DaveNelsonsBlog.com

Continued from Sunday...

2010-07-21T18:15:00Z

On Sunday, we were supposed to tackle Commandments #7 and #8 (from the 10 Commandments). However, we never got to Commandment #8. So, here are the bullet points, along w/ a 6 minute video unpacking the thoughts behind "Don't Steal".

Almost everyone agrees that stealing is wrong 'cause it violates another human being.
When we violate another human, we violate God. Humans are made in His image and marked w/ His glory.
Few people ever think of themselves as thieves.
In Matthew 5, Jesus taught us that there is more to the 10 Commandments that what you initially see. He taught us that there is a root problem behind each of the commandments.
The root problem of stealing is selfishness. Whenever we do something that takes from another human being, violates another person, or cheapens an individual in any way... it is stealing!
In Ephesians 4:28, the apostle Paul challenges Christ Followers to make the transition from selfishness (life is about me) to selflessness (it's not about me). To go from being a taker... to being a giver. To go from being a consumer... to being a contributer.
Generosity is the opposite of stealing. The way we make the transition from selfishness to selflessness is by embracing a simpler lifestyle. THIS DOESN'T MEAN EMBRACING A POVERTY LIFESTYLE. It simply means living on less w/ the purpose of being able to give generously to others.

Sorry about the poor audio & lighting quality, but I didn't think we needed to be fancy-dancy with this! If you're an optimist, you'll just think it's some cool color or sound effect. Gotta love web cams.

5 Things I Wish Every Church Planter Knew (Part 5)

2010-07-20T14:06:54Z

Continued from earlier blog posts...

5 - GO BIG!

Do you genuinely believe that the local church is the hope of the world? If so, GO BIG! Plan, strategize and prepare in such a way that when people show up... you're ready!

Does the building your using have lots of parking? Plenty of seating? Enough space for kids ministry?
Have you mobilized a large team of volunteers to be on the "launch team"?
Is everyone on the launch team committed to giving sacrificially and volunteering in at least one ministry?
Have you clearly articulated the vision to the launch team so that everyone knows the ultimate goal?
Are you praying to have as big of an impact on your city as possible?
Are you spending money (yes, the limited funds you have) on advertising to let your city know that you exist?
Are you clear in all of your signage (exterior signs pointing people to your building, interior signs that direct people). By the way, NEVER have cute names for your kids programs (ie - Little Lambs). No guest knows what that means. Call it what it is: "2-3 Year Olds!"
Do you have systems in place to follow up with guests or connect new people? THIS IS HUGE!
Are you making it easy to invite friends (invite cards, practical topics on Sun mornings, etc)?

Please don't think I'm suggesting that every church should be or will be a mega-church. I'm not. I am suggesting that every new church should PLAN, PRAY and PREPARE in such a way that they EXPECT new people to show up!

5 Things I Wish Every Church Planter Knew (Part 4)

2010-07-16T13:40:00Z

Continued from an earlier blog post...

4 - THERE WILL BE MANY MANY CHAPTERS IN THE STORY OF YOUR CHURCH!

Most church planters are type "A" personalities. They are driven people who like to get stuff done. Because of this, it's easy to fall into the trap of wanting to see their entire vision for the church unfold within the first year. This isn't possible. More than that, it is emotionally and physically destructive.

When we started Great Lakes Church, it exploded. None of us expected to be running 500+ people from day one. As a result, I didn't take a single day off for over 6 months. Truthfully, I didn't even want to. I was so caught up in the momentum of what was happening that I didn't stop to think about the fact that our church would have many many chapters in it's story and it was stupid to try and cram them all into the first year.

If you're launching a church, you've got to remember that this is a journey. Don't feel like you've got to sprint all the time! There will always be more people to reach, more programs to start, more money to raise, more volunteers to mobilize and train, more staff to hire, more vision to see fulfilled, etc.

Initially, not having our own building was GREAT. Today it's a pain. We have to organize our entire church around the seating capacity and time schedule of a movie theater. I'd love to have our own place, but I've had to accept that it's not the right season for our church yet. The same thing w/ Jr High ministry. I'd love to have a program on Sunday morning for 6th-8th graders, but I'm not going to force it. Someday, that chapter of our church history will be written. Just not now.

Dave

PS - If you missed last Sunday, here are the "TOP 10 NAMES FOR A MULLET":

10 - Business in the front, party in the back!

9 - The El Camino headrest

8 - The Achy-Breaky-Big-Mistakey

7 - The Wisconsin Waterfall

6 - The Mississippi Mudflap

5 - The Nebraska Neckwarmer (or Neckbeard)

4 - The Tennesse Top Hat

3 - The Missouri Compromise

2 - The Camaro Crash Helmet

1 - The Canadian Passport

5 Things I Wish Every Church Planter Knew (Part 3)

2010-07-14T13:23:00Z

Continued from an earlier blog post...

3 - YOU CAN'T GROW A HEALTHY CHURCH WITHOUT LOSING THE "RIGHT" PEOPLE QUICKLY!

If you have people attending your church who clearly prefer a different way of doing church than the way you do it... don't be disingenuous by pretending you like their ideas or will give their ideas "prayerful" consideration. Invite them to be a part of the church THE WAY IT IS or suggest they find one where they can fully embrace the vision.

I always cringe when I hear church planters say, "I'm meeting w/ the launch team and we're hashing out a vision for the church!!" WHAT?!?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?! I'm not trying to be mean, but if you don't already have a vision for the church you're starting... you shouldn't be starting it! This isn't a group project. If too many minds speak into the vision, it'll just be a hodgepodge of ideas w/o any clear focus. DON'T ASK PEOPLE TO HELP SHAPE THE VISION. Tell them what it is and ask them to get on board!

Prior to starting a church, this doesn't sound all that difficult, but it is. Nobody likes to lose people. But here is the reality: Regardless of what your vision is, you're going to lose people... so you might as well lose them over something you're passionate about, rather than what "Mr. - I've got lots of ideas, but never want to get involved" is passionate about.

The clearer you are about the vision, the more quickly people can determine if it's the church for them. If they decide to leave, DON'T CHASE THEM! You'll be left with a church filled with people who are passionate and excited to be there. As a result, you'll spend time and energy moving forward w/ the vision, rather than convincing people why they shouldn't leave!

5 Things I Wish Every Church Planter Knew (Part 2)

2010-07-09T14:06:00Z

Continued from an earlier blog post...

2 - CHURCHES RARELY GROW GRADUALLY... THEY GROW IN SPURTS!

If you're starting a church, and you don't understand this, you will become discouraged VERY QUICKLY! All of us tend to think unrealistically when it comes to church growth. We think that if our church is healthy it will grow every week. It won't. Another thought is, "If everyone who attends brings just one friend a year, we will double by next year this time." This never happens.

The way most churches grow is in spurts. Thankfully, "growth spurts" aren't difficult to predict because they happen in sync w/ the school year calendar. What I mean is that when schools are full-force in session... churches grow! When schools are not in session (June-Aug), nearing a break (Dec), or towards the end of the school year (May), churches typically do not grow.

So, for most of the country, the two seasons of growth are Sept-Nov and Jan-April (I list Sept first 'cause I'm thinking of the school year calendar). Now here's the big question: How will you be PROACTIVE in your planning to ensure you are best prepared for these growth seasons? Here is how we do it at Great Lakes:

Just before a natural growth season, I spend one or two Sunday mornings mobilizing as many attenders as possible to become volunteers so that we are ready to welcome more people.
We send out a minimum of 50K mailers to the community just before each of the 2 growth seasons.
We STOPPED sending mailers at Easter 'cause it happens right before the "summer slump" and it's a waste of resources. Nelson Searcy, the church planting guru, will disagree w/ me on this... but I've got statistical proof to back up what I'm saying.
The topics we tackle during the growth seasons are extremely practical (relationships, parenting, dealing w/ the past, etc).
We rarely spend money during non-growth seasons (advertising, adding additional equipment, etc). We save everything for the growth spurts that naturally occur.
We proactively get ready for growth. For example, this fall we're adding another adult auditorium, adding two new kids rooms, overhauling the check-in process to make it faster, etc.
Our kid's programs plan BIG Sunday morning events during natural growth seasons (ie - Back to School Bash).

I hope this all makes sense. Be smart with your time, energy and resources!

5 Things I Wish Every Church Planter Knew (Part 1)

2010-07-07T15:34:00Z

Recently, I've been talking w/ lots of guys who are launching new churches. I LOVE THIS! History has proven that new churches do an amazing job of connecting w/ people who are cynical of Christians, confused about God and skeptical of Church. Unfortunately, many new churches still fail. As a result, I'm doing a series of blogs on "5 Things I Wish Every Church Planter Knew".

1 - DON'T BE STUPID WITH MONEY!

When I first got married, I wanted to have a home like my parents. The only problem was, they had been married for awhile and it took many years of discipline and hard work to afford the home they owned. Church planters must embrace the fact that they are NEW and attempting to have all the "bells and whistles" is STUPID. Here are some things you can go without:

Top of the line Mac computers that equal the technology seen on Star Trek.
An audio/video system that would make the sound engineers at Radio City Music Hall drool.
Office space (We grew to over 1,000 people, in our first year, w/o an office. YOU DON'T NEED ONE.)
A special church phone (Google Voice is FREE and gives you your own number. It can be forwarded anywhere.)
A website that rivals one Bill Gates could design. Clovers sites has templates that are simple, clean and inexpensive.
Paid staff (It is a waste to pay someone to do something a volunteer is capable of doing. We only hire someone if they will be overseeing and/or mobilizing a large team of volunteers. Our goal is 1 full-time staff member for every 250 people.)
"Church provided" cell phones, laptops, etc. Great Lakes Church does not provide equipment to staff members that they should already own. We do give a small stipend each month to help offset some of the costs involved w/ phones, internet and computer.
Food! If everybody on staff expects the church to reimburse them for "business lunches" you'll end up spending loads of money. Don't do it. It's amazing how quickly a "business lunch" turns into a "coffee appointment" if the church isn't paying.

Here is a breakdown of our budget at Great Lakes: 10% savings, 10% missions outside of GLC, 80% operations (building lease, salaries, operational costs, advertising, etc.). Also, our 2011 budget will be based on 90% of 2010's offerings. That's right. We plan w/ lots of margin so that the church does not become a financial burden to anyone. Because of this, we have earned credibility with those who sacrifice financially to support the ministries of GLC.

Sunday Recap + The Top 10 Tattoos!

2010-07-05T03:12:00Z

I was a little nervous doing a series on the 10 Commandments, because they seem a little archaic. Surprisingly, this has been an extremely fun and practical series. Yesterday, we talked about one of the most forgotten commandments, "Honor Your Father and Mother". Here are some of the thoughts from the talk...

This is probably the most challenging commandment because of how broad the term "father" and "mother" has become.
One of the most disturbing truths revealed in Scripture is that God always works through HUMAN AUTHORITY.
Paul, a leader in the early church, says that how we treat authority is a really big deal to God (Romans 13:1-2). By the way, he wrote these words to Christians living under the rule of Nero in first century Rome!
I can't believe how many kids don't talk to or rarely spend time with their parents (or vice versa). I know there are lots of reasons for this. It usually comes down to pride, fear or selfishness. I wish I had time to expound on this, but if this is you... read this phrase a hundred times: HUMILITY IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN REGRET! As difficult as it is, humble yourself and pursue a relationship with your parents!

When's the last time, other than Father's Day or Mother's Day, you did something to honor your parents?

Dave

PS: From Sunday, "The Top 10 Most Intriguing Tattoos!"

10) The "I'm Definitely From Arkansas" Tattoo

9) The Multiple Choice Tattoo: A- Young girl? B- Old woman? C- Satanic doll?

8) The "I Can't Spell" Tattoo

7) The All I Can Say Is "WOW" Tattoo

6) The Best Use of Nasty Arm Hair Tattoo

5) The Most Creative Tattoo

4) The "I Got This While Intoxicated" Tattoo

3) The "I Hope Jesus Doesn't Look Like This" Tattoo

2) The "I Know I Shouldn't Laugh, But That Looks Nothing Like Her" Tattoo

1) The "U-G-L-Y He Ain't Got No Alibi - He's Ugly" Tattoo

Take a Day Off!

2010-06-30T16:17:00Z

When you look at the 10 Commandments, the fourth commandment seems oddly out of place. It simply says, "Take a day off". That's right. The same God that says, "Don't steal. Don't kill. And don't watch 'The Bachelor'..." says, "Make sure that you are intentional about having margin in your life."

Surprisingly, ancient Israel was much more of a 24/7 culture than we are. They worked all the time. Israel needed every possible day to accomplish what was needed to make society function and to ensure 1-2 million Israelites were fed, while living in the wilderness.

So, why would God place this command on His "Top 10 List"? Here's why:

1) It teaches us DEPEND on God. It's trusting him for 7 days of provision based on 6 days of work. (Exodus 16)

2) It helps us APPRECIATE what we have. Busyness and non-stop work distract us from being satisfied or grateful.

3) It allows us the time to REMEMBER what God has done. One of the purposes of the Sabbath was to build into Israel's weekly schedule a time in which they could reflect on how God had miraculously freed them from slavery. (Deuteronomy 5:15)

Recently, I've been trying to make the most of my day off (Mondays) by making sure I incorporate all 3 of the things above. I promise... it's not as easy as you'd think.

Dave

PS - Topping the "Homeschool Jokes Top 10 List" this past week was, "What do you call it when a homeschool mom talks to herself? A parent/teacher conference" (You can laugh now)

Blue Ridge Church is Launched!

2010-06-28T13:17:00Z

This past weekend, more than 20 people from Great Lakes Church headed down to Christiansburg, VA. to help Scott & Lisa Obenchain launch Blue Ridge Church! Here was an email I received from Scott last night...

"I am still pinching myself to see if this is real! What a day - 151 people showed up... 4 people used their connection card to indicate they were giving their lives to Christ...Thanks for everything - keep praying for us!"

Wow! I can't tell you how excited I am that we get to be a part of this. It was less the 2 years ago that we were starting our own journey as a church. I've posted some pics below of Blue Ridge Church's first Sunday. Lets keep cheering them on!

Dave

Some of the Great Lakes Church crew resting after a LONG trip...

Getting the programs ready for Sunday morning...

Classrooms turned into nursery & preschool rooms...

Scott meeting with the volunteers...

People showed up!

Being a Pastor Isn't What I Expected - (Part 7)

2010-06-25T12:39:00Z

Continued from earlier blogs...

I NEVER IMAGINED HOW MANY "RIGHTS" I WOULD GIVE UP!

A few weeks ago, I heard a teaching that I'm still thinking about. The essence of the talk was pretty simple: As you are given more and more responsibility, you often lose more and more "rights". This goes against common sense. It just seems like a given that the higher my position on the organizational chart... the more rights and freedom I have! This isn't true.

President Obama has less rights that most of us. He can't just walk around Washington D.C., w/o the Secret Service, anytime he wants. If he's craving one of McDonald's amazing double cheeseburgers, and wants to pick it up himself, it's a big ordeal. Remember the Blackberry dilemma he had when first becoming president? Same issue. He had lots of responsibility, but little freedom.

This past week, Gen. McChrystal resigned (aka: was fired) from his job after he and his staff gave unflattering remarks about the Obama administration, in a Rolling Stones Magazine article. Think about this. McChrystal is about as close to Chuck Norris, in his abilities, as one can get. Regardless, because of his position, he lost the right to say whatever he wanted... about whomever he wanted... to whomever he wanted. By the way, I'm the product of a private school education... so I don't know the difference between "whomever" and "whoever", but I hope I'm right.

Last week, people were infuriated when the CEO of BP took some time to watch his 52 foot yacht compete in a race. Because of his position, he lost the right to do this (at least w/o controversy). Believe it or not, I hate getting involved in political discussions. However, I reference these stories 'cause they are well known.

As a pastor, with the RESPONSIBILITY of leading a church, there are many RIGHTS I've given up. I have embraced the fact that there are things I simply cannot do, which most people attending our church can do, and still maintain any sense of integrity or influence. These include: spewing off political views, meeting w/ women alone, living a lavish lifestyle (Ed Young Jr has recently proved this), making decisions w/o explaining "why", getting involved in multi-level-marketing businesses that I would benefit from, giving cliche answers to tough questions, etc. Think about it. NONE of those things are wrong in and of themselves, but any of them have the power to slowly (or quickly) strip away the trust that people have given me.

Dave

PS - It's Friday, so you probably don't mind wasting time. Here are some hilarious vintage (and chauvinistic) ads that would cause TONS of controversy if they came out today...

30 Days to a New Life!

2010-06-23T14:35:00Z

Over the past week, I've watched multiple episodes of a very intriguing show called, "The Bachelor". Just kidding. It's called, "30 Days". The premise of the show is simple. In each episode, the shows creator (Morgan Spurlock) or some other person or group of people, spend 30 days immersing themselves in a particular lifestyle with which they are unfamiliar (working for minimum wage, being in prison, a Christian living as a Muslim, etc.). In almost every episode, there is serious life and/or perspective change that is experienced!

This is brilliant. Mainly because it provides a possible cure for the one group of people I dislike the most... complainers, easily offended people and "know it alls". Okay, those are three groups of people... but you've got to admit they're all annoying to be around. So here's my random thought: What if we identified one person or group of people who makes us feel really uncomfortable and did everything possible to "walk in their shoes" for 30 days?!

What if instead of complaining nonstop about how slow the government is to do anything, you actually tried to understand the red tape involved in every single decision (I don't suggest this 'cause you will be bored)?! What if instead of being so dogmatic in your views on homosexuality, you actually spent time trying to befriend homosexuals or read books that help you become more informed?! What if instead of acting like people of other faiths are idiots, you read books... watched documentaries... or had reasonable conversations w/ someone of another faith to become informed on why they have a different view of God than you. What if instead of avoiding or being uncomfortable around people with crippling diseases that you don't understand, you tried to become more familiar with the struggles, stereotypes and loneliness often associated with crippling diseases.

I'm convinced that if we all spent just 30 days trying to understand, become more informed, or befriend people very much unlike us... we'd all show a lot more grace! For the month of July, I'm going to immerse myself in a lifestyle that I'm trying to wrap my mind around and become much more understanding of. I'll share with you the learnings when I'm done.

Looking for a Book to Read This Summer? Here are Some Ideas...

2010-06-16T13:58:00Z

Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power... (Tim Keller)

Tim Keller is smarter than I will ever be. The entire premise of this book is based on the idea that it's possible for the human heart to take good things like a successful career, love, material possessions, even family, and turn them into ULTIMATE things. When this happens, good things become our "god", because we think they can give us significance and security, safety and fulfillment, if we attain them.

By the way, if you haven't read Keller's book "Prodigal God"... I'm pretty sure you're not going to heaven. It is one of my top 5 of all time.

Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? (Seth Godin)

In the interest of full disclosure, I have a man-crush on Seth Godin. "Linchpin" is just one of many books that reveals his genius. The BIG IDEA behind this book is to discover what you're passionate about and put your entire heart and soul into it. I love his suggestion about what should be taught in schools. He says, "Only two things: 1) How to solve interesting problems; 2) How to lead".

The Naked Gospel: Truth You May Never Hear In Church (Andrew Farley)

I don't agree with every single sentence in this book, but I loved reading it . It is the clearest book I've ever read on God's grace. It describes the Old Testament law as having the ability to breed two things: 1) Defeat, if you're honest and 2) Hypocrisy, if you're not.

Here are the books I'm hoping to finish by the end of the month:

The Top 10 Ways You Know That You're A Redneck

2010-06-14T13:08:00Z

Yesterday we kicked off our series on the 10 Commandments. Here's the premise for the series:

Most people would agree that the 10 Commandments are, at the very least, a great moral compass. The only problem is... most of us don't even know what the 10 Commandment are!!!
The 10 Commandments are not a means of earning favor with God. They were initially given to a group of people who already had favor with God (The Israelites)!
One of the most basic principles of life is that rules without relationship lead to rebellion! God does not impose rules on people with whom He has no relationship.
The 10 Commandments are intended to: A - Reveal God's character and help us understand what He is like; B - Reveal our character and give us a proper perspective of our flaws and failures.
It is IMPOSSIBLE to follow all 10 Commandments, especially when taking into consideration the spirit of the law that Jesus referenced in Matthew 5 (ie: unresolved anger is the same as murder!) THIS IS WHY WE NEED JESUS. We trust Him to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

Dave

PS: I'm going retro on you with this, but here are "The Top 10 Ways You Know That You're a Redneck":

10) The Halloween pumpkin on your front porch has more teeth than your spouse.

9) You've been married three times and still have the same in-laws.

8) Jack Daniel's makes your list of "Most Admired People".

7) You kid's birth announcements include the phrase "rug rat".

6) Your Junior/Senior prom had a daycare.

5) The bluebook value of your truck goes up and down, depending on how much gas it has in it.

4) Your pocked knife has ever been referred to as "Exhibit A".

3) You think loading the dishwasher means getting your wife drunk.

2) You let your twelve-year-old daughter smoke at the table... in front of her kids.

1) Someone in your family died right after saying, "Hey, y'all watch this!"

I Met With A Couple Last Night... They're Pretty Much Screwed!

2010-06-11T13:06:00Z

Nothing frustrates me more than my inability to change the human heart (including myself). I wish there was some sort of magic formula, perfect Sunday talk, or miracle drug (not a suppository though) that could instantly change people. Obviously, there isn't.

Last night, I met w/ an engaged couple from Great Lakes Church whose hearts have been dramatically changed by the grace of God. If we weren't at a coffee shop, I would have screamed out loud 'cause I was that excited. Their story is simple, but powerful.

A few months ago, this couple felt like God was telling them to change the way they handled their resources so that they could honor Him in their giving. This was a HUGE challenge since he was unemployed and she was simply making an average salary. Regardless, they moved forward in being obedient to what they knew God wanted them to do.

Now here's the kicker. One month ago, something prompted them to evaluate their dating relationship. They were sexually active and living together, but not married. What they did next would be considered by some as incredibly STUPID. Since they had already bought a house together and didn't want to separate until their wedding in September, they decided to get legally married right away. I actually have one of their new invitations. I'm not making this up. Here is what it says,

"As you know, we were planning on getting married over Labor Day Weekend. As you may also know, when XXXXX moved from Pennsylvania, we began living together. We feel led to do what will honor God and we've chosen to get married sooner rather than later." I love the fact that they didn't hide WHY they were changing the date.

Here was my learning from last night: Heart change doesn't happen quickly. However, every step of obedience to God makes our hearts more and more pliable. The more we say "no" to God, the easier it is to harden our hearts. The more we say "yes" to God, the softer our hearts become and the more we change. I ended my conversation w/ this couple by saying, "You're pretty much screwed. God sees how sensitive your hearts are, so He'll keep changing you!" I hope that's the story of my life.

The Church At Its Best!

2010-06-09T13:52:00Z

Last night I picked my daughter up from her first night of Jr. High Growth Group. Wow! 25 Jr. High students had pretty much taken over the house. I'm not Catholic, but all the chaos made me want to say some sort of prayer for the home owners... "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women..."

To me, this is the church at its best. If the Sunday morning crowd never develops into a community, we're wasting our time! The fact is, you can listen to talks online or watch smiling televangelists whenever you want. Typically, they are much more polished than our Sunday morning gatherings will ever be. But that's okay.

The Scripture often refers to the church as a "family". It doesn't say we're "like" a family. It says we ARE a family. Here are just a few ways we're given on how we should interact with each other:

Love one another (John 13:34)
Pray for one another (James 5:16)
Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32)
Be kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
Take an interest in one another (Philippians 2:3-5)
Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21)

It's IMPOSSIBLE to do this if we don't even know other people in the church family. That's why I will never stop encouraging people to join a Growth Group or become a part of a volunteer team. We all need people in our life who are helping shape us and challenge us to become more like Jesus! Who is doing that for you???

Dave

PS - Here are some pics from my daughter Kaitlyn's recent graduation (if you can call it that) from the 5th grade. I don't know if it's legal to post these pics, but Corey is my sister-in-law so screw legalities.

The Blame Game!

2010-06-04T14:20:00Z

Are you ready for one of my rants??? I seriously want to dropkick the next person I hear blame President Obama for something as ridiculous as "doing nothing" about the oil spill. The only thing stopping me is that I don't actually know how to dropkick anyone.

Seriously - Why do we blame the president for everything? The economy sucks... blame the president. We're still at war... blame the president. The oil spill is not as easy to fix as we were hoping... blame the president. Cats are still allowed to be a household pet... blame the president (okay, I see the value in this one)!

One of the most basic values that we can hold as human beings is to actually DO SOMETHING we're claiming to be passionate about, instead of just pointing fingers. Do you really get bothered with world poverty? How about instead of blaming the government, you actually sponsor a child? Does the war in Iraq make you upset 'cause of the families being affected? How about sending a care package or writing a thank you note to a soldier? Does the oil spill seriously infuriate you 'cause of your environmental concerns? I've got great news! There are organizations you can volunteer with in helping clean up the mess. If it really bothers you that much, do something about it.

It's so easy for all of us to share our thoughts, opinions and views with anyone who will listen. But actually doing something about our concerns is another story. Please, I'm begging you... DON'T PLAY THE BLAME GAME. Anyone can point out problems, but coming up with a solution is the only way to be helpful. Still mad at the president for how he's responding to the oil spill? Visit the White House website and share your amazing solution with them!!! I'm sure they'd love to hear from you.

Dave

PS - Growth Groups start next week. You can still sign up for one by clicking here. If you've already signed up, PLEASE watch this video:

Being a Pastor Isn't What I Expected (Part 6)

2010-06-02T13:46:00Z

Continued from earlier blogs...

I NEVER IMAGINED THAT THE WORDS OR PHRASES I USE COULD BE INTERPRETED IN SO MANY WAYS!

This is one of those things that I don't know whether to laugh or cry about. Every Sunday I come prepared with about 6 pages of notes (approx 2500 words). Regardless of the topic, it always seems like people interpret a talk the way they want to interpret it. For people who are easily offended, they find something offensive about every message. For people who are filled with grace, I could tell them that I HATE their kids and they would laugh 'cause they'd assume I'm joking or that I must have never met their kids!

Now to be fair, there are definitely times in which I am not clear in my communication. In those moments, I have no one to blame but myself. Often, however, I've found that people simply interpret things based on their personality or the mood they are in that day. I don't know that there is much I can do about this, so here are some rules I live by:

1) I NEVER apologize for something that I'm not truly sorry about.

2) If someone disagrees with a theological statement I've made, I ask them to show me how Scripture supports their view.

3) I don't mind bringing clarity to something, but not if the person talking w/ me is looking for an argument. I can usually figure this out in the first 15 seconds of a conversation. Demeanor and tone of voice is everything.

If your pastime is to criticize or tear apart the words of other people... GET A FREAKIN' LIFE! That being said, I think we'd all do well to follow the words of Proverbs 21:23, "Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble."

-Dave

PS - If you're easily offended, please do not watch the video below. It is definitely college level humor.

HYPE!!!!

2010-05-26T15:08:17Z

HYPE IS A BIG PART OF OUR CULTURE!!!! Everyday we're slammed with phrases like "Don't miss this event!", or "75% off EVERYTHING!", or "Once in a lifetime opportunity!", or "BLOWOUT SALE"! We're not idiots. We all know that not everything can be the greatest... or the best... or the most incredible!

If you think about it, our faith has an element of hype to it as well. It's easy to gravitate towards thinking that God's primary purpose is to bless us, heal us, and make us happy! That's not true. His primary purpose is to transform us into becoming more and more like Jesus!

God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son... We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. Romans 8:29 (The Message Bible)

This sucks (probably not the best phrase to follow a Bible verse)! If the goal was to become nicer or kinder, we could do it by simply trying harder! However, if the goal is to become more and more like Jesus... TRYING HARDER isn't going to cut it!!! That's why Jesus told his followers to find their strength in Him. He said, "I am the vine... you are the branches... remain in me..." (John 15:1-8).

How do we do that? I don't think there is any right answer. Connecting with Jesus looks different for each of us based on our personality, season of life, etc. However, it does start by finding a TIME and a PLACE to be alone with Jesus. Maybe it sounds legalistic, but I don't know of a way to stay connected with Jesus w/o being intentional about setting aside time and a place to do it!

Dave

PS - Infomercials are notorious for hype and here is one of my favorite ones...

Churches Kill Creativity!

2010-05-20T13:26:00Z

Over the past year, I've watched the video, "Schools Kill Creativity" a couple of times. I love the perspective that Ken Robinson brings to the education system. Here are just a few of the interesting statements he makes:

We stigmatize mistakes and end up educating people out of their creative capacities.
Every education system on earth has the same hierarchy of subjects: Mathematics and language are always at the top, while classes that reflect the arts (dancing, drama, choir, etc) are always at the bottom.
If you're looking at education systems around the world, it's easy to conclude that the goal is to produce university professors.
We almost always evaluate someone's intelligence based on their academic ability.

Of course, I automatically filter these statements through the life of the church. Like schools, I think we do an amazing job at prioritizing knowledge above all things! When people can quote Scripture or give us the background to a book of the Bible we assume they are pretty spiritual. For some reason, serious personalities, introverts and highly educated religious people have ended up becoming the "model Christian". Yet Jesus NEVER talked about the value of how much we KNOW! He ALWAYS talked about the value of how much we LOVE.

This past week we started sign ups for our summer Growth Group season. I love how many different types of groups they are. It's important for us to remember that the groups doing some sort of Bible Study are not more spiritual than the ones riding Harleys! The way to evaluate spirituality is to ask questions like, "How did I apply what I learned?" or "How am I caring for and loving the people in my group?" or "How is my heart changing to become more like Jesus?"

By the way, here's the video I'm talking about...

Born Again (From Sunday's Talk)

2010-05-18T14:12:00Z

Our identity is a really big deal to us. We spend lots of energy and resources attempting to become "somebody".
When we become Christians, our dilemma is how to blend who we are (our identity) w/ who God wants us to be. The simple answer is: We don't.
God wants to give us a completely NEW identity. He encourages us to use our talents and education to pursue big dreams, but those dreams are NOT our identity. Our identity is that we are a child of God!
In John 3, Jesus has an encounter w/ a wealthy, influential and highly religious man named Nicodemus. Nick is impressed w/ Jesus because he can do miracles and is a great teacher.
Jesus is very direct in how he talks w/ Nick. It's obvious that He doesn't want to be known as a "good teacher" or "miracle worker". His purpose is to give NEW LIFE and NEW PURPOSE and NEW IDENTITY! Jesus tells Nick that he must be born again.
"Born again" is a creepy term, but it is a great metaphor to experiencing new life.
Every person who opened their hearts to Jesus, in Scripture, were born again and experienced new life. This ALWAYS resulted in life change!
Every Christ Follower should take the time to reflect and think about how their life is different because of Jesus!
If you're a Christ Follower, but have areas of your life that you don't WANT to change (don't want to forgive, don't want to become more generous, don't want to stop being selfish, etc)... why would you want to be BORN AGAIN? Being born again means experiencing new life!
2 Corinthians 13:5 says to "Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine..." This is easy to do. Simply ask, "How am I different because of Jesus?"