Please Pray for My Friend

My good friend and Associate Minister, Stephen Bailey is walking in the valley of the shadow of death right now. Please pray for him and his entire family. I've copied the email I sent to our church family this morning below.

Stephen Bailey’s sister Leann’s family has suffered a tragic loss. Her family (Todd – Father, Leann – Mother, and children, Bailey 18, Hutton 16, Connor 13, and Regan 10) was in an automobile accident yesterday while traveling from Midland (their home) to Brownwood. Details are still coming in but we know this much so far – Stephen’s niece Bailey Brown broke her leg, pelvis and lost a lot of blood due to a compound fracture of the femur. She was care flighted to San Angelo and has undergone surgery and is in stable condition. Stephen’s nephew Connor Brown (13) did not survive. No one else in the family suffered major injuries but prayers are requested for Hutton who was driving at the time. The emotional recovery will be long for him and for all involved.

Stephen is flying home (they were in Idaho visiting family) and Stephanie and the girls will return home on Thursday. At this time, please do not call him but email is okay (ponder76148@yahoo.com). Please be in prayer for the Brown’s and the Bailey’s.


Thanks for praying for my friend.


I've just received the following email from Stephen:

I'm home from Idaho and will be going to San Angelo in the morning. Thank you for your calls, messages and offers of help. We are so blessed to have friends and family like you. Keep us all in your prayers.

Please go to www.gcrcc.org for information and updates.

Stephen

Received @ 5:41pm on Tuesday, May 29

Golden!

I remember listening to Warriors games past my bedtime on my little orange am radio under my pillow as a 7 year old in 1975. I've always been a Warrior fan and still am. I'm not going to pile on tonight. I am simply going to share with everyone a revelation I had during tonight's game.

Is it just me or does Dirk remind anyone else of one of those Geico Caveman Dudes?

Okay, maybe I am piling on...

Go Warriors!

Surviving Spiritually Dry Tmes

Frustration.

Futility.

Failure.

I know I'm not the only person on earth who experiences these "f" words. Today, I am feeling especially futile. So when I ran across the article below (after an hour of trying to get my email - which is still down due to a problem with the host's server) I felt that one feeling that every man and woman on the planet needs to feel: hope.

Enjoy.

...and let down those nets one more time! I am.

Who knows? Today might be the day we experience "the catch of a lifetime"!!!

Surviving spiritually dry times
by Joni Eareckson Tada

Every pastor and every lay person has experienced them – dry times. Times when the Bible seems as inspiring as the Los Angeles phone book. Times when prayer feels like an exercise in futility. I had one of those dry times not long ago, and it seemed as though my prayers couldn’t even reach the ceiling, let alone Heaven.

I listened to my Christian friends talk about how they were learning and growing and what God was telling them and wasn’t the Lord wonderful!? I tried to listen hard, but faking it made me feel even more guilty.

The hardest part was that I could not trace the dry spell to anything specific. No besetting sin that had entangled me. No fights with my husband. No root of bitterness over my disability. No great lapses in my prayer life or Bible study. And certainly not a lack of fellowship. Yet my spirit felt as arid as July in the Mojave Desert. Maybe you can identify. Your smile loses its shine, your soul becomes dim, and your countenance tells you and everyone around you that something’s not quite right.

Strange as it sounds, the closest biblical analogy I can find for those dry days takes place in the middle of a lake. Let’s pick up the story in Luke 5.

[Jesus] got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and I haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:3-8 NIV)

That’s a story for dry times. It’s a story for when you feel tired of trying … when you’re weary of praying prayers that don’t seem to get answered … when the pages of the Bible might as well be written in hieroglyphics.

Simon, too, was weary. He was tired of trying. His back ached and his eyelids drooped. Yes, he had heard the Master preach to the people just moments before, but still he lacked faith and confidence in Jesus’ words. Besides, he had been up all night long without so much as a sardine to show for it. Yet at the command of Christ, he was able to summon what little energy he had left and let down his net. One more time.

As a pastor, perhaps all of your nets are empty today. You’ve been wrestling over decisions with your board of elders, but you’ve come up with no solutions. You feel dry and deflated, and you wonder if God has misplaced your file somewhere on his desk.

He hasn’t! God has been actively engaged moment-by-moment, every step of the way. He has been working behind the scenes, shifting hearts and pushing souls and prodding unwilling spirits. He has been laboring specifically and intentionally with a clear goal in mind for your life, your family’s and the lives of all those around you – including your elder board. Just be encouraged; it has been those petitions you offered in the dry times that have pleased him best.

Your heavy heart is no secret to the God who loves you. As David wrote: “All my longings lie open before you, oh Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.” (Psalm 38:9 NIV)

He is asking you today to let down your net. One more time. Even though you haven’t seen amazing results in recent weeks. Even though your emotions say, “What’s the use?” Even though running an uphill marathon seems more appealing than seeking the Lord right now. Nevertheless, obey the word of Christ and let down your net. Keep in the Word. Hit your knees and return to prayer. Confess your sins of unbelief (not to mention, a sour, skeptical attitude). Get into a closer relationship of accountability with a trusted Christian friend. Do some little, special thing for your wife and kids. Worship your God this coming Sunday morning with a hands-down, slam-dunk amazement over his grace to you and every other sinner in your congregation.

Because sooner or later, he’ll surprise you just like he surprised Simon Peter. He’s going to bring you out of that long night – out of that dryness. You’re going to experience his joy … more joy than you can handle. So be faithful, friend. Trust him. Wait on him.

Jesus can still fill an empty net.

This article has been adapted from a chapter in Joni’s new book, 31 Days Toward Passionate Faith (Multnomah, 2007).

Attendance Books

About a month ago, our church made the switch from "visitor cards" to "attendance books" We used to put a visitor card inside of the bulletin and ask everyone (the members filled out one side and the visitors fill out the other side). That had been our method of tracking who was at church and who wasn't for the past three years (or longer). But on Sunday, March 25th, we made the switch! Following the lead of churches like Otter Creek and Richardson East, we made the move to begin using attendance books. The result has been absolutely incredible! We've seen a 800% increase in the amount of guests who fill out the book over the card! We've seen a 2000% increase in the amount of members who use the books! It is incredible. Now this tracking this simple data does not take the place of shepherding, community in life groups, or discipleship, but it does provide us with some information about patterns. For example, if the week before Easter is consistently poorly attended and the week after is well attended, then maybe we shouldn't make the big announcement or kick off the new series on the week before Easter. Or maybe the young families all leave town on Presidents weekend, or perhaps someone says, "have you seen the Smith family? I haven't seen them in weeks..." We now have the ability to that information thanks to this simple change.

I decided that this change would best be communicated via a video. So I came up with an idea and commissioned my two ministerial homies, Stephen Bailey and Matt McBryde to run with it.

This is the first video we presented to the church on Sunday, March 25th. Matt did a great job acting! (it was his idea to play all three parts and it worked out awesome!) Stephen's voice over was perfect too.

Check it out here.

Then of course we had to top that one so I offered up the idea of a Mac/PC parody. Again, the guys nailed it and the church loved it.

Check it out here.

I'm hoping we can do 1 to 2 more in the future. I'm working on an idea of a play on those Sonic Commercials with the two guys in the car. Those crack me up.

If anyone else has ideas, I'd love to hear them.

My Center Child

My 17 year old beautiful daughter Laura told me a while back that she no longer will referred to as the "middle" child (Emily 10, John 21) but rather the "center" child. This has less to do with her age as it relates to her siblings and much more to do with her incredible* personality. (*by incredible I mean gregarious, compassionate, non-low maintenance, not-given-to-consistent-moods, sweet, funny, friendly, 'non inside voices', perky, and Christlike) So it is only fitting that Laura is going to be one of the stars of her high school (Faith Christian School - the best Christian School I've ever experienced!) musical, Fiddler on the Roof! I am so proud of her and excited to see her shine! I've included a poster below and tickets can be purchased by clicking here or calling the school (see below)


Laura has a sizable role. She is the (get this) middle/"center" daughter. It is kind of a stretch for her as Hodel is the daughter of a strict, religious father! Ha! I'm sure she'll do fine! I invite anyone in the area (or out of the area for that matter!) to come watch my lovely Laura!

^{For more information: www.fcschool.org, or phone: 817-442-9144}

Planet Why

Planet Why... a strange globe on which I don’t spend near enough time. I'm too busy spending my waking hours walking the more common worlds:

Planet What
Planet Who
Planet Where
Planet When
and my personal favorite...or at least the one I spend the most time on...
Planet How

But every now and then (when the stars align?) I find myself on Planet Why doing what (apparently you can do What on Why … I don’t know How…) you’re supposed to do on that specific sphere – asking “Why?”

Today it was an email from a dear brother who took the time to find out the “Why” of a particular event at our church. I had sent a couple of emails to the church that included all the other niceties of the cosmos that is the church calendar – What, Who, Where, When & How, but had neglected to include anything that pertained to the all powerful Planet Why. (Maybe I spaced out!) I thanked him genuinely for probing the purpose of my plans, for in doing so I had to ask “Why” we were doing the event in the first place. Now in this particular instance I clearly knew the “Why” and even more important – it made sense. However, I had failed (fairly miserably I might add) to cast the vision of that purpose to those I was trying to inspire to participate.

Immediately after I had I read and replied to (Thanks again BR) his email I opened another email from a leadership website with a link to this blog that contained the following quote:

“Momentum is fed by vision. It takes more than a solution. Solutions may meet a temporary need. Vision is what constantly supplies the fuel of going from where you are to where God wants you to be.”

Vision is the “Why”!!!

Is God trying to tell me something?

I believe He is.

Now if I could just figure out why…

Still Messy

Good old Leviticus ... where many a "Read Through the Bible in a Year" dreams go to die.

I just powered my way through the following verses in Leviticus. I offer my humble insights at the end of this bloody post.

¹ The LORD said to Moses, ² "Say to the Israelites: 'When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands-

³ " 'If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. ⁴ He is to present the bull at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it before the LORD. ⁵ Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull's blood and carry it into the Tent of Meeting. ⁶ He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the LORD, in front of the curtain of the sanctuary. ⁷ The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting. The rest of the bull's blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ⁸ He shall remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering—the fat that covers the inner parts or is connected to them, ⁹ both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys- ¹⁰ just as the fat is removed from the ox ^[a] sacrificed as a fellowship offering. ^[b] Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. ¹¹ But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the inner parts and offal- ¹² that is, all the rest of the bull—he must take outside the camp to a place ceremonially clean, where the ashes are thrown, and burn it in a wood fire on the ash heap.

Three simple insights:

1. The job of the Old Testament priest was a bloody, messy, nasty, brutal, painful job.

2. The job of today's pastor/priest/leader is often equally as bloody, messy, nasty, brutal, painful job. Different, but messy nonetheless.

3. Praise God for grace!

a REAL Inconvenient Truth

I ran across the following article today:

Al Gore’s Personal Energy Use Is His Own “Inconvenient Truth”

Gore’s home uses more than 20 times the national average

Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.

Gore’s mansion, located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).

In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.

The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.

Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.

Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.

Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.

“As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.

In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.

-------------------

I wonder how many Christians (myself definitely included!) would fall short when it comes to "be willing to walk the walk, not just talk the talk" when it comes to living out our faith.

If someone got all up in our business like they did Al Gore's energy usage, how would we feel about the results being posted on the internet?

Just food for thought...

The Pursuit of Happyness

Just came in from seeing the Pursuit of Happyness (yes, I know that "happiness" is spelled with an "i" and not a "y" but this is how the movie spells it) with my son John. We actually began the father-son outing by seeing an absolutely horrible movie - Epic Movie. We were in the mood for a movie and it fit our time schedule - so we picked it. In a word: pathetic!. In two words: not good!

We made it through the first 30 minutes of it and then got up and walked out. I wish I could say that it was solely on the film's sinful content, but I can't. It was as raunchy of a PG-13 movie as I've ever seen, but there were other contributing factors:

- It wasn't funny
- The person who sat behind us had a doctorate in obnoxious behavior with a minor in annoying laugh.
- It made us uncomfortable.

So, we kindly excused ourselves (the 8 million other teens in the theater were nice enough to let us go) and headed to ask the manager if we could see another movie. We would've paid, but he was courteous enough to exchange our tickets for two to see, The Pursuit of Happyness" Because it started a while later, we grabbed some dinner and then sat down to enjoy the show.

It wasn't a "show" ... it was a story. A sad, brilliant, inspiring, joyful, brutal, and powerful story.

And we didn't "enjoy" it ... we engaged it. Or it engaged us. It was an emotional, mental, and spiritual experience.

I cannot tell you how highly I recommend this movie. Put it this way: I will be taking Kim tomorrow and seeing it for the second time within 24 hours. It is that good.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the movie:


Christopher Gardner (Will Smith's character) : "It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson, the declaration of independence, and our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and I remember thinking; how did he know to put the pursuit part in there. That maybe happiness is something we can only pursue, and maybe actually we can never have it, no matter what. How did he know that?


Christopher Gardner (Will Smith's character): "Don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. Not even me. All right?"
Christopher ( - Jr. - His son in the movie ) : "All right."

Martin Frohm (CEO of company Christopher is trying to get a job at> "What would you say if man walked in here with no shirt, and I gave him a job?"

Christopher Gardner: "He must have had on some really nice pants."

The movie stirred a question in my soul that I want so share with you:

"What is the 'one thing' that you would work so hard to accomplish/attain and let nothing stand in your way?"

Answer that and then pursue it with all you got.

You just might find "happyness"

Gone. And Yes...Forgoten!

Our dear sweet friend, Carolyn Shook passed this morning from earth to heaven. She was one of Kim's closest friends throughout our time in California and they grew even closer as God moved us from Redwood City to Abilene to Trophy Club. Her death will be painful for Kim in so many real ways. For her faithful husband, Jim and beautiful children, Laurie and Dan, this will be a valley that is surrounded by more than a shadow, but by death itself. Carolyn's life on this earth was claimed by cancer but her life in eternity was claimed long before by Christ. While we knew this day was close (Jim called me on Monday and asked if I would officiate her funeral), it does not ease death's sting.

However, we are certain of the one truth that does remove the sting from death: Christ.

Jim called me a few minutes ago and shared the sweet/bitter/sweet news. The conversation began like this:

Joel: "Hello"

Jim: "It's me, Jim Shook."

Joel: "Hey brother."

Jim: "You probably already know by now (I did, Kim had just called me) but...that...

(at this point there was a brief pause as his heart searched for the right words)

that...Carolyn is in heaven."

Joel: "She's with Jesus."

We spoke of life and death. We talked of love and even some logistics. And the phone call eventually ended like this:

Joel: "I love you brother. If you need anything..."

Jim: "I know Joel. I love you too. And so did Carolyn. Well...Carolyn is in heaven."

Joel: "She's with Jesus."


I proceeded to get off the phone and bow and pray. However, it wasn't long until I got back to what I was doing before the phone call which was reading about a plane crash in Los Angeles (and other bad news - see screen shot below)



Then it hit me!

Carolyn doesn't have to deal with any of this junk anymore. Gone is the day of plane crashes, cancer and wars. Gone is the promise of pain, tumors and tears. Gone is everything that Jesus meant when he said, "in this world you will have trouble." Gone is the Goliath of grief, goodbye and the grave.

And yes - forgotten!

Tools of the Trade

As I prayed this morning to be used by God, my mind kept thinking of how I am nothing more than a simple hammer - a tool in God's hands. I felt God wanting to use me - to put me to work. He has a message for my brothers and sisters this morning and He's going to use me to share it.

As I continued my conversation with God, I kept arriving at a beautiful truth: when God became human He chose to become a carpenter. How amazingly appropriate - the Creator spending his sun-ups to sun-downs creating...building.

Then suddenly, I remembered a wonderful little chapter I had read about the Creator-Carpenter back as a freshman in college. The book: On the Anvil. The author: Max Lucado. The message:

...read on and find out!

Out of the Carpentry Shop
Written by Max Lucado

The heavy door creaked on its hinges as He pushed it open. With a few strides He crossed the silent shop and opened the wooden shutters to a square shaft of sunshine that pierced the darkness, painting a box of daylight on the dirt floor.

He looked around the carpentry shop. He stood for a moment in the refuge of the little room that housed so many sweet memories. He balanced the hammer in His hand. He ran his fingers across the sharp teeth of the saw. He stroked the smoothly worn wood of the sawhorse. He had come to say good-bye.

It was time for Him to leave. He had heard something that made Him know it was time to go. So He came one last time to smell the sawdust and lumber.

Life was peaceful here. Life was so . . . safe. Here He had spent countless hours of contentment. On this dirt floor He had played as a toddler while His father worked. Here Joseph had taught Him how to grip a hammer. And on this workbench He had built His first chair.

I wonder what He thought as He took one last look around the room. Perhaps He stood for a moment at the workbench looking at the tiny shadows cast by the chisel and shavings. Perhaps He listened as voices from the past filled the air.

"Good job, Jesus."

"Joseph, Jesus - come and eat!"

"Don't worry, sir, we'll get it finished on time. I'll get Jesus to help me."

I wonder if He hesitated. I wonder if His heart was torn. I wonder if He rolled a nail between His thumb and fingers, anticipating the pain. It was in the carpentry shop that He must have given birth to His thoughts. Here concepts and convictions were woven together to form the fabric of His ministry.

You can almost see the tools of His trade in His words as He spoke. You can see the trueness of a plumb line as He called for moral standards. You can hear the whistle of the plane as He pleads for religion to shave away unnecessary traditions. You can picture the snugness of a dovetail as He demands loyalty in relationships. You can imagine Him with a pencil and a ledger as He urges honesty.

It was here that His human hands shaped the wood His divine hands had created. And it was here that His body matured while His Spirit waited for the right moment, the right day.

And now that day had arrived. It must have been difficult to leave. After all, life as a carpenter hadn't been bad. It wasn't bad at all. Business was good. The future was bright and His work was enjoyable. In Nazareth He was known only as Jesus, the son of Joseph. You can be sure He was respected in the community. He was good with His hands. He had many friends. He was a favorite among the children. He could tell a good joke and had a habit of filling the air with contagious laughter.

I wonder if He wanted to stay. "I could do a good job here in Nazareth. Settle down. Raise a family. Be a civic leader." I wonder because I know He had already read the last chapter. He knew that the feet that step out of the safe shadow of the carpentry shop would not rest until they had been pierced and placed on a Roman cross.

You see, He didn't have to go. He had a choice. He could have stayed. He could have kept his mouth shut. He could have ignored the call or at least postponed it. And had He chosen to stay, who would've known? Who would have blamed Him?

He could have come back as a man in another era when society was not so volatile, when religion wasn't so stale, when people would listen better. He could have come back when crosses were out of style, but His heart wouldn't let Him.

If there was hesitation on His part of humanity, it was overcome by the compassion of His divinity. His divinity heard the voices. His divinity heard the hopeless cries of the poor, the bitter accusations of the abandoned, the dangling despair of those who are trying to save themselves.

And His divinity saw the faces. Some wrinkled. Some weeping. Some hidden behind veils. Some obscured by fear. Some earnest with searching. Some blank with boredom. From the face of Adam to the face of the infant born somewhere in the world as you read these words, He saw them all.

And you can be sure of one thing. Among the voices that found their way into that carpentry shop in Nazareth was your voice. Your silent prayers uttered on tear-stained pillows were heard before they were said. Your deepest questions about death and eternity were answered before they were asked. And your direst need, your need for a Savior, was met before you ever sinned.

And not only did He hear you, He saw you. He saw your face aglow the hour you first knew Him. He saw your face in shame the hour you first fell. The same face that looked back at you from this mornings mirror, looked at Him. And it was enough to kill Him.

He left because of you. He laid his security down with His hammer. He hung tranquility on the peg with His nail apron. He closed the window shutters on the sunshine of His youth and locked the door on the comfort and ease of anonymity.

Since He could bear your sins more easily than He could bear the thought of your hopelessness, He chose to leave. It wasn't easy. Leaving the carpentry shop never has been.

My Celebrity Look-alikes

Surfing at Starbucks and ran across this gem.

I've often thought of myself as a light P.Diddy.

Enjoy and keep your comments kind.

Peace of the Pie

Lawrence Welk, The Wonderful World of Disney, George and Wheezy Jefferson fighting...these are the TV memories of my childhood.

Last night, Kim and I joined about twenty other families (10 from our church and 10 from the community!) and experienced our first class session of Financial Peace University. So far today, I've paid off all our debt (including our mortgage), saved enough money for our girls to attend Harvard, and given a sizable check to the local homeless shelter. Well...actually...I've not spent any money at Starbucks (notice I didn't say - I've not drank anything from Starbucks...), I went home and ate lunch instead of going out to eat, and I decided not to play golf today (despite the fact I only have to pay $15 cart fee) in an effort to tighten our financial belt. (My physical belt needs no tightening.)

Anyway, all this to say I'm so excited about this class and the way I'm confident that God will use it to liberate my family and so many others in the area of finances. The borrower is a slave to the lender and I must confess that despite making more than ever, Kim and I have borrowed more than ever. This will change! Although the changes won't be easy, they will be right. Although they won't come quickly, they will come! Although we might be eating beans, they won't burn on the grill!

We're moving on up! Sing with me:

We're a movin' on up,
(We're a movin on up.)
To the east side.
(Mo-vin on up.)
To a de-luxe apartment,
In the sky-.
Mo-vin' on up
(Mo-vin on up.)
To the east side,
(Mo-vin on up.)
We finally got a piece of the pie.

Fish don't fry in the kitchen,
A beans don't burn on the grill.
Took a whole lot of trying
Just to get up that hill.
Now we're up in the big leagues,
Gettin our turn at bat.
As long as we live
It's you and me baby.
There ain't nothing wrong with that.

We're a moving on up
(Mo-vin on up.)
To the east side,
(Mo-vin on up.)
To a de-luxe apartment
In the sky-.
Mo-vin on up
(Mo-vin on up.)
To the east side.
(Mo-vin on up.)
We finally got a piece of the pie!

One final thought: If George and Wheezy made so much money, why couldn't Wheezy afford a throat lozenge?

Caught in the Act

I’ve heard a couple more stories recently of preachers “caught in the act.”

No — not THAT act. Not adultery, but plagiarism.

Just recently I heard the sad story of a beloved minister who, perhaps in his exhaustion, began lifting sermons in whole from a great Christian Church preacher. Word-for-word. He even told the man’s personal stories as if they were his own personal stories. Even more sadly, once he was confronted about it, he continued to do it.

There is no excuse for that. It’s wrong.

We all borrow from others. I’ve been impacted by the books of Wright, Brueggemann, Crabb, Willard, and Peterson — books that have seeped into my bones. I’m sure there are times that their words come out — not verbatim, but in essence — without my even knowing it. We’ve heard good stories and illustrations that we’ve retold. We’ve retold humorous quips. We’ve gotten sermon thoughts that proved fruitful later in our own planning.

There’s nothing wrong with that. Who, after all, has a truly original thought?

But that must not be an excuse for the stealing involved in lifting sermons. When you cut-and-paste someone else’s message while pretending it’s yours, that’s wrong. When you tell another’s story as if it happened to you, that’s wrong.

I remember as a young man hearing about an older minister in the South who was confronted because he was just buying Swindoll books and preaching his sermons — without even bothering to disguise it. His sermon series carried the title of the book and the individual sermons had the titles of the chapters. When challenged about it, he simply replied: “I bought the book. It’s my material.”

That is grounds for dismissal.

Here’s the thing: a story doesn’t lose any power by giving the source. It doesn’t have to be YOUR story. It never diminishes the impact to say that you were deeply impacted by a book you read or a sermon you heard.

When we were first married, I went through my Jim McGuiggan stage. (I’m still sort of in that stage — I just don’t get to hear him often enough.) I listened to his tapes . . . until KIM cut me off. She said I was developing an Irish accent.

Some need to be cut off from sermons. They need to quit listening to the tapes, quit downloading the MP3s, and unsubscribe to the podcasts. They’re not wrong in themselves; but if they become your shortcut that takes the place of arduous, prayerful preparation, then drop them!

Perhaps part of the blame lies with the pressure that some churches put on their ministers. They expect them to be pastoral, to be witty, to be insightful, to be humorous, and to be deep. Part David Letterman, part N. T. Wright.

If you’re a church leader, affirm the leadership and teaching of your ministers that is solid, biblical, and congregationally pastoral. Make sure the ones preaching and teaching are given time to prepare. Consider giving them an allowance so they have resources to buy good books and journals. Think about offering them sabbatical time each year just for study and prayer–time that is added to their regular vacation time. These resources and this time are not only for the benefit of the minister; they’re also for the good of the church! (By the way, these are things I’m generously offered at LAKE CITIES. I’d just like to see others follow that practice.)

But, having said that, the blame can’t be placed primarily at the feet of the church. What I’m talking about is unethical. It is a red flag — just as an affair is — that something is deeply wrong.

If I hear you preach, I don’t want to hear a Bob Russell sermon. I’m sure it would be solid and biblical. But if I want to hear a BR sermon, I’ll listen to BR. If I hear you preach, I want to hear YOU. Maybe it’ll include a point or an illustration you first heard from Bob Russell. But the sermon — the heart of what you’re saying — is what you’ve agonized over. It’s what the good news of Christ has said to you on behalf of the church that week. It is passionate, prayerful, and gospel-formed. That’s what I want — and need! — to hear. For me it doesn’t have to be funny; it doesn’t have to be a home run.

In reality, it may include a LOT of things you’ve heard and read from others. But it is YOUR message. It bears your sweat; it is birthed from your confrontation with text and gospel; it is geared toward your community of faith. It is God pouring through you the gift of preaching.

Losing It!

I received an email yesterday from my good buddy and close friend, Rick Warren. Yeah, he sends me an email every week to mentor me and encourage me. Me and about 763,459 other friends I think get an email. So I find out that Rick has left the "fold" and joined the "dark side" and of course, I immediately email my other good buddy and close (best) friend, Mitch Wilburn and let him know of Rick's betrayal. You can read of what transpired below:

From: Joel G.Quile [mailto:joel.quile@lakecitieschurch.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 9:35 PM
To: Mitch Wilburn
Subject: We're Jacked!

Our hero has betrayed us.

http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/default.asp?id=292&artid=10140&expand=1

Joel

Joel G. Quilé
Senior Minister
Lake Cities Church of Christ

to which Mitch replied:

Ah yes, but has he considered the biblical truth in it's totality. Proverbs 9:17 - "Food eaten in secret is delicious".

To which I say:

AMEN!

Macro Missions

I reminded our staff this morning that the Church doesn't have a mission. The mission has a church. It is so hard to keep our focus on the big picture and not get bogged down in "church work" Only God has the energy needed to fuel the mission that he initiated. And it is so much bigger than how we often use the term. Mission is not simply evangelism and church growth. It involves joining God in his work of social justice, redeeming the lost, loving the lonely, healing the hurting, and restoring creation to it's rightful relationship with it's creator.

I want my days to be consumed with something bigger than programs or even people.

I want the presence of God. It is His mission.

I want to be His man!

Another Year, Another Cut

New Year's Eve is the time of year where I step out of box for a minute, adjust my gloves and grip, stare down the pitcher and take a breath before getting back into the box.

New Year's Day is when I to take another cut. Another 365 cuts to be exact.

I'm ready for a great '07!

Happy New Year!

You are so loved.

T Cubed! Thanksgiving Thursday Thirteen

Here is my first ever Thursday Thirteen:

13 Reasons I’m Thankful for My Wife

1. Her beautiful and beaming smile is a contagious catalyst that brings joy to everyone (and I mean everyone) around her!
2. She has a deep love for the poor, under-dogs, and neglected of the world.
3. Kim is an amazing cook and uses that gift to bless others and keep me full!
4. She is “simple” and by that I mean she can be happy in all situations. We could live in or Burundi (top 5 poorest county in the world) or Beverly Hills.
5. Her laugh!
6. Kim can be just crazy silly! It is not uncommon for her to chase Laura around the house or tickle Emily to death.
7. That girl can make friends faster than anyone I know!
8. She loves her family with an ocean deep dedication and servant hearted kindness.
9. Kim is romantic. Actually, she is just plain sexy!
10. Her work ethic is incredible. Ask her former coworkers at ACU or current coworkers at Starbucks…she works as if she was working for the Lord! Truth be told, she is.
11. She married me! Oh how I’m thankful for that!!!
12. Kim is mighty warrior in the Army of the Lord and her weapon of choice is powerful, prayer!
13. Kim shows me Jesus everyday! She possesses an unquenchable passion for the Lord!

Without Warning

This morning God was talking to me through scripture (Matthew 7:28-29, 8:1-27).

Let me summarize for you the story he shared first.

Jesus just finished the best sermon ever: short, plenty of scripture, great illustrations, relevant, challenging, funny, you name it - he nailed it! His disciples heard this sermon and were amazed.

He comes down off mountain and is met by a mob and a guy with leprosy. The guy knows Jesus can heal if he wants. Jesus wants to and does heal this guy but then tells him not to tell anyone but the priest and temple officials. His disciples see him heal a guy with leprosy.

Jesus heads southeast about 3 miles to Capernaum and a centurion approaches and asks Jesus to heal his servant who is paralyzed and in pain. Jesus accepts but in an amazing display of humility, the Centurion tells Jesus to just give the word because he's not even worthy of Jesus entering his house. Jesus gives the word and his disciples witness the long distance miracle.

Next Jesus enters Peter's house, touches his mother-in-law's hand and heals her. His disciples see it all with their own eyes. Later that night Jesus kicks it up a notch and a bunch of demon-possessed folk and heals all the sick. His disciples have a front row seat in all of this.

So then Jesus tells his disciples to get into a boat and while sailing across the Sea of Galilee a furious storm comes without warning and his disciples freak out and become convinced they are going to drown! Before calming the storm, Jesus confronts his followers, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" His disciples hear every word. Jesus shuts up the storm and, get this, his disciples were amazed!

This morning the Holy Spirit wrote the following on my heart:

"Joel, in this life you will face troubles of all kinds so don't say I didn't warn you. Some pain will pound others and some storms will sweep over you. You're not going to drown! Have faith. Don't fear. I'm in the boat with you so don't say I didn't warn you."

Preaching Ministry

I am constantly trying to improve the "preaching ministry" component of my role as Senior Minister. Consequently, I'm always on the lookout for what people are saying about the gift of preaching. Today I ran across a great quote from Philip Jensen is the Anglican archbishop of Sydney and an influential evangelical leader.

"The present debate about human sexuality often betrays a failure to grasp how the interlocking teaching of scripture in Old and New Testaments can be brought to bear on contemporary life. The Bible is read subjectively, or as an endless succession of small segments without a proper connecting link or a single voice. The lack of a proper approach to the Bible prevents its message ever impacting on the church. You cannot say with authority, 'The Bible says . . . ' Once people lose confidence in the word of God, the preaching ministry of the church is lost. Once the preaching ministry is lost, the world's message is heard in the church, instead of the church's message heard in the world. Then the churches decline."

Listen to that last part again.

"Once people lose confidence in the word of God, the preaching ministry of the church is lost. Once the preaching ministry is lost, the world's message is heard in the church, instead of the church's message heard in the world. Then the churches decline."

Wow!

Dear God, give me confidence in Your Word.