Lessons I am learning

As all of you know, planting a church is new to me.  And as I go down this road I believe I am learning a few things along the way.  So I though over the next few Blog’s I would share some of those lessons with you.  

Lesson #1: Some people are just not interested in what I am doing.

In my ministries in the past, I have always been surrounded immediately with church-goers.  They are my world when you first arrive on the scene of a new ministry.  They visit, they eat with you, have coffee, go to your meetings, and even laugh at your jokes.  Because you’re the new pastor you start on the softball team, get invited to all sorts of family activities, have numerous options for golf buddies, and people want to hear your story.

However, in church planting, you find a lot of people who have absolutely no interest in the church.  In fact, in Fernley we have found that the local church doesn’t have a great reputation in town.  I am not sure all of the bad press is warranted, but that is how many of the people feel.  So since they feel that way, they have no interest in a new church being planted somewhere in their town.  It is amazing how many conversations have stopped once the person asks me, “What brought you from Virginia to Fernley, Nevada?” and I tell them, “I am here to plant a new church.”  There has been no fanfare, no potlucks to welcome the new pastor in town, and no special meetings to hear about the vision God has laid on my heart for the church.  

I think people want to follow someone who is interested in them.  You see, I am not sure there are many people outside of God’s family who care about what God cares about until they are sure God cares about them.  I am finding that people have needs going unmet and God has put me and my family here to meet those needs.  Then and only then will they care about the vision of Journey.

Take care,

Rod

Trailer

Yesterday Gay and I drove over to the Napa Valley region and picked up a trailer full of church supplies and much needed items for starting a church.  It was an adventure for me.  I am not used to hauling a trailer and yesterday I got to do it in the driving rain and through the mountains all while being overwhelmed with allergies, sneezing and hacking all the way home.  I am glad the trip is over and we didn’t have any incidents.  Today we are going to go through all the stuff, take inventory, find out what we can use and what we still need.  It’s like Christmas!! I am sure we will find some good stuff waiting for us in all those plastic bins and cabinets.  To quote Forrest Gump “Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”  

All of this is just a microcosm of planting a church.  Doing things you have never done before while experiencing some opposition and trials.  But then at the end, you get to see what awaits you.  Some good and some not so good, but all in all, it’s worth the struggles.

Wow, I am not sure I should have gotten that out of a one day adventure with a trailer…take it easy Rod!

Take care,

Rod

GPS

I have a GPS system for my car.  I have GPS on my phone.  Now I want GPS for the golf course.  They have these real cool handheld GPS for golf courses.  It will tell you how far you are from the green, the pin, the pond, the trees or whatever.  It is really cool and I hope someday to find one laying in a fairway somewhere and have one because I know I can’t afford one.  So I will have to find one laying around somewhere…

But my point is that I like being led.  I like being warned about traffic, detours, sand traps, and trouble.  I like being told to turn right on Main Street and my destination is on the right or that the Par 3 is exactly 187 yards from where I am standing at the moment.  I like it because it eliminates trouble.  It lessens the chance of getting lost.  It lessens the chance of hitting the ball into the pond.  

I wish there was a GPS for planting a church.  It would be cool if I could point a GPS system out in Fernley and it would tell me where to plant the church, what to do, who to talk to, and what decisions to make.  But as I have found out, there is no GPS.  So many things that you do, you cringe as you do them.  You hope you don’t make a bad move, a poor decision, or miss a great opportunity.  

The answer?  God.  Simple I know, but the thing I need to remember that is that God is going to make this church successful, not me.  I can’t think so highly of myself that I believe I am going to make this church successful.  It is only God who will make this church successful.  I want Him to take the controls of Journey Community.  He will ensure success.

Now, I wish He would take the controls of my golf game too…

Take care,

Rod

Obsession for the Lost

I am at Exponential this weekend.  The title of the week is “The Art of Movement”.  The whole challenge given to us is not just to plan to plant a church, but rather start a movement.  It got me thinking about Journey and what we are called to do and to be.  I am determined to be a church that is about the kingdom.  I think the temptation might be to make Journey about Journey and I don’t want to get comfortable with being a church.  I don’t want to be measured by church attendance alone, or by offerings alone, or by being compared another church, to be confident on what God is doing.  If we are going to be successful, the measurement is going to be God’s standard, not yours or mine. 

In the movie the Guardian, the main character is played by Kevin Costner and he works for the coast guard rescue.  There is a young kid who is new on the force, I believe he is played by Ashton Kutcher, and he is gunning to be the best rescuer ever on the force.  There is a scene where the young kid asks Costner “What’s your number?”  He was wondering how many people Costner saved over the years.  Costner paused and said “22”.  Thinking for a moment, the young guy says, he had to have saved more than that, more than 22.  Costner then says “No, 22 is how many I lost. 22 people drowned.  That is the only number I ever kept.” 

I wonder what would happen if the church became obsessed with the number of lost people instead of how many people attended this week?  I hope I can keep that the priority of my life from this day forward.

Take care,

Rod 

The Masters

Did you watch the Masters this weekend?  What a great tournament!  I was rooting for Kenny Perry to win it.  Anybody who is my age and can hit the ball as long as those young bucks is a hero of mine.  Even after losing on the second playoff hole, he was a truly gracious man.  When they interviewed him afterward he talked about playing well and how proud he was of the winner, Angel Cabrera.    When he said that I thought “what a really nice guy”, so I instantly became of fan of Kenny Perry from Kentucky. There was no jealousy, no anger, no visible disappointment, just total graciousness out of the man because he recognized how hard it is to win the Masters and how well you have to play.

Gay and I have been visiting churches in the area and every time we meet the pastor they always ask “So what brought you from Washington DC to Fernley Nevada?  I must admit that I am a little nervous when I tell them I am out here to start a new church.  I don’t want them to think that I am there to steal their sheep or saying that they are not doing a good enough job so I am here to do a church right.  The reactions have been mixed but there have been two pastors that have been more than accommodating as we begin this adventure.  One in particular, Duane, had introduced me to the Rotary Club and his wife is the one who invited me to the Chamber of Commerce meeting this Wednesday.  He has been friendly and gracious in his approach with me. 

It’s all about the Kingdom, isn’t it?  I mean we do this to win people to Jesus, right?  Of course, I have thought about being the pastor of a large, mega church, with multiple staff, being on the speaker circuit, writing a few books, and making a name for myself.  But that is not what it’s about…it’s about the kingdom.  I appreciate guys like Duane who understands that too.

Take care,

Rod 

Opening Day

Opening Day of Baseball is one of the greatest days of the year.  It starts with fresh hope.  Last year’s disappointing season is a distant memory.  Now you got new players, a new energy, and renewed hope and confidence.  I love opening day. It’s like a fresh snow on Christmas.  You know how it’s so beautiful before it gets all messed up and slushy and dirty.  This is the year that my Reds are going to win the World Series.  Before you laugh at me, understand that as of today, they are tied for first place.   Anything is possible on opening day.

I think all of us need an opening day every once in a while.  You know, a time where our lives have a new chance to make a difference or to make an impact or to reach new goals.  Sometimes we need a time where everything is possible again. 

I am learning to hang on to the opening day we are experiencing right now.  When I think about our launch of Journey Community Church I get pretty pumped.  I mean, imagine a church without a political struggle.  Imagine a church without worn out traditions and sacred cows.  Imagine a church that truly exists to reach out to others in the name and love of Christ to see the broken healed and the hurting comforted.  I love opening day.  I am going to enjoy this time because…well, let’s not even think about it.

Play ball!!!!!

Rod

Overwhelming

Have you ever felt like you were drinking out of a fire hydrant?  I mean overwhelmed and under prepared…that’s the feeling I have had recently.  The challenges of the day sometimes pile on don’t they?  What do you do to deal with it?  How do you dig out of it?

I remember a time when I was working with BT Office in Aurora Colorado and our Divisional President was about to be fired and I was the only person besides our corporate office who knew about it.  I knew when it happened I was going to be promoted and was going to have to make a lot of tough decisions involving personnel and changing the way we did business.  I also knew when it was announced there was going to be a big “backlash” of employees and probably customers.  I began to feel overwhelmed at all the responsibility I was about to take on in the climate I was about to inherit.  Panic and frustration began to set in.  I called my former boss and explained what I was facing and what I was feeling.  She gave me this advice: “When the going gets tough and you feel like you are swimming upstream without a map, put your head down and work like you have never worked before.” 

It was good advice.  Advice I am remembering and following even today, 13 years later, in a totally different environment.  It worked then and I hope it works this time too.

Take care,

Rod