Channel Surfing

Have you ever found yourself on the couch, channel surfing in your blue snuggie looking for something “mindless” to watch on TV?  I’ve been finding myself in that position more often than not these days.  Nine times out of ten, I usually end up watching some buddy comedy or something with slap-stick nonsense. 

Last night I found myself in this situation.  Surfing through the DirecTV guide, until I landed on something so mindless that I just knew that it was the perfect choice for the evening.  That 2008 Academy Award snub: “Rambo.”  Granted, it was on AMC, so I was unable to get the full effect of what the director was trying to portray, but watching Sly Stallone hunt down some rebels with a bow and arrow sounded like the perfect end to a hard Tuesday.

About 45 minutes into the film, I heard seven words that redefined this movie for me.  It went from a classic “B” movie with all the explosions, poorly written dialogue, and horrendous acting into a movie with a message.  Just as I’m settled into a thoughtless euphoria, Sly mumbles out these profound words: “Live for nothing or die for something.”

That was it!  My night was over!  Are you kidding me!  What a powerful statement! 

My mind was racing for the rest of the night with the thought of this message.  How many of us in this world are “living for nothing?”  Maybe it’s a friend. A co-worker.  A family member.  These people feel like their life is full and complete, but at the end of the day, when they really look in the mirror to examine their hearts, they realize their lives are empty.

I unfortunately know a lot of people like that.  It may be a cheesy Christian cliché, but it really is true: we all have a “God-shaped hole” in our hearts.  We try to fill it with “stuff,” shallow relationships or anything that makes us temporarily happy.  These people are “living for nothing.”

In the end, though, it’s that “die for something” that is the real kicker.  Do you have anything in your life that you are willing to die for?  More importantly, are you willing to die for your faith?

You may not know who Cassie Bernall was, but you may know her story.  Cassie was a junior at Columbine high school in 1999.  On April 20^th of that year, two of her classmates stormed the school… armed. The two classmates knew that Cassie was that “Christian kid” in the school and put her faith to the test.  They held a gun to her head and asked her if she believed in God.  She said, “Yes.” They then took her life.  Cassie’s mom wrote a book, She Said Yes, that recounts the events of her daughter’s life and more importantly, the account of that fateful day. 

Cassie’s story lives on and she has stood as an example for the past 13 years as a person who really did “die for something.” 

Just Say “No”

For most people, Thanksgiving week tends to kick off the holiday season.  For others, the Christmas “season” started after Labor Day.  Personally, I love Thanksgiving, but it tends to be my last “big breath” before the rush of Christmas starts.  Parties, pageants, and shopping tend to occupy my mind and time.  I think things will only get worse this year with a baby.  This will be the first year that we’re actually doing Christmas cards.

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve been hearing a common theme this year from a variety of sources (churches, speakers, blogs, etc.).  That theme is, “It’s OK to say, ‘No.’”  I don’t know why, but that has really hit home with me in the past few weeks.  Maybe it’s because I’m working two jobs, am staying at home with my daughter two days a week, and giving guitar lessons on the side.  I’ve been very guilty of running myself ragged and I constantly allow myself to get pulled in 5 different directions.

I know it’s not healthy; for me or my family.  But I’ve managed to “justify” it by saying it’s, “just that season of ministry” or “it will get better.”  NEWS FLASH: it doesn’t!  There will always be something that comes up and next month may be busier than the last.  Things happen.  Things come up.

Last week, I felt God calling me to quit one of my jobs.  It was a part time job that was taking away a lot of time and energy from my other job and family.  It was tough, but I told my boss on Thursday that I wouldn’t be able to continue after the fall semester.  He agreed that it was the best move for me. 

Even though I’m still in the position for another month, I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.  That freedom has come with the knowledge that it’s OK to say, “No” sometimes. 

As the busy Christmas season approaches, figure out what’s most important to you and do it.  Remember, it’s OK to say, “No.”  Do what’s best for you and your family.

I said this last year in my “Thankfulness” post: If you don’t take time out, God will force you to take time out.  Psalm 23:2 "He makes me lie down in green pastures..." Take it from me, take the “time out” before God makes you take one.  It’s less painful that way.

One Year Later...

It’s hard to believe that I started this blog one year and 50 posts ago.  A year ago, I lost my job and had a wife that was 6 months pregnant and heading into the holiday season.  I was hurt, frustrated and upset by the circumstances surrounding me.  There were so many thoughts going through my head that my friend, Ben suggested that I write them all down.  So I started “Relentless Discipleship.” 

This blog was the place that I could tell the world what God was laying on my heart; unapologetic and unfiltered. 

At the time I started “Relentless Discipleship,” my family was going through the deepest valley we had ever gone through.  We had no clue what God was doing.  I had uprooted our lives to take a youth ministry job, because I knew that God was calling us to do so and even after all the pain an hurt that we went through last year, I wouldn’t trade any of it.

Our church family may have abandoned us, but our Fuse Student Ministry family was there for us every step of the way.  Our families were there for us.  Our friends were there for us. They were all an answer to our prayers.  They assured us that God had a plan for our family, and He did. 

I never applied for a job yet I was contacted by 7 churches after I was let go.  I had interviews with each and six made me offers.  All of this happened in a matter of days.  In the end, we felt that Saint Paul was where God was telling us to go.

I am so glad to be on staff here at Saint Paul in Mount Prospect.  I am surrounded by a staff that puts God first.  I am daily encouraged and uplifted.  It’s a church where we all work together to accomplish the goal of building God’s kingdom.  We are so blessed with great congregation members and volunteers.  From the moment we came here, we knew that the God was doing great things here.

There are times I think about how things used to be: the late nights, the cross country trips, etc.  I miss those things, but I know now that God had a plan for me to be home more with my daughter.  As opposed to being at work 5 nights a week, I am only gone one or two AND I get to spend two days a week with my daughter.  That time has been the most precious thing of all.

This time last year, I though the world was caving in around me, but God had a plan for my life.  The path to get me to where I am today was painful, but I know that my family and I are spending more time together; time that we wouldn’t have had a year ago.

The holidays are creeping up, and for some people, they are tough times.  But I’m here to say that God has a plan for your life.  It may not be what you desire or what you think is best, but God’s plan is better than anything that you can come up with. 

You may not be able to see that today, but in a few years, you just might...

Taming The Tongue

Those that know me, know that I love to vacation in Disney World.  My parents own a house down there and my wife and I make a yearly pilgrimage to pay homage to the mouse every summer.  When we are down there, we attend a church called Real Life Church in Clermont, FL.  I had searched for a church to go to while on vacation in Florida for many years and came across this church by pure accident.  One of the things I like so much about Real Life is the preaching of Pastor Justin Miller.  In his messages, he’s not afraid to speak the truth in love, even if what he says may hurt yet be true.

When I’m not in sunny Florida, I find myself listening to his weekly sermons via the iTunes podcast.  This week, he talked about James 3 and how we need to tame our tongue.  This message hit me pretty hard.  I had a phone conversation with a pastor this week that was experiencing divisiveness in his church.  I also talked with a worship leader that is experiencing the same thing in his church.  It seems that gossip and slander are a theme in churches all across the country.

Pastor Justin emphasized verse 3 that we can tame so many different kinds of animals, but we can’t seem to manage to tame our own tongues.  We can charm snakes.  We can train killer whales with whistles and hand motions.  We can train elephants to stand on their hind legs.  We can do all these things, yet we still manage to put our foot in our mouth on a consistent basis.

He also went in to discussion about verse 4, how large, massive ships are steered by a small rudder.  The tongue is such a small part of our body, yet it can corrupt and control the rest of the body.  These days, our spoken words aren’t the only words that hurt.  The words and phrases we put on Facebook and Twitter also do major damage to the people around us.  They may not be spoken words, but they are powerful none the less.

Pastor Justin put out a good idea for those of us who struggle with this issue.  He said that we should use the 10 second rule.  In the 10 seconds before you say something, ask God is what you are about to say honoring to him.  Ask him to give you the right words to say in that situation.  Imagine if more people did that.  Imagine if more people actually thought about what they would say before they said it.  Imagine if people actually asked themselves, “Is this post God honoring” before they posted something on Facebook.

It was comforting for me to hear Pastor Justin’s message this week.  It let me know that there are churches across the country that have the same struggles. 

Do you need to implement a 10 second rule in your life?

The Social Networks

I know that I have previously talked about social networking.  At the time I focused on how churches should utilize social networking.  This post will focus mainly on how these mediums are misused. 

In my years of youth ministry, I probably gave “The Facebook Message” (as my students affectionately called it) at least 10 times and probably could have given it at least another 30 times.  Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter started out as mediums to connect people together, but now have turned into personal soapboxes for people to stand on.  

Currently, there are close to a billion active Facebook users.  Imagine if you had the undivided attention of a billion people.  What would you say?  Would you tell everyone what’s on your heart?  Would you tell everyone what your passion in life is?  Would you tell them how your faith, family or friends have impacted your life?  Would you use that platform to be a positive influence?

I have seen teenagers ridicule and berate their parents and teachers.  I have seen adults complain about their work environments.  I have seen both young and old use social networking to spread rumors and gossip about anything and everything.  These social networking sites were designed to bring people together, but so often, they tear relationships apart.

Did you know that all of your social networking posts are saved?  Even if you erase them, they are saved on a hard drive.  Did you also know that most employers are now asking to see your Facebook page before they hire you?  I know mine did and I have heard of a few people that were not given a job solely because their Facebook account wasn’t good.

Some people think that they are just displaying a post to their 100 friends, but you’re always a few clicks away from telling the world how you really feel.  By just one friend “liking” or commenting on a status, all of their friends see that.  Now your post is out there for the world to see.

What do your pictures say about you?  Do they tell a story of how you act on weekends?  Do they show you volunteering?  Do they show you partying?

What do your posts say about you?  Do they depict you as a positive person or a negative one?  Do they depict you as a Christian or someone far from it?  Do they paint you as a gossip or an encourager? 

Think about this when you make your next post: if you had the undivided attention of a billion people, what would you say?

Christmas in October

If you’ve been to Target recently, you already know that Christmas is coming.  It’s almost painful to look at.  Today, it’s over 70 degrees here in Chicago and I know that Christmas is on my mind.  Why you ask?  Because as a worship leader, it’s my job. 

Christmas Eve is the Super Bowl of church services.  More people will attend the Christmas Eve than any other services.  So, it’s my job to make them memorable and enjoyable for everyone that attends.  Pastors, worship leaders, and entire church staffs toil over these services for months trying to make them great.  But why don’t we take the same care and preparation with the other 51 weeks in the year?  Why don’t we, as churches, put forth the same kind of effort and planning into all of our services, like we do for Christmas Eve?

First of all, a good percentage of churches don’t work ahead.  Pastors plan their sermons on Wednesday and speak on Sunday.  This gives the worship leader 4 days to get music together.  This puts the worship team at a disadvantage to learn new music.  It promotes a style of leadership that leads from “week to week.”  Every week is a “big emergency.”  Everyone is stressed and no one has the proper time to put their “best foot forward.”  Sundays end up looking rushed and thrown together.  The main idea may get across, but the execution of that idea isn’t done well.

Second, we claim that it’s a “special time of year.”  Well, of course it is.  Christmas trees are up.  Lights are lit.  Families come together.  It’s great.  But what is the purpose of Sunday worship?  If the true purpose of Sunday morning corporate worship is to glorify God with other believers, then shouldn’t we be as excited every Sunday like we are on Christmas Eve?  The reason why we worship on Sunday mornings is to remind us what Jesus did on Easter Sunday morning almost 2,000 years ago.  Sunday mornings are supposed to be a celebration of the eternal freedom that we have in Christ Jesus.  But, unfortunately, some look at it as just another thing to do or don’t even go or care at all.

Our Christmas Eve service is planned, and yes, we will put a little more effort into it than a regular Sunday service.  But because we are a church that plans ahead, we put a lot of effort into each week.  It’s my hope and prayer that your churches can plan ahead and make sure that every week is special.  That will help grow your church spiritually.  And when your church is growing spiritually, your church can’t help but grow numerically.

Sundae

As a church worker, I have heard a lot of analogies and stories over the years.  I’ve even heard personal stories from pastors at different churches that sound so similar it would appear that they both have access to the same stories. 

Recently, I’ve been thinking about my role as a worship leader in a large church and thought of a great analogy.  “Working as a worship leader is a lot like creating a sundae for someone else” (see the pun there…sundae…Sunday…alright it’s lame, but you’ll get the point). 

How do you like YOUR sundae?  What kind of ice cream do you use? You could add sprinkles.  You could add chocolate chips.  Do you put fresh fruit on top?  Do you put a variety of candy on there?  What about syrup?  Chocolate, caramel or both?  A little whipped cream?  A lot of whipped cream?  Do you put nuts on top?  Ultimately, there are so many option to think about before you even begin, it can sometimes be overwhelming.

Imagine that you had to create a sundae for someone else and they had NO input on what they were getting.  The might complain that they don’t like chocolate chips and would rather have gummy worms.  They might even be allergic to nuts.  It could be very frustrating.  It will take you numerous tries to get what they are looking for and at the same time, their choices may change over time.

Now, imagine creating a single sundae made the same way for 1,000 people.  That is a Herculean task and borderlines on the impossible.  1,000 people could never agree on the appropriate amount of whipped cream or even the amount of cherries used.  Some may even disagree on the ice cream choice itself.  There is no way that every person will be satisfied and happy with the sundae that you create.

In the same way, as a worship leader, 1,000 people will never be happy with the Sunday that you create.  They may complain that there wasn’t enough singing or too much singing.  They may say that the song choice wasn’t what they wanted.  They might not appreciate the “acoustic” set that week and were hoping for a full band.  They might even want contemporary at a church that only offers traditional.  Whatever the case, it’s a very difficult task to get 1,000 people to agree on one thing.

As a worship leader, creating a Sunday for 1,000 people is like creating a single sundae for 1,000 people.  No one will ever be completely happy with what you do.  But it’s important to remember that Sundays are for glorifying God, not creating sundaes for each person in a pew.