Actions Speak Louder...

I was listening to a recorded discussion as I was driving the other day. One of the people in the dialog is the pastor of a very large church. I have learned much by listening to him over the years and appreciate his ministry.

My ears perked up when he admitted that he had become angry when his neighbor's lawn was overdue being mowed. I pulled into my driveway and looked over to my own little patch of grass and realized that many areas of it were seeding out. The telltale little shoots were four or five inches high, even though I had mowed only about five days earlier. I was secretly grateful that the pastor (who, by the way, was sorry for his attitude about something so unimportant) didn't live in my neighborhood.

You see, I am particular about my yard. I don't struggle much with how my neighbor's lawn may look, but I am constantly doing little things to keep mine up. I rarely walk to the mailbox around the corner without adjusting something that isn't quite right. To put it simply, I enjoy keeping it nice.

My choice to spend time, energy and money on my yard reflects a personal value. If I told you that I really care about how the exterior of our home looks and never did anything to keep it up, you would say that I was hypocritical. To genuinely value something requires that I take action. It doesn't mean that I must be perfect, but it means I will expend resources to accomplish it.

As a pastor, I understand that a church values some things, too. This subject has been on my mind a lot because we just rewrote our values statement recently. Whether you go to church or not, whether you live in the same town as me or not, I can't wait to share it with you. It says much about us.

In the meantime, what does your use of time, energy and money say about your values?

How God Uses Pain

I remember the day the third baseman’s world was pulled out from under him. His life was baseball and his college team was headed to the small college World Series. He thought. If only one of his teammates hadn’t brought champagne into the locker room after they won the regional championship -- to celebrate like the pros. If only a local newspaper photographer hadn’t snapped the picture. If only the paper hadn’t printed the picture with the story. If only the story hadn’t infuriated the constituency who supported the small, Christian college. If only the coach had taken action and removed the offender with the booze from the team. If only.

Instead, the college president did take action and pulled the team from the series. The whole purpose of life came crashing down around that third baseman. Looking for answers, within a couple months he ended up in an unexpected place. He realized that Christ could fill the void in his heart and he received the forgiveness and hope that comes when we surrender to Him.

Less than two years later that third baseman and his young wife were teaching school. I had the privilege of becoming his pastor. He was eager to know and serve God. He spent hours studying the Bible. He was a natural leader who easily talked about faith and saw a number of his friends follow Jesus.

One day he came to me and asked for my blessing as he went off to further explore his world of faith. I knew the right answer and fought back my own disappointment that he was stepping away from our church. A few months later he started his own church, even as he still taught high school. That church started growing. At the time, we had just moved to Yuma. He would call me asking for input as they tried to organize their ministry.

Almost 25 years have passed since he planted the church in the Phoenix area. It has grown into one of the largest churches in AZ and they have seen hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- come to Christ. Even today I am moved as I think about this man who became my “son” in the ministry.

It all started when he faced the pain of a lost dream. What good is coming from your pain?

Margin For We

Yesterday I wrote about margin for me. As a leader, though, I think much about margin in a corporate setting. The dynamics are far more complex.

When our church constructed the first stage of our new campus a few years ago, we thought we had the square footage configured appropriately. We failed to foresee how rapidly we would add young families and how quickly we would run out of space for children.

The obvious long-term solution was to start planning the next phase of the campus and include ample room to reach kids. We discovered, however, that we couldn't wait to raise the funds and build before we made some changes. We needed the ability to grow our children's ministry in order for the church to keep growing. We needed some "margin for we."

The need drove our staff to take a two-day "time out" and travel to an off-site destination where we could thoroughly explore possible options without the interruptions that are a natural part of busy church life. We initially considered six or seven possible solutions. We weighed the benefits and likely time/energy/money (the three available resources to accomplish work) cost of each. After many hours of conversation and prayer, we came up with a plan.

To say that any solution that changes life for a whole group of people is easy and painless would be laughable. One person might face every challenge by throwing money at it (isn't this what governments tend to do?). Another would avoid spending a dime and work themselves silly to get the job done. In the end, the best alternatives include some combination of all three resources, but that still doesn't make implementation a piece of cake.

In our case, the best short-term solution was a schedule change. Before we changed, we had three adult worship services, but only two of them included Children's Ministry. Our 8 a.m. service was too early for most young families to attend and the style of the service was more attractive to older attenders than those younger. We combined that service stylistically with a slightly more contemporary music sound and changed it to an hour later. We then launched an even more contemporary service on Saturday evenings.

To say that this change has been easy for everyone is far from the truth. People had to change their schedules, some choosing a completely different time-frame for worship attendance. Worship leaders have added practice hours so that they can lead two services Sunday morning and each service style is unique. We have been adding musicians and technical people to adult worship services and new teachers and aides to children's services.

We have the discomfort that the service that was largest in attendance is not always the largest anymore. The new schedule just changes how everything "feels."

But we effectively increased our children's square footage by 50%.

And all our services have room to grow.

It's "margin for we."

Barely Enough

Our family was young and we lived a great distance from the childhood homes where Cathy and I grew up. It was exciting every time we got to make the trip, especially after our kids were born. There is something beyond special about seeing grandparents.

One part our kids won't remember about those early trips is how stressful they were for me. Money was more than tight in those days and we had just enough money to make the journey, even with careful budgeting. I can remember the concern I felt, driving cars that weren't always mechanically reliable along many miles of barren highway.

Today, that part of life is but a memory. The cars we drive are more prepared and, in case we do have trouble, we have more resources to take care of the need.

Life is significantly more peaceful with some margin. Margin is that space between what you have and what you need. If you have some margin, you approach challenges with far more confidence. If you don't have it, you live in constant concern for the problem that will take you down.

Think about it for a minute. If you are a runner, you want to have something left for the end of the race. If you are working on a project, you want plenty of time. If you are traveling, you want to start on time and not chance a speeding ticket because you were late. If you eat at a restaurant, you want to be sure you have enough for the bill when it comes.

I thought of this recently in a meeting with a colleague. I mistook his recent lack of optimism as simply a bout of negative thinking. It turned out to be a lack of margin. He starts every week knowing that he will barely get things done -- including many tasks he is capable of doing at a much higher level. If he had some margin.

How about you? What parts of your life are comfortable because you are prepared for the challenges that will surely arise? What gives you stress because you have barely enough?

Always In The Bulls-Eye

As part of Sunday's sermon, I did a quick overview of the Old Testament's Esther. At Small Group on Monday night, two different group members told me they had gone home after the sermon and read the book. It was new territory for them both. And they both showed up at our group with the same question.

"Why do people always want to hurt the Jews?"

Why, indeed! From the day when a Pharaoh arose in Egypt who knew not Joseph (Exodus 1:8) through the battles with the Philistines and their giant Goliath. From the desperate attempt of Haman (Esther) to wipe them from the earth to a similar diabolical plan executed by Hitler. Now it's Iran who is promising their total destruction.

For centuries, the kings of the earth have looked lustingly at Jerusalem. And the Jews have seemed to always, in one way or another, be the obstacle that must be removed.

Always in the bulls-eye.

Alternative Lifestyle

Today I intentionally went with a blog title that might draw your eye to controversy. As someone who follows Christ, I know far too well how quickly many people hear the term "Alternative Lifestyle" and immediately lean forward into their computer to read. Their pulse quickens a bit and a silent "grrrr" begins to dance around like a pinball in their voice box.

If that's you, I succeeded in getting your attention and I hope you stay with me. You see, I think it's time that we who claim to know God start practicing an alternative lifestyle. It's time to move on from our habit of griping and complaining about our culture.

I heard evangelist James Robison say once that, in his early years he was so angry that his ministry publication could have rightly been called "Mad Magazine." Sadly, I'm sure that some followers stopped reading when he started approaching people with compassion rather than vitriol. When we're honest, many of us should admit that we are like a bunch of Junior High students who are drawn to conflict like moths to flames.

"If we stop voicing our anger, what's left to do?" you might ask. A guy named Jeremiah lived a long time ago and he had a great answer, 'Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.' (Jeremiah 29:7 NASB)

If you really want your city to change (or your nation), quit complaining about the way it is. Pray for it. Open your eyes to the real problems of brokenness around you. Decide where you can be the most help, roll up your sleeves and go to work.

It's not that complicated. In my Small (home) Group last night, two couples told their experiences volunteering for the first time at the local food bank. Another young mom told how she is going with a third-grade class on a long and tiring field trip today. One guy regularly drives a shuttle cart ferrying people from their cars to the entrance of the local hospital.

My friend Lara has been wrestling with these issues a lot in her blog. A wife, mom of two preschoolers and teacher, she has noticed that we live in a very needy community that silently cries out for people to do something other than gripe and complain. I encourage you to read this post.

You, too, live in a city of need. Are you going to spend your energy griping and complaining about it? Or is it time to start practicing an Alternative Lifestyle?

For Me, This Day Is Significant!

These days, I often write out my prayers. They are highly personal, just between me and God. Today, though, here is part of what I wrote...

Father, this is my mom’s 84th birthday. I can’t find enough or adequate words to thank You for her being my mother. She is indeed rare. She gave herself to care for her family. She couldn’t imagine anything other than raising her kids and praying for them to know and love You. She lost Cabby* and still found hope. She took in foster kids and loved them, knowing that she would influence them only temporarily. She accepted Refugio** like a son, though she couldn’t speak his language. In short, she has continually poured out her life to love others. Thank You for her example.

* Cabby (Carol Beth) was my sister who was 4 1/2 years younger than me. She died at age 20 because of a heart infection.

** Refugio first came to work for my dad when he was age seventeen. He was the sole support of a younger brother and sister back in Mexico. He lived on my parents' property, ate his meals with our family (adding Jalapenos to almost everything!) and was like a brother to us.

At 84, mom still goes out of her way to care for people who need help. She listens, laughs, cries, prays and gives to meet others' needs.

Happy Birthday, Mom!