I just finished reading a book that was recommended by our General Superintendent, Dr. George Wood. It's title is "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day: How To Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars." The author is Mark Batterson, an Assembly of God minister, who is lead pastor at National Community Church in Washington D.C. You may even want to check out the church's web site.
The title and premise of the book is built around two verses: 2 Samuel 23:21-21.
"Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab's best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear."
Mark's book is a thoughtful and challenging writing regarding our faith journey and making an impact in our world for the kingdom of God. My favorite passage in the book is found on page 17:
"I have a simple definition of success: Do the best you can with what you have where you are. In essence, success is making the most of every opportunity. Spiritual maturity is seeing and seizing God-ordained opportunities. Think of every opportunity as God's gift to you. What you do with those opportunities is your gift to God. I'm absolutely convinced that our greatest regrets in life will be missed opportunities."
Monday, February 25, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Faithfulness and Fruitfulness
I have been following some discussion on another blog called AG Think Tank about ministry fruitfulness. I couldn't help but post my two cents worth and decided that I should add it to my own blog as food for thought. So here it is.
As I was reading I began to reflect on my own personal story and “faithfulness lesson” as a church planter in Ellsworth, Maine (1981-1986). In about the second year of my church plant, our church was averaging seven people on a Sunday morning and three on Sunday night. Two of those people in that average was myself and my wife. I was very discouraged. The Pentecostal Evangel had been highlighting church plants that took off with overnight successes marked by seventy-five to two hundred in Sunday attendances. One Sunday night I was lamenting my disappointment to my wife and dear Margret, my other faithful Sunday night attender. Margret was full of Godly wisdom, gentleness, and kindness as she asked me the question. “Pastor, are you ready to pastor a hundred people?’ That question stopped me cold and caused me in that moment to reflect about my own abilities and understanding. In that moment, I verbally had to answer Margret honestly saying, “Margret you are right. I am not ready to pastor a church of a hundred.” There were things that I needed to learn that only God could teach me. Lesson One: Sometimes our churches are not ready for the harvest because we leaders are not thoroughly prepared to receive the fruit of our labors.
On another occasion that same year, I was running down the Surry Road during my daily marathon training crying out to God about my disppointment in the lack of fruitfulness and growth that I was not seeing when the Holy Spirit stopped me dead in my tracks. I can take you to that exact spot. Standing on the side of the road, the Spirit of God, spoke this question into my mind. “What is succes?” I had all kinds of answers. I was very animated (I wonder what the drivers thought of this crazy guy apparently speaking to no one on the side of the road with my hands and arms moving about). After several minutes, I stopped my discourse and finally said, “I don’t know God, you tell me.” God asked me one more ( well two) question. He asked, “Are you in my will? Are you called to be here in Ellsworth?” That was easy to answer because God had validated my call to Ellsworth to plant a church in too many ways to have had any doubts. I responded quickly and with firmness, “Yes, Lord. I know that I am called here and am in your will because…" I then listed off to Him all the confirmations and validations that had brought me to this place on the side of the road. When I finished, the Spirit of God spoke into my mind these words, “Success in being in God’s perfect will. Whether you pastor a church of a hundred or a church of three, you are successful.” I ran home that day with new vigor and assurance that Ellsworth Assembly of God would be a success. In the third year of our plant I began to see the fruit of my labors. By the fourth year we were able to purchase property and in the fifth year build a building. Twenty-five years later I was invited back to participate and preach at their anniversary service. Lesson two: Success is determined by our willingness to be in God’s perfect will.”
One response from Lane Douglas to my post at AG Think Tank is included because I happen to have a great deal of interest in Cival War and World War II history and can relate to the posting. Here it is:
"Growing up in a home where parents were Civil War buffs, many of my summer vacations consisted of learning U.S. History. Rather than Disney World, we frequented such locales as Antietam, Fredericksburg, Richmond, and, of course, Gettysburg.
One of the factors attributing to the Confederacy’s loss was the passion their leaders had for their men and for what they perceived as not so much a “war” as a defense of their homeland. This translated into many captains and generals moving themselves too close to the battlefront wanting desperately to be in the “action.” As a result, many of them were either wounded or killed from sniper fire or stray bullets.
What does that have to do with what you wrote? The result of these leaders being taken out of commission (many of them West Point trained) was that their spots had to be filled. Thus, sergeants and captains of small brigades would receive field commissions and end up being promoted before their time. They would find themselves in charge of units of soldiers larger than they had yet learned what to do with. The result was a degradation of command over time with large portions of the military being led as if they were local units since these newly commissioned leaders had yet to receive the proper training or experience.
So… not only in the church, but in the realm of leadership in general we see that fruitfulness before faithfulness can be detrimental to long-term success."
That last sentence is important.
As I was reading I began to reflect on my own personal story and “faithfulness lesson” as a church planter in Ellsworth, Maine (1981-1986). In about the second year of my church plant, our church was averaging seven people on a Sunday morning and three on Sunday night. Two of those people in that average was myself and my wife. I was very discouraged. The Pentecostal Evangel had been highlighting church plants that took off with overnight successes marked by seventy-five to two hundred in Sunday attendances. One Sunday night I was lamenting my disappointment to my wife and dear Margret, my other faithful Sunday night attender. Margret was full of Godly wisdom, gentleness, and kindness as she asked me the question. “Pastor, are you ready to pastor a hundred people?’ That question stopped me cold and caused me in that moment to reflect about my own abilities and understanding. In that moment, I verbally had to answer Margret honestly saying, “Margret you are right. I am not ready to pastor a church of a hundred.” There were things that I needed to learn that only God could teach me. Lesson One: Sometimes our churches are not ready for the harvest because we leaders are not thoroughly prepared to receive the fruit of our labors.
On another occasion that same year, I was running down the Surry Road during my daily marathon training crying out to God about my disppointment in the lack of fruitfulness and growth that I was not seeing when the Holy Spirit stopped me dead in my tracks. I can take you to that exact spot. Standing on the side of the road, the Spirit of God, spoke this question into my mind. “What is succes?” I had all kinds of answers. I was very animated (I wonder what the drivers thought of this crazy guy apparently speaking to no one on the side of the road with my hands and arms moving about). After several minutes, I stopped my discourse and finally said, “I don’t know God, you tell me.” God asked me one more ( well two) question. He asked, “Are you in my will? Are you called to be here in Ellsworth?” That was easy to answer because God had validated my call to Ellsworth to plant a church in too many ways to have had any doubts. I responded quickly and with firmness, “Yes, Lord. I know that I am called here and am in your will because…" I then listed off to Him all the confirmations and validations that had brought me to this place on the side of the road. When I finished, the Spirit of God spoke into my mind these words, “Success in being in God’s perfect will. Whether you pastor a church of a hundred or a church of three, you are successful.” I ran home that day with new vigor and assurance that Ellsworth Assembly of God would be a success. In the third year of our plant I began to see the fruit of my labors. By the fourth year we were able to purchase property and in the fifth year build a building. Twenty-five years later I was invited back to participate and preach at their anniversary service. Lesson two: Success is determined by our willingness to be in God’s perfect will.”
One response from Lane Douglas to my post at AG Think Tank is included because I happen to have a great deal of interest in Cival War and World War II history and can relate to the posting. Here it is:
"Growing up in a home where parents were Civil War buffs, many of my summer vacations consisted of learning U.S. History. Rather than Disney World, we frequented such locales as Antietam, Fredericksburg, Richmond, and, of course, Gettysburg.
One of the factors attributing to the Confederacy’s loss was the passion their leaders had for their men and for what they perceived as not so much a “war” as a defense of their homeland. This translated into many captains and generals moving themselves too close to the battlefront wanting desperately to be in the “action.” As a result, many of them were either wounded or killed from sniper fire or stray bullets.
What does that have to do with what you wrote? The result of these leaders being taken out of commission (many of them West Point trained) was that their spots had to be filled. Thus, sergeants and captains of small brigades would receive field commissions and end up being promoted before their time. They would find themselves in charge of units of soldiers larger than they had yet learned what to do with. The result was a degradation of command over time with large portions of the military being led as if they were local units since these newly commissioned leaders had yet to receive the proper training or experience.
So… not only in the church, but in the realm of leadership in general we see that fruitfulness before faithfulness can be detrimental to long-term success."
That last sentence is important.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Drifting
We are having an above average amount of snowfall to date this winter. It must be expected when living in Maine. I enjoy watching the snow fall. There is something peaceful about it as the flakes float downward and are moved about by the wind. I just don't like cleaning the driveway up after a storm.
The idea of floating snow flakes causes me to think about the words in Hebrews 2:1 which I just recently read.
"It's crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we've heard so that we don't drift off." (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language)
Drifting faith is the warning. Drifting snow is alot like some people's faith. The flakes are all over the place with no other purpose than to land wherever the wind blows them. Some people's faith is like that. There is no spiritual foundation or purpose to life.
As a youth pastor in New Jersey many, many years ago, I took the youth group on a 6 hour canoe trip down a stream. It was a peaceful, sort of lazy trip. Because there was an odd number in our group, I ended up with a canoe all to myself. The current just moved us along. I didn't have to do much in the way of paddling. I just moved silently along enjoying the warmth of the sun. But every once in awhile, as I was day dreaming and not paying attention I would bump into another canoe in our group or end up stuck in some shallow water. I think that is kind a what the Hebrew writer is warning us to be careful to avoid.
On another occasion as a child, my family went to the beach one hot summer day along the Jersey shore. The ocean water was warm, the sun shone brightly. It was a perfect day to be in the water. And that is exactly what I did. I would swim out as far as I dared and let the crashing waves push me back to the beach. I would swim back out and let the waves bring me back in. This went on for quite some time. Finally, after tiring and desiring to be in the company of my parents I came back up on the beach only to discover to my surprise and shock that my parents and the family blanket were not where I had left them when I first went into the water. After some panick and some scouting about I found them. What had happened was that the ocean currents had moved me some distance down the beach because I had not been paying attention to my location in relation to our beach blanket. I was too busy enjoying myself.
Drifting off course is one of those great evil influences that affects the believers life. There are so many currents, so many elements that can catch us unexpectantly. They move silently, carrying us about without our ever taking notice because we are so absorbed by our own inner desires or surrounding distractions. It's a kind of our own spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder.
Are you paying attention today to the One who is our spiritual foundation?
The idea of floating snow flakes causes me to think about the words in Hebrews 2:1 which I just recently read.
"It's crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we've heard so that we don't drift off." (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language)
Drifting faith is the warning. Drifting snow is alot like some people's faith. The flakes are all over the place with no other purpose than to land wherever the wind blows them. Some people's faith is like that. There is no spiritual foundation or purpose to life.
As a youth pastor in New Jersey many, many years ago, I took the youth group on a 6 hour canoe trip down a stream. It was a peaceful, sort of lazy trip. Because there was an odd number in our group, I ended up with a canoe all to myself. The current just moved us along. I didn't have to do much in the way of paddling. I just moved silently along enjoying the warmth of the sun. But every once in awhile, as I was day dreaming and not paying attention I would bump into another canoe in our group or end up stuck in some shallow water. I think that is kind a what the Hebrew writer is warning us to be careful to avoid.
On another occasion as a child, my family went to the beach one hot summer day along the Jersey shore. The ocean water was warm, the sun shone brightly. It was a perfect day to be in the water. And that is exactly what I did. I would swim out as far as I dared and let the crashing waves push me back to the beach. I would swim back out and let the waves bring me back in. This went on for quite some time. Finally, after tiring and desiring to be in the company of my parents I came back up on the beach only to discover to my surprise and shock that my parents and the family blanket were not where I had left them when I first went into the water. After some panick and some scouting about I found them. What had happened was that the ocean currents had moved me some distance down the beach because I had not been paying attention to my location in relation to our beach blanket. I was too busy enjoying myself.
Drifting off course is one of those great evil influences that affects the believers life. There are so many currents, so many elements that can catch us unexpectantly. They move silently, carrying us about without our ever taking notice because we are so absorbed by our own inner desires or surrounding distractions. It's a kind of our own spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder.
Are you paying attention today to the One who is our spiritual foundation?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)