Agents of Blessing

February 17, 2013 I had the privilege of preaching a message called Agents of Blessing from John 9. The central theme is based largely off of Bruce Wilkinson's "You Were Born for This." As Christians, we must understand God wants to use us for his glory, to work the works of Him who sends us! This was a fun message that is applicable to Christians in all ages and stages of life! Here is a link to Agents of Blessing.

The Real Church: Connected in Service

Sunday, September 2, I had the opportunity to preach the final sermon in our Series "The Real Church" called, Connected in Service. on Romans 12:1-8. The passage is about our response to Salvation. The main ideas focused on the Charge of Service, Challenge of Service, Context of Service, ending with a Call to Service. I love how the Word of God speaks to, challenges, and calls out to Christ Followers. You can listen to the sermon here.

How To Burnout In 5 Easy Steps

From Serving Strong:

Staying strong is overrated. All this talk about avoiding the wall? Hooey. You were born to burnout. You were meant for serving weak. Want a quick way to burnout in ministry leadership? Here are 5 easy steps:

1. Seek Unforgiveness. Someone hurt you lately? Cool. Here's what you do: Hold a grudge. That's right. Don't give in to the temptation to be the weaker one. Keep steady. Better yet, give them the silent treatment. Yeah! It will teach them a lesson and you'll be well on your way to burning out.

2. Pursue Passionlessness. Ask yourself this question: "What ministry fuels my passion?" Got your answer? Good. Now do something (anything) that is the opposite of your answer. Do the thing that is a total drag for you. Give it your all. Seek the boredom. Revel in the difficulty. It will annoy those around you and you'll be well on your way to burning out.

3. Engage In Prayerlessness. Got prayer concerns? Want to touch the heart of God? Want to seek and sense His will for your life? Forget it. You're looking to burnout, right? Good. Then cut ALL prayer from your routine. Don't pray in the morning. Don't pray when you're stressed or sad. And don't pray when things are going well. Think of the time you'll save. It will grieve the Holy Spirit and you'll be well on your way to burning out.

4. Be An Impostor. Are you introverted by nature? Be extroverted. Are you methodical? Be spontaneous. Are you a people person? Then be a recluse. You have to understand that being yourself is simply going to keep you from burning out. So don't be yourself. Better yet, try to be just like someone else. It will irritate your loved ones and you'll be well on your way to burning out.

5. Over-identify. In your work with others, you will feel their pain. This is good. Dwell on it. Identify it so deeply that you begin to feel responsible for it. This will give you ownership of their pain, as though you were the cause. You will sink in the quicksand of their misery. You won't be able to help them because you'll be so depressed yourself. This will help others become co-dependent and you'll be well on your way to burning out.

So you see, if you are interested in burning out, it's quite simple really. Just follow these 5 easy steps and we'll see you in rehab!

unChristian... And we wonder why!

To start, let me just say that this “pastor” is not a Southern Baptist and in no identifies as such. He never attended a seminary (or college), and also claims that the King James Version of Scripture is the only Bible without error. Typically, I would not be so deliberate to separate myself from a person, but his teaching and practice leads me to want to clarify that I do not agree with his practice or theology.

A sermon from Steven Anderson:


Steven Anderson is an extreme example of what is wrong with the American church. Negative impressions of Christians doubled between 1996 and 2007. People see Christians as hypocritical, inauthentic, anti-homosexual, sheltered, too political, and judgmental. In short, we are known more for what we are against than what we are for instead of what Jesus told us to be about, “they will know us by our love.” The fact that this guy would say he hates Obama is heresy to the cross of Christ. The fact that Anderson added he hopes Obama goes to hell is an abomination to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Be sure that those of us who identify hold true to the Bible where it states, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

An Interview with Steven Anderson:


Below is an interview of Gabe Lyons co-author of UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why It Matters. Hopefully, this will speak to our hearts and the direction we need to move towards as followers of Christ Jesus.

An Interview with Gabe Lyons on CNN:

Thoughts on Preparing a Lesson

The following was produced by my friend Jerry Adams during a recent leadership development meeting at First Baptist Jenks.

Preparing the Teacher

• Understand your Responsibility: James 3:1 & 2 Timothy 2:15
• Understand the Need to Pray
• Be Taught before Teaching: Be willing to do whatever God asks you to do
• Be a Servant Leader: Actions speak louder than words

Preparing the Lesson
1. Historical Background: Understand the big picture of the book your teaching
2. Observe: Who, what, when, where, why, & how of the passage
3. Interpretation: Summarize the main point into one sentence
4. Application: How did it apply and how does it apply today

Helpful Hint: Try to ask questions that drive people to look for answers in God’s Word.

Shoulder Surgery: 2 Week Update

Through Friday, I felt totally fine… thank you narcotics and pain meds! Saturday I tried jump off the pills and started to experience mild nausea. Sunday rolled around and the mild nausea turned to moderate nausea, with little pain in shoulder. That with the exception of the senior adult lady who decided poking my incision 3 times would be a good idea!

Monday I went cold turkey off all my meds and paid for it severely. Oddly enough though, it was not shoulder pain, it was terrible nausea. Around 7PM or so, I could not take it anymore and jumped back on my pills and patch that prevent said discomfort. Tuesday was met with extreme fatigue (from the meds), but an awareness that the nausea was being magnified by dehydration.

Since then, I’ve been pounding Gatorade, water, and anything else without caffeine. My problem Wednesday was a migraine, which lingered all day and diminished in the late hours of the night.

Going back to Monday, I decided to weigh myself due to many comments from church members asking me how much weight I had lost. When I stepped on the scale I was shocked to learn I had dropped 13 pounds, and weighed less than when I graduated high school! This morning I weighed and had gained 4 pounds back, mainly from fluids I guess.

Thankfully, I only have 1 more week until my checkup with my doctor. I am expecting to start physical therapy the following day and experience pain I have not felt since the initial dislocation… and for some strange reason I am honestly looking forward to it (and getting out of this sling)!

Just so you know, Christy has been my saving grace. She has constantly given of her time to serve me and our family. Although I feel terrible that she has to bear the brunt of everything in our home, she has not complained or made me feel guilty about it once. Christy is the best!

Payday

Yesterday I had lunch with Rex, one of the wisest men I know and a member of my church. We were talking about the difficulty of ministry (his dad is a retired pastor) and the challenge of motivating volunteers. He spoke of how people who fail to serve in the church are typically lacking in their relationship with God, and how those who do serve, serve out a desire to be obedient.

My favorite part of this discussion was when he discussed the importance of paying volunteers. Obviously you don’t pay volunteers cash, but that does not mean you give them nothing. Rex brought up the importance in giving workers compliments, acknowledgement, and appreciation. Something we know to do, but a wonderful reminder.

With this enlightenment I have decided to make giving workers compliments, acknowledgement, and appreciation a part of my regular routine. My plan is to use my payday as a reminder to pay some of those who work with me at First Baptist Jenks. Hopefully, they will be able to see that their serving is noticed and appreciated. If nothing else, they will know they are not forgotten.