Steve's Blog
Last night my wife sent me an email about relationships. Now I am not the sharpest knife in the attic, or whatever that adage is, but I thought I might better take note. It was the gist of an article from an author I did not know. I thought I’d better check up on him. Geoffery James is an award winning business author. I know nothing about him or his lifestyle, so don’t take this necessarily as a recommendation of him as a person. But what he has to say in the article is worth sharing. Actually it is a business article on being successful. However he rightly observes that being a success depends on the quality of one’s relationships. Ministers rise and fall based on the quality of our relationships whether family or friends. Though written from a business perspective these things apply across the board. You can find the article linked here.
When I served as DOM in Louisiana, I often bemoaned that there was not a letter drop box near our office. Going to the post office downtown was an exercise in frustration due to a poorly designed system of traffic flow. One day I left my car to be cleaned at a service station just down the street from the office. The owner offered to give me a ride to the office, but I declined since it was only 2 block away. I crossed the street heading to the office and nearly ran right over a letter drop box. It had been there all the time!
This is often true of reading Scripture. You read a passage for years and one day you see a truth that had been there all along. Yesterday (Sunday) I preached in one of our churches. As I began preparations for the sermon, I looked at several passages before being drawn to Isaiah 6, commonly referred to as Isaiah's call. But while reading it through, I saw something different, a different perspective. I saw this through the Father's eyes.
It was a time of national uncertainty since King Uzziah (Azariah) had died. Yet in the face of that God revealed Himself to Isaiah to let him know, among other things, that he was still Sovereign. He was on the throne the day before Uzziah died, and he remained there in the wake of his passing.
Life can bring uncertain times which leave us unsettled, confounded even paralyzed. At times the events we experience shake us to our very core as everything appears ready to come crashing down upon us. Precisely at times like these we need to "see the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted..."
The circumstances that knock us down do not knock our Father from His throne. He never changes. He is unfazed by those events. He never responds to our plea for help with, "Gee man, I never saw that one coming! I don't have a clue what you need to do."
Our all knowing, always present God...the unchanging One...remains enthroned, sovereign and in control.
And nothing can change that!
Sometimes great truth and insight comes from the most unexpected places. I spent several years and untold hours studying in college and seminary to be able to search the Scriptures for nuggets of truth. Perhaps I just need to talk to my grandchildren more. Find out why in the following conversation between my 4 year old grandson, Liam and my daughter-in-law, Beth:
Liam: "Mom, when do we go to heaven?"
Beth: "whenever God is ready for us to"
Liam: "when He finishes building our house?"
Beth: "yes sweetie. God is preparing heaven for us, but we have to do stuff here to help prepare us and others for heaven"
<pause>
Liam: "so we have a new house with Jesus?!"
Beth: "Yes, Liam"
Liam: "well that's just cool!!"
From the mouth of babes…..
Keep your ears open. You never know when, or through whom, God will speak.
The GCBA family was saddened by the news of the death Dionne's father., Jake Williams
Arrangements are as follows:
WAKE:
Tuesday December 6, 2011 @ 6:00 p.m.
White's Funeral Home
Poplarville, MS
FUNERAL SERVICE:
Wednesday December 7, 2011 @ 11:00 a.m.
Juniper Grove Baptist Church, located osuth of Poplarville on Hwy 53
The GCBA offices will be closed Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. until approximately 2:00 p.m. for staff to attend the funeral.
Thank you for keeping Dionne and his family in your prayers.
I am not quite sure what to compare it to in church life, but for us in the office the day after the annual meeting every year is pretty much one of going through the motions. The same is true this year, with the exception being that I am even more wasted!
I want to express my appreciation Dr. Chris King and the congregation at Bayou View Baptist Church for being such gracious and accomodating hosts. You guys were awesome!
Thanks also needs to go to Linda and Robin (and Rhonda who pitched in and helped quite a bit) for all they did to make this meeting a success. It is no easy task getting the ACPs in (we are still waiting one some of you!) and everything put together in the booklet. LInda does a geat job every year; this one is no exception. Thank you ladies for all your work to make the meeting a success.
We welcomed Christ Church into our fold after the mandatory year of waiting. Bro. Charles had a good group with him. It was good to see.
I must say, "Thanks," to the Strategy Team for all their work over the last months, meeting to hear God's voice with regard to a new vision for the GCBA. I marvel at what God did through them. Then, having put it together, met to iron out a way to present it to the association visually in a way that would communnicate their heart. So many worked behind the scenes to produce the "commercial," the script, creating a cast of participants from mourners, to angels and Scrooge. It was a concerted and combined effort of a cast of thousands...well tens at least! Thanks for all your work.
I am extremely thankful that Dr. Luter was able to be with us. Didn't God do an awesome job with him!! We will have audio copies of his message available soon. Let me know if you want a copy. We may be able to post it on the SERMON page of our website. I will see.
The greatest thing that happened last night was the commitment of so many to participate in the Priority Work Groups that will work to complete the finer points of the actions plans of each area as we move forward. We have already started reviewing the cards to put this together. So many seem to have bought into the vision already. Several folks approached me after the meeting saying that they have been praying for something like this for some time and they were excited to see it and be a part of it. That is just confirmation of God's direction in our process.
God is going to do a great work. He is up to something already in our midst. I can see it. The next five years are going to be quite a ride for our Asssociation.
Hang on....here we go!
We were sitting on the front porch. Sean sat in my lap, something he will be too big to do in a few years. It was a little cool for that time of year in south Louisiana but not uncomfortably so. Both of us knew that in a few short months he would undergo a bone marrow transplant as it was the only cure for his condition. Part of that would involve a couple of sessions each of chemo and radiation therapy. The result of the chemo would be that he would lose his hair. None of us knew really what to expect except that this was a serious process, filled with opportunities for obstacles to arise.
As we shared this moment, I thought about how this could possibly affect my oldest grandson. We began to talk some. “Are you scared?” I asked. “Not really, he replied. After a little more conversation, I nestled his head under my chin. “Sean” I said, “I tell you what; when it comes time for you to have the chemo and radiation and your hair begins to fall out, I am going to cut my hair off. This will be my promise to you. I want to do this so you will know how much I love you and that even though I can’t be with you, you will know that my thoughts are with you.”
Last week Sean’s hair began to fall out. His Mom had taken him to the barber shop there and had his hair cut into a Mohawk. Now I know what you might be thinking….surely Steve did not cut his hair into a Mohawk too. You would be wrong. Last Friday Tammy cut my hair into a Mohawk style and we took a picture and sent it to Sean. No, you can’t see it! I didn’t do it for you. I did that for Sean.
However, after taking the picture, we cut the rest of it off. Now I have the neatest crew cut, about like it was when I was in the 4th grade.
Why go into all this? Promises are inportant.
Just keeping Papaw’s promise!
(written June 12, 2011, but just now posted)
Can I tell you a story and make a suggestion?
In a church were Tammy and I were once members, there was a lady who desired to come to worship, but often did not risk it. She had a problem. No, she was not afraid of crowds (although there are some who have that malady). Neither was she upset with someone or vice-versa which contributed to her sparse attendance. She had an allergy to perfumes. This allergy, when exposed to fragrances, would set off intense migraine headaches.
If you have been shopping in a department store, you might have noticed that they have made a change in how they approach people at the perfume counter. In the past, employees, well-meaning ones I might add, would approach a customer and offer to give them a sample spray. This often caused a problem to folks passing by who suffered from fragrance allergies. So many stores modified their approach and sprayed the fragrance on cards.
How often have you been in a gathering, church or not, and have been overwhelmed with someone’s perfume who seemed to have bathed in it they had on so much? For most of us that is just a nuisance. For those with fragrance allergies, it can set off a migraine that lasts for hours!
Here is what our church did back then. They discovered that there were several folks who had such a condition. So they established a “Fragrance Free Zone.” They posted signs on the pews that indicated that section was off limits for persons wearing perfumes. (Actually they made it one of the front sections of pews where few people sat anyway). They called attention to it during announcements and made people aware it was available.
Here is my suggestion. You might consider establishing and promoting such an area in your worship center. There probably are folks who would be very grateful that you did.
Just a thought.
Every once in a while I read something that I feel needs to be shared with others. Such is the case with this article by Dr. Joe McKeever. Read and enjoy. Thanks, Bro. Joe for permission to share. BTW, Joe blogs regularly for church leaders at joemckeever.com
How to Frighten a Preacher
"Pastor, some of our members are concerned."
That gets his attention, believe me.
You can say all you want about how the minister is God-called and God-protected and that sort of thing, but he would not be human if he did not want the people he's serving to be supportive and responsive. After all, since he's sent to help them, he will want some kind of evidence he's accomplishing his purpose, otherwise, he feels that he has either failed them or God. Or both.
He is vulnerable as a result.
What makes him more vulnerable to negative influences from the congregation is that he has a family to feed and look after the same way you do if you work at the post office, drive a delivery truck, teach school, or extract teeth. The fact that he needs this job means he opens himself up to pressure from his constituents.
As a result, he reacts--at least emotionally--when he hears some of these lines that have been used on preachers since the beginning of the church.
"I know we ought to be reaching all these people and it's good they're being saved, but I miss our church the way it used to be."
Yesterday, the church I visited had 140 in two services. When the pastor came, 3 or 4 years ago, they had 40. In the last 3 Sundays, he has baptized 11 people. Before the benediction, the pastor called on me for (ahem) a few words. I said, "My friends, I am thrilled at the growth your church is having. These are wonderful days in this church. But I need to caution you about something. The devil will not take this lying down. He will raise up people to criticize and oppose, and he'll do it from within the congregation."
I said, "Sooner or later, you will hear someone say, 'I wish our church was the way it used to be.' When that happens, do not wait for the pastor to address it. That's your job. You turn to them and say, 'Are you out of your mind?!'" They laughed, but I hope they got the point.
"I'm not being spiritually fed by your sermons."
This is a common ruse that accomplishes two things: it puts the preacher down while leaving the impression the critic is super spiritual with a taste for the red meat of the Word. And may I say, such criticism is almost always off base.
I once had a chairman of deacons say, "Preacher, they say you're not preaching the Word." I said, "Mike, I just got through preaching through the Gospel of Matthew. What did they mean by that?" He said, "I don't know." I said, "Please go back and ask them." That was the last I heard of it.
"Pastor, some of us have been talking and we feel there is a malaise in the church."
The answer to this one--those are the exact words I once heard from a group of nay-sayers in my congregation--is a simple one: "Yes there is, and you're it."
Why do people think they can spend their days criticizing the pastor and undercutting him, and then fire him because "there is a malaise within the congregation." There ought to be one; they made it! (Webster defines 'malaise' as an unfocused feeling of general unease or discomfort. Yep. That's exactly what a constant barrage of criticism and non-support builds within a church body.)
"Preacher, we were here a long time before you and we'll be here after you leave. Don't tell us what to do with our church."
This ungodly approach is usually directed toward the pastor of a small church, particularly a first-timer who doesn't know any better. But its cousin lurks in the hallways and classrooms of the larger churches where members-with-seniority-and-clout (MWSAC) resent the changes the pastor is bringing in.
"Pastor, some of us think it's time for new leadership."
This one is also a camouflage for the real reason they are attacking you, pastor. They have no answer for what you preach and the way you are leading. They want you out and the best they can come up with is this nebulous, foggy, smoky reasoning.
The answer to it is, "You're right. I think you've been chairman of deacons long enough, don't you?"
"Pastor, there's a delegation of deacons here to see you. Now."
Nothing strikes terror into the pastor's soul like this one. He knows the boom is about to be lowered. Even if he stands up to them and carries the day and keeps his job, the fact of the confrontation itself will leave him shattered and unnerved for the rest of the day. No one enjoys this.
My hunch is that fully half those in the pastoring business despise confrontation. They feel called as healers and blessers. They will put up with a lazy staffer, a critical member, or a rebellious leader far longer than they should simply because they hate to call someone on the carpet and have to deal with the consequences. Maybe they'll move to another church, they think to themselves.
But the worst confrontation of all to a pastor is when they themselves are the subject of the meeting.
What makes it worse is if the preacher has served any length of time, he knows he has failed some people, he has preached some lousy sermons along the way, and he has left undone work he should have pulled off. In other words, he knows he is not guiltless.
Anyone who has been married for three years or more has grounds for divorce. That's my philosophy. What it means is that if one were keeping account of every slight, every put-down, every harsh word, he/she could convince some judge somewhere of grounds for divorce for incompatibility.
In a sense, a pastorate is like a marriage. The only way to make it work past the honeymoon stage is for both sides to agree for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.
The spouse or the church leader who is committed to the mate or the preacher so long as everything goes well will soon be headed to the divorce courts.
There is no way to say this loud enough or sufficiently forcibly: Every pastorate that endures--that is, every church that keeps a pastor for any length of time--has to make up its mind to weather the storms that blow through from time to time.
What are the storms pastors endure and which blow through every congregation periodically?
Criticism. Disaffection. Mass exodus, with members taking their tithes. Sinful rebellion against godly leadership. Worldly philosophies. Carnal failures.
Here's are questions that ought to be discussed in every church committee meeting:
What would it take for me to leave this church?
How committed am I to seeing this church's mission through to completion?
Do I really believe God calls pastors to churches and that He alone decides when one should leave?
Am I part of my pastor's support team or one of those who make it difficult for him to do the work God sent him here to accomplish?
I've left unaddressed something the premise of this article assumes: that preachers are frightened at the idea of losing their churches. The answer to that is severalfold....
1) Let the preacher look to the Lord as His employer and not to man. (II Corinthians 4:5)
2) Let the preacher understand, too, that the leadership of his church are mortal, have clay feet, and can make serious errors. In other words, he can be fired and his ministry severely wounded by church members.
3) When that happens, his responsibility is to shake the dust off his feet and go on to the next assignment. If he grows embittered, it's a sign he had his eyes on men and not on the Lord.
4) A pastor will spend his entire ministry walking that line between taking great joy in his congregation but looking only to the Lord for his affirmation and guidance. Sometimes he will veer from one side to the other, but both are essential. Paul called the Philippians "my joy and my crown" (Phil. 4:1), and yet he knew the only crown that mattered would be one from the Lord (II Timothy 4:8).
Frightening words to preachers? Nothing will give him a heart attack more than walking up to him five minutes before the morning service and saying, "Uh, pastor, I thought you'd want to know. The pastor-search committee from First Church Bigtown is here today. All twelve of them."
Oh my. Watch him sweat now.
Here are a couple of pictures from the GCBA Deacon Training event from last Saturday held at North Long Beach Baptist Church. There were six churches represented. Our presenter was Dr. Alan Woodward, MBCB Pastor/Leadership Department Director. This training event was the second in our deacon ministry series entitled (with apologies to Charles Swindoll) “Improving Your Serve.” The topic for this year was “Deacons: Facilitators of Church Growth”
Next year the topic will be “Deacons: Handling Church Conflict.” I proposed an idea to those in attendance of using a Friday evening-Saturday morning retreat format next year. This would give us an opportunity to do some special interest breakout sessions in addition to the main topic. If you or any of your deacons would be interested in serving on a planning team for this, let me know.
Check the website under the “Ministries” tab and look at the “Church Depot” link for other training models which the association can provide for your deacon ministry without cost.
Words
“Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word fitly spoken.” Proverbs 25:11
Children repeat the mantra “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” In reality this is just not true. Words can hurt. That is why it is so important to watch what we say.
Some folks just know how to say the right thing at the right time. A wise word spoken at the right time can turn an angry heart away from violence. A gentle word offered appropriately can often lift the spirit of one who has experienced great hurt. An encouraging word has power to spur a discouraged straggler to take yet another step.
Perhaps you have had someone take the time to write you a note or give you a call just to say, “Thank you. I appreciate the comment you made to me recently. There was no way for you to know what I was going through, but our Father used what you said to make things better.”
An encouraging word can make all the difference in the daily grind. You know how it goes; you’re working hard and wondering if anyone notices…or cares! Then the Father puts someone in your path who says, “because of _____, this is what God has done in my life…or my church…or my family.” You get the picture. That word or those comments caused you to see success where before you may have perceived at best ineffectiveness, or at worst, failure.
Perhaps this was on the mind of the writer of Hebrews when he penned these words to early believers, “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,” (Heb. 10:25).
Words can hurt; they can also help and heal.
Who can you give a word of encouragement to today?
It is a joy to serve the GCBA. Check The Tide link for more information about happenings in the GCBA.
Blessings,
Dr. Steve