confessions of a church planter

Confession: I’m tired! I woke up on 4:00 a.m. on Sunday.  For some of you, that’s normal.  It’s not for me.  So, by the time, worship services started yesterday, I was already ready for my Sunday afternoon, 5-minute power nap.  Turns out, I didn’t need.  Worship services were great.  Here’s a recap of Sunday:

• We introduced Jesus Culture’s “Awaken Me” to The Vine yesterday.  It was awesome.  It was incredible hearing people sing portions of that song!
• Speaking of awakening, almost everyday I pray that God would awaken our community to their need for God.  Would you join me in praying that prayer?  I long to see the churches in our area filled with people, and the people filled with the Holy Spirit.
• Our invocation of the Holy Spirit’s presence is always awesome.  Each time we sing, “Holy Spirit, You are welcome here,” I’m reminded of Jesus saying to his disciples that if they will simply ask the Father for the Holy Spirit, He will not withhold Him.  Why?  Because our Father is good!
• We started a new series called “#religiouspeopleproblems.”  I told people who had twitter that they were cool.  People with facebook were somewhat cool.  People without either need cool classes.
• We read selected passages from Matthew 23, specifically v.1-3; 5-12; 23-28.  The common theme is that people do stuff to be seen by men in the effort to appear holy.  However, they’re divided and fragmented b/c they not really holy or wholly.
• “Woe” means misery or distress.  ”Woes” are built-in to people who live divided lives.  It’s heavy and hard to carry around the weight of preaching something you don’t practice or cleaning up the exterior without cleaning up the interior.
• The solution to the “woes” isn’t to stop preaching.  It’s to start practicing.  More importantly, it’s to clean the inside of your cup.  If you do that, the outside will be clean as well.  God’s holiness works from the inside-out!
• We celebrated communion, which in a very real way was putting Christ’s sacrifice inside us.  That reminds us that Christ cleans us from the inside-out!
• After church, I got to meet a cool, young man name Trent who had a cool story of getting to The Vine.  I love those interactions!
• After a quick lunch, we began the chaos of our lives.  Liz had a Kidzu meeting, the kids had Kidzu worship practice, Cade had a birthday party to attend, and my two girls danced in their annual ballet recital.  They both did so well.  While I’m proud of them b/c of who they are/how God made them, I find so much pleasure in seeing them perform.  Hmm…maybe that’s how God views us!

Confession: I like being happy.  I’m pretty sure that you do too.  Yesterday, I was having a conversation with my mother-in-law that centered around a decision that my family has made which will allow my wife, Liz, to be happy about something.  I made a comment like, “This is an occasion where I really want Liz to be happy.”  I was then asked, “You don’t always want Liz to be happy?”  I replied, “Not when her happiness trumps her holiness.”

We’re faced with decisions each day that sometimes put our happiness in direct conflict with our holiness.  In counseling settings, I frequently hear people say, “Well, it will make me happy.”  Typically, that’s a person’s way to justify a sin, justify a choice that will cause harm to someone else, or justify a choice that will cost a person a lot of money that they can’t afford to spend.  Asking the question, “what will make me happy,” is the wrong place to start when making a decision on important matters.

The question we should ask is “What will make God happy?”  I think we often confuse our identity as God’s creation for being the creator of God.  It’s vitally important to remember that we exist for God’s glory not the other-way-around.  If God exists for our glory, we can make decisions based on our happiness.  However, if we exist for God’s glory, then we make decisions based on God’s happiness.  What makes God happy is our holiness.  God desires us to reflect God’s image and likeness!  That’s holiness.  Ironically, holiness leads to a perpetual state of happiness called joy!

So, when making a decision, remember personal Holiness trumps personal Happiness!

Need to confess?

Confession: I didn’t think I’d be this alert on at 6:00 on Monday morning.  Usually, I’m dragging myself out of bed.  Typically, it’s b/c Sunday is jammed-packed.  I’d probably be tempted to claim a Holy Hangover, but after reading my friend’s blog, I’ll no longer claim this on social media.  So, I’ll just say that I worked a full day yesterday w/ other activity involved!  Yesterday was great from a personal and profession level.  So, I thought I’d do a wrap-up from Sunday and a glance at the week ahead.

Sunday

• Worship was incredible!  I don’t like evaluating songs/song choices/etc., but I am.  It was a good combo for the morning.  We had a bunch of modernized hymns yesterday, and it was great.  We introduced a new song to our congregation, and it was awesome too.  Worship can definitely stand alone, but it also primed the room for the Word.
• I felt like God gave me a word for our congregation yesterday while we were worshipping, and that word was that he wants do make something new in a person’s life.  Now, I know that I could proclaim that any Sunday and that it was pretty generic, but it was clear that God wanted someone to KNOW that He was making that person new.  By KNOW, I mean intimate knowledge.  A number of people identified that they were the recipients of that word!
• We concluded our “Last Days” series yesterday.  We’ve been taking a look at Jesus’ words just before his death and resurrection as he taught on his return.  Yesterday we were in Matthew 24.  Here are the three points from yesterday’s sermon.  To be ready for Christ’s return we need to:

1. Watch!  We need to be attentive to what’s going on in the world.  We might just notice that the world is experiencing birth pains.
2. Don’t Worry!  While we need to watch, we don’t need to worry.  In fact, the more we watch, the less we’ll worry.  Watching has a way of prepping us.  So, be ALERT, but not ALARMED!
3. Witness!  Jesus clearly stating that after the Gospel of the Kingdom was preached among all nations, the end would come.  By nations, Jesus is speaking of people groups.  Missiologists agree that people groups are defined by language.  In the world right now, there are over 12,000 people groups, and 1,250 have yet to gain access to the gospel of the Kingdom.  That means they have no access to a Bible in their language, no access to a church, and no access to a follower of Jesus.

• A few months ago, Brayden and I were having a conversation about seeing Jesus.  Bottom line from our conversation is that Brayden would rather see Jesus return than die.  He also knows that in order to see Jesus return, those 1,250 people groups need to hear about Jesus.  So, Brayden said,”Let’s tell them.”  I’m with Brayden, let’s tell them!
• Got a 5-minute power nap after services.
• Had a pre-marital counseling session with a couple.  I love pressing into people who are learning to love someone for the rest of their lives.  Marriage is work, but it’s so rewarding if you’re willing to do the work.
• My family got to have dinner w/ a 62-yr-old member of our OIKOS (network of unchurched, non-Christian family members, friends, co-workers, classmates, and neighbors).  It was refreshing to be around a person for 2.5 hours who doesn’t have the Christian filter.
• Brayden found-out that he was selected to be on Mill Creek’s All-Star team.  It’s going to make for a busy May and June, but it should be fun-filled.

Confession:  Yesterday at The Vine was awesome.  There was so much excitement and anticipation for the conclusion of the Dream Church series.  While the series concluded, the initiative goes on!  There are a number of reasons why yesterday was so awesome.  I thought I would devote this week to explaining why it was so awesome.  So, here’s the first reason why this weekend was so awesome: 3 people committed their lives to Jesus Christ.  You heard that right!  Three people had their eternal destinations changed and their course of life on Earth changed.  That’s awesome and something to celebrate.

That captures the essence of the “dream church” initiative.  This isn’t about buying buildings or building buildings, this is about changing people’s lives forever, for-the-better.  That happened for those 3 people this weekend.  One of the lives that was changed actually took place on Friday night in the storage area (aka “Future Student Center”).  How fitting that the space which will eventually belong to the students saw a student give her life to Jesus Christ during the same weekend that people were making their initial investment/commitments into the space that will one day see dozens of students come to faith in Jesus Christ!  I’m fired up.

For those of you who invested yesterday, thank you.  For those of you yet to invest, but will, thank you.  Thank you for making a difference in the lives of those 3 people.  Thank you for making God’s dream church become a reality.

Need to confess?

Confession: The greatest testimony I’ve ever heard is mine. I have the greatest testimony ever…well, sort of. It’s the greatest testimony ever to ME. If your life has been transformed by Jesus, your testimony should be the greatest testimony you’ve ever heard. I was reminded of that this morning when I read Acts 22.

In Acts 22, Paul talks about his “come to Jesus” moment and how it changed his life. It was a powerful reminder of the importance of a person’s testimony and their readiness to share it. So, I want to invite you to brush up on your testimony just in case you are presented with an opportunity today or soon to share it. Just like Paul, your GREATEST testimony ever can be shared with three major components:

First, what was your life like before you encountered Jesus? For Paul, he was a great Jew and zealous for God. He even persecuted followers of the Way, or Jesus. Maybe you were unchurched and lived a radically sinful lifestyle. Maybe you were churched and lived zealously for God, but it seemed empty and hollow. Whatever it was, spend about a paragraph describing your life before encountering the life-saving, life-changing relationship with Jesus. Just a hint: Don’t glorify your past, but use it at a reference point for later.

Second, what happened when you started following Jesus? For Paul, he was blinded by light and heard Jesus’ voice. For me, I was at an event called “Habersham Slam” when I knew God was speaking to me to surrender 100% of my heart to Him! What about YOU? Was it at church, while you were driving, in a kitchen? What did you do when you encountered Him? I walked an aisle and prayed out loud confessing my sin, my trust of Jesus as Savior and LORD. Be as specific as possible so people can replicate a commitment to Jesus.

Third, what changed in your life? What is different about your life now than before Jesus? For Paul, he was still zealous for God, but instead of bringing death, he brought life. He was sent to proclaim the Word to the gentiles. For me, insecurity and pride were resolved. A year after my encounter with Jesus, I heard God’s call into ministry. What about you? What change came in your life? Just a hint: This portion should be equally as long as the first paragraph!

Need to confess? I’d love to hear your testimony.

Confession: That title was a little deceptive. It wasn’t the most important thing I’ve done this week. The most important thing I’ve done is what I do everyday, which is spend some time in prayer and meditation on God’s word. Outside of that, there’s one thing that I’ve done this week that is the most important thing I can do. It’s more important than work. It’s more important than working out. It’s more important than spending time with my friends. It’s more important than spending time with my kids. So, what was it?

I took my wife out on a date!

That’s the most important thing I can put on my calendar each month, and if possible, more frequently than that. We ate at Mimi’s Cafe and took a quick tour over to the Mall of Georgia. It wasn’t anything extravagant. We talked a little about work. We talked a little about working out. We talked a little about the kids. Most importantly, we talked about us.

Spending time with any person has the tendency to make the relationship stronger, and dating your spouse is the best way to make your marriage stronger. It’s actually what got you married in the first place. Why would you stop doing that?

I know what a strong marriage does for us. First, it makes us better as followers of Christ! She is my helpmate. While I’m not sure I help her, God’s wired me to help her and I hope I do. Second, it makes us better at work. Because my marriage is good, I’m not bringing marital stress into the work place. Third, it makes us better parents. The time we spend together allows us to process and plan how and why we’re parenting. Sometimes parents get so caught-up in working in their parenting that they don’t work on their parenting. Date nights provide an opportunity to work on parenting.

All of these benefits don’t even include keeping romance in your relationship, which is a must for marriages.

That’s why Monday’s date night was the most important thing I’ve done all week.

Need to confess?

Confession: I’ve got a lot to learn. I realized that today. I had the privilege of sitting under the teaching of Casey Graham, Michael Lukaszewski, and Joseph Sangl. I’ve known Joe in an acquaintance relationship since 2008 and little more cooperatively since October of last year. I’ve know Casey and worked with him since 2010. While I’ve know Michael the briefest amount of time, our time together has been pretty intense. Over the last year, I’ve learned a ton from these guys.

Today, I learned even more. It was the same material I’ve been exposed to over the last year and I was there to help contribute, but I learned more things, more systems, and more principles. I learned more passion. Ultimately, I learned that I always have something to learn! That’s the thing about learning: You’re never done!

I experience this every time I read the Bible. I could be reading a passage for the one millionth time, but I learn more thing. Every time I listen to a teaching, I hear something fresh. Every time I reread a book, I glean something different. Sometimes the new thing I learn is often most powerful. Why?

I could be wrong, but I think the more exposure or repetition you have to a teaching, a passage of Scripture, or something else, the powerful the fresh revelations when you’re exposed to it again. In a situation like today, I’ve lived with many of the principles talked about. I’ve implemented many of the principles. I understand them better and better. I’m like the NFL quarterback getting comfortable with the whole playbook! The more comfortable you are with something, the more readily you can see the subtle things that can put you into practice to take something from good to great.

Want to learn the most valuable lesson in something? Continually expose yourself to the same teaching, the same principles, and the same people! As you do, you’ll discover that you’ve still got a lot to learn and always will!

Need to confess?

Confession: I’m tired today. This season of life has been exhausting. Actually, since the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, it’s been crazy. I’ve probably had more pastoral care in the last 3 months than the previous 3 years. I’ve got more leadership decisions concerning vision pulling at me than I’ve had in a long time. To top it all off, I’ve got 4 kids between the ages of 3-7! Things are crazy right now, and yesterday didn’t help…sort of. Actually, yesterday was really helpful in some ways. Here’s a list of the ways it was helpful:

1. I got to worship with other believers! When the Bible talks about not forsaking the fellowship of the believers, I think that ultimately we’re not forsaking ourselves. I need corporate worship. I need to know that there are others pressing into the presence of God. God’s presence inhabits praise. Something happens when we go all-out for him, and I love what happens when I get to worship with other believers.
2. I got to belong to others! I belonged to a group of people yesterday who have a common interest-Kingdom of God. It feels good to belong.
3. I got to express my spiritual gifts! I can’t express my spiritual gifts by myself. They’re meant for the body of Christ. They’re meant to be given away. I got to give mine away yesterday. Some might’ve preferred I kept it to myself, but nevertheless, I gave it away.
4. I got to benefit from other people’s spiritual gifts! I need edification. I need to built-up. I was b/c others were leveraging their spiritual gifts for the building-up of the church.
5. I got to meet with 10 other pastors yesterday! I got to help connect pastors together in order to better lead their church and increase in effectiveness as leaders.
6. I met w/ some critical leaders in the church! I got to thank some leaders in the church. I got to hear why they loved The Vine. I got to share with them ways they can continue to lead the church, especially in the next season of life.

That’s helpful! How did yesterday help you?

Confession: Pastors need expressions of appreciation.  I could spend a whole lot of time explaining why.  In fact, maybe I’ll just do that in a future post, but for now I’ll just use a few words: 24/7; tragedy; death; conflict; counseling.  You get the point, right?  So, pastors deserve expressions of appreciation.  Last night after a Financial Learning Experience taught by Joe Sangl, I had a woman in our church say, “David, I appreciate you.”  I told her that was actually the first verbal expression of appreciation I’d received this month, which just so happens to be Pastor Appreciation Month.  It got me thinking about the ideal Pastor Appreciation gift.  This morning, I had the privilege of reading this article by Steven Furtick.  Your perception of your pastor might be the greatest gift (if it’s a positive one) you could ever give him/her.  It might be the greatest gift you could ever give yourself too!  Furtick doesn’t discuss the Scriptural reasoning behind the Principle of Perception, but the article brought a specific passage to mind.

In Mark 4, Matthew 13, and Luke 8, Jesus talks about seed that falls on four different types of soil.  The first soil was a path that allowed birds to come and eat it.  The second soil type was rocky and the seed couldn’t get depth to grow.  That soil was receptive, but the growth was scorched by the sun because it didn’t have any roots.  The third soil was also receptive, but had thorns among the good seed, and the thorns choked out the good seed.  The final soil received the seed, and it grew a bountiful harvest.  Jesus later explains that the seed is the word of God.  Interestingly, Jesus never says whether the seed is good seed or bad seed, just that it’s the word of God.  you’d have a hard time making a case that the word of God is bad seed.  Furthermore, we learn in Isaiah 55:11 that God’s word never returns void.  So, if the seed’s not bad, then what’s the problem?  The soil determines whether the seed produces a harvest!  Guess what the soil is?  YOU!  You’re the soil!  It’s pretty clear that the responsibility is upon the recipient.  Could it be that your perception of your pastor determines the fertility of your soil?  What if you gave your pastor the gift of receptive soil this last Sunday?  Your gift could result in bountiful harvest!  It might just be the best gift you’ve ever given yourself too!

P.S.

I’m sure your pastor would love a Starbucks gift card too, but if you had to decide between two, go with the receptive soil!

Confession: I like food!  In fact, I like food so much that I schedule my day around it.  I’ll quit work for it.  I’ll schedule meetings w/ people over food.  Food is good.  Not only that, but God gave humans taste buds.  One of my former pastors, when he “blessed” food, would always thank God for our taste buds!  Not only is food tasty, but it give you the stuff you need to survive.  Now, some of the things you get from certain foods can actually cause the reverse to happen, but that’s a different subject for a different day.  As much as I like food, there are times when I’m called to give it up or to fast from it.

Fasting is an interested word to describe abstaining from food.  When you fast, everything slows down, including but not limited to metabolism, the pace of the day, etc.  In Hebrew, the word “fast” literally means to “cover the mouth.”  So, technically speaking, fasting from t.v., facebook, or anything technological isn’t fasting.  That’s not to say that abstaining from those things can’t benefit person spiritually.  I’m just saying that it’s not a technical fast.  Furthermore, abstaining from certain types of food while eating others technically isn’t a fast.  It’s a diet.  I’m not saying that certain “diets” won’t benefit a person spiritually.  I’m just saying that it’s not a technical fast if the technical term means “cover the mouth.”

This month at The Vine Church, I’m challenging people to FAST.  Call it “Octoberfast” if you will.  This Sunday we’re beginning a brand NEW series called “Don’t Be Afraid.”  Many people are limited in what they experience in life b/c of some systematic fear.  I’m not talking about fear of spiders or roller coasters.  I’m talking about fear of the future, change, failure, finances, death, or culture.  Fear is the direct opposite of faith!  One of the best ways to grow in our faith is from the discipline of fasting.  Well, if we’re growing in our faith, then we’re also shrinking our fear.  That’s the point of the “OctoberFAST.”  It’s a fast from fear.

Whether you attend The Vine or not, I want to invite you to join us for “OctoberFAST.”  Perhaps, you’ll consider fasting one day each week of October.  Perhaps, you’ll consider fasting one meal every day during October.  Perhaps, you’ll consider fasting for an extended amount of time (1+ days).  Whatever you decide, I simply pray that you’ll consider fasting!  As you fast, you might want to pray the following:

• God, reveal any hidden fear in my life that hinders my faith?
• God, reveal the root of that fear?
• God, by the power of your Holy Spirit, remove the root of my fear!
• God, by the power of your Holy Spirit, replace that fear w/ truth!
• God, by the power of your Holy Spirit, let me trust in that truth!