Gal 6:1
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Some of you may have seen a video I posted a couple
of weeks ago about a song called "Healer" performed
by Hillsong United and writer Mike Guglielmucci.
The song itself, is a beautifully written song that
cries out to God "I believe, you're my healer."
I recall seeing the video, or links, on my friends
blogs talking about how they believed this song
was a wonderfully divine gift from God that is
being used in an enormous was.
Mike wrote the song about his 2 year long battle
with cancer, stating in the video about how when
he found out he immediately went home, sat behind
a piano, and starting worshipping and it was right
there the song was written beginning to end.
I don't want to make this into a big deal, as
many others seem to be doing right now. With
that being said, for those of you whom do not
know yet, Mike has confessed to his story being
fraudulent.
I wont go into details, but for those of you
wishing to seek further truth about the situation
you can read the story here.
For those of you whom desire to read his official
statement click here.
When I read it, it did not shock me or anger
me; rather, it reminded me of how human we all
really are. It also does not surprise me
because Satan is vicious, and whether or not
he is using his addiction to pornography as
a crutch I do not know but I know how Satan
works. People often wonder why men in churches,
maybe even a figure in the church i.e. a pastor
or an influential evangelist, why these men
they fall so hard sometimes. I do not believe
it is weakness or strength alone that can save
us or condemn us, rather something far greater
is at work in which we can not see.
There is a spiritual realm that encompasses
us everyday, if we could only see! Satan goes
after those whom are the greatest threat to
him and his cause. This is why I believe it's
so important to remember that though these
people may fall, the strength it has taken
to be honest when you know you've done
something horrible is nothing short of a
miracle. With that, I can only ask this, do
not point your finger. Do not think for a
second you are good enough to throw stones
at this man when you've got sins of your
own to deal with.
I must admit, when I read this story I thought to
myself, how am I much different?
I write songs, and write words to praise my God
and the high heavens, and sometimes I do it fully
immersed in sin; so how am I different?
The answer is, I am not.
The difference is, I haven't had far to fall yet.
And the beauty of it all, throughout this
entire story is this.
God is still our Healer.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Leaders Anonymous.
Taken from Ben Arment of Catalyst.
Neutered By The Church
It's no wonder there are more and more high-caliber leaders who
aren't serving in the church. Many of them are the best in the world
at what they do, but they've essentially been neutered by the church.
No one is telling them "We need what only you can do." No one is
coming after them. Church leaders aren't stepping aside to accommodate them.
And that's a shame.
Attracting High-Capacity Leaders
"High capacity leaders want to be invited to serve. It's not a pride-thing;
they just don't know where to plug-in. So we invited 10 of them to a
breakfast at the Marriott Hotel. We reserved a private dining room,
wore our suits, prepared a formal presentation on Power Point and in
print, and cast big vision to them. In essence... we spoke their language.
I can't tell you how much that meeting impacted our church. These
leaders felt included. They bought-in. And it wasn't about giving
them special treatment - they were the marginalized members
of our community.
It was about laying down our pride to let gifted leaders lead."
The Stuff Legends Are Made Of
"Church planters are notorious for thinking that a great dream + hard work
+ insight = a thriving church. But church planters fail all the time with
this formula.
What's missing is spiritual fertility. Every area has an established
degree of receptivity to the Gospel, which can make or break a
chruch plant before it ever gets off the ground. I'm not saying
we shouldn't plant churches in difficult areas. I'm saying that in
these cases, we should change our primary activity from planting
an organization to cultivating relationships."
Attracting High-Caliber Leaders To Your Church
1. Have big vision. Leaders are too busy for small vision.
The greeter ministry might have a need, but think about their
sense of significance. Does the church's activity feel like kindergarten
to them?
2. Help them know where to start. Many leaders don't know
where to step in. The church feels uber spiritual with no practical
footholds for involvement. We have to tell them how and why they're
needed.
3. Create leadership roles that don't require spiritual qualifications.
A lot of ministry doesn't require the pope's sign-off. If they're not
Bible scholars, don't write them off. You need help with marketing
strategies, development issues, church systems. You need help in
areas you don't know you need help in. Let them poke around.
4. Don't be intimidated. They're not going to commandeer
the church from you. They'll be more sensitive to your spiritual
leadership than you realize. They'll come behind you and support you.
5. Make the ask. A leader wants to be asked.
Pastors assume they're too busy to help. But they're like the pretty
girl in high school no one asks to the dance because everyone
assumes she's got a date.
6. Hang out, but don't have meetings. Leaders abhor meetings.
They have too many of them. Plus, they're used to driving them.
And much better than we are. We like meetings because they
make us feel productive. But these folks don't want to spend
weekends theorizing.
Neutered By The Church
It's no wonder there are more and more high-caliber leaders who
aren't serving in the church. Many of them are the best in the world
at what they do, but they've essentially been neutered by the church.
No one is telling them "We need what only you can do." No one is
coming after them. Church leaders aren't stepping aside to accommodate them.
And that's a shame.
Attracting High-Capacity Leaders
"High capacity leaders want to be invited to serve. It's not a pride-thing;
they just don't know where to plug-in. So we invited 10 of them to a
breakfast at the Marriott Hotel. We reserved a private dining room,
wore our suits, prepared a formal presentation on Power Point and in
print, and cast big vision to them. In essence... we spoke their language.
I can't tell you how much that meeting impacted our church. These
leaders felt included. They bought-in. And it wasn't about giving
them special treatment - they were the marginalized members
of our community.
It was about laying down our pride to let gifted leaders lead."
The Stuff Legends Are Made Of
"Church planters are notorious for thinking that a great dream + hard work
+ insight = a thriving church. But church planters fail all the time with
this formula.
What's missing is spiritual fertility. Every area has an established
degree of receptivity to the Gospel, which can make or break a
chruch plant before it ever gets off the ground. I'm not saying
we shouldn't plant churches in difficult areas. I'm saying that in
these cases, we should change our primary activity from planting
an organization to cultivating relationships."
Attracting High-Caliber Leaders To Your Church
1. Have big vision. Leaders are too busy for small vision.
The greeter ministry might have a need, but think about their
sense of significance. Does the church's activity feel like kindergarten
to them?
2. Help them know where to start. Many leaders don't know
where to step in. The church feels uber spiritual with no practical
footholds for involvement. We have to tell them how and why they're
needed.
3. Create leadership roles that don't require spiritual qualifications.
A lot of ministry doesn't require the pope's sign-off. If they're not
Bible scholars, don't write them off. You need help with marketing
strategies, development issues, church systems. You need help in
areas you don't know you need help in. Let them poke around.
4. Don't be intimidated. They're not going to commandeer
the church from you. They'll be more sensitive to your spiritual
leadership than you realize. They'll come behind you and support you.
5. Make the ask. A leader wants to be asked.
Pastors assume they're too busy to help. But they're like the pretty
girl in high school no one asks to the dance because everyone
assumes she's got a date.
6. Hang out, but don't have meetings. Leaders abhor meetings.
They have too many of them. Plus, they're used to driving them.
And much better than we are. We like meetings because they
make us feel productive. But these folks don't want to spend
weekends theorizing.
Friday, August 1, 2008
My Challenge.
This is my challenge to my brothers and sisters.
You whom call yourself "christian."
The first challenge is simple.
- Pray.
Now let me get specific here.
START PRAYING! About every single thing that even
comes to mind. More specifically, pray for our
Presidential Candidates. We can sit around and scrutinize
their character for days, but how about we start
praying for them. For you conservatives out there,
yes that even means pray for Obama.
Pray for the church worldwide, many of you haven't
a clue what goes on around the world and what
christians go through everyday. The persecution that
many of our brothers and sisters face everyday, and
how many of them die on a daily basis.
A highly recommended read on the subject.
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire.
Which leads me to my second challenge.
- Stop taking christianity for granted.
Us Western Culture Christians have begun to take for
granted the freedoms that we have in our nation. This
in my mind, is a travesty, and complete disrespect
towards our christian fellows worldwide who are
paying a grave price to do what we take for granted.
So the next time you think about how late your
service will go, how you don't like the music, how
you don't like the message, it's too loud, there's not
enough people... Whatever the case may be, get over
yourself. Start praising him for all that he is, and
ask him to give us a burden for our fellow
christians throughout the world, and thank him for
them, for having faith we so greatly desire.
And thirdly.
- Seek and Discover what it truly means to be a christian.
So many times, I witness christians looking little like
Christ; to this day that, to me, has been one of the
biggest misses in all of western culture christianity.
Christian is defined, as "little christ." Think about
what Christ stood for, how he was bold, he didn't
waver from the truth for the sake of anyone, he
stood his ground, he studied, he pushed people's
buttons, he didn't wear dress shirts, he broke down
barriers, he pushed the envelope.
So come on church, why don't you look like Jesus
to me!? Aaron, why don't you look like Jesus
to other people!?
Pray for each other church.
Dig deeper into the great unknown.
And be willing to say yes and get uncomfortable.
My heart beats for this church, the church, the
bride itself. It is my desire to help the church grow
with whatever means given us.
Start digging church, start digging.
You whom call yourself "christian."
The first challenge is simple.
- Pray.
Now let me get specific here.
START PRAYING! About every single thing that even
comes to mind. More specifically, pray for our
Presidential Candidates. We can sit around and scrutinize
their character for days, but how about we start
praying for them. For you conservatives out there,
yes that even means pray for Obama.
Pray for the church worldwide, many of you haven't
a clue what goes on around the world and what
christians go through everyday. The persecution that
many of our brothers and sisters face everyday, and
how many of them die on a daily basis.
A highly recommended read on the subject.
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire.
Which leads me to my second challenge.
- Stop taking christianity for granted.
Us Western Culture Christians have begun to take for
granted the freedoms that we have in our nation. This
in my mind, is a travesty, and complete disrespect
towards our christian fellows worldwide who are
paying a grave price to do what we take for granted.
So the next time you think about how late your
service will go, how you don't like the music, how
you don't like the message, it's too loud, there's not
enough people... Whatever the case may be, get over
yourself. Start praising him for all that he is, and
ask him to give us a burden for our fellow
christians throughout the world, and thank him for
them, for having faith we so greatly desire.
And thirdly.
- Seek and Discover what it truly means to be a christian.
So many times, I witness christians looking little like
Christ; to this day that, to me, has been one of the
biggest misses in all of western culture christianity.
Christian is defined, as "little christ." Think about
what Christ stood for, how he was bold, he didn't
waver from the truth for the sake of anyone, he
stood his ground, he studied, he pushed people's
buttons, he didn't wear dress shirts, he broke down
barriers, he pushed the envelope.
So come on church, why don't you look like Jesus
to me!? Aaron, why don't you look like Jesus
to other people!?
Pray for each other church.
Dig deeper into the great unknown.
And be willing to say yes and get uncomfortable.
My heart beats for this church, the church, the
bride itself. It is my desire to help the church grow
with whatever means given us.
Start digging church, start digging.
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