I am a secret fan of Monday’s. As a pastor most of the time Mondays are really hard. We are coming down from a high or even focusing on a low. Let me explain that a bit.
A high would mean that attendance was high on Sunday, or it was a good offering, or even spiritually – Jesus did something amazing. Salvation was professed, or sin was accounted for.
A low would mean that attendance was low, the sermon was flat, not that many people pitched in to help with various projects. Repentance was preached but no one responded to the call of God. Well, for whatever reason it was a low.
But, Monday! Monday is a new day. It is wide open to possibilities! Great things can happen and so can bad things. You can meet new people, creditors can call, you can get into a car accident, God can show you something new from his Word.
Whatever the case, I am a secret fan of Monday. The possibilities are numerous. My plan for this Monday is to go with the flow. To be responsive to God’s Spirit when he calls.
This was a good day. Here are some thoughts about church planting and maybe another random thing or two. I also finished reading, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. It was a really good read. Surprisingly the book had a lot of scriptural references. I think I will be able to use this book as a resources as a pastor and church planter in the future. I would recommend this to anyone who is in sales, public speaking, training or marketing.
Thanks again for all the Birthday wishes. I am totally excited I get to spend the day with some of my family (not all SORRY MOM). I am super excited to goto Jonnies for dinner tonight and some OKC friends will be there too. In the meantime, check out this:
Jake and I made several purchases the other day for our bathroom remodel. After we bought them we decided to return some of it and do something different in the bathroom. We paid for our purchases with our debit card. So the next day I left the house armed with my debit card and all the stuff and made the returns. The next day, I looked on our bank account online expecting to see our account inflated quite a bit, but no.
I went to the bank to make a deposit and while I was there asked the lady why the money wasn’t back in my account yet and she said it could take up to two weeks! What I think is funny, is that my bank was fine with taking the money for the purchases out right away. But when it is time to put it back in, they take so so long to put it back. Hmmmm. What’s up with that?
Sitting in the Starbucks tonight studying for class and working on my sermon for Epic Church two weeks from now, titled: Growing a Movement. This picture came to mind as I see the people coming and going.
The church used to be the focal point of any community, the tallest building and the soul of the city. Only 50 years ago, it was the place where neighbors and near neighbors came together at least once a week. Today churches can be difficult to find in the city where the skyline is dominated by banks and business buildings. Still, the search for purpose goes on and the hunger for spiritual wellbeing is as great as ever. As it says in Jeremiah 29:7 – “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
It begs me wonder, what am I doing to on Jesus’ behalf for the welfare of the city? And what I am doing, is it enough? Maybe it is enough but could I be doing it better? And who could be doing it with me? Our communities have real problems, real hurts, real needs and as cliche as it sounds, Jesus is the answer. The question is though, how am I being Jesus to my community?
What happens with you start to love things more than people?
It was a question I heard as I was driving down Speedway towards my office. It cut me to the heart. I mean without skipping a beat I would eagerly share with you that it is clearly people that I love more than things.
But do I live that way? …hummmm
When am I going to design some marketing material that we need?
My wife desires to redo the kitchen sooo bad, why don’t I give in and find a way to make it happen.
Boy I hope my computer doesn’t crash again!
Can God please send Epic Church a graphic designer? I enjoy doing it but it takes so much time.
Am I being the best husband I know how to be?
Why am I so tired all the time? Humm, I am not eating right at all and my exercise consists of walking to the fridge and back.
I need to update the Epic Church website, FackBook and MySpace. Hummm, God can you help me identify a person in the Epic community that has a nack and heart for web stuff?
Am I reading my bible enough? I mean if it were really food, what would I look like? A starving child in Africa, or a fat glutton in America? Maybe the only time, I want to be the fat glutton.
Do I have what it takes to pastor a new church plant?
Ok I have many more but I should stop there becuase my mind is starting to hurt. At least it means that I shoudn’t be able to say, “I have noththing to do”
Jake
