Pastor's Confession time

Confession time:
I have always hoped to be a Pastor of a large church, popular among pastor circles, maybe write a book or two, have some speaking engagements, and overall be a guy other pastors look up too.
There, is that self-centered enough for you?
I am not proud of admitting that, but it was the truth.  Key word: "was".  I wanted all of that, but that never materialized or happened for me.  I know the reasons.
Here's why: God couldn't honor my selfish, prideful heart.  Plain and simple.
I pursued the things of my heart and not the things of God's heart.  Now let me tell you, there are A LOT of good, godly men who have and do all those things I wanted and it is BECAUSE they are seeking the heart of God that they get to preach and lead in those venues I once desired.  But for me, I did ministry out of the heart of selfish pursuits.
Today, my desire is to serve.  I want simply to hear the will of God and do it.  That's it.  I want to serve Fernley Nevada with a heart of Christ and a desire to help others fall in love with Him.  Not fall in love with me, not fall in love with Journey, but fall in love with Jesus.
The pride that ruled my heart for years still fights and argues with me everyday.  I have to submit my will to God, surrender my pride to God, and supply for the things of God in order to stay on the simple road of hearing God's will and doing it.
I dream of a church that does the same.  I dream of leading people to follow Christ into service and battle. I dream of people that simply want to serve however Christ would call them to serve.  People who will submit and surrender to God's will.  I dream of a church that serves the community with gladness and a passion.  I dream of a church that gives generously to the work of the church and the needs of others.  I dream of a church that volunteers in the community in order to bring light into the dark places of Fernley.
And as for me, well I want to serve alongside them.  Doing the will of the Father.  That's it.
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.  Confession is good for the soul.
Take care,
Rod

Summer Break

Well school is out this week and we start our Summer Break here in Fernley.  I love my summer break.  I always take the month of July off as a sabbatical and use it to refresh, travel, read and plan.  It is important to do that periodically.
Breaks are good.  It changes things up, recharges the batteries, and can give us some time to reflect as well as look ahead with anticipation.  I like to take breaks.
There is one thing that troubles me though.  Many take their summer breaks and they take their break from work, school, daily routines and unfortunately church.  Of course, you know what I am going to say, it's not healthy to take time away from the church too often.  Especially the whole summer.  When we get away from the church we miss out on so much God has in store for our lives.  Church should help us in our refreshing.  It should contribute to our rest.  God wants you to rest, He expects you to rest, but He can help you rest through worship, fellowship and time in the word.
There are other reasons that we should not forsake the assembly of ourselves together...(Hebrews 10:25).  It can teach our children that church is an elective to our christian walk.  If its convenient then we go, but there are other things equally or even more important, such as trips to the lake, little league, or even lazy Sunday Mornings.  Making God's time elective time is a dangerous and damaging habit to the faith of our children as well as our own walk.
Another reason is that the church still has to go on, even during the summer months.  We still serve, still have need of nursery help, someone to work with the kids, and other ministries.  We also still have expenses.  While people may take a break; rent, utilities and salaries must go on!  So our expenses don't change during this summer break!  Often when people choose not to attend church for a while, they also choose not to tithe and give for a while.
So this summer, I want to encourage you to take your breaks, but don't break from the fellowship of God's church.  If you are traveling then visit a church in the area you are staying.  See what's out there.  Perhaps you will see or hear something that can help out your local church.  Or perhaps it will even make you appreciate your local church more.
I got to go...it's break time!
Take care,
Rod

Waiting on the Lord

I hate waiting.  I really do.  If I have a slow foursome playing in front of me at the Golf course, I get impatient and I want to hit one at them.  (I don't, but I want to).  If I have to wait in traffic I get frustrated.  Long lines at WalMart drive me crazy.  If I have to wait on my computer to process over 3 seconds, I get frustrated. I am NOT a patient man.  I admit it.
Now, with that being said I also know that God often requires us to wait upon Him.

Psalm 5:2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
    for I pray to no one but you.
3 Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
    Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

Psalm 27:13 Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
    while I am here in the land of the living.
14 Wait patiently for the Lord.
    Be brave and courageous.
    Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Psalm 62:5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
    for my hope is in him.

All good verses and certainly show that God often expects us to wait FOR Him.
So what do we do when we are waiting and the answers aren't coming?  What do we do when the pressures mount and it seems like we aren't hearing anything?

I have been searching this out recently because I am in a season of waiting upon the Lord.  I struggle with this and I want to know what it is He wants from me and I want to know now!  But God is asking me to be patient and wait.  So here is what I am learning.  I am learning that He knows me better than I know myself. He knows what I need and the desires of my heart. I can be rest assured that God loves me and He has my best interest at heart. I need to be patient as I wait on the Lord, the everlasting God. I need to be at peace and let my strength renew.


Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.


So you see God knows and I do not.  He hasn't lost sight of me or forgotten about me.  He is wanting me to trust Him and His lovingkindness.  He wants me to stop trying to figure it out and just sit tight and BELIEVE in Him.  So I wait and I trust.

Proverb 3:5,6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

So, no real revelation here...wait and trust, wait and trust, wait and trust.  This is what I must do. Why? Because I got nothing.  I got no answers.  BUT, I know who does.  So I wait and trust.
Take care,
Rod

I hate complaining...

I love the town I live in, I really do.  Fernley Nevada is a town about 35 miles outside Reno and it has it's own flavor.  When my family visited from back east they all commented on how friendly Fernley was to them.  My wife and I like it here as well.  The air is clean, the mountains that surround us have a beauty that inspires at times.  The dry climate is awesome and the weather is sunny most of the year.  I like it here in Fernley Nevada.  In fact, I wouldn't change much...not much...but I would change something if I could.
Fernley Nevada has an amazing propensity for complaining.  This town complains a lot.  I hear it about city council, our mayor, our fire chief, our sheriff, our schools, our churches, our Wal-Mart, our restaurants, our golf course, and I am sure they complain about me too. (Especially, if anyone from the town reads this blog).
Well, I want to do some complaining myself.  I want to complain about complainers!
It is so easy to complain.  There are people who think it is their spiritual gift to complain.  They think they are somehow contributing to society when they sit back in their chairs and type away on their computers on social websites and complain.  They write anonymous letters and think they are helping or doing their part all the while claiming "It's their God-given right!"  
Well I got news for complainers.  God doesn't like complaining.  Philippians 2:14 Do everything without complaining and arguing.  Complaining destroys testimony. It does nothing to build up, it only tears down.  Complaining is for lazy people.  They want to gripe without doing anything.  Complainers only break down and never restore the broken.
I don't want to complain anymore UNLESS I am willing to do something about it.  To HELP change things for the better.  If I can't get off my rear end and help out then I need to shut up!
I don't like what our government is doing at times but you could never get me to run for office and do that thankless job.  I don't always agree with our local authorities, but I won't sit back and criticize them for the job they are doing unless not only that I think I could do it better, but also that I would be willing to do it!  
Let's stop complaining so much and try encouraging and praying for those in positions of authority.  It will help...
Whew...I'm done complaining now.
Thanks for listening.
Take care,
Rod

Act of Valor

Probably the most popular movie in the theater's right now is "Act of Valor" starring some active Navy seals. I went to see it yesterday with some friends and I thoroughly enjoyed the action, bravery, teamwork and the sacrifice depicted in this film. I saw men who love their country, love their families, love their team, and love being a Navy seal.

I promise not to give away the movie, but it starts out with a man talking and quoting his father or grandfather and saying the worst part of getting old is that men don't think your dangerous anymore... or at least it was something close to that.

I liked that quote because I think there is a real need for dangerous men today. Now I don't mean we all need to become Navy seals. I am sure those days are not in my future and I am pretty sure they would not have been in my past either...those are some tough men! But without being a Navy seal and staying within the confines of the law, it is still possible for men to be dangerous out there today. I think God loves the dangerous man. He loves the guy who would storm the gates of hell with a squirt gun! God is not safe and I don't think He calls us to be safe. He wants us to be dangerous for the cause of Christ. I liked these Navy seals and how they stayed on mission, never deviating, never complaining, and never faltering. Even when they are met with great opposition and danger they never wavered in their mission. Now it is important to understand that these men were not fearless. They had fears. They feared not seeing their family again when they left on a mission. They feared not the enemy, but what the enemy would be able to do if they, the seals, did not accomplish their mission's goals.

We need some dangerous men in the leadership of today's church. We need men who are more concerned with the things of God than they are the things of men. We need men to fear what would happen if the church fails to accomplish their calling, their mission in this lost world. I want to see Journey be a church that stares down the enemy and knows that we must accomplish what God has called us to do here in Fernley. I pray that every day our resolve will be stronger, or vision clearer, and our faith will be tested so that we will grow into a church that can be counted on in the kingdom of God.

I read this quote a long time ago and have loved it ever since: It is by Dr. Bob Moorehead

I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit
Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has
been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow
down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense,
and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight
walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions,
mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or
popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised,
regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by
patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my
way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted,
or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the
presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the
pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of
mediocrity.

I won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed
up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a
disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop,
preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My
colors will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the
power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.." (Romans 1:16)

Take care,

Rod

Big things require a Big God and some Big faith

As most, if not all of you know, I and my family have planted a church, called Journey Community in Fernley, Nevada.  If you know that, then you probably also know, that I didn't necessarily WANT to plant a church in Fernley, Nevada.  In fact, I didn't want to plant a church at all.  I was hoping to go to an established church, follow an established pastor, and do the established things a pastor does along with a little flavor of my own to make it a new and exciting place to worship.  Sounds reasonable and sounds familiar at the same time.  But for some reason God had other plans.
Now let me say this before we go any further: I DO NOT THINK THAT PLANTING A CHURCH HAS SOME SPECIAL DISPENSATION FROM GOD THAT ESTABLISHED CHURCHES DO NOT HAVE.  I do not think if you plant a church you are anything special and I cringe at the times that I read articles that make church planters something special and unique.  I do not think God smiles upon the church planter and tolerates the guy who takes over an established pulpit.
So God had other plans for me that was different than the plan I had been hoping for in my life.  And over these past three years God has shown me that some Big things require a Big God and some Big faith.  And God has shown me that time and time again.  I am thankful that He said no to my plans and moved me into His plan.  It has been a good learning experience for me and it continues to be something I am learning everyday.
Now we are at a time in the life of Journey Community where we need to hire an additional staff member.  Not because we aren't growing or doing some good things.  But because God has laid upon us a new ministry call to Fernley.  He has called us to reach into the community of 18 - 28 year olds with the gospel in a different kind of way.  It is a unique ministry that I do not believe I would reach effectively.  So I believe we are being called to step out on this and hire a man who has this call on his life.  We have found that man, actually God showed him to us, and we want to hire him.  This has potential to be a big thing here in Fernley and bring a lot of people into a relationship with Jesus.  We already know we have a big God.  So what it takes from us is some BIG FAITH.  
So what does it take to have BIG FAITH? Well first of all let me say that the true quality of my faith depends on the object of my faith. My faith may be small or weak, but my God is big and strong.  Daily, we must remind ourselves that our faith does not depend on the feelings of the situation or the circumstances that surround us. Those things always change. Remember: Feelings and Circumstances can be great servants in my faith, but they make lousy masters of my faith.  Our faith must be grounded in the Person of God. Who He is and what He does. What matters most is not the size of our faith but the size of our God. 
Ephesians 3:20-21 (ESV)"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
So, we are going to step out in faith, not faith in ourselves, but faith in God and hire this guy and his family.  But it is also going to require us to step up and step out when it comes to finances, prayer support, and changing the way we currently do things at Journey in order to faithfully do the call that God has laid upon our hearts here.  We need to give, serve, pray and fast more often, with more intensity, and with more surrender than ever before.  Lives are at stake, we are called, and the mission is clear.  Here we go.
So I am asking you to give more, serve more, pray more and fast more for the kingdom work God has called us to, here in Fernley NV.  
I am excited because we are being called to BIG things with our BIG God and I am ready to step out with some BIG faith.  Are you?
Take care,
Rod

I am NOT great...I've got to deal with it.

As a young boy I, like a lot of young kids, wanted to play major league baseball. I played a lot of baseball, small time college ball, but never major leagues. Not even close. I wasn't good enough.

As a pastor, I wanted to be the lead guy at a church of thousands, write books, and be on the speaking circuit. I wanted to travel, be asked my thoughts on today's issues, be sought after for advice, and generally...well, rock in the ministry world!! I've preached a lot of sermons, READ a lot of books, but I am not a speaker in demand, haven't served on councils trying to solve the issues of the day, and have not travelled by request, in order to impart my wisdom. I have friends who have done all these things. Yet, I have not.

Over the years, I have asked God "Why not?" or "What is wrong with me that you can't use me in this way?" God is often silent but sometimes He does talk to me in a small voice, barely audible, but always very clear. He simply says "I am calling you to be faithful, not great."

I admire men and women God is using in those ways of being on demand for speaking, writing books, and basically being quoted on all the issues that Christ-followers, churches, and leaders face each day. I do admire them because I read their stuff, listen to their podcasts, and ponder their ideas. I like their challenges to my soul and my way of doing things. I like their creativity, introspection and their what seems to me to be deep commitment to the will and way of God.

Now, I think, hasn't God called me to do the same? Not write the books apparently, or speak to thousands, or travel the globe to share the message, but to be faithful and follow God with a deep commitment of my own? You see, God doesn't all of us to be great, but He does call all of us to be faithful. Faithful in the pursuit of righteousness and the desire for holiness in our lives. He calls us to be faithful to the commands and precepts of the Word.

I admire the Mark Driscoll's and Craig Groeschell's in today's ministry. I really do. I think they are faithful men with a high calling. I like their willingness to face down the tough issues of the church and ministry. They do it on the local level, the national level, and the international level. Pretty impressive to say the least. But not because they are so great, but because God is so great and He will use these guys in this way. It's pretty cool to hear their background, their testimony and their heart's desire.

Unlike my dream of being a major league baseball player, it does not matter how talented I am...it only matters how faithful I am.

2 Chronicles 16:9a The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

I want to be found faithful, great in my faithfulness to Him. How about you?

Take care,

Rod