3 articles you should read
- The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on why people can’t stop playing addictive games.
- Brad Lomenick wrote a great piece on what poisons a team faster than anything else.
- The New York Times had an article last week about the ramifications of growing up in a digital world.
Ed Stetzer’s research on Transformational Churches
If you know the name Ed Statzer, you know he is a research and writing machine. He writes frequently on churches and leadership issues. I watched part of a video he recently did on Transformational Churches. The portion that I saw was excellent. Check it out [here] or stop by his blog [here].
let the remodeling begin!
announcement # 2
Arlene and I got the keys for our new (to us) house this week! We have been in there ripping out carpets, tearing down ceilings and cabinets this week.
Let me reiteratate that we are not leaving the Gospel Center. We have ministered at the Gospel Center for eight years now and are committed to the work more now, than ever. The past few years have been rough and we wondered at times if we would make it, but God has sustained us. The work isn’t completed at the Gospel Center. In fact, it’s just beginning.
Here are three of the reasons we are moving.
1. It will be a place of sanctuary for us. Somedays we have non-stop activity at our house/church from early morning to late evening. We love it, but it can be exhausting.
2. Equally important, it will help the Gospel Center to take the next step early next year towards the redemption project. This part of the vision has been simmering for years, and I can’t wait to see it take off!
3. We will also be able to open additional space upstairs for our growing teen class. Now we just need to figure out how to add space for our adult and kids services.
Really looking forward to the next phase of ministry at the Gospel Center. God has called us to redeem our community, one life at a time.
burnout
As I wrote in my engaged learning project, one of the things I learned about myself was that I was on the fast-track to ministry burnout. I read several books that were very beneficial in helping me ascertain this in my life. The primary book that I read was Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic by Anne Jackson. I thank God for Anne Jackson. Since then I have read her blog and she has written more great stuff along the lines of burnout, ministry and setting boundaries.
The dirty little secret is this, many pastors and church leaders either suffer from burnout or are on the road toward it. Growing up, I heard preachers that I admired say that one “must burnout for Jesus”. And I agreed, then, but not now. Jesus does not want us to be burned-out, our families need us to NOT BE burned out. When burnout happens, we are no longer as useful to the Kingdom of God as we need to be. We live on a culture that admires success over quality of life. Pastors are encouraged to work seven days a week, be connected at all times, leave their family on the sidelines. The result is usually disaster. Many pastors are quitting every month either because of moral failure, or burnout. This must stop.
I have an extra copy of this book and I want to give it to a pastor who feels that they are suffering from burnout or are quickly approaching it. OR you know a pastor who is “there” and you think this book would be of a help to them. Regardless, I do not want this book to simply sit on the shelf, I want it to help someone. Email me.
gang activity and the church
On July 19th, gangs and drugs were topics of interest at a local forum. There are certain gangs that are recruiting members from our local elementary and middle school students.
I am glad that our community is concerned about the increased gang activity. I am thrilled that there are new initiatives that have been started to help combat the problem. But I wonder what the church is going about it?
Several ways that we in the church-community can help:
- know the signs. Become a student of gang-related signs, insignias, clothing, numbers. Understand the reasons people join gangs.
- Develop an outlet for them. Sunday School just isn’t enough. They probably aren’t going to come. According to experts that I have talked with, individuals join gangs initially because they are looking for friends and fellowship and long for identity.
- Become a role model. Many gang members long for strong figures in their lives. Many grew up without a dad in their lives. They long for responsible people in their lives.
Since our arrival in Lebanon, Arlene and I have noticed the uptick in gangs. One of the reasons we started up7street was to help combat our section of the neighborhood from being as susceptible to gangs. We have had gang members attend up7street. We have teens and kids of ours right now that are being drawn into their folds. A few years ago I had a memorial service of a gang member that was shot and killed. The Gospel Center was FULL of rival gang members that night, many of them were packing weapons of all sorts. They had lookouts outside the Gospel Center and around the block.
We created a place for individuals to feel safe, whether they grew up in church, or are members of a gang. We have role models for them. up7street is based on a small-group model and we have our teens broken up into four groups that are led by by good role models. But there is still more that we can do.
What about you? What have you done or are you going to do to help with the problem of gangs in your area? Let me know! Together we can make a difference for our communities.
Sabbath – my engaged learning project
One of the classes that I took last year was Spiritual Formation in Ministry taught by Dr. Laurie Mellinger. It was a pretty intensive class with a ton of reading and writing (what a concept!). One of the major projects that we were to do was an engaged learning project. We were to take a spiritual discipline that we weren’t currently doing or had questions about and to do research as well as live that discipline out for a part of the semester.
After praying, I chose to do the Sabbath because I felt like I don’t know what keeping a Sabbath entailed for the life of a pastor. Sure, I honor Sunday, set aside that day as a holy day, but it isn’t a day of rest for me. Most weekends I preach three times and usually am exhausted come Monday morning just in time of another busy week.
Here is the engaged learning project report if you are interested in reading it. Please understand that it is an academic paper and it reflected my current understanding of what a Sabbath means to this pastor. [PDF]
housesofhopeforhaiti.com
Heard about this project this evening for the first time. They have partnered with the World Missions department of God’s Missionary Church. They are making pre-fabricated houses and shipping them to Haiti. The first seventeen houses that they are making will be given to God’s Missionary Church. The cost for these seventeen houses is $37,000. So far around $20,000 has been raised.
Go to www.housesofhopeforhaiti.com for more information or check them out on facebook.
eight years ago
Allow me to reminisce for just a moment 
Eight years ago today, June 11th, 2002, Arlene and I pulled into Lebanon Pennsylvania with her parents. It started to rain before we entered PA and continued until it was almost impossible to drive. Almost as soon as we arrived at 26 N. 7th St, it the rain ceased and the sun came out, much to our delight. Eager people helped unload our 26′ Penske truck that was packed to the max, and we made a home above our new church.
We were excited and anxious. Those two words are still ever-present as we start the next season of ministry at the Gospel Center. Arlene and I take personally the words of Samuel in 1 Samuel 7:12; “Hitherto hast the Lord helped us.”
We are moving
Yesterday Arlene and I completed the necessary paperwork and closed on our first-ever house. It is a small house just a few blocks away from the Gospel Center, and will need some TLC, but it is ours. In August, we will start fixing it up and we hope to move in sometime during the fall.
We are not leaving the Gospel Center. We have ministered at the Gospel Center for eight years now and are committed to the work even more now, than ever. The past few years have been rough and we wondered at times if we would make it, but God has sustained us. The work isn’t completed at the Gospel Center. In fact, it’s just beginning.
Here are two of the reasons we are moving.
1. It will be a place of sanctuary for us. Somedays we have non-stop activity at our house/church from early morning to late evening. We love it, but it can be exhausting.
2. Equally important, it will help the Gospel Center to take the next step early next year towards the redemption project. This part of the vision has been simmering for years, and I can’t wait to see it take off!
3. We will also be able to open additional space upstairs for our growing teen class. Now we just need to figure out how to add space for our adult and kids services.
Really looking forward to the next phase of ministry at the Gospel Center. God has called us to redeem our community, one life at a time.
