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today matters so matter today

Yesterday I had to go meet with a fellow youth pastor in town. I planned on just stopping by and discussing the business at hand but ended up staying there for 2 hours just hanging out and talking. Some people are just refreshing to be around and you can’t get enough. They are encouraging, uplifting, and just a joy to spend time with. That is Mark Miller.

As Paul said of Philemon “Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, refresh the hearts of the saints.”

Do you have people like this in your life. Thank God for them today! Pray for them. And become one of them. Be the kind of person that people can request of you as Paul did of Philemon “refresh my heart in Christ Jesus.” Today matters so matter today!!!

I took my wife and boys to the Shriner Circus last Thursday. What is a Shriner anyway and why do they wear those hats? And what is a Grand Potentate? Wierd stuff, but the circus was fun none-the-less. At one point during the show, they had acrobats in all three rings. The center ring had a girl on this huge hoola-hoop looking ring hanging from the ceiling. She was swinging and doing all kinds of twists and stuff. The two outside rings each had 2 huge ribbons hanging from a pulley sytem for a guy to hang on to and be hoisted into the air to do all sorts of acrobatic tricks. One of the guys’ pully system apparently was not working right. They would pull him up into the air and then have to let him down. He never got to do any tricks and eventually they just gave up and he put on his jacket and stood and watched the others.

This is what amazed me: It hit me after a while that I was focused on this guy who wasn’t doing anything. Here were these two amazing athletes in the other rings doing some incredible feats of strength and agility and I was drawn to watch the guy who was just standing there. And I was focused on wondering what went wrong. When that hit me, I began to look around the arena and noticed that a large majority of the crowd was doing the same thing I was, looking at the guy whose stuff got messed up.

How much is that like the kingdom of God? All over the world God is doing amazing things in and through people. People are giving their all to serve the Lord and doing amazing things for Him and because of Him. But it seems that all the focus goes to those who are messing it up or aren’t doing anything, just standing there. And it steals glory from God. All eyes go to them. All the talk is about them and wondering “what went wrong?” We see it all the time. God is moving all over and one minister falls into immorality and the focus and talk is all about this “fake.” We hear it from people we share the gospel with. They say “I know Christians and they are no different than I am. Why do I need Jesus?” They are basically saying “I know christians who are standing there doing nothing.” And their focus is upon them.

So that challenges me to make sure I am not just standing watching the show, but I am being diligent to let my good works shine like a city on a hill to draw attention to the One who is really putting on a show worth watching! Hope you will too. Today matters, so matter today!

The Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20 says “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Typically believers and churches are good at producing decisions. Meaning we lead someone to that point of praying a prayer to receive Christ. They make a decision. Then we leave them hanging there. There is no follow up, no discipleship. And hopefully you know that discipleship is not a class that happens on Sunday night from 5 – 7. Discipleship is life-on-life demonstrating how to be a follower of Christ in every day life.

Nowhere in the Great Commission does Jesus put this responsibility on the new convert. It is completely upon the “seasoned” disciple. Jesus does not say “if they are really hungry for it, teach them.” or “if they seek you out for discipleship…” He does not say “Point them to a class.” He simply says “make disciples.” These are our marching orders. Are you obeying? Who have you made a disciple? Who are you making a disciple? Are you sharing your life with someone that they might know and follow the One you are following?

A lady was in my office today talking about missions. She is going deep into Mexico this summer with her son-in-law and granddaughter. WOW. Families serving the Lord together!!! I love it. She was telling me about the conversation with the mission team leader. He was informing her that they would be staying in a hotel that was built in the 1950’s. She laughed about it. Last year she went to the Dominican Republic with us and the “hotel” the ladies stayed in was quite a rough experience. There was rarely any running water because the generators could not keep up with the electricity and the water pumps at the same time. So on the off chance they had water, they would often have to shower in the dark. The electricity was come and go anyway. Someone tried to break into her room one night. It was dirty. Hot. So humid that your clothes were never dry. It was pretty miserable all around. But she said, “all that is forgotten. It doesn’t even compare to the memories of what was accomplished.” Lives were changed, children were loved, clothed and fed, and given a better place to live. It was amazing.

We always look back with admiration to those times in our lives where we sacrificed some comfort and conveniences. I hear people talk about those kinds of experiences as if they were the best days of their lives. And I do the same. Weeks and months spent in less than favorable circumstances are some of the highlights of my 31 years. So I wonder, why do we choose to only live this way one or two weeks out of the year? Why don’t we get uncomfortable here and experience, right at home, the blessings God always pours out in those far and away places? God always seems to show up in those circumstances. If you have been there, you know what I am talking about. All the pain fades away as we remember God’s outpouring.

When was the last time you got uncomfortable or made a real sacrifice to serve the Lord? It may have been the last time you really experiences His presence. Maybe you should try that again. Just sayin’…

This one is for pastors… We have all had people leave our churches claiming that they “just aren’t getting fed.” And, wow, does that ever hurt our pride and cause us to get defensive in a hurry. And while I agree that a Christ-follower has a responsibililty to get into the Word himself and is responsible for disciplining himself for growth (read my post called “same-ol’ same-ol’), maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to just cut people off. I have used the cliche “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” And though we may say this as if it came straight out of the mouth of Jesus, it did not. What did come out of His mouth were these words “Feed My sheep.” (John 21:17) We have a responsibility to feed the flocks we have been entrusted with. The scripture makes it clear that we who preach and teach are to “work hard at preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17) and “study to show ourselves approved…correctly handling the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). It is for this reason that deacons were appointed to take care of daily ministry responsibilities so that those who preach could devote themselves to the Word and to prayer (Acts 6:3-4). This is our primary responsibility! Preparing and preaching excellent sermons and feeding the flock something nutritious. And I believe it should be tasty! Otherwise they won’t want to eat it.

I heard about a pastor friend who was preaching last week to his congregation about this very subject and made the statement that the only people who have to be fed are infants and invalids. And at first I wanted to pump my fist and say “yeah, take that you people who are always whining about not being fed!” But as it sat in a little, I believe the Lord corrected me. Though I know some are looking for any excuse to abandon the church and use the poor preaching as their excuse, we cannot skirt our responsibility and take that charge lightly. We must continually work to prepare and preach excellent sermons, to serve up tasty treats God’s children will eat and want to keep coming back for more. Leaders are feeders.

I was speaking to a group of college students last week about obedience and being a doer of the word and not merely a hearer. (James 1:22) I recently learned that the Greek word used to describe this “doer of the word” is “poietes” which carries with it the connotation of creativity. So we are to be creative in our carrying out of the commands and lessons of the Word. I love that.

But after my talk with these students, as I was driving home, I realized that when I gave an example of this from my own life, I used an example from 3 years ago where I served one of my neighbors creatively. Three years ago? Is that the best I’ve got? Sure, that was a great example of what I was talking about, but haven’t I done anything since then. And the answer is yes, but maybe not as much as I should have, could have. Why am I so focused on what great things I have accomplished in the past and not more focused on having a vision for today and tomorrow? It is because it feels too good to look back and feel proud of what has been. And it is too hard to take another risk and move beyond myself again and again and again to continually “do the Word.” Isn’t this what we as believers and the church at large have been guilty of for so long? Yesterday’s successes paralyze us and lull us into complacency and make us ineffective today.

So, are you going to be proud of your past and sing its praises? Or be passionate about the future and pay its prices? Today matters, so matter today!

I am a very busy man. I am a husband, father of 2 (with another on the way), worship leader, youth pastor, small groups pastor, etc… I preach regularly on Sundays, lead worship for a Sunday night ministry, preach and lead worship for various events and services such as FCA, Collegiate ministries, etc… I teach in our public high school a full day each week. I meet with several people regularly for discipleship and friendship. I lead a small group in my home every Monday night. I counsel people, have meetings with staff and leadership teams and volunteers and others. I am sure I am leaving some things out but you get the idea. All of these things take a lot of time and preparation. I have to work pretty hard and diligently to get it all done in a decent amount of time. Oh and did I mention, I read over 40 books per year? And I write this blog. I am busy.

And I get interrupted a lot. People come into my office and just camp out. They sit down and begin to talk and sometimes it’s meaningful and sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it is people I like and sometimes it is not. Just being honest. Is that ok? I am pretty focused and driven so interruptions bug me. Sometimes I can be very short with people and can make it obvious with body language that I don’t have time for them. Sometimes I make it obvious I want them to hurry and get to the point. I am working on not doing that so much.

I have come to realize that interruptions are my ministry. I have to realize that ministry is about people and relationships and they will interrupt my “work.” And nothing is more important than that. I can think of several interruptions that have turned out to be life changing experiences for people. Interruptions where people shared with me things they had kept bottled up and by me taking time with them just to listen, they were set free. I have been interrupted by marriages that were on the brink of destruction and the healing process was begun in those few moments of interruption. No one gets sick or dies at a convenient time. No one has a crisis duing a down time. It is always in the height of my busyness. Interruptions are my ministry. I remember several times in Jesus’ life where He was on His way somewhere important and He was interrupted by a blind beggar or a woman with a blood disease or a man who had just lost a child. Each time he haulted His “ministry” to do ministry. Interruptions were His ministry as well.

And I have learned/am learning that somehow, when I am faithful in those interruptions, God gives me grace and I am much more efficient and get more done than I would have had I not been interrupted. It’s amazing.

I pray for you to have some interruptions in your day today. No matter whether you are a “full-time” minister preparing for Sunday, or a housewife taking care of your home and family, or a businessman with a deadline to meet, or retired and collecting sea shells. I pray you are interrupted and that you will be faithful and experience His faithfulness in the process.

Continuing from yesterdays post… (if you haven’t read it, go back now and read it). My small group Bible study last night was on suffering. We watched a teaching done by Louie Giglio, founder of Passion. What he said went right on with what I posted yesterday. The statement that stuck out to me last night was this “Your life is broadcasting a message. What is it? Suffering and hardship are an amplifier of what is in our heart.”

I usually say, you really find out what is really in you when you are squeezed. People can appear to have it all together and can appear godly, but then they are squeezed. Something tragic happens in their family. Something falls apart on them. They fail. And then truth shines a light on the corners of their lives that hold the pride an lust and lies and selfish ambition. We have all seen it happen. What’s in a man comes out of a man eventually.

And what is in a man? Well what goes down in your well comes up in your bucket. Whatever you allow into your life – the Word or the world.

Open your heart to Christ each day. Make Him your priority. Make sure to be found in Him. Then when you are squeezed, you will ooze peace and your message being amplified from your heart will be Hope to those who may not know Hope.

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33