Archive for June, 2010
I’m a Top 50 Evangelical Christian Blog?
I’m not making this up — Check it out.
Here’s the quote —
The G Sides: Although billed as “the randomness of a distracted existential tour guide,” this blog is very focused on every day life from a Christian evangelical perspective.
SO to recap –
First…although I may not always be very focused…this blog is. Mostly.
Second…I have a life.
Third…I have a Christian evangelical perspective. Even though I don’t really like the word evangelical due to the political baggage it carries. If by that word we mean — I love Jesus, thinks that he really is God and thinks that He thought He was God — then yeah, I am. Anything beyond that — not going there.
And I’m number 47. I can live with that.
The Silence of the Blog
I just haven’t been writing like normal — personal in the journal or otherwise. Part of it is that the closer the Brazil trip gets, the more I remember what I need to get done. It’s crazy and fun and somewhat stressful.
But another part of it is physical. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been fighting off an infection, got cut open, been infused for 12 straight days, and in general been running around 70 to 75% of power. I’m better and finally on the upswing but the writing was the first thing to get punted.
Interesting what gets ignored when you know you only have a limited amount of energy. It FOCUSES on what MUST get done.
One of the things I’m challenging our ministry leaders with this summer is to do this spiritually during the summer. Get silent. Imagine running your ministry area with only 70 to 75% power. What would change? What would you absolutely DO! What would you NOT do?
Get STILL and breath and listen. Refresh, refocus! Good things to do at least once a year!
We Are All Worship Leaders
I led worship and taught yesterday for the first time in eons. I was pretty fortunate to have an awesome worship band with me to cover my mistakes and laugh with. First service — played the intro to the wrong closing song. Band did a quick double take then was ready to adapt and jump in when I realized what I had done. Stopped playing and we all laughed.
“Sorry — let me try the right song that everyone was expecting I would play.”
We did one song in the key of “Rick” and decided that no human can really sing that high. Rick must be a mereman or something like that. We pulled it off okay but it stretched the vocal chords a bit. No one got up and left the service or revoked their salvation so I think I did a serviceable job on the morning.
The truth of the matter is this – if you are on staff at a church, you’re bottom line, baseline job description is Worship Pastor. Doesn’t matter what your other duties are — you are ultimately a worship leader. Doesn’t matter if the only thing you can play is an iPod or a radio. You’re primary job is to focus and push people to Jesus, to put them in a place where they have an opportunity to have a life-changing encounter with Him. And that IS worship.
I’ve played around in my mind with the idea of changing all of our titles to make sure we get this — Teaching Worship Pastor, Children’s Worship Pastor, Student Ministry Worship Pastor, Music & Arts Worship Pastor. Whatever you’re specific focus is — that goes in the front followed by the ultimate focus of all our jobs — to lead others in worship.
In the Army, they train every soldier how to use a rifle – the basic infantry fighting weapon. Why? Because no matter what your specific training is in – your ultimate job is a soldier. At the end of the day, nothing else matters.
At the end of the day, nothing else matters – worship. Everything we do is either a result of this or the focus of this. We do missions because there are people in the world who don’t yet worship Jesus. We do children’s ministry because they are kids that don’t know how crazy God is about them. We do adult Life Groups because there are families that will only be healed through worship.
We are ALL worship leaders.
Lies That Hold Us Hostage
We are going to talk about LIES this weekend at Western Hills. This is the one message of the series that I think EVERY believer needs to hear. EVERY!!!
LIES will be about those lies we believe about God that halt our walk with Jesus. They stop us in our tracks, rendering us useless and ineffective. They make us live smaller than what God intended.
Here are some of the lies will deal with —
God won’t accept me.
God can’t change me.
I am insignificant to God.
You’ve heard them. Maybe you’ve even believed them. But they are all lies from the enemy himself and they have held so many people hostage. This weekend, we’re going to tackle these lies with God’s truth and I think some of us are going to be pleasantly SHOCKED at what the TRUTH really is!!
We are reading The Screwtape Letters in my Wednesday morning Messy Crew. (The Screwtape Letters is a collection of letters between a demon tormentor and his uncle) and this quote struck me this morning about this subject:
Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church.
The older uncle is telling the young demon – the TRUTH (argument) is NOT a friend of Satan’s.
Join us Sunday as we cut through the jargon to the TRUTH.
Living in Big 12 Tornado Alley
I’m a SEC guy — there is no better conference — of this there is no discussion. However, I don’t like seeing what is happening to the Big 12. This week has been a series of leadership lessons. And a lot of local fans are blasting Nebraska for the destruction….but that’s not where the real leadership goofs took place.
Exhibit 1 and Only — Dan Beebe, commissioner of the Big 12 or (now known as the Little 4).
Let’s start with the not-so-obvious. Sometimes the hardest decision is to do nothing. It can also be very stupid. In the world of College Football, doing nothing is more often stupid. Every leader makes decisions and those decisions have COSTS. To NOT make a decision — STILL COSTS you something. So you are going to pay the COSTS one way or another. Maybe it’s momentum, maybe it’s money, maybe it’s opportunity. But to stay the course, with no push to be better, bigger, deeper is a recipe for death.
Beebe’s decision to stand pat with “the way things are.” No Big 12 Network, no expansion.
Playing Chicken With Farm People Is Stupid
Why? Because farm people kill and eat their own chickens. The day Beebe told Nebraska and Missouri they had a deadline – I still don’t understand that? Was he going to kick them out of the conference if they chose to leave the conference? I don’t get it? Wouldn’t it have been better to partner with them on how to expand? Did Beebe really think Nebraska was going to be intimidated?
Or maybe Beebe was tired of his job and needed an exit strategy…
Pac-10 Gets It
I remember the death of the SWC and the Big 8 was so desperate to get Texas, they let one school basically drive the wagon. So Baylor, Tech, A&M came with the package. The Pac-10 by inviting Colorado first has just sent a HUGE message to the state of Texas. You’re not all getting invited. The Conference will be bigger than an individual school. (Baylor will probably be left standing without a dance partner.)
What I Think COULD Happen
Texas, Tech, A&M, OU, OSU + Colorado go to Pac-10. Those teams and the two Arizona schools make the East Division, rest make West. (Or do they break it up into 4 mini divisions?)
OR – The Texas legislature could block Texas from going to the Pac-10(16) if all 4 Big 12 schools aren’t included. IF that happens, Texas will leave the Union, establish itself as it’s own country, and have it’s own Texas National Championship playoff. New Mexico could be invaded and annexed.
OR – (and this is the only real chance the Big 12 has of surviving) the Texas legislature blocks the move and the remaining Big 12 schools make a full press to get TCU, Boise State, Utah (who was previously courted by Pac-10), and the UCSB Banana Slugs. But only because they have the coolest mascot ever. But I digress.
Sure, the NEW Big 12 wouldn’t be the OLD Big 12 but it could hang/survive. Maybe Iowa State and Missouri could start paying players and get good again. Kansas could be in charge of the tickets.
OR — KU, KSU, MU, ISU talk SMU, Arkansas, Houston, and Rice into forming the Mini 6 + a Big 2 Conference.
OR — KU goes to Big East and thus relegates it’s football program to die a slow death outside a BCS conference. Some KU fans are talking about the SEC. I can’t see that happening. First, KSU is tied to the package. The SEC wants nothing to do with KSU. It’s doubtful they want anything to do with KU either. Second, if the SEC was going to expand – Virgina Tech, Clemson, and Florida State are all better fits, bigger markets, better recruiting, more money.
But lets get REALLY crazy for a moment, huh? What if Nebraska DOESN’T leave and instead Texas and A&M say to Big Ten — we’ll join your conference? That bumps Nebraska out of the picture in the Big 10.
Basically, any scenario that includes Texas leaving the Big 12, kills the Big 12. I think they could survive Colorado and even Nebraska defecting. Texas would be too huge of loss.
What’s interesting is that OU/OSU has been very quiet through all of this — much like Colorado was. Makes you wonder what is going on done there, huh?
Holy cow — this is crazy nuts confusing. Glad we have the BCS to help us figure it out.
Summer Perspective for Western Hills
This is the e-letter I just sent out to our congregation…
Dear Church family,
The summer is here and before we all get so crazy busy with our schedules, I wanted to hit the pause button. We have so much to be thankful for as a church. Just in the past couple of months we’ve seen 13 new people join Western Hills as well as baptizing 5 new adult believers. We’re taking over 80 middle school and high school students to Super Summer. We have an international mission trip to Brazil, the POW WOW this weekend. The Student Ministry Graduation service on May 16th is still being talked about. In fact, a sister church heard what we did and are making plans to do that in their church next spring.
Love God, Live Connected, and Serve All is getting fleshed out in front us!!
In our Children’s ministry area – we not only hired Darci part-time but updated our Children’s ministry toddler area – the Aquarium – (if you haven’t seen it — pop your head in this Sunday.) This past Sunday, that room was put to the test with over 20 pre-K kids. It shows us that young married with kids are invading Western Hills!
Part of the reason they are coming has been seen in our Hostage series. When Jesus is lifted up, He draws people to Himself and His desire is to restore them. We’re seeing that clearly in this series. I’ve had the opportunity to not just lead new people to the Lord but see lives set free from the bondage of bitterness, worry, and addiction. Our response room has been used every morning of the series. The stories we are hearing from our Life Groups are inspiring.
We’ve seen incredible change and growth this past year. I honestly believe that the best is yet to come for Western Hills and our unique opportunity to flesh out Love God, Live Connected, and Serve All in Topeka and beyond.
And speaking about “the best is yet to come” – right now, the Council and staff are preparing to come to the congregation with the direction God is giving us and how CLEAR He has spoken these past 5 months. I’ll be able to tell more later (I know — it’s not fair) but let’s just say for now — WE ARE AMPED!
As we get ready for the next season at Western Hills, I’m asking our congregation to do three things this summer to KEEP the momentum going!!
PRAY!!! Pray for the Church Council (names listed below) and your staff for wisdom and clarity. Pray that God would continue to speak clearly and lead clearly. Pray for the ministries of Western Hills. Our children’s ministry are growing and need volunteers. Our student ministry is growing. Our adult Life Groups are growing. Pray for our mission trips, service opportunities, and summer calendar. Pray for students to know Jesus this summer. Pray, pray, pray. Then pray again.
SERVE!!! If you’re new at WH or want to know more people – serving is THE best way to do this. Find a place to serve – children, youth, adult life groups, men, women, worship, greeters, ushers, counters, builders, and other places that I can’t think of right now. Don’t know where to start? Hit the reply button on this email and say – I want to help, give me some direction.
GET CONNECTED!!!! Summer is an outstanding time to find a Life Group and get to know people. Gary Manford is our Life Group Minister and he would LOVE to get you connected. Hit reply to the email — he’ll get back to you in 24 hours. Experience a whole other level of church with a Life Group.
I am amped about our future. Confident in our vision. In awe of our Savior.
Brazil Update
We leave June 25 for Brazil to add another chapter to our partnership with Thomas & Agnes Schneider. We will take high school students to schools all over Porte Allegra, inviting them to a weekend English Camp. We’ll also do a retreat while we there. We are amped about the trip…the last time we took students to Brazil, we saw over 100 teenagers trust Jesus.
We are close to having all of our funds in as well. So many of you have been generous to me over the years, providing funds for these mission trips. We needed $7,000, you have given $6,500. How awesome is that?
If you haven’t given and would like to – I’ve got a couple of options for you.
You can shoot me an email — leave a comment or go to the contact page. I’ll give you all the info you need.
OR you could just send it straight to the church —
Grant & Amy English
c/o Western Hills Baptist Church
2900 SW Auburn Road
Topeka, KS 66614
Brazil in the memo.
Thank you all for the support – prayer and financial. I’ll be twittering/facebooking from Brazil but not sure how often I’ll get to blog.
Follow me @thegsides on Twitter.
Hostage: Addiction
Another incredible morning. Sermon will be uploaded soon (whillschurch.org). We had some MAJOR glitches behind the scenes this week. The worship center computer crashed plus the projector wouldn’t come on and had to be reset. On Thursday, it me that we needed to serve communion. Gary H. did a great job at getting us set up to do this. In the middle of dealing with all of this God reminded me that if you let it, the non-important will distract you from the vital. I’m so glad we didn’t.
Addiction comes in all sorts of sizes and packages. Some more acceptable than others, some easier to recognize than others. But all addictions have one end in mind – total dominance and control over a person. Whether it’s drugs, alcohol, porn, eating, greed, pride — the inevitable end of every addiction is to consume.
Addictions consume, control, and rob people. It becomes their god.
Paul’s journey in Romans 6,7, and 8 has great insight for addicts. I don’t do what I want to do but the evil I don’t want to do I do. The solution is to feed the “Good Wolf.” (Confused? Listen to the sermon! ha ha)
Romans 8:1 is the most scandalous verse in scripture. How ridiculous is it to say there is NO, none, nada — zip — condemnation for those IN Christ Jesus? Our bodies and emotions don’t believe this truth of scripture most of the time. Yet, this truth stands in the middle of our messes as God’s declaration of what He wants to do, WILL do and IS doing for those who place their life IN Christ. It’s nothing sort of scandalous.
It doesn’t remove our need for God AND our need for a place to share the LAST 10%. It does provide the basis for such a context – since there is no condemnation, I can BE accountable.
Next week: Anger
Birthday Thoughts
I’m 40 and I really don’t feel 40. Reminds me of that saying from the great philosopher Eddie Van Halen – “I don’t feel tardy.”
However, I am struck by many things on this occasion.
Chick-fil-a’s new spicy chicken sandwich is awesome. The fact that they did this on my birthday is humbling and I’m very appreciative. It’s not everyday the most awesomest fast food chain in America makes a new sandwich in your honor.
I have so many dear friends in my life. Yes, they give me quite a bit of grief but they love me. That is a gift of God. I could not keep up with the thank yous in email, facebook, twitter, and carrier pigeons. I had birthday greetings from California, Washington, Brazil, Budapest, Germany, Denver, Little Rock, Alabama and all places in between.
I’m now getting introduced to kids as “This was my youth pastor!” I secretly think this is one of the greatest honors ever.
My wife is so freakin’ awesome. She made me breakfast in bed. That’s not why she is awesome but it helps. Seriously, we’re closer now than ever. I’m so humbled she’s stuck with me through my immaturity to now — when I’m less immature.
I have 3 sets of parents that are awesome.
Life is just awesome.
Thank you all for a great birthday. You can come take the black balloons and graffiti out of my yard now.
RAFT, Part 2
How important is RAFT?
RAFT must be a non-negotiable for an organization to have long term success in developing people. There really should be no compromising on these four traits – responsive, available, faithful, and teachable. If we cheat on these early, the consequences get steep even fatal later.
The plain truth of the matter is that these are in fact unavoidable. You WILL deal with them one way or another. It’s inevitable. Choosing to ignore them out of the gate is akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. (Which is both a worn-out cliche and a horrible movie.) General rule of thumb is the more you compromise early, the more you’ll have to compromise later. An entrenched non-RAFT person is miserable, makes everyone around them miserable and CAN infect the whole system. And we’re not doing them any favors either because whatever missing piece they have is hindering their effectiveness. No amount of gifting and training will compensate for a missing RAFT piece.
So what’s the answer? Only accept those RAFTs? What about someone who is only missing a letter? What if you’ve got a RFT or a AFT or a FAR? (I’d make more acronyms but it’s getting dangerous.) Instead of punting them to the curb, I’d start with the missing letter. If Joe is an awesome candidate for a leadership role but he’s just so busy with work, then that’s the first thing we approach. “Joe, I see a ton of potential. Faithful, teachable, and all around responsive and pleasant to be with. But your schedule…what’s up with that? To be effective, you’ve got to be available. How are we going to tackle this?”
And we stay on that issue until it is resolved. I’ll stay on the journey with them as long as I’m seeing some progress and we stay working on that foundational issue.
However, there is a tipping point. This is when the potential is seen, a taste of what could be is had and the potential monster leader realizes that to go any further and deeper is going to require a significant personal change. Will they take the plunge or walk away? Will you as a leader take them to that point ON PURPOSE or will you avoid that point? Will you hold loosely and allow God to deal in His time and His way? Will we have the same courage to do as Jesus did and watch them “walk away sad because he was a man of great wealth?”
In that moment – I try to do everything I can to not compromise RAFT as well as keep the door open for them to return, to try again.
Next up: Where does gifting fit in developing people?