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Truth is Truth

2010-07-12T15:12:51Z

Here’s the truth about Truth: real truth never changes. It may be painfully harsh or beautifully consistent, but it does not change. Ever. Our understanding of truth can be broadened. We may discover something we once believed in was in fact wrong, but the Truth was there the whole time… we just had to be able to see it. A great danger I see in our society is the flexibility of truth. Right and wrong are fluid concepts that vary from person to person, and it seems the only truths people cling to are those which promise comfort or remove personal accountability.

Here are a few observations God has given me about truth:

* God is the source of all truth. Not religion, or men who claim to be holy but are truly greedy, selfish and self-seeking; God himself reveals truth to us.

* Truth is a measurable metric. No matter what your field of study, truth doesn’t change. 2+2=4, the sun rises in the East, the Earth revolves around the sun; these are truths on which we build our societies, knowledge, sciences, etc. Spritual truths are no different. There is only one God, Jesus is the only way to God, everyone has sinned. You are free to form your own opinion on all things spiritual, but understand – your opinion may very well be wrong.

* Truth does not change based on our feelings. I may be able to logically or emotionally rationalize my actions, but if they’re wrong they’re wrong, even if I can explain them away. It’s time to stop making excuses for our actions and take responsibility for what we do. Even when it’s difficult. Even when it doesn’t fit into our preferred world view.

* Truth=Love. As people were are supposed to speak truth to each other in love. If we get this out of balance the truth is skewed. If all we focus on is truth without love, we become legalistic, prideful, judgemental. Truth becomes harsh and abrasive, pushing people away from God. Conversely, if all we focus on is love, the truth is brushed aside and sin is condoned in the name of love. Jesus is our example of how to love someone while you disagree/deal with their actions.

Make a commitment today to open your mind to the possibility that what you believe about the world might be wrong. Look for truth, because God promises that if you seek him out he will be found.

False Prophets and Christian Liars

2010-06-19T19:21:21Z

"And he said to him, I also am a prophet as you are, and AN ANGEL SPOKE TO ME by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water. BUT HE LIED TO HIM."
1 Kings 13:18

People will lie to your face and tell you they heard from God. People who claim to follow God. People who claim to be your friends. People who claim to have your church's best interests in mind. If you listen to what they say and follow them instead of God, you alone are responsible for your actions. The man of God in 1 Kings listened to this false prophet and was called on the carpet for disobeying God – he was killed by a lion as he left. If you've heard from God, let nothing move you from what he has told you. The stakes are too high; not only for you, but for your ministry.

Be sure of your calling, be sure of what God has told you, and do not deviate from it.

Understanding the Old Testament

2010-05-11T20:36:41Z

I’m in the middle of reading Mark Discoll’s Doctrine, and I wanted to share an excerpt that really stuck out to me.

“Unless Jesus is the central message of the Scriptures, many errors abound. The most common is moralizing. Moralizing is reading the Bible not to learn about Jesus but only to learn principles for how to live life as a good person by following the good examples of some people and avoiding the bad examples of others. That kind of approach to the Scriptures is not Christian, because it treats the Bible like any other book with moral lessons that are utterly disconnected from faith in and salvation from Jesus.”

Do we get good lessons from the Bible? Of course! But don’t forget the author and perfector of our faith, Jesus. Without Jesus, everything else is meaningless. Talk about, share, preach, and live out Jesus in everything you do.

Book Review: Transforming Church in Rural America

2010-05-07T17:52:19Z

I recently finished Shannon O'Dell's new book Transforming Church in Rural America, and I have to say I was blown away by the honesty and self-reflection present in the book. There is something for every pastor here, whether you're attempting to revitalize a struggling rural ministry, if you're well established in a thriving metropolis or if you're just starting out as a new church planter.

As an up-and-coming church planter myself I am hungry for any advice I can get on church growth, so I dove into Transforming Church with high expectations. If I take nothing else away from this book, it is the idea that a pastor cannot focus on growing a church, he must focus on growing the people within a church. When the people grow, the church will grow. As Shannon puts it, you have to focus on growing congregants, not a congregation.

Far from attempting to be a step-by-step, by the numbers book, Transforming Church offers real, practical advice along with been-there, done-that stories to illustrate truths about the modern American church; Truths that every pastor can put into practice. Shannon has a passion for the church that is too often missing in the pulpit, and I pray that those who read this book will have a fraction of his passion rub off on them.

In reading Transforming Church I felt Shannon's pain when he spoke of the dissent within his church, and I rejoiced along with him at the life change that resulted from his "whatever it takes" attitude and faith. The job we have as pastors and other ministry leaders is daunting to say the least. The risks are huge, but the payoff is worth it. Read Transforming Church and you will leave not only with a better understanding of the challenges facing the church today, but with the encouragement to step out in faith and break all the rules.

Reinventing the [Church] Wheel

2010-04-27T20:39:38Z

I feel like I should say up front that I am extremely pro church-planting. I believe fully in doing whatever it takes to spread the gospel to all ends of the earth, both local and abroad. To date I have been involved with two new church plants, and depending on how God chooses to use me, I will most likely end up planting a church myself in the not-too-distant future. With that said…

My dad made a comment the other day that it seems like a new church opens down the road every other week. At the same time there are hundreds of small churches in those same towns and cities that are struggling just to keep the doors open. When a new church starts, there's generally a big push for fundraising and volunteers – friends, families, other churches, and occasionally local businesses will give time, money and resources to help the new guy get off the ground. Yet if you fast-forward 3-5 years that same guy and his fledgling church are struggling to pay the light bill, much less afford a full-time staff. Why such a disparity? Obviously there are hundreds of factors at play here, but I'm sure it has a lot to do with the entrepreneurial spirit of Americans. We readily rally behind a new idea, and we love to give money to a worthy cause, yet we are constantly drawn to the "next big thing". The best example I can think of is disaster relief. Millions of dollars have been given to places like Haiti, Indonesia and New Orleans, but only a handful of people continue to support and give to the rebuilding of those places today. We don't like to stick around. We'll give our piece and move on.

Pastors (and soon-to-be pastors); if you are considering planting a new church I suggest that you at least consider the following questions:

- Has God really called you to start a new church? Assuming your call to be a pastor is clear, are you certain that starting a church from scratch is your call or does it just seem like the thing to do?

- Is there a way to pool resources in your area? If there is a struggling ministry down to road that has the same goal and vision, can you help each other out? The idea of churches joining forces is taboo in many circles, but it can be incredibly valuable. Two churches of 60 people suddenly become a church of 120 with the cash flow to pay the bills, more volunteers and a diversity of skill and talents. To pull it off takes a lot of prayer, hard work and sacrifice, not to mention faith, but so does starting from scratch.

- Is there a way to use your own talents and calling at a church that is already established? Never, ever ignore a call from God to step out in faith. But if your call is simply to pastor, why not pastor at the church who already needs you? If your call is to serve, evangelize, worship, etc, is there a way to fulfill that call by grounding yourself in a place that has a need? Don't allow the allure of something new keep you from planting roots and growing in a ministry right where you are.

To the churches: Is there a church in your area that is struggling to get by? How could you use your resources to help them out? Could you buy them the sound board they need? Could you send some of your people over on a Saturday evening to help them set up? Could you offer your preaching skills or worship talents to them so their people can get a break? What about stepping out in faith and giving a percentage of your operating budget to help pay their bills? Can't afford it? Last time I checked, God isn't limited by what we can afford… He's only limited by our willingness to trust him to take care of our needs.

And finally… God's call trumps all of these questions. If He calls you to step out and plant a church, DO IT!

Church – Why bother?

2010-04-01T01:11:55Z

This Sunday I was struck by a concept that Pastor Gene brought up about church. Not so much a concept as a truth; That church is not a part of our journey; it IS the journey.

I’ve always believed that being a Christian is not a part of your life, but instead defines the whole of who you are. Even still, there was often a disconnect when it came to the concept of church. I knew it was essential, and I could tick off a list of reasons why you should go to church, but deep inside there was doubt. Not about Jesus or God, but about the church.

It turns out what I was missing is this: Church is not a service to help you with your individual walk with God. It is not a warehouse of Christian products and services. It is not a helpful thing for your personal life’s journey. Church IS the journey. Church is not a building or product… church is people. YOU are the church. WE are the church. We don’t have seperate church lives and regular lives. We each have one life, and it’s impossible to divide it. The truth I was missing is really so simple… Church is essential because we are all united by what we believe.

Somehow, through years of full-time ministry I was missing this key component. My words said otherwise, but in my heart I was looking at church as though it was a service or product, not a journey or movement. As you go to church this Easter remember this – church exists simply because we love and worship God, and we love and worship God because of Jesus.

From the inside out, Lord my soul cries out

2009-12-19T04:17:25Z

In the past month I:

Went to and completed Air Assault school.
Lost my job because my orders ran out and were not renewed.
Found out I was leaving for flight school in less than 3 weeks.
Put our first house on the market.
Signed a contract to sell our house less than 24hrs later.
Began to PACK like crazy.
Signed a lease for a house in Alabama.

A lot has happened in a very short amount of time, and I’m beginning to get a grasp on the concept of serving a God who is bigger than anything we can hope or imagine. The problem is, I am so prideful and selfish I can’t get over myself and just let go of my life. I look back and see the joy I used to have when I was following and serving God. I’m so envious of the life I used to lead… it was far from carefree, yet I lived it with complete abandon for God. I was willing to do almost anything he asked at any point. Now I find myself getting bitter and angry over stupid frustrations. I want to let it all go and get back to the simple joy of walking with God. It’s difficult for me to find joy in any of the blessings in my life because I am so distant from God. I haven’t worked out in almost a month, I’m not eating healthy foods, I’m snapping at my wife over little things, I can’t seem to force myself to sit down and read the Bible, and my prayer life is non-existent. Music doesn’t even impact me lately. Music was my life for years, now I haven’t even touched my guitar since last spring, and my favorite songs barely impact me anymore. I feel like I hit some sort of spiritual wall at the end of last year, and I’m still trying to pick up the pieces and put myself back together. I want to love God with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind. I want to follow him. I want to serve him. I just can’t seem to bring myself to do it again, and I don’t really know why.

What I’m seeing lately is that God seems to be blessing me and my family simply because I am his child. I know that nothing I ever do or ever go through can change the fact that I’m God’s son because of Jesus Christ. I am utterly undeserving of any of God’s blessings no matter how good I am, yet even when I’m living so far from God, here they are… over and over again. A job at the right moment. A key contact to branch Aviation. A perfect, healthy, amazing son. Another job opportunity at the right moment. A spot in flight school. Selling our house in less than 24 hours in today’s market. All of this, not to mention having a wonderful wife, a great place to live, health, no debt, cars to drive, food in our pantry, and all of our needs taken care of… What have I done to deserve any of this? And still I’m not satisfied. I want more. This is where I begin to see God’s grace in action. I’ve never done anything to deserve this, even when I was a worship pastor. Living this past year far from God hasn’t changed the fact that I’m his child. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. This life isn’t mine at all. It all belongs to God. I’ve never deserved any of it. If I can wrap my brain around that concept it will change the way I live forever.

I need an awakening in me. Something has to change soon, I just hope it’s for the better. God, please don’t give up on me. I want to serve you again – please help me get back to you. From the inside out, Lord my soul cries out.

I started this post with the intention of writing about all the exciting things that have happened in the past month. Obviously all that needed to come out. I realize I’m being very transparent here, but I don’t care anymore. This is who I am – a man who is struggling to find his way back to God. I just hope that if anyone reads this that you can relate to what I’m going through, and hopefully, when all is said and done, this will help you get back to God too.

What to do when there’s not enough… Message Notes

2009-11-01T18:20:19Z

How do you love people? How do you love your enemies? How do you love the annoying, boring, needy?

You cant just view people as customers, co-workers, clients… you have to view them as people with needs. Are you being helpful to those around you?

- How do you treat people when you’re worn down and tired? Do you still have compassion when it’s not convenient?

- Assess the problem and current resources to match the problem. You need the right heart and the right process. Good intentions without a good plan will get you nowhere.

- Give what you have. Dont expect/wait for Jesus to multiply what you have BEFORE you give it… without a gift, there is nothing to bless.

- Are you still willing to give it all when there’s nothing left? (Physically, mentally, emotionally, monitarily) When you give when you have nothing left, God can take it and multiply it.

- Serve rather than complain. Give rather than take. Make a difference rather than waiting for things to change.

- God is not a God of enough… God is a God of MORE than enough.

Experiencing God (Again)

2009-09-22T08:38:36Z

You may not have noticed it by looking at me, but I’ve been going through a major spititual battle over the past several months. This has truly been one of the most trying times of my life, but I can tell it has the potential to be one of the most rewarding if I will just let God have his way. With that in mind, I’ve been making a concerted effort latley to seek out God amidst the turmoil. Since I was out of town visiting my parents this weekend, I “attended” church online at LifeChurch.tv (which is incredible by the way, and if you’re away from your regular church I highly recommend it). I can’t even begin to describe how the mind of God works to bring moments like this upon us, but I have no doubt in my mind I was supposed to hear the exact message Craig preached on Sunday.

“How To Drift From God” was a tongue in cheek, yet deadly serious message about the things we do to drift away from God – and it cut me to the core. As Craig put it, if you are far from God, God didn’t move…

My life was impacted and I was convicted, but what am I going to do about it now? I fear I will be like the seed in Jesus’ parable scattered on rocky soil or among the thorns, and either die off or get choked out before fulfilling God’s purpose for me… but my prayer is that the truth takes root in my heart again and that I will grow to follow God like I used to. I pray the Bible will be new and exciting again and that I am compelled to read it. I want prayer to be an essential part of my life, just as much as food and water. And I want to be willing to let go of “me”. I’ve learned over the past few months how selfish I really am, and I ask God not only to forgive me, but to use me how He sees fit (and I pray for the strength to say yes to whatever that is on a daily basis).

I need to simplify, unplug for a while, get away from things and seek God. I’ll ask anyone who reads this for your prayer, and I encourage you to seek God with me. Help me maintain accountabiliy for a few things I think I should be doing:

- Fast once a week until Oct 30
- Pray 30 min a day specifically for guidance and clarity
- Read at least the daily Bible reading from YouVersion.com and beging studying the bible again on my own.
- Post updates here with what God is teaching me and how I’m putting it into practice.

For now it’s time to get some sleep.

-Brian

Blackhawk Ride Video

2009-05-29T02:49:35Z

Took a ride along in a Blackhawk Helicopter today – here’s a short video of one of our takeoffs: