Leadership

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January 18

Thursday, January 18th, 2024

As one reads the Bible, it is not unusual to read of someone and think they must have always been like that. Case in point: the Apostle John. We read today from the vantage point of 2000+ years later and we see an apostle of love. We see the aged John-respected, loved and depicted as one full of grace and truth.

But he wasn’t always like that. John had a temper. He also had a vengeful streak. We might even call him sectarian to some degree. Mistreatment of Jesus led to he and his brother, James, wanting to call down fire from heaven to consume the city. In another incident, he and James wanted Jesus to promise they would get preferred seating in the kingdom-one on His right and one on His left. Jesus was not fond of that idea. They wanted Jesus to rebuke a man who was casting out demons in Jesus’ name but because he was not with their “tribe” they wanted him silenced. (Mk. 9:38).  That didn’t work out too well either.

Over time, John was changed. That’s what happens when people spend time with Jesus. John reminds me of those who are committed to the truth, who “tell it like it is.” But that is all you see. Love? What’s that? All truth. No love. Over time John became known as the Apostle of love. Shall we say “more balanced”?

I read the following:

John was always committed to the truth, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that, but it is not enough. Zeal for the truth must be balanced by love for people. Truth without love has no decency; it’s just brutality. On the other hand, love without truth has no character; it’s just hypocrisy. (40 Lives in 40 Days-MacArthur-p.19)

I’ve heard it said that “all truth and no love is legalism; all love and no truth is mere sentimentality.” True that.

There needs to be a balance. We may take pride in being a “tell it like it is” kind of person, but honestly, what good is it if we turn everyone off?”

Find the balance. Truth AND love go together.

January 17

Wednesday, January 17th, 2024

I used to have a haunting dream/thought. I felt like a failure. Not that I expressed it to anyone; it was something I kept to myself and, at times, brooded over. Since it was an internal musing and not expressed out loud, I’m not even sure Jo knew. In fact, I’m almost positive she did not.

Like many young men coming out of Bible college/seminary, I thought I had the world by the proverbial tail. I was going to accomplish great things. I would attend a conference and see and hear speakers/pastor/youth pastors of influence and dream that would be me someday. I would be the pastor of a big church, although I never saw myself as the pastor of a megachurch. I’m more designed by God to be a shepherd than a CEO. (I lost a job largely because of that mentality). But even though I knew certain characteristics of my personality probably held me back, I still had ambivalent emotions as I watched guys my age or younger “move up the ranks.” I know part of it was because I wouldn’t schmooze and play politics in the church world. Meanwhile, all my efforts to be a biblical, expositor preacher seemed to go unseen and unrewarded (in my mind at least). “Why not me?” reared its ugly head more than I care to admit. The twins, envy and jealousy, made their appearance, but fortunately didn’t stay very long because they were unwanted. While my friends we advancing, I was pastoring churches of 100-200, sometimes less. One was 35 which grew to 50 in 16 months but it about killed me spiritually.

Then one day, God got through to me. He didn’t make me nor want me in a big church. He didn’t care whether I broke the 200 or 300 barrier and did all that I was supposed to do to make that happen. Small churches need pastors too. Small churches need men who will love and lead them.  I broke. I realized God (almost) always does His work through ordinary people. I’ve stated it before: in God’s economy there are no little people (as the late Francis Schaeffer called them); there are just ordinary people God uses in extraordinary ways.

When I realized that, I found contentment in my work. I currently pastor a church that is less than 200. I have never been happier and more content that I have been for the past 18 years. No matter what you do-no matter how big or how small-be content and just be His. As martyred missionary Jim Elliott once said, “Wherever you are, be all there.” That includes that seemingly insignificant thing or job you do.

God is not interested in you being extraordinary. He simply wants to use the ordinary you in extraordinary ways.

The Gospel is Preached

Friday, January 12th, 2024

So…if you go to my other blog, Cycleguy’s Spin, you will see a post about this week’s sermon also. I’m trying to resuscitate Cycleguy’s Spin with a variety of approaches-book reviews, guest posts, upcoming sermons, and even a commentary of sorts when the “feeling” arises.   If you have been there, thanks. I have a new series starting this Sunday called WELCOME HOME…where… I have been developing it and working on it since last October.  Why you might ask? Simple. I think church needs to be different these days. I don’t mean compromising different where the gospel is withheld or not preached for fear of offending someone. But the church should be a “Safe Place.” Let me explain by using my approach for the next two months:

WELCOME HOME…where…

The Gospel is Preached

Jesus is Honored

Grace is Offered

Lives are Changed

Obedience is Encouraged

Truthfully, the Gospel is often hindered or hidden by pastors and churches who are afraid of being seen as bigots or hardhearted or uncaring or narrow-minded. I realize those are and can be said about churches, and quite possibly, me. I don’t think they are accurate though of what the church is supposed to be. We can be firm, but friendly.  We can be convicted, but caring.  We can be solid, but sweet. We can be passionate, but pleasant.  But one thing we must never be is COMPROMISING.

We have a mandate in the Bible. Check out Col. 1:3-14. I Cor. 1:18-31. Romans 1: 16-17.  I found this to be quite revealing:

The goal of the Gospel is not just that we might pass some kind of test by accurately recounting the importance of Jesus. The goal of the Gospel is to produce a type of people consumed with passion for God and love for others.

As you can gather, this first sermon is on the Gospel being preached without compromise. I can honestly say that I am more excited about this series than one I have preached in recent memory. I am so looking forward to it! I hope you will join me in person if possible. If not, we live stream our service at 9:00 and 10:45 a.m.

January 4

Thursday, January 4th, 2024

Just a reminder: Please check out my review of my friend, Martha Orlando’s excellent trilogy called The Glade Series at my other blog, Cycleguy’s Spin. You can access that review here.

I have mentioned a number of times about my practice of reading Proverbs every other month. One chapter= that calendar date. Today, for example: January 4= Proverbs 4.  Maybe it is because I’m reading this year from the New Living Translation (NLT) or that I paid particularly close attention, but some seriously good stuff stuck out to me this morning. The whole chapter goes on about the importance of wisdom: Pay attention. Get it. Don’t turn your back on it. Prize it. Etc.

Beginning in verse 23 are some simple “rules of life” or “advice to live by” given. Here they are:

Verse 23- Guard your heart

Verse 24- Avoid perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.

Verse 25- Look straight ahead, fix your eyes straight ahead.

Verse 26- Choose the right path.

Verse 27- Don’t get sidetracked.

I thought I would give each a new heading, a new “wording” that might be easier to learn:

  • Be careful what you expose yourself to.
  • Watch your speech.
  • Don’t let your eyes wander.
  • Stay true.
  • Stay focused.

Wise advice to follow today and every day. Choose wisdom. Then you will hear the ancient words: “You have chosen wisely.” (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) 🙂 

November 21

Tuesday, November 21st, 2023

I’d like to follow up on my devotion from yesterday.

There is another rule of interpretation/Bible study besides the one from yesterday (“Let Scripture explain Scripture”). The one for today is “A text without a context is only a pretext.”  Interpreted: the failure to see surrounding verses, historical narrative and setting can lead to a whole lot of problems.

Yesterday’s passage was from Matthew 7:1-5. With that I presented the very common comment, “You have no right to judge me, to tell me that I’m wrong, or that my behavior is unacceptable in God’s eyes.” That is used in defense of sin: adultery, homosexual activity, “white” lies, and just about any other sin we want to justify doing.

But remember the context quote? Check out Matthew 7:15-16- “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.”  (NLT) That section ends with verse 20 saying, “Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

Question: how can we identify a wolf in sheep’s clothing if we don’t (ahem) judge them? It is called discernment. But here’s the thing: it is not discernment based on our bias or personal opinion. It is based on…wait for it…what the Bible says. Every thought, every opinion, every decision, every judgment we form or express MUST BE and MUST FIND its source in the Word of God! If what we say or do does not find its root in God’s Word; if it does not find its anchor in God’s Word, then its a pretty fair assessment that it is false.

We need to be “fruit inspectors.” (Matt. 7:16-20). Last I looked a fruit inspector has to form a judgment and decide whether the fruit is good or not. The Apostle Paul wrote, “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (ESV)

So, judging/discerning is an absolute must. Always compare what you are being told and taught to the Word of God.

November 15

Wednesday, November 15th, 2023

Some people today like to complain about the church: “It’s made up of a bunch of hypocrites.” (Most definitely true). “All the church does is tell you a list of what is right and what is wrong and the wrong is always longer than the right.” (There is some truth to that). “They are insufferable and no better than me.”  (Given that we are all sinners that is a true statement).

So my answer to those statements? Yep. Yep. And Yep. And I’ll also say, “Welcome to my world.”

I don’t say that because I’m a pastor; I say that because they describe me. I am a hypocrite at times because I don’t always practice what I preach.  (Shocker!!) I don’t always live up to the standard God has set. I am sometimes judgmental (although I try really hard not to be). And sometimes I am no better than anyone else, in that sin gets its grip on me.

All this hit me last night as I sat and read. I’m rereading a novel called Dancing Priest (DP) by Glynn Young, a fellow blogger. It is one of 5 in a series about a young man named Michael Kent. I’ve read DP several times before, but it has been a few years since I last read it. I look for books to read at home which are different from my normal fare, so I have decided to read the entire series again. In DP Michael is assigned a parish (church) in San Francisco…much to his surprise. He applied for Malawi in Africa. In the ensuing conversation with his sponsor, he found out why.

Michael, the future of our church is in grave doubt. If there is a future, then you and others like you are that future. It will be better for you to be on the periphery than at the center because the center is rotting and collapsing. The future of the church is at the edges, and there you’ll find a willingness to abandon what’s dead, to meet the spiritual need, to fearlessly preach the Gospel-that is our way to survival. (p.163). A few paragraphs later he tells Michael, “You are a remarkable young man. You will do great things, Michael, not as the world defines them, but great in the way God defines them.” (p.164)

Honestly? That’s what I want. At my age (71) I know I have less years to live than I have lived. But nothing says that with the remaining years I have to sit on the sidelines and watch the world go by. I want to abandon what’s dead and to fearlessly preach the Gospel.

To my way of thinking, nothing else will do.

***************************************************************************************************************

Note: Check out Dancing Priest and the whole series by Glynn Young on Amazon. Start with DP and I guarantee you will decide to get and read the rest.  And no, Glynn did not pay me to say that! 🙂 🙂 🙂

November 1

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023

I’ve toyed with something for the last few days because I didn’t know if this was the right venue to “put it out there.”Then I decided, “Why not?” So, here you go…

This past Sunday the church I pastor (OVCF) celebrated our 19th anniversary. You can hear the sermon here. If you prefer you can watch it here. Along the way I gave a mini-history of OVCF. I also showed our Mission and Vision and discussed how it motivates us. But here is where I want to take you and get your thoughts. First, the backstory: I gave a brief rundown of the Mission and Vision, but then shared a story. On Wednesday night- the 25th- I woke up from a sound close to 3 hour sleep and could not get back to sleep. The sermon for this past Sunday kept running through my head. Rather than toss and turn and wake Jo up, I went to my recliner in my ManCave. Since I could not get the upcoming sermon out of my mind, I turned the light on, grabbed my journal, prayed, and began writing. What came out was a softer, less technical version of the Mission and Vision. It was not intentional. I believe firmly in our Mission and Vision, but I have not felt totally comfortable with its seeming rigidness or strident approach. I’ve never been able to explain my thoughts clearly until that night. I invite you to to go our website and click on About. The menu will come down and you will see Our Mission and Our Vision in the menu. But that sleepless night, I was finally able to put pen to thoughts and sensed God’s “You got it” when I was done.  (Fun fact: I finished at 12:50. At 12:51 I felt like I had been hit by a ton of bricks. By 12:53 I was back in bed and slept like a rock until the alarm went off at 3:30). Anyway, here is what I came up with-a softer, less technical version:

WELCOME HOME

where…

The Gospel is Preached

Jesus is Lord

Grace is Offered

Lives are Changed

Obedience is Encouraged

I have received some very positive feedback on the “new” version. They love the WELCOME HOME. My desire is that OVCF be home. A home to all. A soft and safe place to land. No compromise (I will show that tomorrow), but a place for people to feel welcome. Not necessarily where everyone is spoken to (although that would be ideal), but a place where the warmth of God’s grace and God’s people is palpable. For those hurting from a bad church experience, may they find rest and healing.

It’s your turn now. What do you think? Positive and negative is welcome.

Side note: I’m considering trying to find a word that begins with “A” to put in place of Offered. The acrostic would then be P-L-A-C-E.  I have a word in mind “Afforded.” What do you think? Any other ideas?

October 4

Wednesday, October 4th, 2023

When I was in college, there was a war going on. In fact, I’m going to date myself with this revelation. The war was in some southeast Asian country. You know…Vietnam.

While in college studying for the ministry, I met some guys who were only at that college for one reason and probably one reason only: they wanted to avoid the war. You see, if you were studying at a Bible college for some type of ministry, you were exempt from military service. I was naive;I didn’t know that. I guess I lived in my own world and didn’t really know much about Vietnam. I knew of the protests and sit-ins. I knew of the songs (“Four Dead in Ohio” by C,S,N,Y is one that sticks out in particular). There was a day or two when I had trouble finding a job for the summer and my uncle took me to a recruiting station (not that he himself would go). Fortunately, the recruiter called my parents to tell them and they talked some sense into me. I wasn’t ready for the military, and wasn’t ready for Vietnam in any way, shape. or form. (Who was?). Anyway, I did find a job-one that reinforced my idea of my life’s vocation. For that, I am forever grateful to God.

Back to the students. Their reason for being at a Bible college had almost nothing to do with the “calling” they sensed on their life to spend it in ministry. And to make matters worse, when they did serve somewhere, their heart and reason were totally out of whack. I’m not judging; I’m stating a fact.

The reason or motive for doing something may be far more important than what is done.

Now, I’m not saying what is done is inconsequential. But when a person serves out of guilt or shame or a sense of obligation, joy disappears.  And where there is no joy in whatever one does, the task become mundane. Some people take great pride in what they do. Only that becomes the problem: pride. Not that we shouldn’t care about what we do and work at doing our best. But I’m talking here about having a servant’s heart. No task done because of the joy of service, but perhaps for the accolades or salve a hurting psyche.

Why do you do what you do? If you serve at a soup kitchen, for example. Why? If you help at a homeless shelter. Why? If you support a missionary. Why? If you preach or teach. Why?

Go ahead. Ask yourself that and then give an honest answer. If you deem the motive wrong, take steps to clarify in your own heart, why you do what you do. Then correct it.

September 27

Wednesday, September 27th, 2023

I took part in an intervention yesterday.

No…not the kind that confronts a family member or church member or a friend who needs help. You know…the one who is drinking too much, or is becoming (or is) addicted to drugs, or the one who is thinking of or has tried self-harm.

Not that kind. I serve as the chaplain for the Owen County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) and have since the new sheriff took over in January of 2023. I’m honored to do so. I’ve met some really cool men (sorry, there are no ladies at this point, although they would be welcomed). An intervention takes place after there has been a traumatic event take place involving deputies, first responders, fire personnel…public servants. Sheriff White will usually text me and say, “Bill, we need an intervention. Can we do it on such-and-such a day?”

We’ve had several-each one for a different reason. They are designed for the folks to talk, cry if they want, share their experience, vent, and allow them to heal. It allows me and others to speak life into each other, to facilitate a judgment-free space where honesty and openness are vital.

Sort of reminds me of what the church should be all about. Not necessarily a circle where people sit down and open up (although it could be that), but most definitely a judgment free zone where a person can be open and honest. It goes without saying that we all need each other and I have written about that in other devotions. But Paul’s words to the church in Corinth in I Corinthians 11 about the working of the body are so pertinent. We all need each other. When one hurts we all hurt; when one cries we all cry; when one laughs we all laugh with them.

When the church acts like the church should. we would be surprised at a difference we would make in the lives of others, and there is no telling what kind of healing, help and encouragement will come out of it.

But I’d sure like to see that!

September 6

Wednesday, September 6th, 2023

In any church, job, team, or group, there are (generally) two kinds of people: those who are productive and you want to be around, and those who are destructive and you should avoid being around.  Let’s take each group and give a scenario.

The church world. There are the productive-those who have bought into the mission and vision of the church and work toward helping it be fulfilled. They serve willingly, encourage frequently, and love always.  Those who are destructive undermine the mission and vision, harp constantly, gossip and spread harsh words indiscriminately.

The job world. Those who do their job, often going above and beyond. They encourage others and do their job with a solid desire to do their best in all things. The destructive counterpart sows discord, does only what is expected (and nothing more but often less), and refuses to help another.

The team world. There are those teammates whose sole goal is to boost the team, to see the team succeed, not caring who gets the credit or the points or the accolades. They might be a regular starter or the 6th man off the bench (Celtic player and Hall of Famer John Havlicek comes to mind).  There are, of course, those who are glory-hounds. They love and seek the applause, the approval, and the accolades. Oh yeah, the points also. They act as though they are a one-man team (no such animal).

The group world. There are those who encourage others, discussion, and hearing multiple viewpoints, keeping an open mind to the suggestions of others. There also those “group killers.” They want it quick, no discussion, often because their point of view is the only one worth considering.

There are more ways to “flesh out” the above four groups in this discussion. But I’ll let you do that.

My thoughts this morning were prompted by Paul’s words to Titus: “But avoid foolish controversies. genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.” (3:9-10) (ESV)  Sounds harsh but Paul knew what we know: “One bad apple spoils the whole bunch.”  Church. Job. Team. Group.

The questions comes down to this: which one are you? The one people enjoy having around or the one whom they wish would take their shtick somewhere else.