Clearing the Clutter

We are settled into our new offices. And I have made a real attempt to de-clutter my office footprint. My new office is much smaller than my old, so space is at a premium. That means about 90% of my library of books are not here. I have only one book shelf, instead of a large wall of shelves. My old large desk was left behind. My new desk has NO drawers. I am literally forced to live without the clutter. Everything has its place and it must be in its place. This will be an interesting journey for me–the self admitted pack-rat, who collects, displays and keeps “stuff” in eyesight. But now…one lone bookshelf, containing only the absolute necessary books which I use or have read recently. My computer houses most of my books now, which is much easier to use anyway.

Soon I will post some pictures of our new place. That’s been low on the priority list. Our open house is coming soon. (December 7) We will take some pictures that day and share them on this blog.

I am taking a few days away. It has been several weeks since I have taken a full day off. So now, I have about 6 in a row. I am headed to sunny Florida to visit with my daughter who recently had knee surgery. And then I head to St. Augustine for a few days of vacation before heading back home. December will be very busy at Velocity and these days of rest will help me return home invigorated for the big push through December and January.

Let it Ride

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 (NLT)
¹³ Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked?
¹⁴ Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.

I am a good steward. I am a tither. I am a spender. I am a saver. I have wasted money and I have invested money. If I could undo some of the expenditures of my past–believe me, I would do just that. But that’s water under the bridge and I accept the blame and move on to do better in the future.

However, I have tried to invest wisely in my future–planning for retirement. I have set aside monies in accounts to enable my wife and I the chance to retire and survive. So, along with millions of Americans, I am shocked when I open my accounting of how Wall Street is treating my mutual fund and other investments. Whose in charge here? What have you done with my money? My projected retirement date has been postponed till I reach 100 or more at this rate. I just can’t believe it.

Today I am reading Ecclesiastes. For whatever reason, I needed to hear from Solomon that to trust in the world’s riches, the world’s pursuits, the world’s ways is to invite discouragement, disdain and destruction. To take my mind off of God and put it squarely on the worries in life in itself only feeds more worry–more hopelessness. The message from Solomon is we need contentment–a return to making the main thing the main thing and let God handle the rest.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 (NLT)
¹³ That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.

Coffee and Chicken

Years ago as a fledgling new preacher, my mentor at the time told me that if I were to be a successful preacher, I must learn to love coffee and chicken. His reasoning was that if called upon to bring comfort at a home or to just visit in the home-coffee would be offered, and to turn it down would be rude. And as far as chicken goes, his reason there was you won’t make the funds to afford the steaks, so learn to like chicken.

Honestly, I have never acquired the taste for coffee. I can handle tea, especially Earl Grey. I like my tea hot or iced. I truly enjoy Diet Coke, which incidentally replaced Tab when that became tough to find. Today I reach for Coke Zero Cherry. Coffee is still not on my list.

Today, the staff held a meeting at a local coffee shop near our offices. This very quaint historic downtown location in Hiram, GA holds the charm of its location well. And the choices–well they seem endless. (Keep in mind my only use for Starbucks over the years is that its a great place to find a free bathroom in some tough to find bathroom locations in down-towns!) Anyway, the selections were amazing. My staff labored hard as to find just the right choice. The umming and ahhing tells me we are returning. My cup of Earl Grey tea was good–but the price tag attached, well, let’s say maybe the ice water will do me just fine.

At our meeting, the staff brings out the Macs and our meeting begins. On the agenda is our upcoming Sunday service. Our teaching pastor for the Sunday reviews his sermon outline. We each add our two cents worth and move on to the order of service and what roles we each are responsible for this week. Then its on to December’s topics, January’s topics and even February and March plans are dreamed about. Since this is budget time, we discuss next year–where are we going–how much do you think it will cost to get there? Can we choose somewhere else to go–for less money!!

The time passes quickly. Perhaps it is the caffeine kicking in, but ideas are flowing, plans are made and opportunities discussed. This change of location to spark a new interest or new collection of ideas has worked. As we pay our bill, plans are made to return again soon for another caffeine planning session.

Coffee and Chicken–I wonder–if a lunch meeting at Chick-fil-A will be just as productive?

Charisma

The Bible word used in reference to “gifts” is Charisma. It refers to a very special gift, given to us by God. It goes well beyond our talents or tendencies of abilities. But that does not mean God’s gifts to us are not without reference to our innate abilities that we both enjoy and are very capable of doing. I have taught many a class that emphasised the abilities to “discover” your gifts. There are even a few “gift” tests on line to lead one to discover where their gifts lie in which God will use them in service of Him. And I believe and have taught that gifts can multiply. The more you do for the Lord, the more opportunity is given for us to shine for His glory. I have seen many times young Christians grow and mature to the point where they are serving in areas of the church that only a few years before, they never could have envisioned their service in that area. The more we give to God, the more He increases. We look no further than the parable of the talents to see how God desires us to invest in Him from what He has given to us.

But like an athlete who does not exercise or continue to use his talents of expertise will find–gifts can be lost. Again, I believe strongly that many Christians have gone stale, operated in neutral for so long, that God’s gifts to them are taken away. Samson gives us a great example of God’s Spirit leaving him after Samson’s continual misbehavior and his lifestyle.

But allow me to pose a question to my readers. Does God change a person’s gift? Does He allow what once was a very apparent gift to be lessened and another gift increased due to circumstances of ministry or service? Sometimes we see aging atheletes “hang” on, due to many different reasons, well beyond their years of effectiveness. We see them slumping in dejection on the bench–watching the new young players do their thing on the field. That’s where the heart of the champion lies, but things change–bodies age–and talents seem to disappear.

If each of us are in tune with serving God–doing whatever it takes to advance the kingdom, I believe we need to always be cognate of God’s gifts to us. How does God want us to serve Him today–in these circumstances? How can I be the best I can be, using talents that God gives to me to make a difference in a person’s life. The Apostle Paul tells us that some of us plant, some of us water, some of us do different aspects of bringing a person to the Lord. And if circumstances have merited it, can we go from planting to watering and still feel a sense of serving God to the best of our percieved abilities? The answer should be yes. We must learn to be content in the situation where God has placed us–to His glory. We must consider the needs of the whole–greater than the needs of the one. We must think of Jesus first, others second and ourselves third. J-O-Y

As the Lead Pastor of a church, I must make the tough decisions about staff, about responsiblities, and about the giftedness of staff, including myself. With a deep seated prayer for God’s will, we must be willing to do any job, take any responsibility that our gifts open us to us in the service of the Lord. And, when the time is right, be ready to accept the changing landscape of the responsiblities in the church and follow where God leads, not where “self” wants to go. After all, even John the Baptist understood–one greater than I must come. I have prepared the way for the Lord. (Not an exact quote, but you get the point)

My thoughts on this subject are still developing. Sometime in the near future, perhaps I will be able to continue this discussion with some personal, practical examples. Pray for Velocity and pray for my leadership.

Another Day Older…

As a child I often wondered (my mind wandered and wondered) about why on your birthday, you were not taller than the day before. I equated age with height and felt that a birthday, deserved a small increment in my size to show for it. Outside of time passing, birthday cake to eat and presents to unwrap–my birthday was just like any other day. Real growth seem to advance unannounced, quietly over time till my pants were too short and it was time to roll down the jeans to meet my shoes.

Let me bring you back to earth with my point. Today, the sun came up. Yeah God. My desk is still in the office, my Bible is still on that desk, with my computer and printer. From all appearances it looks just like yesterday. But today we have a new president elect, waiting to come to Washington and “change” things. Not to sound sceptical, but… when was the last time a president came to power to “keep things the same”. It seems criteria for election is to promise the world and deliver a back yard lot. One man can not change much. If we expect tomorrow to really be different from today, there must be a concerted effort to work together to make it happen. And our window is very short. Soon, we will be hearing the rhetoric of politicians running for president in 2012. God save us and send Jesus back before then!!

So, maybe I am melocholy this morning as I try to imagine what’s coming down the road for America. But for some reason, I believe two things, very strongly. First, in less than four years, we will hear about how we need to change–get the old rift raft out of Washington and bring in new blood. Secondly, our task as Christians is still to effectively reach out to those who are not washed in the blood, to give them the real change that will take them into a blessed eternity.

Not much is different today, from yesterday in that regards. The gospel is still urgently needed in America. So, to quote Tennessee Ernie Ford from “16 Tons”, I’m “another day older and deeper in debt”. Life goes on. And I will learn to be content in whatever the circumstances.

Philippians 4:11 (NLT) ¹¹ Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.