Pray for Our Police, Pray for Our Nation

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policeblueAs the news continues to pour in about the tragedy in Dallas of the police being shot and killed, I’m saddened by the state of our nation. Quite simply, our nation is not the same it was morally 5, 10, or 15 years ago. Please join me in praying for the officers and their families who have been forever impacted by this tragedy. Pray for America, that we as a nation will wake up from the spiritual blindness that has moved us further and further away from pursuing all that is holy. Our officers swear an oath to serve and protect us. They put their lives on the line every day for the safety so many take for granted, or even shun.

There needs to be more than hashtag activism and armchair commentary. We must begin a concerted effort to return to God as a nation. That begins with me. I ask myself how can I lead the way in such a huge task? It took us a long time to get to where we are, it will take some time to get back to where we need to be. As a pastor, I’m committed to leading our church and community in prayer for the families in Dallas. We will begin praying at the start of our services for the next several weeks, asking God to bring a spiritual awakening to our country and our community. Again, I ask you to join us in prayer for a spiritual awakening in America. I pray that awakening begins with you and I.

A Bus, A Dream, A Mission.

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churchbus

Few can argue with the need for transportation within youth ministry. It’s a staple of ministries large and small. Either a church car pools, rents vans, or if they have the means, takes their own bus or van. Many years ago a vision was birthed to reach the students of Wilmington at a church with a newly hired youth pastor. With lots of creative fundraising and looking, a bus was found at an auction site. The bus had a diesel engine, but the listing said gas and we walked away with TWO buses at great deals. These were prison buses, used to transport prisoners.

Imagine two beige prison buses, driving back to Wilmington, and pulling into the church parking lot. For one season the youth pastor (me) tortured the youth group with orange t-shirts—riding in a beige bus! Never saw too many wear those shirts. (!) We were able to give one bus away to a young youth ministry in the next county.

Even cooler, there happened to be a guy at our church that used to paint buses! We taped the bus up, and we painted it the beautiful Teal colors you see now, in honor of our local UNCW Seahawks. We placed custom seats in it. The old seats had scratched etchings I’m not sure how cuffed-up prisoners could manage to write on the backs of the seats. We put a custom sound system in it. It was a youth ministry’s dream bus, or so we thought. It was God’s bus. It was our bus.

The memories students created with that bus are amazing. Many can tell you stories of riding to assist families hit by Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, MS, riding to snow covered mountains on treacherous winding mountain roads for unforgettable winter retreats, going to DNOW Conferences, Christian Music Concerts, Theme Parks, Caroling to Shut-Ins, or just a local trip to the beach to refresh tourists with a bottle of water and a conversation about Jesus.

All these memories were possible by God and by volunteers who gave of their blood, sweat and tears (and even a torn plantaris muscle) to get those crazy teenagers a little closer to Jesus (some quicker than others!) My drivers are the greatest in the world. They love Jesus, and they love students. All have contributed much to God’s purposes fulfilled in the lives of these students.

We are officially selling the bus. Going to miss this. In a way it’s transformational. This bus went from transporting captives as far as the law goes, to transporting those who were once captive to sin, and now set free in Jesus. Fittingly, the bus is being sold to an up and coming youth ministry a county away. Excited for them. They will rock that Bus for the kingdom! The legacy of the Green Bus will continue! I’m so glad such a resource was used and will continue to be used to point people to Jesus.

Why I Celebrate America’s Independence

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American-flag
Freedom is given to us by our Creator. The founders of our great nation knew this. The God of heaven also has graciously bestowed upon those who know him amazing freedom. We are free to confess our sin. We are free to be forgiven. We are free to love others. We are free to approach such a loving God, from which peace was made through the sacrificial blood of Christ.

America, in particular, the thirteen colonies who boldly set out to declare freedom from a leader who hailed themselves as a princely person, yet ruled with tyranny, knew inherently that to be free, a price would be paid. Removing themselves from a heavy-handed ruler, who imposed taxes without consent, rendered impotent a legislature powerless to act against his rule, burned towns and let mercenaries get away with murder of America’s citizens through sham court proceedings, America could stand under such tyranny no more. That’s the American spirit. According to this Declaration of Independence,

“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

How far we have come! I know this same American spirit resides still in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Such bravery and freedom among those citizens of these United States must not shrink back when presented once again with tyranny. Indeed many have given all for such freedom. This is why I celebrate Independence Day. There is hope for America. It lies within the freedom endowed by our Creator. Let us stand united together, under one nation, under God, indivisibe, with liberty and justice for all! Happy Independence Day!

Lots of Junk

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junk

Cleanliness is next to Godliness. As much as you might think, this statement is not in the Bible. You may have already known this to be true but I write this to simply make sure all the messy people out there (including me!) are off the hook. Well, not exactly, but what does it matter? Quite a bit. We actually get the quote from John Wesley from a sermon of his. So there’s truth to the statement about being clean and honoring God through that. So being aware of the mess in our lives is important. It does matter.

I was recently part of a cleaning effort in our church. It’s amazing how much “stuff” (I’ll be nice and not call it Jesus Junk ‘cause Jesus don’t make no junk right?) I digress. Lots of items were tossed into a huge dumpster that would be hauled off to the place where they put the holy trash. Hold on. Church trash is just like everyone else’s. Ok so not so holy. Looking into every nook and cranny, we dispersed of old furniture, filing boxes, plants that had seen their better day, and lots and lots of “why are we hangin’ on to that” type of stuff.

It reminded me of the cleaning we all must do in our lives to remain clean. It’s not what on the outside that makes a person unclean. In fact, Jesus himself pointed out to the religious leaders of his day (think preachers, pastors, Bible study teachers, etc) that what makes a person unclean comes from the heart. (Full disclosure: I’m a pastor) It is decidedly a spiritual matter. (Matthew 23:25-26) Let me be clear, there is nothing that we can do on our own to make our heart “clean” spiritually before a holy God. Christ alone can do this. But I do think of Paul’s challenge to the church to “rid ourselves of such things as these” of which he included anger, rage, malice, and so on. (Colossians 3:8).

My point is simple. God has reminded me that Christ has purified my heart, but there are always areas that I need to clean up. But cleaning needs to be done on a regular basis. When we don’t clean, the junk just piles up. Don’t let the junk pile up. I’m reminded of the verse in James 5:16, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Like the sign on the truck, “Got Junk”? We need to say Yes! And then confess to God our need for Christ, and seek to be lovingly held accountable by close friends so that healing will begin!

Jet Skis and Leadership

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jet ski

Jet skis can teach one a lot about leading well. I happened to learn very quickly a lesson on leadership with my first experience with a jet ski.

Let me begin by saying I don’ t own this jet ski. In case you were wondering, that small speck in the water is me, clutching tightly to the handles on my first solo run on a 750cc streak on the water. Since their speed is right up there with the word “dangerous” and “this is crazy”, I exchanged some perfectly stable land mass for the unpredictable nature of the Intracoastal Waterway. Here are the lessons I learned:

  1. Respect others who have gone before you. In leading well, having confidence in approaching something new versus not knowing your limits can easily land you in troubled water. That’s where relying on others to teach you is crucial. My friend knew the waterway and knew watercraft very well. He grew up on the water. He is a commercial fisherman. From his knowledge and experience, he taught me the basics of the operation of the craft, and the ins and outs of boating safety, and how to navigate the waterway safely. The verse in Proverbs 3:20 holds true, “Whoever walks with the wise grows wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Instead of jumping in on a matter, considering the wisdom of others advice and knowledge, especially the counsel of God’s Word and other seasoned authors, the ability to lead is based on a collective, foundational truth: There are no loners in leadership.
  1. Be mindful for warning signs of trouble ahead. Sometimes the best leaders can be blindsided by trouble or conflict because they don’t follow this principle. When making decisions involving people, being mindful of their strengths and weaknesses up front will help avoid trouble down the road. Setting up a person or team for success involves knowing what they are capable of and what they are not capable of. Setting unrealistic expectations for your team leads to mistrust and low moral in accomplishing the target goal. Sandbars are a boater’s nemesis. Discolored water, as well as breaking water around smooth water is an indicator there may be a sandbar ahead. Being able to see the trouble before you get to it allows for smoother sailing.
  1. Lead others to take risks with you. The waters never parted until the leaders took the first step and got their feet wet. (Joshua 3:15-16) Imagine stepping into a flowing river and not even knowing how to swim! That was the faith of the priests that led the nation of Israel to cross the Jordan river! Someone once said, “To live without risk, is to risk not living.” We have to take risks in life. In our walk with God, we have to take steps of faith towards Him. The day I rode the jet ski, my friend was on the back. Only when I opened up the throttle did the real exhilaration and thrill of riding on the water at 35 to 40mph sink in. When I was slowly moving, the watercraft was taking on water, but when I got on the gas, my friend and I both had fun! I was nervous at what it might mean to accelerate so fast. But I took a risk, and the risk paid off nicely. We were moving down the ICW in no time! My friend could have pressed the gas and awkwardly steered over me, but it’s not what I was meant for that day. I was meant to fly! Other people need risk takers to lead them. Other people need you and I to lead with the eyes of faith.