You Can Know God

Real Confessions

I made a couple of funny confession videos to go along with the series, but I wanted to be serious for a moment and talk about some of the things that go on inside my head as a real pastor of a church plant. I know a lot of people that work in churches think about planting a church, but you probably wouldn't want my job.

Every Sunday, I wonder if people will show up. I know I shouldn't worry about it, but I do. I wonder if making a move miles across town was the right thing to do. I wonder if too many people are leaving because of our kids policy. I wonder why someone visits but doesn't stay. I wonder if we're even going to come close to filling up the auditorium. I wonder if people care enough to show up when it's cold. Or if the weather is too nice and people might decide to go to the lake.

Every week, I wonder if the offering will be enough. We do a time of giving every week and I know it takes $11,000 a week to pay the bills. God's been good to us so far, but I still have wimpy faith sometimes. I know we're not paying some of our staff what they deserve. I feel pressure to take care of them and their families, and not abuse them just because they work for a church. And then I worry that we're spending people's hard-earned money in the best way possible.

We have some great people on staff, but I feel a weight on my shoulders for their ministries. Sometimes, I can't sleep at night because my mind goes so fast. Most mornings, I wake up before 5 am just thinking about something. I wonder how we can get people into small groups. I wonder about how we can reach children and students for Jesus and keep them, because I know the stats say they will leave the church when they graduate. I think about all those prayer requests that we showed on the screen and realize that people are hurting and need God. You know how a parent feels the weight for their children; to some degree, I feel like that with 700 people.

I think about the 60,000 people that don't go to church, and I'm thinking of what we should do to reach them. I'm happy we've grown, but I could care less about how big our church gets. I just want people to meet Jesus. I wonder what we should be doing outreach wise to reach these people.

I wonder if we're doing the right things. Part of me feels like a construction worker who build his own house brick by brick. This is God's church of course, but we were here from the beginning. It's like starting a business - you pour your heart and soul into it and it just means a little more. Starting a car dealership is probably a little different from just working at one. There's more weight.

I feel this huge responsibility to hear from God (through prayer and reading the Bible) so when I stand up on Sunday mornings, I'm not just blabbing about some pop psychology or the latest trick of the trade. I want Oak Leaf Church to follow God, not just listen to what I say. It bothers me that people don't always understand I can't sit in some meetings or have lunch, because I take my message prep time pretty seriously.

I work really hard on a message, and I know that people are getting fed and critiquing at the same time. I know how movie makers must feel when they send their films off to the critics for review. Or how an artist feels when she paints a picture and hangs it in a gallery for the first time. Some people examine my every word for accuracy or intent. Some bloggers watch the messages, not to learn something about God, but to alert their followers about the latest false teachings.

I have at least 5 major decisions in my head right now. Everything from meeting locations,to staff, to ministry initiatives. Big things that are really important. Things that could set the direction of our church in a huge way, or trip us up. And sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference between the two.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. And maybe it's only other pastors who can identify with this. I am so thankful for my job and I wouldn't trade it for the world. These are just some of the things I think about.

The Problem with Christian Schools

Let me stir the pot a little bit today.

I just read an article about a movement in Baptist circles to put a renewed emphasis on starting private, Christian schools. Before I give my opinion, let me say that I attended a public and a private school growing up, and that I taught a year in public school and a year in a Christian school. I do not think any one form of schooling is the solution to the problems of our day.

Apparently, Southeastern Seminary, where I attended, is leading the charge. Here's a quote from the article. "In the public schools, you don't just have neutrality, you have hostility toward organized religion," said Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest. "A lot of parents are fed up."

Here's the problem I have with this. Of course there is hostility towards organized religion. It's called the world. There's hostility towards God in countries all over the world, yet we send missionaries there. In fact, it's that where we SHOULD be sending missionaries. It seems like there was hostility towards Jesus and the disciples. Jesus told them to expect it and Paul said to consider it an honor. He didn't tell his disciples to remove themselves from an area that was hostile towards religion.

I know that Baptists aren't calling for a mass exodus from public schools (though that does seem like a silly resolution that they would try to pass at a convention), but this is a step in that direction. I don't have any problem with someone who homeschools their children (we have MANY of those parents at OLC) or parents who choose to send their children to Christian school (we did that with Lauren for 2 years). But I do have a problem with refusing to be in the world.

I think pulling children out of public school can be like pulling light out of the darkness. Remember, you're removing yourself from relationships with those parents too. If the salt doesn't encounter the world, it's not much good. Schools are where people that don't know Jesus congregate. If your faith is solid, and you're teaching your child about Jesus at home (where it's far more important for them to learn), can't they serve, invite, share, and be a missionary in the school system.

What if we launched a movement to send Christians INTO the schools, instead of pulling them out and creating our own bubble-like institutions? What if we really viewed public schools like the mission fields they are, instead of complaining that they are too worldly?

I just dropped my 5 year old at school this morning and took in snacks for the class.  Her teacher took a moment to tell me how glad she had Lauren in her class, that she was sweet, and she had invited the whole class to Oak Leaf Church.  When I drop her off in the morning, we pull over in a parking spot and say a prayer.  She prays for her friends and teachers, and I pray that she would think of school as an opportunity to let people know about God.

I'm not saying that Christian school is bad, or that homeschooling is evil.  There are valid reasons and circumstances where those things might be best.  I'm just saying that we shouldn't be so quick to pull our kids (and ourselves) out of environments that are anti-God.

Borrowing Sermon Material

"There's nothing new under the sun."  Yep, I believe that.  I don't think there is anything I say on Sundays that hasn't been said somewhere, sometime, by somebody.

But I don't preach other people's messages, even if the bullet would fit in my gun.  Sure, stories that have been told before have been worked in.  One liners and jokes make the cut.  Statements and stories and other things find their way into the manuscript.  But I don't download messages from the  Web and pass them off as my own.

Why is it that musicians get in trouble for stealing lyrics and riffs,  but preachers are off the hook?  Copying someone elses work and passing it off as my own would get me kicked out of college, but in the church world, it's good stewardship?

Yea, I know there are no new ideas and we don't have a corner of the market on the truth.  But if musicians can take notes, and there are only so many notes in a scale, and compose something original, can't I do the same thing with a message?  How many chords are there on the guitar? Yet talented musicians continually put out original sounded stuff.

I'm not called to be original - I'm called to communicate for life change.  Share, borrow, team up, work together, help...sure.  But make sure you have something to say that's from God, and not just the latest upload to your favorite sermon site.

How I Prepare for Messages

I get this question quite a bit, so I thought I would let you in on a process that you might not know much about (or care about). Over at Behind the Leaf, I talk about the process of creating our one year teaching calendar, so I know what topics are coming well in advance.  That's step one.

After we have a topic, I really pray and think hard on what the one driving idea will be. I work very hard to make it simple, yet profound. In general, I don't like having lots of points in a message, because people can't process all that. I go for clarity, not just a bunch of content. I arrive at this big idea from reading a bunch of Scripture on the subject, and realize that it's not possible to say everything there is to be said on a subject. I work hard until I can get it down to the one thing I really want to say.

After I have the big idea, I continue reading relevant passages in the Bible, generally settling on one that will serve as the focal point. I'll then read that in a bunch of different translations. King James, NIV, NLT and the Message. This just helps me get the meaning of the passage in my heart.

After that, I will begin writing down thoughts and points. At this point, I'll look in my books and commentaries. I have a set of New American Commentaries that I really like, I and I read a ton of books. On some messages, I'll read 2-3 books. After that, I will search around through some websites and see what other people have to say on the subject. This is usually the last step, because I want to make sure the message comes from God and not somebody's podcast.

For every message I do, I probably have twice as much content as I actually use. I cut out everything that doesn't have to do with the one point. I usually have one short page of notes, but the message is in my heart and my head, not just on a sheet of paper. By the time I get up to teach God's Word, I've internalized the message so I can teach from my heart.

It’s Always Personal

One of the things I do each week is personally call all the first time guests at Oak Leaf.  In addition to getting an e-mail and a hand written note, I make all these calls.  I think it's important for people to hear from me, for the pastor to answer their questions.  I hope it's meaningful.  I also like hearing the stories first hand.  No matter how organized and professional the church gets, it's always got to stay personal.

Last night, I had the opportunity to talk to several people who loved the church.  Nearly all of them said, "My kids love it."  Parents are looking for a church where their kids are going to have a good time.  I know as a parent, I want my kids to look forward going to church, not hating it or having it confuse them.  I don't want them  bitter at me, or God, or the church, and to feel like it's not designed for them.  My almost five year old looks forward to Sunday.  I love the fact that we create an environment where a child can have fun and learn about Jesus.  I love the fact that we had nearly 100 children come to church in a movie theater this past week.  Those conversations just remind me that we're doing the right thing.

One lady I talked to last night started coming because her friend who didn't go to church started going.  This person had been working on her friend, trying to invite her to church for quite some time.  Then one morning out of the blue, she called and said, "guess where I went today."  That's what it's about.  One friend bringing another friend.  One friend making an investment.   It's people bringing people to Jesus.  And she signed up to be a greeter.  I love it.

Cheap Pastors

Being frugal is one thing...being cheap is another.  It's good to pay attention on pricing...it's bad to look for handouts.

Why are pastors some of the cheapest people in the world?  Is there some Levitical law still in play about wearing the cheapest suits around that I don't know about?  Is cheapness next to Godliness?

Why do pastors always have to ask for a pastor discount?  I don't think doing what God wants me to do entitles me to a discount anymore than the teacher doing what God called him to do.  Or the construction worker.  Hey buddy, can I get the dentist discount on that burrito?

Why do churches always look for the cheapest option available to them?  Cost shouldn't be the determining factor on what children's curriculum to use or what kind of microphone to purchase.  Sure, it's a factor, but maybe not the determining factor.  I can't stand it when I hear pastors complain about how much this and that costs.  Usually, it's stuff they don't understand.  They don't understand why their worship leader needs a good guitar rather than the ones they sell in boxes.  They don't want to approve expenses they don't understand, but will drop $250 on a set of Old Testament commentaries. 

Why do senior pastors thrive on handouts?  I took a seminary class with a guy who bragged about how he got some amazing cabinets in his house for next to nothing.  People always want to do stuff for the pastor.  I guess that's cool and all, but what about the rest of the staff.  Nobody comes offering the janitor free cabinets or cruises.

Why do finance committees usually go with the lowest bid?  Maybe there's a reason that the lowest bid is the lowest bid?  Isn't there something to be said for quality work and stuff that doesn't break?  Isn't there room for excellence?

Why do churches, when they need something, always look to see who might have something used that can be donated?  And why do people only think of giving stuff to the church when they've used it up? Hey, this couch went out of style with big hair, but maybe the youth group could use it.  I mean, if it's not good enough for your house, why do you think the church would want it.

I'm not advocating wasting money and throwing wisdom out the window.  I got my first paycheck from Oak Leaf yesterday after more than a year of works, so I'm not rolling in the cash.  I don't have money to burn.  I'm just saying that cheap people are annoying.  Sorry if this offends you.  But if it does, you're probably just cheap.  :)

What Pastors Can Learn from Mark Cuban

Of course he says dumb things, and deserves the necessary disclaimer, blah, blah, blah, but I kind of like Mark Cuban, the loud-mouth owner of the Dallas Mavericks.  In fact, he's the reason I was kind of cheering for the Mavs to beat the Heat in the NBA finals. 

1.  He's involved.  He's not sitting up in a press box - he's down on the front row, or huddled up with the team, or in the face of a ref.  some people don't like this, but I think it's cool that the owner is supporting his guys and his coach. 

2.  He's Passionate.  he may yell a lot and cuss a lot, but he's passionate about what he does.  he's not going through the motions of a job, but he obviously cares about what goes on with his team and with the NBA.

3.  He's intelligent.  He started a company and sold it to Yahoo for a ton of money.  If you read some of the stuff he writes, he knows a lot about business, media, and leadership.  He's a smart guy who knows his stuff.

4.  He generates revenue.  The NBA commissioner may have to publically distance himself from some of Cubans comments, but there are not too many owners that will generate revenue the way Cuban does.  He's also generated over a million bucks in fines from the NBA. :)

5.  He's authentic.  I think people relate to Cuban because he's real.  People may not agree with him, but they see him as a real person.  You can send him an e-mail.  You can read his blog.  He talks like a regular person.

6.  He's honest.  He says what he thinks, knowing it result in a fine.  He'll make fun of a dumb question from a reporter, and says the stuff other people are thinking.  I like the fact that he seems real.

7.  He's a blogger.  I mean, you gotta love that.

I think pastors should be involved, passionate, intelligent, authentic, and honest.   and generating revenue and blogging are probably not all that bad either.