Pastor Appreciation Month

It's Pastor Appreciation Month.  Yea, I know, I'm a Pastor, I probably shouldn't be writing about this.  But...I am.  It feels a little weird but I am asking you to hear me out.
Up until two years ago, I didn't really know that October was Pastor Appreciation month.  I won a year free Chiropractic care because a Dr. here in Fernley did a contest of people to nominate their pastor.  I won and when I asked why they were doing this they told me it was Pastor Appreciation month.  I never knew we got a whole month!
I remember playing in a golf tournament in Orlando Florida at a really, really nice golf course because a guy a few years before wanted to show his appreciation to his Pastor.  So year after year he put together this golf tournament.  Nice course, nice meal, nice door prizes, and a nice time.  I met the guy, talked to him for about 30 minutes and walked away thinking "Wow, if everybody thought like he did, this would be the best job in the world!"
Actually, it is a very nice thing to do.  I really appreciate the appreciation!  But the truth is that anybody, anywhere, doing any job appreciates appreciation.  Who wouldn't?  We like to know that someone, somewhere out there, recognizes what we do and why we do it.
I read articles about how we Pastors ought not to expect any appreciation and should be fulfilled by just simply knowing that God is pleased with me.  That's true and I understand what they are saying, but I got to be transparent, that is really hard!
Don't get me wrong.  I love the Lord and I can't believe He would use me, but He does!  I am thankful for that.  I love my job...most of the time.  I love being able to reach into people's life and see victory come to people's life.  Good stuff.  That in itself is appreciation.  But...I DO love it when people tell me how I affected their life. How, maybe, I made a little difference in their family or relationship with their spouse or co-workers.  I like to get an anonymous note left on my desk, saying "Thank you for all you do!"  I got to tell you, I love that stuff.
Over the years, I got a lot of cards from people in the church.  I have kept them all.  I wish I would have printed off the emails I have received as well.  Because to be truthful, email is replacing Hallmark.
So what is my point?  I think all of us can be more appreciative of people around us.  I know I can show more appreciation to a lot of people from my wife to those who serve the community to those who try to  make my day a little better by simple service.
To be perfectly transparent, it is a little weird having an appreciation month for something I love doing and feel divinely compelled and called to do it.  I don't think Pastor's need a month...I think they need a note, a hug, a word of encouragement.
Just like anyone else...we ALL need that sometimes, don't we?
So let me start this:
I want to say thank you to my wife who holds our house together.  Who has to put up with a lot being a Pastor's wife.  Who loves me in spite of me.  Thank you Gay for all you do, especially for me.
I want to say thank you to so many who serve at Journey in volunteer form.  Tim who does the behind the scene stuff.  Kevin who serves quietly.  Walt who helps people to experience God's work in Mexico.  Small group leaders and hosts.  Youth leaders.  My sound booth team!  The praise band...all of you are awesome.  Thanks to my leaders who support the kingdom work of the church.
I want to say thank you to the men and women of the North Lyon County Fire Department and the Lyon County Sheriff's department for the protection they provide me and my family every day!
I know I could appreciate people more and truth be told, so could you.  So what do you say?  Maybe we could start appreciating people today.
We should start calling it just simply "Appreciation Month".
Take care,
Rod

Obedience...ugh

I have a new puppy in the house.  Her name is Belle.  Belle is a Chocolate Labrador Retriever.  She is a beauty.  She keeps me entertained by her pure joy and excitement over the smallest of things.  When I come in the door, her tail starts going so hard that her butt wags too!  I really love Belle and I love almost everything about her.  Notice I said "almost everything"...
After having my Yellow Labrador, Lady for 13+ years, it is rather hard to deal with some of the stuff Belle tends to do.  Lady was always very obedient, heeded commands (until she got old, then she was just cranky), didn't chew on stuff she wasn't supposed to chew on and basically could be trusted in the house alone when you were gone for a few hours.  She was a great dog who I miss very much.
Belle, I love her, but man she is not very obedient.  And let's face it, a dog can be cute, smart, and funny, BUT if she is not obedient, she is not a very pleasing dog.  I love Belle, but she drives me crazy because sometimes she is just not very obedient yet.  When she doesn't obey, all that cuteness disappears and I only see rebellion!  I am not a big fan of rebellion.
It's not unlike us with our relationship with God.  God is not a big fan of rebellion either.  Now don't get me wrong. God loves us, He adores us, I think we sometimes make God laugh.  But God wants more than us just looking good, doing some good stuff every once in a while, and entertaining Him.  He wants obedience.  When we don't live obedient lives, we live rebellious lives.  Rebelling against God.
1 Samuel 15:22 But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
Make no mistake, God loves you.  He is so glad you are happy and enjoying life!  But His greatest desire is for you to be happy and enjoying life while offering Him your obedience to His will and way.
Take care,
Rod

Replacement Refs...and grace

I am a fan of the NFL.  I like to watch football.  If you know me you know that I am a Minnesota Viking fan.  This past Sunday my Vikes played the San Francisco 49ers.  Toward the end of the game there were a few plays where the officials gave the 49ers extra timeouts and extra challenges which led to some pretty exasperating calls going against Minnesota.  However, it didn't cost them the game.  The Vikings won 24-13.
Last night the Seahawks played the Packers.  Now if your a Viking fan your mortal enemy is the Packers.  I always like it when the Packers lose.  They lost last night on a last second hail mary pass by the Seahawks.  Now if you watched the game, even if you are a Seattle fan, you KNOW that the receiver pushed a defender down (offensive pass interference) and that that same receiver did not catch the ball, instead it was clearly intercepted by a defender on the Green Bay Packers.
Usually, I would have been very happy for the completion and the loss by the Packers except that it was a bad call.  Let me rephrase that, a REALLY bad call.  It was blatantly obvious that the refs got the call wrong and that they blew the game and that the Packers got ripped off.  This season has been full of these bad calls but none probably as bad as that one last night and none that cost a team probably as much as it did the Packers last night.
I don't think the replacement refs are up to the challenge of the NFL.  Nothing against them personally, I just think the speed of the players and the game is too much for them.  I wish the NFL and the regular refs would settle their dispute so we could get back to the NFL we are used to.  The one where the refs are only bad instead of REALLY bad like we have now.
But truthfully, the replacement guys are trying.  They are trying to get better.  They are trying to catch up.  I mean it can't be easy trying to call a holding penalty on the offensive lineman and that 6'5" tall, 350 pound lineman is standing right by you screaming and cussing.  I don't like the results but I do understand the difficulty that the refs are having.  There is a reason they are "replacement" refs.  They didn't have what it took to begin with to make the NFL.  Why are we just now screaming at them to get the calls right?  Did we think that all of a sudden they would be perfect?  Did we think that something miraculous would happen once they got that NFL logo on their shirt?
Grace is the call.  Cut them some slack.  They are bad no doubt.  But give them a break.  They were thrown into the fray and told to do their best.  Not a whole lot of preparation or training...just get in there and try not to screw up too badly.
Kind of like being a Christ-follower.  We come to Christ and now we are trying our best to do our best.  We screw up, mess up, and sometimes we mess up REALLY bad.  Thank God that He is not as critical of us as many of us are with the replacement refs!  Thank God for grace.
Take care,
Rod

9-11

What can you say that hasn't already been said? The thoughts, prayers, and feelings of the people of America have been expressed over and over again on TV, bumperstickers, Social Media Sites, and in many blogs and articles on the internet.
I know there is nothing that I could write that would make people go "WOW! I never thought or heard of that before!"
So why write about it? Because there is something inside me that says we're supposed to. We're supposed to proclaim our American Pride right now aren't we? We supposed to wave a flag and bow our heads today aren't we? I mean what kind of country would we be if we didn't?
I like it when I see pictures of the World Trade Centers draped in the American flag. I like remembering the day Americans came together, no matter the color of their skin, their economic status or what party they voted for. For that time, in this country, we came together, united and full of purpose and pride.
We learned that day that our freedom is fragile, and there will always be those who seek to destroy it. We learned that our country was not immune to terrorists and that we will always need to be vigilant in protecting our borders and our people.
So what should our attitude be today, here and now, 11 years after the attack? Should we continue to walk around in our American swagger and pride thinking of how great we are and how dare anyone to think they can hurt us? Should we walk with anger and never forgive those who perpetrated this atrocity on our soil?
I saw today many posts on a social media website that reflected many viewpoints. One of them said something like "never forgive, never forget". Something inside me cringed a little. I remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
So today, I pray for those who had loved ones tragically taken away from them that day. I pray for those families who suffered immeasurable loss and pain. I don't know how you ever get over something like that. But I know that God sees their tears, hears their cries, and feels their pain. God weeps for them.

But according to God's word, I am also to pray for my enemies.  Those terrorists who wish to destroy me and my beliefs.  I pray for them.  I pray that God will stop them from their hatred and their false beliefs.  I pray that their hearts will find the love of Christ.  I pray for this violence to end and Jesus to come back.  I pray for their souls.  

That's hard, especially on a day like today.  But it is what God wants and commands of me.  

Take care,

Rod

Serving the Community

On September 15 we are having a "Serve Fernley" day.  That is simply where we get out and serve the community of Fernley.  We give out free, ice cold bottles of water, wash cars, recognize our law enforcement and fire protection people, do a work project at a local elementary school and generally try to be a blessing in someone's life.
We do this and we have a couple rules.
1. Smile.  People need others to smile at them so it will help make them smile.
2. We DO NOT mention Journey.  This IS NOT about getting people to come to our church or to think our church is so special.  Nope, we just want to bless some people's day.  That is our sole motivation.
3. People will offer you money for the car wash or bottle of water...DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, TAKE THAT MONEY!  If they feel like they need to give back, tell them to go bless someone's life.
4. Be prepared to be blessed.  I know that this is a nice thing to do for the community...but it is amazing how God blesses your soul on a "Serve Fernley" day.

I hope that other churches will join us someday.  I would love to have 3 or 4 churches doing this together.  Not to gain members but to bless people...that is it.

Take care,
Rod

Don't take things so personal

In my 30+ years of adult life I have worked in both the "church" world in full time ministry and in the "secular" world in sales and management.  I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of both scenes.
I will not bore you with the secular world too much.  Suffice it to say there are people who need Jesus and business practices that need to be changed.
One of the practices that took place in my mind as I would sit in board rooms and discuss marketing, sales and profit and loss was that I would often think: "Man if the church would do things this way we would get a lot more accomplished for the kingdom."  or "If we would do what the church does in these type of situations, we would be much more successful."  There were things in both worlds that could be used in the other world to be more effective.
But truthfully, there was a lot of conflict in the world of business.  We had a lot of disagreement and arguments over ways of doing things and expectations of the results.  But the thing I liked about business was that business was not personal.  We could sit in a conference room and have intense disagreement but afterward be standing on the first tee box laughing together.  Why? Because if you are going to get anything accomplished in business, you can't take things personally.  You have to move on.
Well, I'm not sitting in those board rooms anymore.  Being in full time ministry I now discuss things like worship, outreach, budgets, and the like.  When I sit down with others now, it's usually about marriages, addictions, or salvation.  I think the church has the "leg-up" on the business world on many facets of life.  We care about the individual often more than the results.  I like that.  The Spirit is prevalent and active in the life of the church.
But there is one thing I think the church could really improve on.  We take ourselves WAY TOO seriously.  We get offended and take so many things so personal it hinders and even stops what we are supposed to be about.  Glorifying God and Kingdom building.  Why do we get so offended so easily in the church?  Then we have even rationalized it and made it a spiritual responsibility.  We walk on eggshells in the church because Joe or Mabel (names have been changed to protect the innocent, if your name is Joe or Mabel its merely a coincidence) get so offended so easily.  I am amazed at people who are supposed to be so like minded instead are so stinkin' sensitive.
My suggestion: Relax!  Chill!  Quit taking yourself so seriously!  It's okay, we are going to be alright!  Let's start living the way we are supposed to live.  Let's stop getting so easily ticked off and burnt.  Stop putting that responsibility on everyone else in our lives and start taking responsibility to be loving, forgiving and relaxed.  Don't take things so personal.  It's okay to disagree but I am not sure it's okay to be disagreeable.
I have learned a few things in my years in ministry and one thing I for sure have learned is that I am going to do things that some just won't like.  I don't mean anything personal by it.  And guess what?  Some people in the church where I serve do things I don't like.  I can't take that personal.
Let's stop being so touchy that we think we are untouchable.
Ephesians 4:2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. ³ Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. ⁴ For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. ⁵ There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.
RELAX!
Take care,
Rod

When faith and fears collide

There are times in our walk of faith in Christ that it seems like faith and fears collide head on.  I have experienced this on numerous occasions as a Pastor and as a Person of Faith.  
I have heard a Doctors diagnosis and the future did not seem long for someone.  It was right then that my faith and my fears collided.  Now understand, fears can be good,  I believe that fears can help you through perilous times.  Fears can be there as guardrails to our behavior and decision making process.  But here's the key point: They are "guard" rails not "guide" rails.
When I have fears in leading a church or in my own personal life,  I understand then and there, that the only way to deal with my fear is with my faith.  If I allow fear to go unchecked by my faith, fear takes over.  And you know what I found out about fear?  Fear is a bully.  When we are GUIDED by fear, we pray without faith, we worship without awe, we serve without joy, we suffer without hope, and the result is a life of stagnation and no vision.  Fear causes us to withhold and not be a generous giver.  It causes us to trust only in what we see and not in God's promises.  When we fear, we have an inability to persevere and see it through.

Fear is a big bully.  It pushes us around, tells us how to act, how to live and what we can and cannot do.  I find that many people choose to live in fear.  Many churches do too.  

When a church is GUIDED by fear instead of GUARDED by fear it shrinks back.  In fact, it shrinks God.  We start living and worshiping a small, unattached, inept God.  
Fear is good when placed and used in right way.  Fear is never to guide our paths.  It is only serving to God's will when it guards us from foolishness.   

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. 2 Timothy 1: 7

In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear). Ephesians 3: 12

So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me? Hebrews 13: 6

Take care,
Rod