Not So Deep Thoughts

In Acts 15, the Pharisees are very upset because the Gentiles aren’t obeying the law of Moses, as related to circumcision (ouch!).  Peter stands up for the Gentiles by basically telling the religious leaders to get over it.  He also helped them to realize that they were trying to place something on the people that God didn’t require.  He tries to help them to understand that they were saved by grace, not by the law of Moses.

As I read this, I couldn’t help but think about how churches operate.  Often, we often condemn people for showing up to our worship services dressed the ‘wrong way’ or for not knowing the right words to say.  In our minds, we expect people to be fully devoted followers of Christ by the 2nd visit!

One of the things that is refreshing to me about Freedom Church is that we realize that the starting point for everyone is different.  We have to take people where they are.  They have no choice but to be there. There is no condemnation for people who didn’t wear the right thing or said a word that you probably wouldn’t normally say at church.  We realize that it is a process and no one changes overnight.

Our goal is to help them to take the next step in their journey with Christ.  For some, that will mean they need to just admit there is a God.  For some, it may be to accept Christ.  For others, it may be to begin praying or reading the Bible.

My prayer is that we continue to view people as God does.  In doing so, we have the opportunity to help people far from God to experience life in Christ!

Here is a great summary from Chuck Swindoll, one of the great Catalyst speakers from this year.  Rather than try to reproduce it, I just copied it exactly from Catalystspace. Enjoy!

Fifty years ago, I was a first year student at Dallas Theological Seminary. I was scared, unsure of myself, and fresh out of the Marine Corp. I did not know much about seminary.

I remember sitting in chapel, and a minister told me, “When God wants to do an impossible task, he takes an impossible person and crushes him.” I am so proud of everything you are dreaming of and doing that I hope that you remember to leave room for the crushing.

10 Things Chuck Swindoll Learned in 50ish Years of Ministry:

1. It’s lonely to lead.Leadership involves tough decisions.
   The tougher the decisions, the lonelier it is.
2. It’s dangerous to succeed.
   It is dangerous to succeed while being young. rarely, does God give leadership that young because it takes crushing and failure first.
3. It’s hardest at home.
   Nobody at home is applauding you. They say, “Dad! You’re fly is open.”
4. It is essential to be real.
   If there is one realm where phoniness is personified it is leadership. What I care about is that you stay real.
5. It is painful to obey.
   There are rewards, yes, but it is painful nevertheless.
6. Brokenness and failure are necessary.
7. My attitude is more important than my actions.
   Some of you are getting hard to be around. And your attitude covers all those great actions you pull off.
8. Integrity eclipses image.
   What you are doing is not a show. And the best things you are doing is not up front but what you do behind the scenes.
9. God’s way is better than my way.
   God is going to have His way.
10. Christ-likeness begins and ends with humility.

2 Corinthians 4:5-7 tells us that we must be willing to leave the familiar message without disturbing the Biblical message. We get that backwards. This was written in the first century, and now we are in the 21st century. The message stays the same. Don’t miss the message. As you alter the methods, don’t mess with the message.

Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living. You will defend those things that don’t need defended.

Three Important Observations:

1. With every ministry a special mercy is needed.
2. In every ministry the same things must be renounced and rejected.
   That is hiding shameful things, doing deceitful things, and corrupting truthful things. Guard against deception. Guard against deception.
3. Through every ministry a unique style should be pursued.
   We don’t preach or promote ourselves (it isn’t about us). We declare Christ Jesus as Lord (it’s all about Him). We see ourselves as bond-servants for Jesus Christ.

Five Statements Worth Remembering During Your Next 50 Years of Leadership:

1. Whatever you do, do more with others and less alone.
   It will help you become accountable.
2. Whenever you do it, emphasize quality not quantity.
3. Wherever you go, do it the same as if you were among those who know you the best.
   It will keep you from exaggerating. it will help keep your stories true. Your good friend will tell you things that others will not. They will hold you close to truth.
4. Whoever may respond to your ministry, keep a level head.
5. However long you lead, keep on dripping with gratitude and grace.
   Stay thankful. Stay gracious.

(This summary created by Kent Shaffer at ChurchRelevance.com)

I don’t usually watch The Ultimate Fighter looking for bits of wisdom, but I happened to come across one as I watched the reality show last Wednesday.

The Ultimate Fighter constestant said, ‘I realized that the enemy was the inner-me.’ The biggest problem that I have is Todd.  So often, I get in the way of what I am trying to accomplish, whether is be lack of discipline, laziness, or just plain ol’ stupidity.

This is something that is a struggle every day of my life.  I know who/what God has called me to be/do, now I just have to stay out of my own way:)

At the end of July, Pastor J.R. brought an idea to our staff that I think is going to be revolutionary.  While we were on our staff retreat, he unveiled the 6×6 idea, which I think he graciously borrowed from Bill Hybels.  Basically, each staff member sets 6 major goals that they are going to accomplish over the next 6 weeks. I believe that this idea will be huge for helping people to remain accountable and working hard.  It will also help us not to get distracted by the little things.

In staff meeting, the individual talks through how they did the past 6 weeks and shares their goals for the upcoming 6 weeks.  Then everyone determines whether or not those goals are big enough or the stuff that should be that person’s focus.

This process helps everyone on our team know what the most important things are on their agenda each week.  It also helps everyone else to know the focus of each person/department.

I love observing organizations that get it right and raise the bar for others in their field.  Yesterday, my entire family put on our Clemson gear and headed to Chic-fil-A to get some free chicken sandwiches.  Whoever thought of that idea is a genius!  Sure, they gave away a lot of chicken.  However, they also made a lot of money buy people buying other products.  Give that guy a raise!!

Here’s a few things I observed while I was there:

a.  They know how to treat the customer.  Although it was a packed house, they moved people through the line quickly.  Someone also brought my food to my table so that I didn’t have to stand at the counter and wait.

b.  They turned what would have normally been a down day into a huge win.  The buzz on Twitter and Facebook was all about Chic-fil-A.

c.  They do the little things right.  Their restaurant is always clean.  They have a person taking your trash and getting you refills.  If they do it, it will be excellent.

d.  Their employees are great.  They always seem to like their job.

e.  They know how to create raving fans.  They do things that keep you coming back.  From their marketing to the time you walk out the door, they get it right.

Churches would do well to study and implement some of the things from a trip to Chic-fil-A.  What can you learn from other organizations that will take what you do to the next level?

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of attending an event where Jeff Henderson, the Campus Pastor for Buckhead Church was speaking.  He challenged everyone in the room to lead up, meaning leading the person that is in direct authority over you.  Most of us don’t think about that type of leadership.  Here are a few ideas that he shared:

1.  Be true to Scripture.

Pray for your leader.  This will put your heart in the best position to lead up.  It will also increase your humility!  How much time do you spend per week praying for your leader?  Not a new insight, but a great reminder.

2.  Be true to your Leader.

Know your leader.  Become a student of them.  Are they detailed or big picture?  Are they energized by being alone or by being around people?  What are their strengths?  How do they communicate best.

When you meet with them, don’t just present problems.  Also present solutions.

Ask your supervisor, “As you look at our ministry/business, what keeps you up at night?”

3.  Be true to yourself.

One of the best ways you can lead up is to know and improve yourself.  This doesn’t happen by accident and you must be intentional. If you do not grow, the organization will eventually outgrow you.  What are you doing to improve yourself.

I am grateful for the time I was able to spend with Jeff.  These things have motivated me to increase the ways I am leading up.

At one of our recent staff meetings, Pastor J.R. challenged us to pray Luke 2:52 for our church, staff and ourselves.  It has become somewhat of a mantra for the Freedom staff.  Maybe you should pray this too…

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:52

Hi, my name is Todd, I’m a worrier.  (You say, ‘Hello Todd’)

Let’s be honest… we all worry about stuff.  We worry that we are going to run out of money before the end of the month.  We worry that we are going to get a bad report from the doctor.  We worry that we aren’t going to fit in with the people at our job or school.  We worry constantly.

This was a huge encouragement to me today.  Jeremiah 32:27, “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind.  Is anything too hard for me?”

I have a relationship with the Creator of the entire universe.  By worrying constantly, I am basically saying that I don’t trust God to handle the situation or I don’t feel that He can.

So, what are you worrying about?  Is anything too hard for God to handle?

One of the things that I am constantly learning is that my attitude about things has a direct affect on how well I do them.

For example, I consider it an honor to get the opportunity to be at Barber Middle School at 6am on Sunday mornings to set-up for Freedom Church.  I could consider it an obligation because, as the Executive Pastor, I am expected to be there.  However, I believe that setting up the school is one of the ways that I can invest in those that are far from God.  By helping the school to be ready for our guests’ arrival, I have an important role in helping people to experience life in Christ.  Therefore, I actually look forward to getting there at 6am.  I view this role as extremely important!

What about you?  What can you view as a privilege instead of an obligation?  In doing so, how can you improve life for you and those around you?

Last week at staff retreat, our Pastor led us to set some pretty audacious goals.  The kind of goals where you know that God HAS to intervene.

Why would our team set such big goals?  Glad you asked:)  The bottom line is this…people are dying and going to hell all around us.  We feel that God has called us to do something about that.  We believe that God wants to use us to transform an entire city.  Below is something that I read recently that greatly challenged me:

Romans 13:11  The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

The driving force behind everything we do at Freedom is so that people far from God can experience life in Christ.  Plain and simple.  If you are a Christian, it is time for you to rise up and partner with us!