You Can Know God

The Gospel of Creativity

We try really hard at Oak Leaf Church to communicate truth in a way that will make sense to the listener. I want people to understand the message, but more than that, I want people to be changed by Jesus. The fact that there IS a message isn't good enough. Paul asks the question, "How can they know unless we tell them." So, we seek to tell people the good news in ways that will resonate. It's about doing the Word, not just hearing it, James says.

So I work really hard on finding ways to do that. A few weeks ago, I sawed the leg of a table to illustrate a point. We use songs quite a bit, because music makes an emotional connection that words cannot. I'll use video and pictures to illustrate a point. I guess you could lump all this into the creativity category.

I'm not the most creative person on the planet, but I think finding creative ways to illustrate truth is part of my job. I like to have creative people around me. I think creativity in teaching was something that was modeled by Jesus. He could have just told Peter the lesson, but instead, He (rather dramatically) pulled a coin out of a fishes mouth. He could have just taught the disciples about bearing fruit, but instead He cursed a fig tree. I think Jesus was one of the most creative teachers. He is a great example about teaching in a way that resonated with people's hearts. This is one reason the Pharisee's couldn't stand his teachings - because he taught with real authority, not like the normal teachers of the law.

So if we can do something to help people "get it," we'll do it. I'm not sure a teacher has accomplished their mission of teaching if the student hasn't really learned. There are too many boring preachers that download their sermons from the Internet who don't work hard to study their Bible and find ways to help people understand it. I don't want to be that guy. I take my calling and my gifting very seriously.

Now I have been in some services and attended some churches where creativity is king. Where creativity was worshiped. I have no problem learning how to be more creative, but sometimes, you see things that don't really have a point and were thrown in there just for shock value. I have no problem with riding a motercycle on the stage if it proves a point...but if it doesn't, then why bother? Creativity is a tool, it's not the end-all. Creativity is not the Gospel; The Gospel is the Gospel. It's a method to deliver a point; it's not the point.

We used a chainsaw in church not to just cut things up or because we thought it would be cool. We did it to illustrate a point. We use creativity, videos, music, drama, and pictures in the same way that preachers have been using news clippings, poems and such for years. I don't know that we'll ever be the most creative or innovative church on the planet, but we're going to work hard to communicate God's truth in a way that hits home. To do anything less would be irresponsible.

Chainsaws in Church

This five minute video is a part of one of our recent messages. It's an illustration about the necessity to be a part of a journey group, and I hope it's worth five minutes of your time.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PuXrBicYTA]

Think Through, Not Just Think Of

One reason that I use a teaching calendar is to give me plenty of time to read, pray, study and think about the topic. I don't download sermons off the Internet on Thursday and preach them on Sunday. I'm constantly writing and working on messages. A teaching calendar gives me time to think through what I am going to say, not just think of it.  It's saved me from saying a lot of crazy things.

In the coming months, we'll do a series on cultural issues, parenting, and theology.  Planning ahead really helps me.

I’m a little ADD…Okay, A Lot

I got an e-mail from someone who visited our church who said I was rude. Apparently, I was too distracted in the lobby while talking to her. First of all, I want to apologize for that. So much of what we do on Sunday is designed for guests in mind and it's really not my intention to run people off. So, I sincerely apologize. With that said, I want to explain.

I'm a little ADD. Okay, a lot ADD. My mind is constantly running and it's hard for me to focus for ten minutes.  Believe me, my wife tells me this all the time.  And this may sound strange coming from a pastor, but I'm not a people person.  I don't like talking to new people.  I have to work hard at this. I'm being a little transparent in this post, so don't jump on me, but I don't like meeting new people and it's definitely out of my comfort zone to chit-chat with new people. I don't mean to be rude, and I know I can sometimes come across as a jerk, but that's just my personality.

I'm also trying to learn the balance between being available and talking to people on Sundays and focusing on the message. I know now why pastors get body guards. :) As much as I want to, it's not good stewardship of my time to try and explain to someone what the homosexuality message will be about our discuss the finer points of theology of that day's message. I want to, but I can't. I know Sunday is the only day that some people get to see me, but why my ADD kicks in, I really need to try hard to stay focused. I never realized how tough teaching three times in a row would be. When I go home on Sunday mornings, I feel like I've run a 15K (and I've run a 15K so the comparison is legit). So the 15 minutes that I get between services and standing off to the side of the theater and participating in worship is really valuable for me.

Anyway, sorry again if I act flustered or rushed or rude.

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.

Are you Uncomfortable?

Over the past few years, I've had the opportunity to speak to dozens of youth groups. One of my favorite things to do is what I call an Uncomfortable Weekend. Through Sidekick Students, we take care of large group teaching, provide student booklets for everyone, and provide small group material for adults to lead.

The weekend focuses on the life of Abraham. I start in Genesis 12 and talk about God calling Abraham to leave behind his comfortable life and step into something new. One of the sessions is a gospel presentation using the story of Abraham and Isaac. The small group material focuses on some pretty practical stuff - things like change and serving others.

A lot of youth groups use this as a DiscipleNow or retreat. I've done it for a group that was skiing, and done it at different conference centers. I've also got worship leader and worship band contacts, complete with sound systems and video setups, so we could take care of all the programming aspects, allowing leaders to hang with their students. And it's all affordable.

The content really challenges students and youth groups to get out of their comfort zone and take risks in following Jesus. I'd be honored to bring it to your church should you be in need of such an event. Shoot me an e-mail or leave me a comment and I will get you more information.

What We’re Teaching @ Oak Leaf

After we finish this God at the Movies series, we're going to do a series called "Isn't She Lovely?" The church is the bride of Christ, so we're going to have a wedding theme. Will led a creative planning meeting last Saturday, and the group came up with some great ideas. We'll give everyone wedding invitations on August 12, so they can invite everyone they know to our one year anniversary celebration on August 19.

After that series, we'll do a series called "Issues." We're going to talk about things like racism, homosexuality, abortion, pornography and drinking. I've been reading and studying for those messages for the past four months. This is going to be a huge series, and we'll ramp up the promotion big time. After that, we'll do three weeks on "The Games of Life," followed by a four week series on Parenting. Finally, in December we're going to do a series called "Simple," where we take some big theological terms like justification, sanctification and Incarnation and explain them in a way that makes sense and applies to your life.

I've got the teaching calendar planned out for one year in advance. This is something that I work on all year. I allow God to lead these plans, and we've been known to adjust things based on how the Spirit leads. But planning far in advance gives our creative people time to think and plan, and it gives me a lot of time to prepare for messages. In the course of life, I see a lot of things that will work with a message that I'm doing 6 months from now. I'm excited about some of the important things we're going to talk about in the coming months.

Taking the Day off From Teaching

Last week, I took the week off from teaching.  I was still at church, but I wanted to give Tim, our small groups pastor, an opportunity to teach.  Tim did a good job talking about the family.  He used the passage from Ephesians that talks about love and submission - some good stuff.

Just because I wasn't teaching didn't mean I did nothing all week.  I got to walk around and observe our children's environments and I made a lot of notes.  Plus, I actually spent a good bit of time helping Tim with his message.  I was like an English teacher with a red pen, marking that thing up and helping focus the points.  I'm sure Tim never had someone go through his message like that, but I think it helped.  I take what happens on our stage very seriously and very personally, so I'm a stickler for introductions, transitions, conclusions and having one point.  I'm doing the same thing for Anthony when he teaches this weekend.  He'll be talking about honor and using clips from The Last Samauri.

Plus, Tim tells me that he'll be blogging soon.  I don't think there's hope for Anthony.

Money hits a Nerve

We're in the middle of a money series at OLC and I think it's hitting a nerve.  Most TV preachers talk about money too much (and they are wrong).  Some churches don't talk about money at all.  But Jesus talked about money more than he talked about heaven and hell combined.  About 15% of the words in red in your Bible have to do with money.

One reason that I think this series is hitting home is because the Financial Learning Experience that we're hosting next week is full.   We may look into a bigger location to accomodate some more people, because I think more will want to sign up once Joel speaks in the morning service next week.  Just about everyone that comes to OLC has money coming in and money going out, so this is definitely a real issue for real people.

Yesterday, we talked about two of the things you can do with money.  Here were some of my spending and savings tips.

1.  Pay your house off early. Getting a 15 year mortgage instead of the typical 30 year may only cost you a few hundred bucks more each month.  But you'll have 15 years of no house payment when you're done.  Or, you could split your monthly house payment in half and pay that much every two weeks and take a typical 30 year mortgage down to 23 years.  That's seven years of no mortgage just because of a simple adjustment that you probably won't notice.

2.  Buy cars, don't lease them.  Consumer Reports says leasing a car is the worst way you can get one.  The government doesn't require truth in lending statements like they do with purchases, so car dealerships can do all kinds of things.  Leasing is really renting, and a typical lease comes in at about 16% interest.  I also recommend that you buy a used car.  A $28,000 car depreciates at about $100 a week for the first four years.  Let someone else throw that money away.

3.  Automate as much as you can.  Even though I work at a church, and I hardly ever miss a Sunday, I set up my online banking to automatically mail a check to Oak Leaf twice a month.  I want to give, so I just make it automatic.  We decided how much to give and we just give it - no questions.  The same principle applies to savings.  If you can contribute to a 401k, have your employer take it out of your paycheck and forget about it.  Have money transferred from your checking account to a savings or investment account automatically.

4.  Pay off your credit cards.  The average American family has $8,100 in credit card debt.  If you pay $150 a month, it will take you 40 years to pay that off.  At the end of 40 years, you'll be back to zero!  You'll have nothing.  For some perspective, if you take $8,100 and invest it at 12% interest, at the end of 40 years, you'll have over $1 Million.  And that's not with any additional contributions.  Credit card debt is not your friend.  It's something that will bind you.  If you've got debt on credit cards, start by paying off the highest interest card first.  Call the credit card company and tell them you got an offer for a lower rate card and you want them to lower your rate or you're going to make a change.  Then make a plan to pay it off as fast as you can.

5.  Give.  This wasn't the focus of the message, but I don't think you should wait to give to the church.  If you wait until you can afford it, you will never give.  Learning to give makes you a generous person, and that's something you need to be now. Jesus knew that money was a spiritual issue, not just a financial issue.  He knew your heart was tied to your checkbook.  There's a spiritual principle here that doesn't make much sense...sometimes, the reason you can't afford to give like you want to is precisely because you don't give.  Giving is the only place in the Bible where God says "test me."  Give to your church.  Give generously.  And see what happens when God is in control of your financial outlook. 

2007 Teaching Calendar

I just finished our 2007 teaching calendar for Oak Leaf Church.  I spent the last month working and praying through what God wants us to communicate next year, and then we put it all in a calendar.  Some might think this isn't very spirit led, but I tend to think that the Holy Spirit is free to work during planning meetings and doesn't just work one day a week.  Planning and prayer are not opposites.

Creating a teaching calendar gives me months to work on messages and not just weeks.  It's lets our whole team know where we are going, so we can all be working and thinking towards a goal.  It lets us be on the look out for songs, graphics, illustrations and stories.

Some of the highlights of the 2007 teaching calendar are...

• A series in March on Sex and Relationships called yourgreatsexlife.com.  I'm not sure Cartersville is ready for it, but we're going to put that website address everywhere. 
• We're going to talk about parenting (in the fall) and money (this spring)...two very relevant topics for a bunch of people.  The Bible gives a lot of practical guidance on these subjects.
• We're going to do a big series in the Fall about Issues.  We will teach on homosexuality, abortion, racism, and drinking.  Most churches don't touch this stuff with a ten foot pole (or else they go crazy with boycotts).  But we're going to talk Biblically about these issues, and I think it will be a defining series for our church.
• We're going to do a character study and two Book studies.  One of the book studies will be this summer, and we're intentionally leaving that open for now.  We'll hone in on a book as we get closer.
• We schedule a few stand alone messages and will bring in some special guests.  Of course, we may call an audible if the Spirit leads or if something comes up. 

I think the teaching calendar is balanced.  We get book studies and cultural issues.  We cover theology and felt needs.  Putting this schedule together is hard, but I think it's worth it.