Sunday Night Praize!

June 13, 2010 — Leave a comment

A few observations:

Today was our first day back after our vacation in Florida. It’s so great to be able to leave town for a few days and know that there are talented, capable people who love God with all their hearts back at home, who will do things with excellence and see to it that things get done. Thanks Alex for two great messages the last couple of weeks. Greg and the band – you guys are doing great! Thanks Jack Murphy for covering hospital visitation while I was away. Simona – you keep us all in line! Our team rocks!

There’s no place like home! Being away for a few days makes you appreciate all the wonderful things that are here when you get back! My own house, bed. More importantly than those, our church and the amazing people whom I love with all my heart!

4 Fresh Starts in Christ this morning! It’s always a rush to see hands going up to commit to Christ! May it only increase in Victory!

It’s not what you know. It’s WHO you know! (2 Timothy 1:12)
God’s not afraid to create a little mess to deal with yours. He’s provided everything so that your test can become your testimony!
– From today’s “One Thing” message

Thanks to the gracious listeners this morning. After driving in 15 hours yesterday, I’m surprised I could make a subject and a verb match – and yet the Spirit of God graciously blessed and moved the hearts of people. Praise God!

Don’t forget Purple Book Group tomorrow night in the Victory Cafe from 6-7p.

Have a blessed week!

In Sunday NIght Praize
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“God’s Got Something Up His Sleeve”

June 11, 2010 — 1 Comment

7 Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.

Job 8:7

Those who know me, know that I’m a strong faith man, driven by the confidence that God is at work for the purpose of carrying out His plan all for His very own glory.  With that confidence, I have come to the conclusion that God never gets in a hurry to accomplish His purpose.  He’s deliberate and methodical – sometimes even appearing slow.

He builds a mighty oak, but begins with the acorn.  He brings a man with a message to change a nation, but starts with a sperm and an egg and untold years of dealings to get Him ready.  He raised up a nation that began with a promise given to an old man who had a barren wife.  Twenty-five years after the promise, when all hope seemed to be dead, Isaac was finally born to Abraham and Sarah.  Over four hundred years later, one man’s promise had become a nation’s slave population, ready to be delivered from Pharaoh’s power by another man which God would have to prepare – Moses.

Fast forward past the baby found in the bulrushes, his education in Pharaoh’s palace, the discovery of his true identity, the murder of the Egyptian in defense of His Israelite brother, his fleeing into the wilderness.  80 years after His birth, when he has long since figured his ‘deliverer’s dreams’ were just youthful delusions, God torches a bush that doesn’t burn up and says “Hey Mo! Come check this out!”  What he had figured was dead, was merely on ‘pause’ waiting for the finger of God to hit the ‘play button’ and say, “now, you’re ready!” And these are just a few chapters in the record of our collective spiritual history.

God’s purpose is overwhelming.  Tied up in the promise that faith must obtain, is a lifetime of experiences, triumphs and tragedies, not one wasted – all meant to show God’s goodness and reveal His plan – all for His own glory.

I’ll be 50 at the end of this year.

I left that statement out there to itself, because it is rich with meaning – at least to me anyway.  I’m not just a self-assured young punk preacher anymore.  I’ve lived long enough to have some significant experiences that have come with lessons included.  Here are just a few:

• It’s not about me.

• It’s ALL about Jesus!

• It’s all for God and to God’s glory!

• We are each just a part of God’s grand plan that covers generations.

• My responsibility is to be faithful in my season with my part.

• Never doubt the power of a simple prayer.

• God is great!  God is good!

• Don’t despise the day of small things! (Zech. 4:10)

• God commands me to LOVE everybody.  As for TRUST, He only commands me to TRUST Him.  So if I trust you, it’s because you earned it.

• Never doubt the power of a seed!  I once saw where one had slipped into the crack of a sidewalk, actually grown into a sapling and had moved the concrete.

• God is God and I am not!

• Patience is just as critical as faith. (Heb. 6:12)

• Never, never quit!  It’s not over till it’s over whether any corpulent female ever sings or not!

• People will hurt you – forgive them and choose to trust anyway.

• Embracing what God has already done for me is the greatest thing I can do for Him.

• My problem is NOT the problem.  It’s what I think about the problem that IS the problem.

• Most overnight wonders take at least 20 years.

• True friends know everything about you and are still your friends – that is invaluable.  Guard it.  They never question whether or not they will defend you, because they have your back.  They always tell you the truth, because they know your heart and want God’s best for you.

• God’s purpose is for you to bear fruit.  You might as well go on and do it, ‘cause ‘you’re pruned if you do and you’re pruned if you don’t.’  (John 15)

• Invest in a life and you can influence generations to come.

• Work like it all depends on you, but pray like it all depends on God.

• After all I’ve been through, I still have joy! Never lose your song!

• Relationships are the most difficult and the most rewarding part of life.

• The B-I-B-L-E  . . . that’s the book for me.

• I’m amazed that God has called me to preach the message of transformation all the while He’s still in the process of transforming me – the messenger.

• Jesus loves me, this I know

• God always gets the last word!

In Life Lessons
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“A Little R and R”

June 10, 2010 — Leave a comment

Nothing can give you a fresh look at your life and work like getting away from its geography for a few days.  A change in scenery can bring a change in outlook.  We all need times of refocus.

For me :

*it’s the daily devotional time in the Word and the weekly worship with the saints to keep my spiritual life on track;

*the family dinners to stay in tune with what’s going on with the most important people in my life;

*the weekly date nights to recalibrate the romance with the love of my life and

*it’s the occasional get-away (sometimes full vacation like this week) that helps me to relish the gift that God has given to me in the people and         ministries of Victory Church.

I love you guys SO very much!  I thank God for you and all that I see the Lord doing in your lives.  I can’t stop praising God for the overwhelming favor of the Lord that has been on our church for the last year.  Every Sunday I’m amazed to see people commit their lives to Jesus Christ.  It never gets old being able to pray for folks who are by faith receiving a Fresh Start in Christ.  Our church is growing – for that I am thankful – not merely in its breadth – numbers, but also in its depth – spiritual life and walk with Christ.

This week, I’ve had lots of reading and prayer and think time – more than usual.  So many of the saints at Victory have come up before me – it’s been a joy to think about you and all that you mean to Dawn and me and how much we love seeing the Lord work in your life and pour out His blessings on you.  This has been a fantastic week, but honestly, I can’t wait to get back home and worship with you this Sunday!

In Uncategorized
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I Married My Best Friend

June 1, 2010 — Leave a comment

Twenty-five years ago today at 5 in the afternoon, friends and family gathered at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas to see the most amazing girl in the world say “I do” to me.  It’s hard to believe Dawn and I have been married long enough to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary.  She gave me two amazing children, Drew and Abbey, whom we both love dearly.

In 1985, Dawn and I were both involved in preparation – ministry training and serving in a local church in North Carolina.  By the end of 1988, we were seeing plans unfold to move back to my hometown to plant a new local church.  Over 21 years have passed.

All that we have accomplished for the sake of the Kingdom of God, we have done together.  She’s stood beside me in faith when I’ve stood in isolation trusting God for a vision to be realized.  She’s laughed with me and at me and given me the unvarnished truth when I’ve needed to hear it.  She’s cried with me and prayed for me.  She’s hurt when I’ve hurt; been angry when people do the stupid things they do to ministry and gotten over it and loved them anyway.  She’s rejoiced in the seasons of God’s favor and enlargement and been overwhelmed at the work of God in the people that she loves so much.  She’s opened our home with a gracious spirit and cooked amazing meals that have been enjoyed by family and friends for over two decades now.

She has been a fantastic mother to Drew and Abbey – running the family shuttle service to baseball games from T-ball to high school for Drew and gymnastics, dance and violin lessons for Abbey.  She’s been the glue that holds our home together – the one who made it all work when I’ve been out of town or in a foreign country preaching the gospel or on a late night hospital call.  She did all that after she taught science all day long at the local junior high school.  Over the last 21 years, she has served in and led just about every area of ministry including nursery, Kingdom Kids, youth and ladies’ ministry among several others.

In and through all of that, she is the love of my life and my best friend.  I thank God for her.  “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.  Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.”  (Proverbs 31: 28-31) Thanks for being an amazing wife and my best friend.

Dawn, I would do it all over again.  I’m just not sure it would be possible to love you anymore than I do right now!

In Marriage
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When Pigs Fly! Or is it When Atheists Preach?

May 29, 2010 — 1 Comment

Christopher Hitchens is a great writer.  Earlier this year, I read his book, god is not great. It’s subtitled, “How Religion Poisons Everything.”  Most of the book consisted of the same tired, old, worn-out, perennial arguments that are regularly cited by atheists regarding the existence of God and the effects religion has had on society.  However, along with those, he makes some salient points that any thinking Christian must wrestle with and “be ready to give an answer” (1 Peter 3:15).  Today’s blog isn’t written to identify or speak to those specific issues.  More about those later.

Upon discovering I had read this book, some asked why I would waste my time.  Honestly, I was a little shocked at the comment.  I’m convinced that Christians are supposed to be fully engaged “thinkers” – completely aware of the culture and spiritual climate in which we live and occupy.  After all, aren’t we supposed to “love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, MIND and strength?” (Mt 22:37; Mk 12:30; Lk. 10:27) Apparently, the opposite is true among some Christian groups – literally ignorance is celebrated.  This is shameful.  Walking with Christ in faith NEVER means having to check my mind at the door.

In the mid-20th century, the question was “God. . . to believe or not to believe?”  It was an issue of Theism or (A)Theism.  Does God exist or not?  By the late 20th century, the confluence of several cultural events as well as a world-wide outpouring of the Spirit of God began to cause people globally to change the question to, “In which God do you believe?  It was no longer a question of atheism, but it became a question of polytheism. Which god do you follow?  That’s the spiritual climate where God shows out!  It’s the one that was in the air during the time of the establishment of the early church.

This “fresh wind” has atheists on full alert in their camp.  The determination to turn back this rising spiritual tide has produced several culturally influential atheist writers.  Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens would probably make up this primary trinity of “unGodly” (said tongue in cheek) scribes.  These guys are good.  They are sharp and articulate thinkers who are very well educated and aren’t playing.  They are “in it to win it” in their goal of a completely secular society and won’t rest until it’s all been scrubbed clean of any mention of God.

With all that said, I’m delighted to bring this event to your attention.  Christopher Hitchens (god is not great) was interviewed by Marilyn Sewell, Unitarian minister who asked the following question:

Maryiln Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make and [sic] distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud in amazement as I read the copy of the transcript and actually listened to his answer.  You may view the transcript and listen to the actual interview (mp3) at this website. http://www.atheistmedia.com/2010/02/christopher-hitchens-interviewed-by.html

Below is Christopher Hitchens’ response:

Christopher Hitchens: I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.

Listen to the interview and you can hear how Ms. Sewell fumbled to change the direction of the conversation!

So, what’s the point?  Here goes!  Watch this – it is amazing to me when an avowed atheist has a better handle on the real meaning and implications of the Gospel than a “so-called” minister who is supposed to believe and preach that same gospel.  Several lessons are learned here:

• Even atheists know that the Gospel has some “irreducible minimums.”  If you don’t believe those, then “you’re NOT in any meaningful sense a Christian.” (Hitchens’ own words)

• “Believers” of this type have no issues with the atheist, or secular humanist ideology or Satan (yep, I believe he exists) or the world-system and because of this are powerless to bring any lasting transformation to individual’s lives, much less larger society.

• If your pastor sounds like the Sewell variety, I don’t care how many generations of your family have been in your First_______ Church, RUN – FAST to the nearest Christ-centered, Bible-believing church and jump in with your full commitment.

• Quit taking everyone else’s word for it.  Read the Bible for yourself.  See what it says.  Choose to practice and live it.

• Christians must stop celebrating their ignorance and “study in order to rightly handle the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15) and they must “be prepared  to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15)

• You can’t handle the Word rightly and give a reason if you don’t spend any time in God’s Word!  Dig in and THINK!

In Uncategorized
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He is Risen Indeed!

April 5, 2010 — 1 Comment

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Lo! the Sun’s eclipse is over, Alleluia!
Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia!

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail, the Lord of earth and Heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail, the resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains that He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky He’s King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

–Charles Wesley

In Uncategorized
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I Love You, I Just Don’t Trust You!

March 16, 2010 — Leave a comment

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.”   Psalms 118:8 (ESV)

That’s the very center verse of the Bible.  God’s Word never ceases to amaze me.  Tucked in between the shortest chapter in the Bible (Psalm 117) and the longest chapter in the Bible (Psalm 119) is the chapter with the Bible’s center verse.  It just so happens that there are 1188 chapters in the Bible and strangely enough, the very center verse is Psalm 118:8.  Do you see the numerical connection?  Look at the numbers again – 1188 chapters – Psalm 118:8 is the center verse of the whole Bible.  The center verse means that there is the same number of verses on both sides (from Genesis 1:1 up to Psalm 118:7 and then from Psalm 118:9 to Revelation 22:21).  Don’t you figure that the very central verse of the Bible has a message that would be pretty important?  For sure!

It’s all about TRUST!  Did you know that God commands us to love everybody?  Even our enemies?  Yes!  It seems that concept is well established in the human heart.  Scripture is replete with commandments to “love one another.”  BUT. . . did you know that NO WHERE in scripture does God ever command me to TRUST anyone except Him?  Everyone is familiar with this one – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.”  (Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV) I’m commanded to TRUST God and Him alone.  But what about my other relationships?  I’m commanded to love them regardless, but trust must be earned.

Love and trust is NOT the same thing.  The child on the playground understands this; the unregenerate sinner grasps the concept, but well-meaning, God-loving, yet misinformed church folk somehow make the mistake of thinking they are the same.  They are fundamentally different ideas and concepts both etymologically and theologically.  The words don’t mean the same thing because they are NOT the same thing.  Somebody said recently to me, “if you love me, you’ll trust me.”   Though that “sounds good,” nothing is further from the truth.  I will love you all day long, but you’ll have to earn my trust, especially if you’ve done something to lose it.

Over my 25 years experience in ministry, I have regularly counseled couples that have had marriage problems.  I wish I could say that I was able to help them all get back together.  One thing I have seen over and over again – couples that still LOVE EACH OTHER break up all the time.   They’re not separating because of the absence of love, but because of the loss of trust.  You might say, well, what about forgiveness?  I’ll be the first to say, we’re supposed to forgive.  That word means to “loose” or to “release.”  When I forgive someone, I release him from the debt he has incurred due to an offense that his actions have inflicted upon me.  Forgiveness can come immediately.  I make that choice in my own heart.  However, restoration of trust takes time.  If I find that a friend hasn’t been truthful with me, then though I still love that friend, it’s going to take time to restore my trust in that friend’s word.  This is why scripture repeatedly says it’s important when bestowing responsibilities of leadership upon people in the local church or in government that they must be “trustworthy” people.  Worthy of trust means previous actions have indicated an ability to rely on that person’s word/reputation.  We see this happen in civil government all the time.  Someone once trusted loses credibility because of wrong decisions and actions.  Her constituents may still love her – whether she gets re-elected depends on her ability to regain the trust of the people.

This is obvious!  I loved my son with all my heart when he was 4 years old, but I didn’t TRUST him with the knife to carve the Thanksgiving turkey.  He’s now 22.  Handling a sharp knife isn’t a matter of DISTRUST any longer.  My love for him at 4 was never in question.  There were numerous things I didn’t trust him with.  My 15 yo daughter is gaining my trust in driving my car.  She’s showing responsibility.  In a few months, I will demonstrate my trust and hand her the keys – my love for her has never changed, but my trust level certainly has.   Folks this is elementary.  That’s why we must understand that ultimately God’s Kingdom is not built on love – it’s built on TRUST!

We can trust God.  His Word is true!  The questions are “Can God trust us?” “Can we trust each other?”  Yes, it just takes a little time to build it.

In Trust
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Pick It Up and Dust it Off!

February 19, 2010 — 1 Comment

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Psalm 119:105 (ESV)

God’s Word is absolutely amazing!  I love it!  The same Spirit that inspired the writers stirs me when I read their words.  Often though, I hear people say, “I just can’t seem to understand it.  I want to – I don’t know where to start.”  Let me help you.

There’s an old Indian proverb, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”  The point is you just have to start.  Find a Bible reading plan that suits you.  I’ve personally read through the Bible every year since I was 18 and I’ve used several different plans.  The Word still amazes me.  I learn something new every time – not to mention how it speaks to me personally concerning the areas where I’m living and learning and struggling in my own journey with Christ.

Currently, I’m using the chronological plan at www.youversion.com.  There are multitudes of good Bible reading sites.  I just happen to like this one, because it links to an app for my iPhone – so I can read from my laptop or from my phone on the go.  At that site, there are a bunch of great translations to choose from.  If you’re a new Bible reader, I recommend the New International Version for clarity of understanding or perhaps The Message for a refreshing approach using contemporary language.

Register there with a username and password; choose the plan you want and then specify your time goal.  You can choose to read only the New Testament in 30 days or the whole Bible in 90 or take up to 3 years to read through if you so desire.  You can set the goal.  Once you’ve finished a day’s reading – you mark it as completed and the site helps you be accountable to your reading goals.

Set aside a few minutes a day to read the Word and open your heart to God’s voice.  Here are few beginning principles to help you.  When you read, ask these questions:

1)  Is there a LESSON to be learned?

2)  Is there a COMMAND to be obeyed?

3)  Is there a PROMISE to be believed?

4) Is there an EXAMPLE to be followed?

This simple grid will assure that you “get something” out of every time you sit down to hear the Lord speak to you through His Word.  One last thing – don’t get bogged down in the “begets” or obscure passages.  I’ve been at it for over 30 years and there are some that I still have to wade through – hey just keepin’ it real!  Open your heart in faith and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you – it will blow you away!

In Bible Reading
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Look for Your Own Landmarks!

February 17, 2010 — Leave a comment

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, Till now the Lord has helped us.”

1 Samuel 7:12 (ESV)

I remember the relief that I felt when I saw the sign.  I was in familiar territory.  Twenty-five years ago, Dawn and I were living on the east coast in a small town just outside of Jacksonville, North Carolina.  As a crow flies east, we were about 20 miles from the sandy Carolina beaches.  Inland were dense pine forests sparsely populated with a good representation of “salt-of the-earth” kind of folk.  We lived in Onslow County.  I used to joke about driving to Raleigh just to experience traffic, because where we lived, everything was “on slow!”  It wasn’t uncommon to get behind an old gentleman on the Haw branch Road who was driving along about 10 miles an hour inspecting the tobacco crops with the door of his truck “cracked” so he could push it open to “spit” from his own plug of “chew.”  Places like Chinquapin and Pink Hill were on the local map. I learned some invaluable leadership lessons and met some dear friends during those years in North Carolina.

While living there, I served on the leadership team of a local church as the minister of worship.  The growth that we experienced during that season afforded me the opportunity to travel frequently as a consultant for local churches desiring to develop a progressive worship team.  On the way home from one of my ministry trips, I decided to take a short cut in order to save some time.  Little did I know I would spend an extra hour winding through the maze of “9-mile” and “5-mile” roads (they all seemed to have those kinds of names – either that or some word with “branch” behind it) that formed the back road web through that pine forest.  My vivid memories of some tall tales told by some of the locals reminded me that I didn’t want to run out of gas out there after dark.  Yea, you guessed it, the gauge was pressing hard against the “E.”

At night, black pavement winding through dense trees all starts to look the same.  Fear can play tricks on your mind – especially when there’s little light and you’re all alone.  At first, I wasn’t too worried.  I reminded myself that God hadn’t given me a “spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind!”  “Yea, riiiite!” I muttered. “I just need some gas!”  I had to be running on fumes and then I saw the sign!  Highway 258 – I knew where I was!  “Phew! Thank you Jesus!”  I could get where I was going now, because I saw something familiar.  What relief!

Simple stories like this remind us of the importance of landmarks in our lives.  Proverbs 22:28 says, “Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set.” (ESV)  Other translations say “boundary stone.”  Landmarks were used for several important reasons:  1) Ownership – property lines were identified.  2) Guidance – you can’t know how to get where you’re going if you don’t know where you are.

3) Remembrance – something important that shouldn’t be forgotten happened in that place.   The presence of God was revealed – an altar was built (Genesis 28:16-19). The power of God was manifested; a pile of stones was erected (Joshua 4:1-7).  I could multiply examples.

All three of these are obvious areas in our spiritual lives. We’ve been marked by God – we are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  Good to know when the enemy of our soul tries to settle into our lives and claim “squatter’s rights.”  Run him off!  When it comes to guidance, we’re navigating the geography of faith and doubt, fear and peace.  Necessary tools of spiritual travel.

Here, I think Ebenezer has more to do with the last one – the principle of remembrance.  That day, Israel’s perennial enemies, the Philistines had attacked again.  Samuel the prophet was also judge and ministering before the Lord when the attack came.  God thundered and threw the Philistines into confusion and Israel routed them that day.  Samuel erected the Ebenezer stone.  Ebenezer means, “thus far has the Lord helped us” or “till now the Lord has helped us.”  It was put there to remind the people of God that He was their salvation, their source and strength.

You might think – I sure could use one of those right now!  I contend that you have some – you just need to look back in your history and be reminded.  That’s where I prayed and God answered.  There, I was in desperate need and God supplied.  At that place, my child was sick and God healed her.  Back then, I was lost and the Lord found me!  That’s where the Lord helped me – and there.  Oh and at that place in my life, too!  Once in a while, a positive look backward can fuel you with faith for a new forward look.

Or maybe you need to cry out to God today and meet Him right where you are and start on your journey with Him!  That would be a landmark day!

In Guidance
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Together. . . Over Me!

February 10, 2010 — Leave a comment

“. . . come together right now, over me!”  ~ The Beatles

I read a Henry Ford quote this morning that grabbed me.  It said, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success!”  Together . . . now there’s the rub.  As a pastor, I have the privilege of “joining together” couples in the holy covenant of marriage.  If you have any age on you at all, whether married or not, you know the easy part is coming together.  Like the Henry Ford quote says – it’s a beginning.  It’s the easy part.  We come together in our organizations around a lot of different things – common beliefs, experiences, shared dreams, ideas, worthy causes, projects, etc.  No one joins together with someone else with the idea, “this won’t last long.”  I have never had a young couple sit down with me at the beginning of marriage counseling and ask to make provision for the divorce.  We just don’t think that way – yet, so many ends up that way!  The honeymoon doesn’t last –  whether in marriage, at your new job, with your new house or car.  The new wears off.  The problems increase.  Things start to break down.  It’s at this point where we get to see what we are REALLY made of.

The second part of that quote says, “. . . keeping together is progress.”  My mom and dad set the bar very high for the rest of our family.  They were married almost 63 years when my father died.  They hadn’t only come together, but they had kept together – through World War II that separated them by an ocean; through decades of economic challenges with raising four children; through job changes and health issues.  Life made them to be different people than they were when they started – yet they continued to grow together even as they both changed as individuals over the years.  Needless to say, it takes a huge commitment that is based on love when you see people finish together – starting is the easy part.

I think it’s in this “keeping together” stage where we have an eye-opening experience.  We become disillusioned.  And that’s not a bad thing – because the “illusion” has been removed.   We begin to see things as they really are.   Our mate, business partner, boss, coach, leader, pastor, friend – isn’t perfect.  With that realization and some honesty, we sometimes painfully recognize that we aren’t either.  It’s in these “crisis” moments that destiny is forged or lost.  I either choose to acknowledge that God “joined me” to this person in marriage, in friendship, in a business partnership or spiritual relationship for the purpose of producing something that I could never accomplish alone or I completely discard it with a view that leaving it and starting over again will be the answer. Some people change jobs, marriages and churches like they trade cars.  Something wrong with that!  We fail to realize that we leave one situation and walk right into the next, carrying our same baggage and problems with us – only to wake up in a couple of years feeling like we’ve been here before, seen these same circumstances.  We’re stuck in a relational “Ground Hog Day!”

As much as we’d like to take a snapshot of our happiest moment and freeze our lives in that place, we all know it’s not possible.  Everything changes – we grow up , we grow older.  So many things in the life of my family don’t even resemble the way things were done in the lives of my parents.  We live and work differently; we travel and are entertained very differently.  Yet, with all the changes, I learned something vital from my parents – I can’t make anything successful until I learn to work together with others.

Dawn and I will celebrate 25 years together this year.  We are still learning how to work together.  We have been pastoring Victory Church now for over 21 years. We are still learning in that arena of leadership as well.  I am thankful to have the opportunity to see people come together regularly.  The favor of God has been upon us and a lot more are coming together as we’ve seen growth.  It’s an even greater blessing to see people willingly address differences that are a part of life and choose to keep together in their homes and marriages, on their jobs and in their local church.  But the greatest accomplishment is seeing people make the choice and commit to working together to accomplish something that we could never do alone.  I’m thankful to say that this is happening in the lives of our congregation right now more than I’ve ever seen it before in the history of our church.  Jesus said in John 12:32, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people unto myself.”  Jesus caused us to come together – can keep us together and can show us how to work together.  Come together . . . right now, over Him!

In Synergy
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