The Returning Couple

 From time to time in the world of church planting it becomes necessary to bring a couple home for redirection or even for rescue. I am glad that we can do this and that we do not leave couples hanging out on a limb once we send them out. It is part of our support for pioneering couples that we cover their expenses including a return trip home.

One thing that the returning couple has to deal with is that the church they left has changed and people that they knew have moved on in life. Things are not just like they remember when they left. And now they have the baggage of a failed attempt hanging on them.

It is easy to be excited for the couples when they leave. Their enthusiasm is contagious. It can be easy to share tips or ideas with them. Every couple we send goes with great promise of success. Most make it, and some succeed. But a few try and fail.  And now they are back in our church where we have to figure out how to deal with them.

One thing we can do is pray for the returning couples. God needs to help them adjust and fit in. God can sort out what happened and He makes a way where there seems to be no way. With God all things are possible. Jesus still heals the broken hearted today!

I Love Going To Church

 "I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord." Psalm122:1

I am glad when it comes up that it's time to go to church. I look forward to seeing my friends and family. I look forward to a time of worship. I look forward to hearing what our pastor has to say. To me, church is a great blessing.

Some people look at church as a burden or an inconvenience. Some people think that they would rather be fishing or shopping or playing something. They would rather be home watching tv. Not me.

I find that I almost always feel better when I leave church on Sunday morning. I feel refreshed and encouraged and revived. The benefit that I get is worth any effort it takes for me to get there.

So, if you want to see me on Sunday morning, you better leave right now. I will be in church where I belong. You know where to find me!

Who Do You Trust?

 Social media is a terrible place to get useful information. You have pseudo experts dispensing so called knowledge that is so broad and generalized as to be useless. Unless of course they are the liars who dispense lies and untruths to try to deceive people.  This is true of health and wellness experts or medical experts and it is also true of religious experts and Bible scholars.

As someone with congestive heart failure I wanted to learn as much as I could about my condition. But I found that along with the knowledge came a spirit of fearfulness. A fear of what might happen. A fear that my life is over.

I also found that with theologians and Bible scholars you do not know the person or their lifestyle or if they have ever been born again. Just like unsaved Christian musicians, these theologians seem to know the Bible but are devoid of truth.

I have a church and I have pastors who I know and who I trust. I have some good doctors who have taken good care of me and I have other doctors who seem to always only see the worst possible outcome. I will trust the one and dismiss the other.

The best church for you is the one where you are now. The grass is no greener on the other side of the fence.

Looking For Support

 When my wife died and I was at my wits end I found Griefshare, a grief support group that saved my life. Now that my heart is failing, I am searching for a support group for people with heart failure. I will find something soon.

Our church does not have this kind of support. It is not what we do nor is is widespread enough to warrant closer attention. But there are a lot of us heart failure folks around to justify some group to organize a support network to help us navigate through the new world of living with heart failure.

If you know me or if you know of such a group, please let me know.

My Thoughts On Change

 "Then He that sat on the throne said, behold, I make all things new." Rev.21:5

Change is a part of life. From birth to death life involves changes. Not all change is equal, not all change is welcome, and not all change is for the better. Here are some thoughts from my perspective on change.

I have been through some changes in life. Some changes were easy, but most were hard. I think that big changes are hard. It's only the small changes that are easy. And as I get older, I find changes that used to be easy becoming harder all the time. I find myself thinking about the good old days, when things were familiar and comfortable, before things changed. Change is hard.

I find that often, if not always, change involves a loss of the familiar. We work hard to find a way that works, then someone says they have found a better way, and we change how we do things. As you get older, you begin to cling to the familiar even if it is old or out of fashion. If it ain't broke, don't fix it is our cry. Change involves a loss of the familiar. Change often involves the loss of the familiar.

Once you have lived a few years you are constantly asked to change who you are and what you do and who you know. We are told this is good for us, that this is a better way. But experience tells us that different is not always better. Change for change sake is an exercise in futility for us. Change for some is an answer to boredom. We ware more willing to change if it makes life easier or better. But while change is different, it is not always better.

Finally, change often involves unwanted loss. We are forced to change due to unwanted or unforeseen circumstances. The death of my spouse forced me into changes that I hated and was afraid of and resented doing. Having to change by losing someone or somethings is still a part of life. But, it can be some of the hardest changes we make in life. Loss forces us to change.

So, while change is a part of life, we still need the Lord's help to navigate through the changes of life. The older we get, the more we need the Lord to help us.

Isaiah Trujillo in Revival

 We are in revival with pastor Isaiah Trujillo this week. He is a great guy and he ministers ably to many important needs in our church. He has been through a lot and he has proven to be a great minister of God's word. I hear glowing reports from those who I talk to. Visitors, people saved, words given.

It is great to see a new generation of guys carrying on the work that my generation started.

Fear A Terrible Motivator

 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear," 1John 4:18

I have decided that fear of what might happen is a terrible reason to do anything. Some leaders use fear to motivate action from those under them. But actions driven by fear breeds resentment and those led by fear will in time go away. Fear produces torment the apostle says.

In the health care world some doctors can't bring themselves to be positive or to say anything positive. It's like they want you to be ill. They want you to be or to stay sick. And some use the fear of what could happen to try to motivate their patients to have surgery or to take medicine or to have a procedure done.

I am all for anything that fixes me when I am broken or that helps me sustain good conditions. Doing something because you might die if this happens to you is a hard pill to swallow.

There are things worse than death or dying. Living in fear is worse. And if Heaven is our goal, then to die is gain!

"For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Phil. 1:21

Just As I Am (Hymns with lyrics)

Answered Prayer

 As I have traveled through this bout of illness I have become aware of two things. First, God answers prayers in more ways than the expected way. I was not miraculously healed, but my prayer for the medical professionals who took care of me were answered. The doctors did a great job. The nurses were kind and friendly and professional. Everyone involved in my healthcare did a great job. Thank God for helping these folks take good care of me.

The other thing that I have learned is that we do not go through things alone. We have a great social network of people who help us and who pray for us. I do not take for granted the great group of people who continue to pray for me as I go through this trial of my faith. My family, my friends, my church, my pastors, and other people who I do not know all have played a part in me still being here alive and kicking.

I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God! Amen and amen.

Discipleship Under Moses

"See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship." Exod.31:2-3

"And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you:" Exod.31:6

The building of the tabernacle in the wilderness was an important project. God was the architect and the general contractor. It was God's plan and it was important that everything be done just so. Here are a few thoughts that I had about this idea.

First, Moses got the plans on what to do from God. Pastors get direction for their church from God.

Second, Moses picked the men to do the job by following God's command. Moses did not pick family or friends.

Third, Moses was the answer man. He gave advice to the workmen any time a question arose. Moses knew what to do and how to do it.

Fourth, the men did the work. They followed the plan. They did not have a better idea. Two of the craftsmen were mentioned by name. They were uniquely enabled by God to do what He needed them to do. They were disciples. Discipleship is a calling, not a program or a school.

Winning souls takes wisdom. Making disciples takes wisdom. Planting churches takes wisdom. No wonder Solomon asked for wisdom and not for money. Our pastors need God to give them wisdom. Our churches need disciples who are Divinely called, and inspired, and equipped to do what we ask them to do.

Life As It Is

"The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Mat.26:41

This text has a lot of meaning in it. But it also addresses an issue that becomes more prevalent as you get older. It is the idea that being able to once do things is not the same as doing those things now. The older I get, the better I was. I talk to my friends and I regularly hear them talk about how they used to be or how they used to look or what they used to be able to do. They talk big, but inside they beat themselves up over their inability to do what they used to do easily.

You have to deal with life as it is, not as you wish it was. You can only do what you can do. Someone else telling you what you should do or what you ought to do is not helpful. Life in most instances is not one size fits all. Salvation is the one universal thing. Besides that, you have to live the life that you have, not strive for the life that you want. The older you get the harder this is to do.

To me, midlife crisis is a time when the dreams of childhood die and we panic, wondering what to do now. Some people grow old and never come to grips with the fact that their flesh is weak and it is he that endures to the end who will be saved.

I wear shades, not because my future is so bright, but because I need to protect my eyes from uv rays.

Love is the Answer

 That the Devil hates marriage is obvious. He hates anything that God does or sets in order. The political left is also anti marriage and has been for hundreds of years, but especially since the destructive 1960's.

I wonder if it is not so much marriage that they hate as it is love and falling in love. Love is a powerful emotion. It captivates our minds, it stirs us to action, it keeps us from evil, and it completes God's design in creation. You cannot legislate love. And laws or programs are not able to either begin or end true love.

Gay marriage has not hurt real marriage. Shacking up has not hurt real marriage. People will fall in love no matter what those who rule over us say. Laws are not enough to promote marriage, and laws are never enough to stop real love. And the enemy knows this yet does not understand this and he cannot do anything about love.

So maybe, instead of promoting marriage at church, maybe we should promote young people falling in love.

A Real Problem With No Solution

 I have written about growing older as a church member. I want to address a topic that is looming over our Fellowship and I have no idea if it has even been talked about. I am talking about pastors who stay on in the ministry when they are so out of touch and irrelevant as to be an embarrassment to us all. I am talking about pastors and evangelists and missionaries who will not retire.

Why can a pastor not retire? I do not know. There is no biblical basis for this idea. There is ample old testament evidence to suggest that old kings and prophets and priests all were quite useless at the end of their lives even though they still occupied their office. David was a foolish old king. Paul could only answer letters for the last years of his short life. Church history give us better guidance than the book of Acts in some cases and this is one of those cases.

For some pastors, they have the respect for what they did in shepherding their local church. But they no longer are doing anything fresh or new or groundbreaking. The ship has sailed and they cannot even find the dock. They are using ancient techniques to solve high tech problems. They spend more time managing than innovating.

If you cannot use email or a smart phone, you ought to retire. If you are fighting old battles that are irrelevant today you ought to retire. If your church has heard your personal stories enough that they can tell those stories for you you ought to retire. If you cannot drive your own car you ought to retire.

At the very least I think that our pastors and board of elders need to talk about finding a way for old preachers to retire. Pastor Mitchell was pathetic during the final years of his life. Why not quit while you are ahead? Do not do your church the indignity of dying in the pulpit. You can endure to the end in retirement as well as being in charge.

Ignoring this issue will not solve this problem.

Sunday Afternoon Thoughts

 "Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions." Joel 2:28

Our Fellowship in general, and many of our local churches in particular, are youth oriented. Our evangelism is youth focused. Discipleship is youth driven. Church planting is primarily done using young couples. And it is so because it works best that way.

The only problem with this focus is that we are not allowed to get old in our Fellowship. Our bodies are not allowed to succumb to the onslaught of aging. We are not supposed to have age related illnesses. Moses is tossed out as an example, so that if we don't live strong until the end we are failures. Sorry pastor Mitchell, you faltered at the end of life so you did not live up to Moses' standard. You should have quit while you were ahead.

On the idea of illness, some Pentecostals think that all illness is caused by the Devil. This poses a unique challenge. A man of God ought to be able to cast out the demon and get us old folks healed. Instead, they blame us for their ministerial failure. Do not tell me that my body is being attacked unless you have the answer on what to do to alleviate the illness. Some old folks in church trust doctors because doctors help with practical solutions to persistent problems. Doctors never blame their patients for being sick. If God will not heal us by a miracle, are we cut off from God forever?

I notice that in our text, old men are given preference over young men since they are mentioned first. Dreaming is as valuable as seeing visions. It is wrong to think that the vision of youth is more useful than the dreams of the aged.

"The end of a thing is better than it's beginning;" Eccl.7:8

Decently And In Order

 "Let all things be done decently and in order." 1Cor.14:40

There is, or there ought to be, an order and a structure to our church services. It is not a place for people, moved by the Spirit, to run around out of control. It is not a place for interruptions or outbursts. A church service has a beginning, a high point, and a conclusion.

Pastor Mitchell used to have one of his 4x6 index cards with the order of the service written on it. Welcome all! was at the top of the list. It had prayer requests or announcements or other points of reference to follow. There was an acceptable time for exercising the gifts of the Spirit. And there was and still is an acceptable time to end the service.

Worship is a time to honor and glorify God, not a time to flaunt your talent or to put on a show. The sermon is usually the high point of the service. The sermon also must be orderly and have a structure so as to get to the point without wearing out the church. I can tell if a preacher has notes or if he is winging it. Pastor Mitchell used an outline. He did not write out the whole sermon. He did not always finish his sermon.

The word decently is a word that means like a gentleman. It means gracefully or  with dignity. A church service should be well behaved, not a riot of confusion. The sermon also ought to be full of grace and truth. It ought to be the aim of every Fellowship pastor to learn how to preach like a gentleman and not like a wild man. You do not need a college degree to be a great preacher. You do not need a cathedral to have a dignified church service. You just have to want it. You can grow into it.

Revival that is wild and out of control will not last long. 

The Boy Who Cried Wolf Today

 When a preacher wants to stir the church into action he tends to paint a picture of a world worse than it actually is. When a political leader wants to drum up support he paints the opposition as the enemy. When a doctor wants you to do what he or she wants you to do they run out the worst case scenario about your condition. What do these have in common? They are like the boy who cried wolf. Or like Lot in Sodom. One day something catastrophic will happen, and no one will take them seriously.

"So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking." Gen.19:14

After the bottom falls out, some will begin to believe. But if you do what they tell you to do and nothing changes you begin to wonder if it is as bad as they say. There are things worse than dying. Living in fear is worse. The fear of illness is sometimes worse than being sick.

We need God to help our pastors to rightly divide the word of truth. We need our doctors to be wise about what we really need. We need politicians to be wise about what is truly important. Lest, when the wolf really comes, no one believes the cry of the boy.

Asking the Experts

 If I need medical advice, I go to the doctor. If I need car repair, I go to a mechanic. If I have spiritual questions, I call my pastor. If I just need to talk to someone, I call a friend. My point is, when you need specific help, you contact a professional.

Some people think that they are professional, and they are not. They think that because of their age, or their experiences in life, they are experts in a field, any field for that matter. Television and the internet makes you think that you are smarter and wiser than you really are.

To be happy and at peace in life, you need to know who the real experts in life are, and your only burden is to reach out to them for their expert help. By doing this you can easily dismiss the shade tree experts who are quick to give advice, even if they do not know what they are talking about.

Just because it worked for you does not mean that your way is a universal solution to everyone around you. It means that you are a pseudo expert in what works for you.

When I go to church, I expect to hear an expert preach from a treasure of wisdom that he has filled in God so that he has something valuable to give to us. I look to see if he practices what he preaches.

Common Ground for Ministry.

 Because of the things that I have been through in recent years I have begun to notice how powerless we are to help people that we have nothing in common with. It seems that until we have gone through something or experienced something we have little understanding or compassion for those around us.

It was not until my wife died that I find myself having great compassion for those whose spouse has died. Since I failed at pastoring I have great compassion for those who feel like failures. Because my wife went through years of physical ailments I can have compassion for those with long term illnesses. Because I have been through financial collapse I no longer thumb my nose at those facing financial ruin.

The common ground in the gospel is that if we are saved, we can minister to anyone who needs to be saved. If we speak in tongues, we can help new converts to enter that higher plane of experience.

Because we are human, we can minister to other humans. Any time, any place.

The Sunday Morning Priority

 One thing about pastor Mitchell that stands out in my mind is how hard he worked to do what he did and he still found a way to be in his own church on Sunday morning. He seemed to feel that this was important. He took the time and he spent the money to make this happen almost every Sunday morning.

My thought on this is that if the senior pastor misses Sunday morning he is missing the thing that makes him the senior pastor. He misses the opportunity to minister to those who are the fruit of his ministry. He misses the connection with his home church people. He misses an opportunity to set things straight from the sometimes crazy ideas of his assistants.

If a senior pastor cannot be in his church, on the platform, and behind the pulpit, on Sunday morning, maybe he is too busy.

One more thought. Senior pastors who insist that every decision be made through them are limiting the growth of their own churches. If everything comes to a standstill until you get home, this produces hard feelings in some, and a lack of innovation in others. A church needs it's pastor to be present, and available, and approachable; not just a face on a website telling us who you are. Even in our church, Sunday morning is the most important service of the week. I think that it is important for our senior pastor to be there. Amen!