your life, will you like the way it sounds? Sound off!

Let’s have a little courtesy please.

I made sure to take a day before I wrote these words. I wanted to be thoughtful, helpful and composed, not reactionary and all FaceBooky. But, I really do think there is an issue of etiquette and courtesy that should be addressed.

Yesterday, I got totally snubbed at Wal-Mart. No worries, happens all the time.

• People who don’t believe in God think I’m a fool and blow me off… I get it.
• People who don’t appreciate my church (style) think I am a heretic and must keep their distance or they might get something on them… I’m used to that.
• People who disagree with my theology and politics think I am an ignoramus who couldn’t even understand them if they spoke in grunts… ugh, ugh.

I’m not talking about those relationships. I am smart enough to know and a big enough boy to accept the fact that I will never be everybody’s favorite. In fact, if you ever are loved by everyone then you either are an incredible actor juggling a massive volume of deceptive relationships, a looney toon with a variety of multiple personalities, or you’re the anti-christ… honestly, any of those are bad, right?

I’m talking about fellow church members, or well, former church members.
It happens. People move on and go from one church to another, it’s a reality and we’re grown ups. We can deal with it!

Let’s not argue the merits of long term commitments, the value of community loyalty, or the damage of flippant relationships and decisions. We’ll save that for another time, and just concede that people take the leap and move from one church to another.

• Maybe all their friends go somewhere else and they really need church to fulfill a social need that Twitter just wasn’t meeting.
• Maybe music is so important God can only be where Gaither music is sung… you know they both start with G.
• Maybe the last sermon totally offended them because they finally realized the Bible was talking to them and not everyone else.
• Maybe they came to the conclusion that they wanted a church that was bigger, smaller, more medium-sized… no… just right… and found a new home at St Goldilocks.

There are a thousand reasons people move from one church to another, but can we just be grown ups and admit… for whatever reason… that’s why we left!

What I have experienced over the years is that people struggle with feelings of guilt or embarrassment when they leave a church. Maybe they feel a little selfish, or maybe they feel like they are leaving their ‘ex’ in a lurch. To cope with it, they deny the real reasons they chose to separate and justify themselves by demonizing their former church and pastor.

It happens in churches of all sizes, styles and denominations, because it’s not a church thing, its a people thing. A psychological and sociological phenomenon called blame shifting.

Junior high students do it with their homework: “The dog ate it.”

Young adults do it in their dating: “It’s not me, it’s YOU!”

And, church members do it in transferring their membership: “That pastor’s just not deep/spirit-filled/caring/pastoral/entertaining/biblical/friendly/accessible/handsome enough”

(Okay, I’ll actually give you that last one… sorry… nothing I can do about it)

Here’s the point: you shouldn’t deify your pastor when you’re there, or demonize him when you’re gone. Because if you put him on a pedestal he will fall, and you don’t have the right to send him to hell, agreed?

I’m just asking that we all grow up a little. If someone moves on, then move on, but don’t shake the pastor’s hand one week to say good sermon and then convince yourself he’s the devil when you find another church the next week just because you don’t know how to handle running into his family at the store.

Don’t invite people to church one week because you love the Lord and then call them all up after you find another church and say… “Don’t go there anymore, I think they are a cult, my bad”
God uses all kinds of churches, peoples, styles and ministries. Just because you love what you like, doesn’t mean you have to hate what you don’t.

I know my humor here is a little passive aggressive and I apologize, but the intent is sincere. We don’t have to worship in the same place to continue being friends.

“Ephesians 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Let’s be good siblings in Jesus name, and when I see you at Wal-Mart… chill out… Jesus loves us both the same.

He just thinks I’m more fun… just kidding! It was a joke!! Calm yourself!!!

Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

I remember long ago being taught by one of my teachers how to teach… did you follow that?

They told me that a good teacher will never teach everything they know, but at most only 90% of what they have learned.

This will help you in two ways as a teacher. First, it will keep you in the safe zone, teaching from the heart of what you know and off the perimeter where you may not be the expert. Second, it keeps you from talking too much… can I get an “Amen”?

I’ve tried to adhere to this in my pastoral career, which honestly, is not that difficult since 30-40 (okay… 40-45) minutes once a week is not a lot of time to present at least a weeks worth of study.

This is even more true when we do a book study like we are walking through at CrossPoint. In our series FORTIFIED we are studying the book of Nehemiah a chapter a week. Even though we have added sermon based grow groups and daily reading plans to the series… there still is more that this incredible book can yield.

So, for the next few weeks I will be posting the Fortified Overflow here at CrossEyedLife.com and connecting you to additional resources so that the full weight of the book of Nehemiah can fall on our lives.

At the bottom of this first ‘overflow’ there will also be links to a couple of background videos that will give you a historical/cultural perspective of the life and times of this Bible story.

Many blessings and thanks for being a part of FORTIFIED.

_________________________________________

Fortified Overflow – Week/Nehemiah 1

One verse in Nehemiah chapter one that we did not have time to fully explore is verse 5. This is the first line of Nehemiah’s prayer recorded, obviously in one of his journals.

It is important to note that this line comes directly after he receives news that Jerusalem is devastated and in serious trouble within the text, but not chronologically in the story line. Based on the Persian calendar (from Chislev in Neh 1:1 to Niassan in Neh. 2:1) that Nehemiah records there were four months between that initial meeting and when he went to speak with the king.

This simply means these words are not emotional or reactionary, but the product of months of seeking, thinking and praying.

And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments.” Nehemiah 1: 5

This is an amazing beginning to a prayer, especially for someone in Nehemiah’s position. We could learn something from Him. Let’s check it out phrase by phrase.

• O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God – you would think that a lifetime of slavery, exile and forced servitude might just create a little negativity in a persons heart. I mean, for most of us, if the car breaks down, the cable goes out or the air conditioner is not blowing cold we will usually shake a fist at heaven and cry, “WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME!” Nehemiah’s attitude is absolutely incredible, and one that is submissive before God despite his circumstances. Is it any wonder that God was willing to answer this request?
• God who keeps covenant and steadfast love – this one may seem a little hard to swallow. They weren’t in the promised land. They weren’t free. They weren’t on the horizon of any change. Yet, Nehemiah was referring to a Covenant that said God’s children would be blessed, numerous and live in a land of milk and honey. How can he say God is good when he was not blessed? And how can he say he was loved when it appears God is picking on him? The answer is actually pretty simple… Nehemiah knew who he was, and he knew who his people were. God had not changed, but they have acted sinfully and rebellious. Their present state was actually due to the covenant! They have broken the agreement and God had justly disciplined them, and this man knew it. He accepted it. He lived with it’s reality.
• Steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments – he begins a section in the prayer of confession setting the standard. God’s word’s, His law and statutes, are the elements of authority and the standards by which all is judged. Not how we feel, or what we think about a situation. Not the common consensus of what was popular that day. Not an excused behavior, not a rationalized thought process or a lowering of the bar to “meet us where we are.” He acknowledged that God’s commands are a source of life and the standard by which he was, and all others were, to live.

So what does this mean for you and I, how can the prayer Nehemiah help us become wall builders?

First, we need to understand that our situation does not dictate who God is. He is unchanged, immovable, the rock, the eternal. He is not the one that moved. Our difficult circumstances are usually the result of our sin in our lives, or the sin of someone else’s life that unfortunately affects ours. Other times our difficulty and trials have a potential to bring glory to God, and our perseverance through them is a gift of gratitude to the Savior.

Second, we must find a daily humility in our disobedience and God’s faithfulness. We need to quit patting ourselves on the back and take a long hard look in the mirror. God is good, we are not. He loves us and we rebel. He is faithful and we are in need. We  are forgiven, we are redeemed, we are renewed… but it should evoke thankfulness, not expectation and pride.

Third, we need to return to the Word of God. Just as they tore down pagan altars in the biblical era that we’re leading the Hebrew children astray, so must we bring every thought captive to Christ. Our sources of authority that supersede scripture, our experiences that we value more than God’s law, and our pop culture philosophy that thinks itself wiser than the Creator must all be put away. We must return to God’s word, obey it, find comfort in, meditate upon it, live it.

So, there’s the overflow for week 1, Nehemiah 1… be blessed and see you this weekend for FORTIFIED 2!

__________________________________________

Additional Resources:

Nehemiah Background Video Promo

Nehemiah Background Video Lesson

Fortified – week 1

 

I Am the True Vine
John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”

I love it when Jesus speaks in metaphors. Taking an intangible spiritual reality and making it real enough to feel, like the Bible in your hands (or the iPad on your lap, or the smartphone in your hand… wow, metaphors are hard when you have too many options).

However, our job is to take the metaphor and make it real as well, by applying it in practical and intentional ways. Here’s the biblical model we see throughout Scripture… He says it, we do it. If we get this pattern down it will simply fix a lot of junk.

It’s the same with the metaphor of John 15. Jesus is the Vine, we are the branches. It’s a great statement of our connectedness, of the closeness of Christ and our security in Him… but, what do we do with it.

Here’s the low down, if you are ‘in Christ,’in other words, one of the branches off of the Vine, then there are two options for you.

1. You do nothing. You just kind of hang around, connected; you’re just there to be pretty. You have leaves, you’re a part of Christ, but you bear no fruit. While you are a branch off of the Vine, nothing beneficial comes off of you (out of you). You may argue that you behave, you make good moral choices and you’re a ‘good person,’ but that’s just being a branch on the vine free of disease… you’re still not bearing any fruit. Fruit is something that can be picked off and used by someone else for their benefit. That’s what it means to bear fruit.
2. You bear fruit. You live in such a way that your life inspires others, that you intentionally serve the other branches and you produce in a way that benefits those off the vine, too. You obey, you pray, your serve, you sacrifice, you submit, and the result is that your life bears fruit.

It looks as though your life as a branch has these two options. When it comes to being the branch that this Vine is looking for, you either bear fruit or you don’t.

Now comes the scary part. While Jesus is the Vine (you’re the branches, don’t forget), God the Father makes an appearance as the Gardner. He comes in to inspect the plant, and while He is happy with the Vine (Jesus), He makes some hard decisions about the branches.

For the branches that bear no fruit, He does the only thing He can to be a good Gardner: He cuts them off and throws them away. He knows that a branch that bears no fruit is not doing it’s job, and in fact, it is only robbing the rest of the plant in a parasitic way. It may look good at a distance and appear healthy to the untrained eye, but when the Gardner comes near and sees no fruit… it’s snip, snip.

I can’t say exactly what it means for the one who is ‘in Christ’ but is not serving, sacrificing, or submitting to bear fruit. But, I can tell you this, it’s not the option you would choose.

To be clipped form the vine must include feelings of separation, disconnect, confusion, and lostness. To the clipped branch it might feel like you can’t find the right church, or a distrust for those in authority. Each individual branch may experience the clipping differently, but the reality is the same. If you don’t bear fruit, the Gardner will cut you off.

So, this must mean that a caring, loving Gardner would then turn His attention to the fruit-bearing branch and began to sing it a song, right?

Wrong. They get the clippers, too!

I’m sure that if a branch could protest, it would cry out, “Hey, wait a minute, I’m the good guy! Pick a grape, look again… I’m good for something!”

But, the Gardner still approaches with clippers in hand… snip, snip. But, this time the clipping is different.

It’s still painful, but this branch is not clipped off, it’s clipped back. Although I am sure the branch feels wounded and hurt, the Gardner has done for the branch what it could not do for itself.

By pruning it back, this branch that does bear fruit will regrow in a way that will make it able to bear even more fruit. While it has been clipped, it is left securely on the Vine (Jesus) in a place to grow back stronger, more mature and able to bear the weight of even more fruit.

I can’t say exactly what it means for the one who is ‘in Christ’ and is already bearing fruit, because it will be a different experience for each branch. A little confusion at first, some joy in knowing the Gardner is with you, satisfaction in the new fruit your able to produce and deeper connectedness to the Vine as you regrow in His strength.

As painful as it my seem, this pruning is a reward. Many branches may protest and say, “But, I was happy producing the fruit that I was before!”

The Gardner, however, wasn’t satisfied yet, because He knew how much more you could do. He’d raised you from the seedling you were and has great plans for you. And, don’t forget, in the world of gardening there is only one other option that our fruitless friends have already experienced.

That’s not what you want.

So, with metaphor in hand, the question is, what kind of branch are you? Whether you bear much fruit, or not, there is still time before the Gardner comes around and verse 4 tells each branch how to get healthy: “Abide in me.”

Think on Jesus, talk like Jesus, act like Jesus, share Jesus, act for Jesus and offer all to Jesus. It’s the Gardner’s recipe for His own personal Miracle Grow.

Now, I’m going to stop writing this and get something to eat. For some reason I am really craving Fruit Loops.

Bible Study Jesus style from Luke 10:25-35

Part of the spiritual preparation that my son Noah and I are pursuing before heading to Haiti for a mission trip at the end of this summer, is a 30 Day Guide created by a long term missionary. Today’s lesson was on the familiar passage of the feeding of the 5,000 from the Gospel of John.

While camping on the side of a mountain in South Dakota on vacation and waiting for the kids to get up… I thought I would share…

_______________________________

Do you pass the test?

I know our Christianese sensibilities don’t like that language at all, but do you pass the test? We live in a grace versus works mode of thinking that truly is at odds with itself.

Is the Gospel of Jesus about grace, or is it about works? Does Jesus do everything, or do we have a role in the process? The answer is easy… it’s yes.

John 6:1-14 illustrates:

• A huge crowd follows Jesus
• He sits down, a sign that a Rabi is about to teach
• He sees their numbers, at least 5,000 men and probably closer to 15,000 total once the women and children are counted
• He asks the question, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”

This may just seem like a run of the mill reporting of a Jesus rally from back in the day, but verse 6 does not allow us to keep the story that simple.

6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.

Hmmm… apparently Jesus does test us. So, does that mean we are about works, or are we about grace? Once again… yes.

Let’s finish the story. I promise, it’ll make sense in a minute.

Phillip responds to Jesus by saying, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.”

But,  Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”

First, look at Phillip’s answer: it was fear based, it was whiny, it was defeatist, it was sarcastic, it was negative, it focused on the problem.

Second, look at Andrew’s answer (great name this guy has, by the way): it was positive, it was hopeful,it was a little silly, it only answered part of the question, it was focused on a solution.

How did Jesus view their responses? He went with Andrew’s!

11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.

Jesus took Andrew’s optimistic, goofy, very poorly thought out response and did a miracle. Jesus did what no one else could do. If He hadn’t turned a sack lunch into an All You Can Eat Sea of Galilee Buffet © there would have been no lunch… it was all on Him.

So, it IS about grace… or, is it about works? YES!

Our salvation is all on Jesus. He loved us, pursued us, lived for us, died for us, saved us, redeemed us and is changing us!

But, in our discipleship, He puts us to the test. He grows us, challenges us, works us, and tests us.

He is looking to see if we have matured enough to be a Phillip or an Andrew. Do you point at the problem, or do you point at a solution?

Even if you don’t have all the pieces, all the resources, or enough of anything… Andrew knew the answer… it was Jesus.

So, yes, it’s about grace and works. Saved by grace and tested in our works to see if we know the answer.

And the answer is always, Jesus.

 

John 6:1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

 

I have several reasons to be proud of my children, but a new one for my son Noah.

Not only is he working hard to prepare for a mission trip to Haiti, and not only is he doing that with his father, but he made a rare appearance in front of the camera.

While this is nothing new for me, it’s definitely not a place he’s most comfortable. We were making this video to help raise funds for our trip, and I thought he did great!

I just want to share with you, so proud of him:

Haiti Promo from Andy Addis on Vimeo.

To help support Team Addi, click here!

I believe in seniors.

Maybe it’s because I’m closer to them than ever before. Maybe it’s because I firmly believe in intergenerational ministry which by definition must be built upon their backs. Maybe it’s because in 22 years of working for the church I have seen their incredible value as individuals and as a community.

For whatever reason, I believe in seniors.

I know that there are some stereotypes concerning seniors, especially in the church. You can almost hear them talking in the church foyer:

• “That music is too loud”
• “Take that hat off in this building”
• “We’ve never done it that way before”

It’s true, I have heard each of these things (numerous times) before, but that’s not because they are seniors… it’s because they are people.

Get a room full of 20 somethings together at a coffee shop and you’ll hear some similar chatter:

• “We need to be more missional”
• “This church just isn’t relevant”
• “We need to do something we’ve never done before”

It’s because I have stared over a coffee cup countless times in the last two decades listening to these and similar, er, ‘evaluations,’ I can say quite confidently:

Difficult people will be difficult no matter their mileage and Godly people will be Godly despite their odometer.

Our church, CrossPoint, is no exception. Over the past 11 years we have changed as we moved from a neighborhood church with 120 some attendees to a multisite church with 10 locations in 9 communities and 2,500ish each weekend.

There were some who struggled and just could not make the transitions from small to big, traditional to modern, from denominational to Biblical (By the way… some of you just puffed up because of one or more words in the previous sentence, and age had nothing to do with it).

In the metamorphosis of our church, there have been many who felt ‘lead’ to other places, and in the same breath, these changes have drawn in others.

That’s okay.

God uses all kinds of people, in all kinds of churches, to do all kinds of work. But, I just wanted to take a moment and celebrate the seniors who have stuck it out!

Last week I had the opportunity to address a Senior Adult Luncheon we call VIP.

As I spoke, I reminded them of a list I read to them more than a decade before. When they were deciding whether or not I should be their pastor, I gave them the Top 10 Reasons to Vote No:

1. If you won’t tithe 10% of your income… vote no.
2. If you won’t share your faith on a regular basis… vote no.
3. If you’re happy the way things are and don’t want to grow… vote no.
4. If you don’t want to change programs, worship, budget, focus… vote no.
5. If getting out at noon is important to you… vote no.
6. If you didn’t like my preaching today… vote no.
7. If being Baptist is more important than being Biblical… vote no.
8. If you think the right pastor will do the trick… vote no.
9. If your favorite after church meal is roast pastor/staff member… vote no.
10. If you want a pastor you’ve had before… vote no.

Believe or not, they hired me, even after I read this list. I love our seniors.

At this same meeting, I not only thanked them for their faithfulness and trust. I not only agreed with them that our transformation was difficult and the exiting of some of their friends was painful.

I also reminded them how much I, and our church, needed them. They were encouraged then to spread their wisdom throughout the church by infiltrating our small groups. They were asked the to teach our children and students. They were asked to volunteer in the office and rub shoulders with staffers that need them. They were asked to volunteer in the greeter and parking lot ministry, so everyone coming to services knows who and what we value.

And, because of all this asking, we took an opportunity to deputize them (here comes the whole reason I wrote this article). We gave them a badge, asked them to join our posse and read a charge over them.

I share that charge with you, because no matter your age, you need to know the value of seniors.

And, you need to believe in them, trust them and allow them to fulfill the calling to which God has equipped them.

The Deputization of CrossPoint Seniors into RED

(Retired Extremely Dangerous)

As a follower of Christ I understand that serving Jesus is a lifetime decision.

I believe He has gifted me, trained me and prepared me for works of service as a part of the calling He has placed on my life

I am not saved unto myself, I am saved to the Lord Jesus Christ. And my service is to fulfill the Great Commission.

Seasons of life change and theaters of ministry transform, but one thing is sure as long as I draw breath… I am a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have the calling of God, the endorsement of my church and the admiration of my pastor.

I am a Joshua Elder and a Caleb Warrior. I will not rest for there is still land to take! And, I will not fear for I have been made fight giants.

I am a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ…until I go to Him or He comes to me my task is not complete.

I was trying to think of an even more offensive title, but this is the best I could conjure. My apologies to all the pagans, just trying to rattle the cages of the Christians a little.

Why the cage rattling? Sometimes, we ‘Believers’ get so good at the rules we actually break them because we hold them too tightly.

Here’s an example…

One of the best things that has happened in the professional life of our church started a little more than a year ago. After a particularly stressful period of ministry I wrote a letter to our Personnel Team and got honest.

In a nut shell I shared that I did not need a raise, a plaque, a gift, or even a secretary (although, I will put those in order of importance for anyone handing them out). What I needed was some time off.

• The trouble was not exhaustion, but it was a part.
• The problem was not a nervous breakdown, but it was in sight.
• The difficulty was not a diminishing passion, but the fire had dwindled to some embers.
• The problem was deeper than that.

I had been preaching at CrossPoint for nearly 10 years. In that time, we had grown from a small neighborhood church to a thriving multi-site congregation with 10 campuses in nine communities.

During those years there a few years I had preached 50 out of 52 weeks in a year, and never less than 48. Add to that multiple services each weekend, mid week services and special events and I would preach in 40 days what the average pastor preaches in one year.

No whining here… I volunteered. I’m just outlining how exhaustion, apathy and stress were creeping onto my turf.

So, back to the letter to our Personnel Team. They responded with great compassion and action (whew!), and told me to take two weeks off immediately and plan for another six the following summer.

It was exciting, refreshing and beautiful even thinking about the break in the routine. I gladly accepted, but shared with them that I was looking for even more.

While a Sabbatical break was amazing, the thought of a break every 10 years was actually a little depressing (and that was assuming I would get another one in the next decade).

I was looking for hope on a regular basis, and I proposed that there were planned, excused and expected breaks throughout the year, every year for myself and all church staff.

When your workdays are Saturday and Sunday, there is no holiday weekend, no three day break, nothing. There are 52 Sundays a year even if the banks are closed, the schools are out, or it’s Christmas.

What we needed was a chance to be a normal family every now and then, to hit the road, go visit extended family, or do something amazing… like doing nothing. Not a full week off, that’s a vacation. Just the weekend, a day or two.

What I was asking for was a Sabbath. A day of rest, just like God instructed. You know, the day Christians set aside to mow the lawn, pay the bills, do home maintainance, and maybe cram in a church service… if there is time.

The Sabbath was intended to be a pause, a rest, a rejuvenation and rebuilding and God was so serious about it He modeled it and commanded it:

Genesis 2

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

 

Exodus 20

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Obviously, God was serious about a Sabbath rest… even for those who ‘go to church’ to honor it and those who preach to others about it. We’re the one’s who don’t take it that seriously.

So, as a church we built in Sabbath weekends for our staff… beautiful.

As I write this, I am experiencing the Monday morning Sabbath Weekend afterglow.

 

We went camping as a family. Kathy and I ran in the Warrior Dash with the rest of our small group. We ate smores and hung out with some of our favorite people at a late night campfire. We played cards with the boys. We slept in on a Sunday. We went to the late service at a church where no one had even heard of CrossPoint. One more time… beautiful.

As a man who is usually on the job on Sunday mornings, driving around during those hours is very revealing.

I saw people taking walks. There were bike riders everywhere. The parks were active. But, more than anything else, I saw many people sitting on lawn chairs in the shade, on the porch, and in the driveway.

These pagans really know how to party… er, ‘rest’ I mean. I know there was no Godly faithfulness in their activities. If there was any worship in their plans, it was a trip to services at St. Mattress to snore out a few choruses.

But, is it possible they are closer than we ‘Believers’ when it comes to obeying the Sabbath? They work all week and then they take a break. Perhaps there are some commands that we hold so tightly to we no longer honor them. Instead, we snap them in half with our exhausting, tiresome grip.

We could learn something from the pagans.

At CrossPoint we already have, and I am refreshed, more focused and so thankful for the expectation that church staff obey the scriptures… it’s called a Sabbath. It’s meant for everyone who calls themselves a follower of Christ.

Take a break.

Mark 2

27 And he (Jesus) said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”