Stormy Weather

The past few weeks have produced some strong spring thunderstorms where I live. In other parts of the country, a fourth nor-easter of the month has hit. The weather seems to be more volatile than ever.

Actually, we have always had severe weather to contend with. It appears to be more severe and more frequent because of our access to instant news reports. And, the effect of social media by posting and reposting weather reports makes it seem worse that it really is.

When we encounter storms, and when we encounter the storms of life, we get concerned, nervous, and afraid. That is our natural reaction to the disruption of our normal lives. How we respond to those storms is a great indicator of what we are trusting in. Storms not only demonstrate our faith, but they also increase our faith.

Psalm 46:1-3 says: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

The psalmist is describing a great storm, one that could be weather related or a storm of life. He mentions trouble, fear, losing control (the earth give way), disruption of the normal (the mountains fall), ongoing problems (waters roar and foam), and foundations shaking (mountains quake).

One of the things that strikes me about this psalm (I encourage you to read all of it) is that it makes the assumption that storms will come, problems will arise, normal life will be disrupted. None of us can escape from storms.

Another thing that strikes me about this psalm is the lack of panic in the words and expression of the writer. There is a strong, secure “tone” that is expressed, even when describing the storms he is encountering.

Twice, in verses 7 and 11, the psalmist says these words: The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. He is assuring not only the readers of who his trust is placed in, but he is also reminding himself who his trust is placed in: The Lord.

Bottom line: Be ready for storms: They will come. Trust in the Lord before, after, and during the storm. Assure yourself of God’s help. (I memorized this psalm as a 16 year old and it is one of my personal go-to Scriptures.)

By the way, verse 10, Be still, and know that I am God is not a mandate for quiet worship. It is God telling us that amid storms, problems, difficulties, and obstacles, we need to stop fretting, worrying, and stressing. We are to rather be still (quiet, relaxed, calm) and trust God to protect us and take care of us

He has, He does, and He will. Lead Well!

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Coming... India 2018!

This week I confirmed dates with my India contacts, purchased airline tickets, and now things are gaining momentum... In May I am officially traveling to India for 16 days my 16th Mission Trip there!

Since 2007, I have traveled to India from the USA for the sole purpose of investing into the Indian people by providing deep water wells, medical care, workforce skills, medicine, leader training, and Gospel proclamation.

By partnering together with local pastors and leaders, we are able to provide physical and spiritual help to the less fortunate and unreached Indian people.

From large rallies with thousands in attendance where the Gospel is preached, to small villages where free medical camps are conducted and wells are dug, my trips are packed with early morning to late night ministry and service.

The impact of our time of ministry is continued and even multiplied because we always work through the local pastors and leaders who will continue the work in their regions.

This year I will be concentrating my focus of ministry in the northern Indian states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu-Kashmir. I will be partnering with three very influential Indian leaders whom I have worked with for many years.

My wife and I are able to purchase my travel tickets for this trip, but with any endeavor of this size, I am seeking financial support for medicines, in-country travel, and gifts for poor local pastors.

If you would like to help support my 2018 India Mission Trip, click here on the "give" button from the drop-down menu at the top left of this page.

Thank you for your interest, investment, and prayer support... Lead Well!

(There are some things that I cannot publicly post to protect my partners in India, but if you would like more details and specifics of my trip, I invite you to sign-up for my India Mailing List by entering your email address from the drop-down menu at the top left of this page.)

Resolutions Or Revolution?

Here we go… a new year! Resolutions, commitments, goals, visions... And to motivate and encourage us, we read Blogs, posts, and words of wisdom. (I have posted my share.) But, instead of resolutions, how about if we start a revolution? Read on...

Allow me to be simple: As Believers, you and I have the sacred responsibility to be salt, light, encouragement, Disciple-makers, and Kingdom-builders. I am not referring to standing on the street corner with a bullhorn, being more of a nuisance than an inspiration.

Rather, I am referring to the pattern Jesus established for us: Daily, consistent, purposeful words and deeds, investing into the lives of others, to draw them to the Lord, and draw them to invest themselves in others.

Doesn’t sound that simple, does it? Allow me to give you an easy first step: Love. Jesus said in John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” How can we let the world know we are followers of Christ? It’s simple: Love each other.

Here are three suggestions that will demonstrate our love for others:

• Share Grace rather than Gossip. Listen to yourself: How often do you talk about others (including game officials, politicians, waiters, and strangers who take a long time in the line in front of us)? Jesus said that life doesn’t revolve around us. By seeing others as real people, with real needs, and real heartaches, instead of seeing them as inconveniences and people with contrary opinions, we'll stop our gossip.
• Pray For rather than Post About those we disagree with (again including game officials, politicians, waiters, and strangers). Imagine how your world and the world of a person would change if you stopped and prayed for the person you had a problem with, rather than publicly gossiped about them? (Isn’t that what posting displeasure is: Gossip?)
• Love rather than Judge others. We are quick to judge. Usually it’s because others are different from us: Different culture, different opinions, different tastes, even different worship styles. When we judge, we evaluate others based on what we think is right. As we see it, our opinion outweighs truth. And truth can only be found in God’s Word. When a person is contrary to God’s Word, we should love them to Him, not judge them away from Him.

I am believing that this next year will be a great year for the Kingdom of God. We can play a big part in expanding that Kingdom and building Disciples by being people of love. That’s how the world will know that we are His disciples. And that will revolutionize our lives.

Lead Well!

Putting Generosity On Pause At Christmas

I love being a Christian! And I love the Christmas season! Music, celebration, family, and the focused attention on Jesus Immanuel: God with us. It seems that most Westerners (Americans) love the Christmas season, even the ones who do not know the true meaning of it.

But Christmas is so much more than lights and music. It’s so much more than shopping and gift-giving. It’s so much more than and parties with food & drink. Or is it?

Look at these verses from God’s Word:

• James 1:27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress… 
• Luke 14:12-13 “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” (Jesus) said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.”

We tend to focus on our needs, our friends & family, and our fun during the Christmas season. But as you see, we are instructed to look beyond ourselves. And not only during the Christmas season, but all year long.

I recently made this statement in a social media post: Don’t get so busy with Christmas, that you neglect being Christian. Allow me to ask you to go back, re-read, and consider those words.

As Believers, we are called to (and hopefully committed to) caring for the orphans and widows, and ministering to the poor, crippled, lame and blind. But often the busyness of life causes us to move away from our chosen lifestyle of care, compassion, and ministry. We get distracted by the ours in our lives, and forget about the others that God has placed in front of us.

May we set aside our needs, our desires, and our fun during the Christmas season. And may we be consistent all year long in being generous, caring, and ministry-focused, especially to those outside of our regular influence. Lead Well!

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Un-Thanksgiving Day

Imagine a world where we don't take off two days from work, don't gather and cook food to give away to the less fortunate, don't travel vast distances to be with our families, and don't fight voluminous crowds to get good deals at stores. What if we stopped celebrating Thanksgiving?

I heard a collective gasp as readers of this Blog placed their hands over their mouths in horror at the mere suggestion of the above paragraph. How un-American! How un-Christian! How un-Pilgrim! Stop celebrating Thanksgiving? Off with his head!

Why do we take one day a year to stop and be thankful for the wonderful things God has provided for us? Why do we take one day a year to give to the needy? Why do we take one day a year to cherish our families?

Allow me to ask it another way: Why aren't we thankful the other 364 days of the year? Why aren't we accumulating food and giving it to the poor regularly? Why aren't we cherishing our families every day?

Take a look at this: I Thessalonians 5:16-18 says Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

It seems to me that the biblical lifestyle presented here to Christians is to not wait until the fourth Thursday of November, but to always rejoice, to always pray, and to always and in everything give thanks. These aren't simply nice suggestions to add to our already crowded lives, but they are mandates for Believers to have as core values for their lives.

A bonus: For those who are truly seeking God's will for their lives (and I hope all Believers are), the above verses are God's will for our lives.

If we were always and in everything thankful, Thanksgiving Day would be just another day for us. Or rather, every day would be Thanksgiving Day. If we were always rejoicing, then we wouldn't have to wait for something good to come our way to cause us to have joy. If we were always praying, well imagine how powerful and effective our lives would be!

Imagine a world like I just described... Happy un-Thanksgiving Day! Lead Well!

The Truth About Worship Wars

Worship Wars. The very mention of that term causes Lead Pastors to sweat, and Worship Pastors to think about updating their resumes.

It may have only been coined as a term in the last few decades, but Worship Wars have been going on pretty much as long as people have been worshipping God.

Worship Wars. May I ask us to step back, and not define it as a conflict of musical styles (modern vs. traditional, old hymns vs. new praise songs, loud vs. soft,  pipe organ vs. Hammond B3, piano vs. band, etc.). Instead, may I suggest that instead of using the term Worship Wars, we use the term Pride Wars. (Please read on. Don't allow me to offend your pride at this point...)

Almost every conflict over musical style is based on personal preference. And almost every conflict over personal preference is based on... personal preference: What I Like vs. What You Like. And if we are honest, when I chose what I like over what you like, I am choosing me over you. And that translates into Pride. My way is better, My choice is better, My opinion is better.

This conflict based on personal preference which is ultimately rooted in Pride is not limited to musical/worship preferences in church. It is usually the root of any conflict between people. Cain and Abel conflicted over which type of sacrifice was better (My way is better). Gosh, even Adam and Eve conflicted over what to eat (My fruit is better).

Back to Worship Wars. Be honest: If you don't like a particular style, song, instrument, leader, etc., isn't it you who don't like it? (I can see you right now creating a mental list of others who agree with your preference). Your preference drives your likes and dislikes, but admit it: It is motivated by you and what you like or don't like.

I know of people who have gone to great lengths to find something to criticize about a particular church, ministry, or even songwriter simply because they don't like a style of a song(s) coming from that church, ministry, or songwriter. ("Hey! Let's gossip, slander, and bash someone because we don't like them. After all, that's what Christians are supposed to do, right?")

Worship Wars. Notice I haven't given my preferences about musical styles, songs, instruments, or leaders. Why? Because I want to make sure that my preferences don't bleed through because of my pride. I seek to offer biblical support of my theology of worship (then it becomes God's words, not mine). But I am simply asking us to look at personal preference and pride here.

Personal story: When I was being interviewed for my current Worship Ministry staff position (which I absolutely love), I was asked what my favorite style of music was. The smart answer was, "I like all styles." Instead I answered, "I believe the correct question is, 'What style of music will help a congregation to have freedom to intimately and passionately worship the Lord?' That is what we should be asking." (I got the job, so I guess that was a good answer.)

Then there's the question: How do we reach the next generation in our churches? Look at Galatians 5:13: You my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. If musical style is about our desires (pride), and we are not setting aside our preferences to reach others, we won't reach them. Period.

Worship Wars. The next time you find yourself disliking a particular musical style, song, instrument, or leader, ask yourself: Is this about making me happy, or is it about bringing honor to the Lord? Also ask: How can I lay aside my personal preferences and pride, and find a way to help someone else find the Lord, and help someone else worship Him intimately and passionately?

Lead Well!

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It's A Miracle... I Think

What amazes you: A sunset? A politician’s off-the-cuff statement? An impossibly-made touchdown catch? Do the things that amaze you cause you to step back in wonder? Do you tell others about it? Does it become the only topic of your interest?

Look at this: Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” (Luke 5:26)

Jesus had just healed a man who was set before Him by four of the man's friends who lowered him through the roof. Not only did Jesus heal the man, but he forgave the man of his sins. Pretty remarkable!

And after witnessing these things, the people responded not with skepticism, but with amazement, awe, and verbal response.

Are you ever amazed by the works of God? Have you every seen remarkable things? There are common everyday works of God that are remarkable (the food on our tables, every breath that we take, the changing of the seasons) and then there are those remarkable works of God that we call miracles.

I would imagine that the common everyday works of God don’t amaze us much because we take them for granted. And I would imagine that those works of God that we call miracles don’t amaze us much because we’re not really sure how we feel about miracles.

But I would challenge us to see God’s everyday work and be amazed.

And I would challenge us to believe in God’s miracles, and expect God to do them, and be amazed when He does.

Every morning on my drive to work I get to see the mountains, and every morning I say out loud in my car, “Thank you, Lord!” And every day I look for ways for God to do miracles through me as I interact with people. And when He does, I step back… Amazed!

Lead Well!

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Taming The Tongue... Again!

We all love to talk! Talking has been a part of cultures throughout history. Oral history, stories of exploits, even the giving of commands have depended on verbal communication.

God gave us communication as a gift so we can interact with each other and with Him. Imagine what it would be like if we couldn't communicate with each other, or worse if we couldn't communicate with God.

Sometimes our talking becomes a negative influence on others. Excessive sharing of information (TMI, stop already), gossip (aka "prayer requests"), and talking about ourselves (I, me, my, mine, etc.) are all misuses of this gift.

Let's be honest: At times we are all guilty of misuse. There is however, good wisdom in God's Word concerning our speech (verbal, written, and posted).

James 3:9-10 says: With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

Consider:

• Have we ever praised God on Sunday, and criticized others on Monday?
• Have we ever quoted scripture, and then quoted (reposted) gossip?
• Have we ever turned a conversation from another's sharing to "our" story?

As Believers, we have the responsibility of taming our own tongue. Our honoring of God, our encouragement of fellow Believers, and our expansion of God's Kingdom are all linked to how we control our speech (and postings).

May our speech be seasoned with flavor that is acceptable to God, and influential for His Kingdom... Lead Well!

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Two Are Better Than One

I remember the first time I attended a National Youth Worker's Convention, very early in my ministry career. There I was like a very small fish in a huge ocean: Hundreds of career Youth Pastors with years of experience sitting and learning from some of the best ministers in the country.

My eyes were wide, my ears were open, and my intimidation factor was in the "red" (being intimidated, not being an intimidator). As a result, I pretty much kept to myself because I didn't want anyone to know I was young youth minister with barely three years of experience. At the conclusion of the afternoon session on the final day of the five-day conference, I was randomly invited to eat dinner by the guy who happened to be sitting next to me.

I reluctantly agreed (he mentioned an Ethiopian restaurant three blocks from the conference hotel), and when I met him in the hotel lobby to take the short walk to the restaurant, he was there... along with six other people he was friends with. My intimidation factor red-lined again: Not only was I among seasoned youth pastors, but I was going to have to talk to them and let them know that I don't know very much.

My, how I was wrong. The people in the group were kind, encouraging, and nonjudgmental. They were interested in me, and didn't try to be interesting to me. They listened, they laughed at themselves, and I learned a lot about relationships, encouragement, mentoring, and the need to be mentored... And about youth ministry.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

It is important that we value relationships: Let us seek to be interested in others, rather than interesting to others. Let us seek out those who need encouragement. Let us seek to mentor those who are open to input into their lives. Let us be open to input into our lives by mentors.

Let us not waste our relationships on things that don't really matter. Let us invest in people, and allow people to invest in us. Let us... Lead Well!

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Asking For The Big Piece Of Cake

Do you remember when you were a child, looking at a freshly baked cake, and as it was being sliced for your family, asking for the big piece?

Being OCB (similar to OCD, but instead of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, I see it as Obsessive-Compulsive Blessing... God made me this way), I was and still am able to determine the largest piece with a quick glance. (But I should limit my cake consumption... Another Blog post.)

When it comes to life, I believe that God wants us to ask Big: More of his Blessing, more of His Ministry, more of His Power, more of His Presence.

I don't believe that the Christian life should be comfortable, sufficient, and mediocre. I don't believe that we are destined to just get by.

Rather, I believe that God wants His children to dream Big, ask Big, expect Big, believe Big, and live Big.

Consider...

• Jabez, who asked God for a bigger border and to be blessed indeed (I Chronicles 4:10)
• Hezekiah, who asked God to extend his life (II Kings 20:1-11)
• Aksah, who asked her father not only for land, but also for springs to water it (Judges 1:13-15)
• Caleb, who in his old age asked for mountainous country filled with God's enemies so he could drive them out (Joshua 14:10-12)
• Elisha, who asked for a double-portion of God's Spirit (II Kings 2:9)

What do all of these people have in common? They dreamed Big, they asked Big, they expected Big, they believed Big, and they lived Big.

Dream Big, ask Big, believe Big... Lead Well!

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What's Your Opinion?

I remember one of the first times I stood in front of my very first middle school group as their Youth Minister, sharing about how we should treat each other. I was using Philippians 2:3-5 as my text. And looking back, I'm not sure I had a clue as too what I was doing... (I was pretty much sharing my opinion.)

In that passage of scripture it tells us: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.

Powerful words I thought. We should treat others as we would want to be treated. We should treat others the way Jesus would treat them. (I should have thought that one through and distributed wristbands with the letters WWJD. But, someone else ran with that idea a couple of decades later.)

I went on to tell the middle school students about the dangers of selfish ambition. Little did I know that most middle schooler's greatest ambition was to get out of homework and sluff-off their chores. Ah, and vain conceit... I'm glad they didn't know what that meant, because I sure didn't!

Since that Wednesday evening in the mid-1970's, when I thought I had a good understanding of God's Word, I have come to find out that there are many great truths in those verses for all Believers.

In our relationships with others, which are driven by our conversations (verbal, texted, posted, and commented on), It's good to remember these life-principles:

• Don't be selfish in conversation. Allow others to express themselves without our quick response about us. A good way to check how we are doing with this: How many times do you use the words I, me, my, mine, and I'm in our conversations? (Again, which includes verbal, texted, posted, and commented on.)
• Be humble. Just because we know the right answer doesn't mean we have to share it. Our opinion is sometimes just that: our opinion. Share truth, not what we think.
• Value others. (Including valuing their stories above ourselves and our stories.) When someone shares a story, concern, idea, or opinion, don't be so quick to follow with our own story, concern, idea, or opinion.
• Be interested in other's interests. Don't be so quick to share about your interest.
• Treat others the way Jesus would when He interacted with others. (Read the Gospels... There is a wealth examples of the way Jesus treated others.)

Here are a couple of takeaways to try:

• When someone says something, force yourself to simply listen and smile without any comment or response with your story.
• When someone posts something, resist the urge to say you like that, you own that, you've had that (or your mom did), or that bothers you too. A simple wow, thumbs-up emoji  or pressing the "like" button proves humility, keeps us from being selfish and conceited, and values others over ourselves.

Keep your opinion to yourself, and... LeadWell!

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