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Archive for the ‘Community’ Category

Transition Is Never Easy

Posted in Church, Community, Hope on April 11, 2011| 12 Comments »

A week ago, I preached at First Baptist Church in Littlefield, Texas.  The church had asked me to come for consideration as their new pastor.  In Baptist life, we call this “going in view of a call.”  It went well – I am thinking most of the people must not have been paying close attention to my sermon because it wasn’t very good and yet they voted to call me anyway (smile).

Yesterday, I officially resigned from my current position at First Baptist Church in Levelland, effective May 1.  It was a difficult time for me and for my family, as I read my letter of resignation.  We have been in this community for almost nine years.  Over the course of that time, we have put down roots, made friends and become ingrained in the community.  As I looked out over the congregation, I saw many, many dear friends.  And that makes this transition difficult for all of us.

But, God never called us to be comfortable.  Choosing to follow Jesus is the most fulfilling lifestyle possible for any human being, but Jesus never said it would be easy.  In fact, he used phrases like “take up your cross and follow,” and “the first shall be last.”  Life is not about being comfortable.  Real life is about being faithful and committed to carry out what God has equipped us to do and to become the person God intended.

Several people have asked about my ramblings here and whether or not I will continue with Clay In The Hands.  This has become a part of my ministry and really, more of a part of who I am.  And so, yes, Clay In The Hands is not going anywhere.  I knew this day would come and so all of this is set up to follow me where ever I go.

In fact, you know that I tend to be transparent with what is going on in my life and typically share my life lessons here.  I think the next few months are going to be an amazing journey so I encourage you to stop by often and join me for the ride!

Be blessed today!

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Intertwined Community

Posted in Church, Community, Family on April 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Last night I promised my son I would get burritos for breakfast today.  So, this morning I made my way to our favorite breakfast burrito establishment and got in line in the drive through to place my order.  As I sat there thinking about my day, I noticed the sun beginning to rise in front of me.  I also noticed the trees standing between me and the sun.

The direction of the sunlight caused every branch of every tree to standout like a dark shadow making each twig visible.  As I examined the picture in front of me, I realized how intertwined all the branches were – including the branches from different trees – all mixed together.

In another week or so, these trees will be covered in leaves and will offer shade and shelter to birds and squirrels.  They will begin to work to put oxygen back into the atmosphere.  They will serve as things of beauty.  In short, they will continue to serve the purpose for which they were created – all the branches working together – intertwined.

As I sat there contemplating this sight, I was reminded that I was looking at a picture of community – community as God intended it.  Each of us as believers are part of a community.  We may come from different branches and even different trees, but we are all intertwined.  The routine of our daily lives leads us in and out of each others’ paths.  God intended it this way.

God also intended for this community to serve a purpose.  As a community of believers, we are to offer comfort and security to a hurting world.  We are to work to influence our world for the better.  This community should be a beautiful picture of what God’s love is all about.

Community is a group of intertwined believers, working together to fulfill what God intended.

How active are you in God’s community?

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What Man Has Made of Man

Posted in Community, Hope, Motivational on March 31, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Some of you may know and some may not (and most may not care 🙂 ) but not only did I major in Bible in my undergraduate studies but I also majored in English.  One of the remnants of that experience I still carry today is a love of poetry.  .  .  .   .  Alright, everybody recovered?  I know that may have come as a shock for some of you.

One of my favorite poets is from the Romantic Period.  William Wordsworth and I are kindred spirits.  His love of nature and his ability to communicate his connection to the world around him has always stirred me.

To stay in touch with my love of poetry, I subscribe to a daily email produced by the Writer’s Almanac.  Every morning, there is a different poem in my inbox.  Some days it is a classic and some days it is more modern.  Today’s poem is William Wordsworth’s Lines Written in Early Spring.

In this poem, Wordsworth paints a moving picture of being alone in a grove of trees in early spring.  He noticed the singing of the birds.  He observed the budding of plants and all the simplicity and freshness of what nature brings in spring.  But in the midst of all the beauty and simplicity, he became aware of something.

Here are two of his stanza’s:

I heard a thousand blended notes,

While in a grove I sate reclined,

In  that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts

Bring sad thoughts to mind.

To her fair works did nature link

The human soul that through me ran;

And much it grieved my heart to think

What man has made of man.

 

In the midst of the serenity, beauty and simplicity of nature, Wordsworth was reminded of how complicated and jaded the rest of the world has become – particularly what man has made of man.  As I read his lines today, it made me pause and think about how much better life would be if we all put aside our hypocrisy and politics and just lived life as ourselves; not trying to be someone we are not.  Of course, there is something dangerous and raw about that that scares us.

But wouldn’t it be nice?

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More Thoughts on Today We Are Rich

Posted in Community, Leadership on March 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »

 

Today is the day!  Today We Are Rich is available for purchase.  As I said yesterday, this is a book you need to read.

I began discussing the book yesterday – you can read that post here.  Today, I want to give you just a couple of more thoughts on the book.

Tim credits his grandmother with a list of 7 principles that, if made a part of our daily lives, will lead to more confidence and a better life.  Those principles are:

  1. Feed your mind good stuff
  2. Move the conversation forward
  3. Exercise your gratitude muscle
  4. Give to be rich
  5. Prepare yourself
  6. Balance your confidence
  7. Promise made, promise kept

Much of what these principles do is point us outside ourselves.  The title of the book itself comes from a story in the book in which Tim’s grandmother gave more than she could afford to help someone else and yet, was left with a feeling of wealth that money can’t buy.  Our culture teaches us that the world should revolve around us.  These principles remind us that we are all in this together and true joy and happiness comes when we live in community – when we help others.

These principles are really taken right out of the Bible.  As I said yesterday, one of the most meaningful aspects of this book is that Tim, being internationally recognized as a consultant and speaker in the business world, never once makes an apology for the influence of his faith on his life.  I find that very refreshing.  In fact, I find that to be in line with exactly what God has called each of us to do and be on a daily basis.  We are all to be ministers in our lives regardless of our professional occupation.

Thanks Tim for your book, Today We Are Rich.  Thanks also for your example of how we can be successful in any area of society without neglecting or hiding our faith!

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A Simple Thanks

Posted in Community, Leadership on March 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Sometimes the simple things are the most powerful.  Take for instance the single word Thanks.  Have you stopped to think about how powerful that little 6 letter word can be when used with meaning?

I am reading a new book by Tim Sanders entitled, Today We Are Rich, and in the book there is an entire chapter dedicated to gratefulness.  It is a great book that will be released this next Wednesday, so Monday  I will be reviewing it here.  Stop back by next week to get my thoughts on it.

In the chapter on gratitude, Tim says this, “When you begin to exercise gratefulness toward a ‘who’ and not just appreciation for the ‘what,’ you are extending gratitude fully.”

You can change a person’s day with a heartfelt thanks.  When we stop and think about it, we can always think of things for which we are grateful.  But do we dig deeper to think of the folks we appreciate?  Take some time right now to think of two people you appreciate.  Stop and thank God for them this morning.  Then find some way to let them know how you feel.

Who do you need to say “thanks” to today?

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Show Us the Father

Posted in Community, Hope, Missions, Motivational on March 24, 2011| Leave a Comment »

With all the things going on in the world today, people are looking for answers.  They are looking for direction and guidance.

Things weren’t so different 2000 years ago.  Jesus’ disciples were looking for guidance too.  In John 14, Jesus was trying to reassure his followers by telling them that he was paving the way for them so that some day, they could be together again.  Thomas replied, “We don’t know the way – how can we get to where you are going?”  Jesus answered him by saying:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Then Philip jumped in with, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

I think many people I run into on a daily basis would second Philip’s request.  And that is where you and I come in.  As believers, we may be the only Jesus someone sees today.

Will the Jesus you present in your life today be enough?

 

 

 

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Inconvenient Love

Posted in Community, Grace, Hope on March 21, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Bobby seemed like an old man the first time I remember meeting him as a kid.  It was strange because I had been taught to address adults with sir and ma’am but Bobby was just always Bobby.  He would stop by our house periodically and stay for hours – just talking to my parents – particularly my dad.  I didn’t understand it at first.  I didn’t realize that my parents were showing him Jesus’ love and grace through their actions.

You see, Bobby was in his 50’s or so, but he had the mind of an adolescent.  He was known all over town but he was lonely because few people would have anything to do with him.  And honestly, I can understand that because if Bobby had you cornered, you could not get away for an hour or more – at least not without being rude.  So people avoided him.  When they saw him coming, they ducked out of sight.  If they saw him approaching their homes, most would not answer the door.  He really didn’t have anyone.

My parents took the time to show Bobby respect and offer him something many would not take the time to offer – love and dignity.  That is what Jesus would have done.  That is what Jesus called my parents to do and so they did.  Through their actions, I was taught that showing God’s love is not always convenient.  It rarely fits our schedule to stop and take time for someone needing attention.  But it is part of what it means to be a follower in the Way.

I am so incredibly blessed to have grown up in my parents’ home!  Much of what I learned about what it means to be a Christ follower I learned from them – sometimes by verbal instruction, but more often by mere example.

Thanks Dad and Mom!  You are at the top of my list of heros!

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How Do You Use Technology?

Posted in Community on March 9, 2011| Leave a Comment »

On Monday, I talked about how we sometimes need to disconnect from all the things that pull at us and spend time with God.  (You can see that post here).

Today, I am going to a workshop dealing with how to use FaceBook as a tool.  At the risk of sounding contradictory, there is no question that we need to get away from technology at times in order to meet with God.  But the reality is that technology is a huge part of our lives now.  And it is becoming more so all the time.  Technology is changing at the speed of light.  I just saved enough money to buy an iPad and already, the next generation is about to hit the stores this Friday (YES!!!!).  10 years ago, the most common use of a cell phone was to actually punch in numbers and call someone.  Today, a smart phone can do just about anything – and yes, even make calls!

Social networking has become a secondary life for many people.  There are online communities that, for some, have taken the place of real community.  In fact, can I just get something off my chest here?  I really wish the people caught up in Farmville would actually move to a farm and quit inviting me to play – sorry, don’t mean to offend but enough is enough.  OK, I feel better.  In a world in which we are more connected to one another through social media, people suffer from being more alone than they have ever been.  How often do you meet people in person anymore?  Much of the communication we engage in on a daily basis is via email or FaceBook messaging.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the age in which we live.  But how can we use this technology to actually engage one another more fully?  How can we use technology as a tool to build real community – to build the Kingdom?

How are you using technology to make a difference in your world?

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The Power of Multiplication

Posted in Church, Community, Leadership on March 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday’s post began the conversation about the importance of relationships in leaving a legacy.  Today, I want to expand on that idea.  If we truly believe that relationships are the best way to impact the world, then how do we make the most of our efforts?  I want to make a suggestion that on the surface does not sound logical, but the numbers don’t lie.

Wednesday, on the plane, I had time to finish a book I have been working through by Dwight Robertson entitled, You Are God’s Plan A (and there is no plan b).  It is a challenging but extremely practical offering that causes us to think about many of the same things Lucado pushes in his book.  Robertson talks about this idea of legacy in terms of investing in or pouring ourselves into others.

He makes a case for the idea of multiplication.  It is counter-cultural to think of a legacy in this way.  We tend to think of great leaders or speakers who have left a legacy.  We think about people like Billy Graham or Rick Warren or Bill Hybels when we think about those who have impacted lives – and it is true.  But if we look at Jesus’ life, we see that he poured himself into a few, who then did the same.

I have heard this before but I don’t know that I have every seen it in the form of a chart.  Here is the scenario.  If you were to have the opportunity to speak to 100,000 people per year; over twenty years you would have potentially impacted 2 million people.  That is nothing to sneeze at but what if you were to invest yourself for a year into just two people and then instill in them the desire to do the same?  So the first year you would impact 2 people.  Year two you would impact two new people, but the people you impacted in year one are now impacting the lives of two other people each.  Suppose this were the pattern for twenty years.  The chart shows you the results.

I am no mathematician, but even I can see that almost 3.5 billion people is more than 2 million.  Isn’t that amazing?  And all from a simple effort of impacting two lives at a time.

That is plausible.  I can do that!  You can do that!  I realize that there will be attrition and those who do not carry out their commitments, but just think about the possibilities!

Don’t let Satan lull you into doing nothing with a sense of being overwhelmed.  Just start with two.

Who will you invest in this year?

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The Legacy of Relationships

Posted in Community, Leadership, Motivational on March 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Last week we finished our class on Wednesday nights over the book and study series by Max Lucado entitled, Out Live Your Life.  Over the past 6 weeks, I have done a lot of pondering about what I am leaving behind.  When I am gone, will people say, “I am glad he was here.”?   Or will anyone even notice I am no longer around?

It is an intimidating question!  But it causes me to think about what I am doing (or not doing) today in order to insure that my life is going to count for something.

As a minister, I have been to the threshold of death with many, many people and watched them step through that doorway.  As I sit and listen to people in their final days, or with the family members who are left to carry on after a person dies, there are always a number of topics of conversation.  We talk about their life-long career, their family or maybe their church and community activity.  But without fail, the most meaningful memories are the personal stories – the memories of how the person impacted a life.

At the end of this existence, what matters most is relationships.  The most important relationship of course is the one a person has with Jesus.  That makes all the difference.  But as we remember a life, the accomplishments of that person fade in comparison to the relationships he or she built while here.

So I am back to my question – what kind of legacy will I leave behind?

How about you?  Are you building a legacy?

More on this subject tomorrow – be sure and stop back by!

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