Call It A Revolution

Spent the afternoon on the phone with Gary Lamb talking about Revolution Church’s easter egg drop. They had advertised big, and what happened in return was monumental!

I’ll let Gary share what happened when He’s ready, but let me tell you I’m proud of the risks Gary and Revolution are willing to take to reach people for Christ. When you hear what happened, you’ll know it was an easter egg hunt like no other! Go Gary, and go Revolution!

Power Outage

Warning: honest confession of a pastor contained…

Saturday night the power went out at the school about 5 minutes before service was to begin. It left our team with a dilemna. Much of our service had been planned around video we shot, and of course w/o electricity there would be no band or mic’s.

As we contemplated what to do, I must confess…

• I was tired from the spring carnival that day.
• I had a long list of things on my mind.
• I’ve struggled a bit with my voice lately.
• I secretly liked the idea of getting home early.
• I was disappointed we wouldn’t be able to use the video
• I was really leaning towards just cancelling the service and asking everyone to come back in the morning.

THEN…I looked down at my notes. You see, I was prepared to teach from Luke 5, where friends carry a paralyzed man on a mat to Jesus so that He might be healed. The main point of my message was that we’re to be unstoppable in sharing the gospel of Jesus with people who need to know Him.

It was a great little reminder from God to practice what I preach. After a quick prayer of repentance we went “unplugged” with the service. Derrick improvised on the accoustic and led 2 songs, then I preached w/o a mic. It did strain my voice, and it was tough, but it was honoring to the Lord.

By the way, the service was awesome, and a lot of people commented that we should go “unplugged” more often (I vote against that ).  It was a great reminder that it is all about God, and we must be preapred to give him everything we have, even when we don’t feel like it!

DCAT – Session 5

This closing session was full of worship, and Wayne shared from his heart about what he desires for New Hope Church. It was a great challenge to our team. Some quotes that stood out…

“we’re often more concerned with the absence of problems than we are with the presence of the Lord”.

“we must pray: ‘Lord, please bring your presence to the church.’”

“Lord, our answer is yes! Now, what’s the question”

“a ‘no-heart’ is revealed by a ‘no-face’. What does your face say? Remember, God can do anything!”

The whole DCAT conference was awesome, and very challenging to me both personally and as a pastor. here’s some general observations…

• Wayne Cordeiro is an awesome pastor. He loves the Lord, and he loves his people.
• The people of New Hope have taken on their pastor’s personality.
• New Hope is a generous church.
• Hawaii is beautiful, even when it’s raining
• I love our staff and trustees, they’re a blast to be with.
• Can’t wait to see how God is going to use what we’ve learned at PVC!

DCAT – Session 3

This evening’s service started off with incredible worship led by students (and children) of New Hope. It was off the hook. The talent and giftedness amongst young people at New Hope is unrivaled in any church I’ve ever seen. They had multiple bands, singers, dancers, and drama performers.

It’s obvious New Hope has an amazing commitment to develop the next generation. Every young person at New Hope knows they can use their giftedness in the church right now. This was very challenging to our whole team! It was a great reminder that children aren’t the future of the church, they’re part of the church right now.

Wayne talked in this session about the prophet Samuel annointing young David to be the future king of Israel (1 Samuel 15 & 16). He stated that God is annointing young people, and we need to mentor them.

In Psalm 78:70-72 it is stated that David had integrity of heart (character) and skill of hand (competence). We ought to be looking for these two qualities in young people today. David looked for these qualitites and determined his “30 mighty men” who were his closest friends.

Wayne added that we want people around us who hear from God. He stated that people whom God chooses are difficult to defeat!

DCAT – Session 2

In this main sessino, Wayne Cordeiro talked about the culture of a church. It was a great reminder that every church has a culture, and we need to be intentional about deciding what ours will be. A lot of churches try to please everybody, but they end up reaching nobody. It’s like a radio station that tries to play music for everybody, they’ll only end up making everyone angry, and nobody will listen.

Wayne challenged us to create churches that have a culture where people thrive in their life and faith, not die!

New Hope’s Culture:

1. Be a harvest church (connect everything to a soul).
2. Live heart first.
3. Build emerging leaders.
4. Do church as a team.
5. Undying devotion to God and His Word.
6. Being gracious in all our dealings.
7. A culture of joyous servants.
8. A culture of genuine and healthy relationships (lots of hugs)

 Pastors must be proactive to cultivate and protect the culture. When there’s tension, it’s a sign that something needs to be dealt with. Reminders for pastors…

1. Be aware of tension in the Spirit (it’s a good thing).
2. Take responsibility to resolve it (Matthew 18).
3. Learn to forgive quickly for a greater cause.

DCAT – Session 1

The theme for the DCAT conference is “A new heart for a new season”.  I’ve been telling people close to me that I believe God is bringing Palm Valley into a new season as a church; a season of life-change and growth like we’ve never seen before! I was excited to hear the theme of this conference, I believe God’s going to speak to me.

One thing I noticed about New Hope Church tonight is that they love the Lord, and they love each other. This is the huggin’est church I’ve ever seen   Here’s a rundown of Pastor Wayne’s session tonight…

He began by talking about the suffering we will experience in ministry. It is inevitable that in ministry you will be injured and experience sufferinge. Pastor Wayne encouraged us to view suffering as a transition into a new season of God’s blessing. He used the story of Joseph, ending with Genesis 50:20 “what the evil one intended to harm you, God will use for good!”.

He had three main points to remember when we’re suffering…

1) Assess your situation – with honesty. Don’t over-inflate your value, nor under-estimate it.  Remember that I’ve got a lot to learn.

2) Evaluate how much time you have left – the wealthiest place in the world is a graveyeard. So much untapped potential and dreams died when the person died. It’s imperative that we work with a sense of urgency for the calling God has given us.

3) Ask God to inspire your heart – this really hit me, because I’ve been praying this for months. 1 Samuel 30:6 reminds us that in the midst of suffering we need to “strengthen ourselves in the Lord”.

As we finished, I was just humbled that God has called me to be a part of building His Kingdom. I don’t deserve it, but He’s chosen me. I mess up so often, but He still lets me be a part of His work. I’m praying tonight that I will become the pastor that Palm Valley Church deserves. I love being on this journey with such an awesome group of Christ-followers. I DO believe that God is bringing us into a new season at PVC, our best season yet!

I’m looking forward to an awesome day tomorrow.

Lessons From Acts (1)

 We’re reading through the Book of Acts this month.  I love reading through this book because it’s so challenging to see how God used the early apostles to start the movement of Christ followers that spread out across the world so rapidly.

Here are a few things that come to mind – some random observations – as I’ve gone through the first 4 chapters in the Book of Acts:

• There must have been such a sense of anticipation and expectation for the apostles as Jesus spoke to them, promising the Holy Spirit and power.  Then He tells them to wait.
• It must have been hard for the disciples to wait.  They must have been excited and eager to move out.  Yet their first act was one of obedience, to wait as they’d been told.
• I love the boldness of the disciples.  Peter, who’d denied Christ is now preaching with incredible boldness knowing only too well that it could lead to his death.  Yet he’s so convicted, knowing that Jesus has risen from the dead, and that nothing else matters.
• In Chapter 2 verse 37 we hear the people asking Peter, “What then should we do?”  It’s the same question we must each ask ourselves as we read the Scriptures, and as we grow in Christ.  Then we need to be ready to act in obedience – ready to go out and act in this world. 
• Chapter 2 verses 42-47 gives us a picture of these new Christ followers coming together to act as biblical church.  Because they loved each other, because they gathered to worship together,  because they were willing to meet each other’s needs and give generously, the testimony of the church spread as did the church itself – 3,000 were added in a single day – just because they were willing to act as Jesus had instructed them to act.  What would happen if we did the same thing here in the church in 2007?   
• In Chapter 3 we meet a crippled man who asks Peter for money.  Instead of giving him money, Peter meets his greater need – which is healing him of his physical issues.  I believe it’s a model of compassion of the local church.  We ought to meet the physical needs of people while meeting the greater need – a spiritual one – a need for Jesus in their life.
• People were amazed at the teaching of Peter and John, making note of the fact that these men were ordinary, uneducated, unschooled – literally “idiots” – but they’d been with Jesus and now something had changed.  I hope that’s the mark of my ministry – that it would be apparent that I’ve been with Jesus and that I work beyond my human capacity and ability because He is alive in me!
• There was a buzz in the early church because God was at work and lives were being change.  I pray for that same buzz in our community because God is at work at Palm Valley and lives are being changed.

I’m digging reading through Acts.  I hope you are too.  If not, why not start today in chapter four and join me? 

Catalyst Day 1

All I can say about day 1 of Catalyst is “WOW”.  I really enjoyed so much of today. It was great just to be able to worship, pray, laugh, and be challenged. As a pastor it’s rare that I get to just worship without any responsibility. Today was incredibly refreshing for me!

Here’s some brief thoughts from the sessions…

Session 1 – Andy Stanley – Andy had us consider the question, “what do you do when you realize you are the most powerful person in the room”. As a leader there are going to be these moments, and Andy challenged us to make sure we do what Jesus did when he washed the disciples feet; which was to consider how to use your power for the benefit of others. It was a great point to remember that leadership  is about helping others, not yourself. Very challenging!

Session 2 – Patrick Lencioni – I’ve heard Patrick talk before on the 5 dysfunctions of a team (which is incredible stuff). Today his talk was about helping people understand how much their work matters. People deserve to know that what they do makes a difference. In the church realm, they need to know that serving matters. It was a great reminder to make sure we’re helping every volunteer at PVC know that they’re impacting the lives of others. If you serve at Palm Valley – THANKS – you ARE making a difference!

Session 3 – Un-christian – a group of guys who have done incredible research about the perception of Christianity in America. One of the most challenging statistics is that 91% of teens have a negative view abotu Chrsitianity. We’ve got to do a better job helping young people experience Christ!

Session 4 – Francis Chan – this guy is an unbelievable speaker. He resonates with such a huge heart for Christ; you just know every word he says is heartfelt and genuine. Two challenges (1) say whatever God is telling you to say. Don’t worry about being popular or liked.  (2) He asked, “Do you love your church?”  I loved that I was able to answer “yes”. I love the people of Palm Valley Church and I pray I spend the rest of my life leading you to prevail for the Kingdom of God in the west valley!

Session 5 – Rick Warren – I was pumped to hear Rick again. I love Rick for the impact God has had on my life through him. It was nearly 10 years ago that God used Rick to speak into my life, and out of that message Palm Valley Church was born. Literally, there would be no PVC if it weren’t for Rick Warren’s encouragement to me. As I listened to him to today tears filled my eyes as I thought about all that God has done in my life over the last 10 years.  I was challeneged once again to dream big for God, lead with courage, and love the “castaways” in our society with the love of Christ!

Can’t wait until tomorrow, should be another awesome day! I’m whipped, working off a few hours sleep, so pray I still function tomorrow

People Matter

Today in staff meeting I shared a message titled “People Matter”. This has been the slogan of PVC since we started, and it’s my heartbeat. I want every person in our community to know they matter, and that we care. Below is my notes from this talk. If you attend Palm Valley, I encourage you to get involved and serve, helping to make sure that every person know they matter. If you’re a church leader, I encourage you to cast this vision to your leaders. In a church culture filled with creativity (which I’m all for), we must continue to care also! Here’s the rough notes…

People matter…

Matthew 9:35-38 (NIV) 
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. [36] When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. [37] Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. [38] Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
 

1) People are not a ministry distraction; they’re the reason for it (v.35). Jesus went from town to town and village. I’m sure at points he was tired. He intentionally kept going becuase He wanted to impact more people. Work & prepare with people in mind, especially people who need what we have.

No matter what the task, approach it as a ministry and a vital opportunity to care for and pray with people. When people share things with you don’t just say you’ll pray for them, stop and do it right away.

2) People deserve shepherds that care (v.36). Jesus had compassion for the people. True shepherds care about the people they’re leading.

We need to genuinely care about what’s going on in their lives.  Get out from behind-the-scenes to meet people, and to meet their needs.  Go the extra mile.  Make life fun, especially for the kids.  Laugh with people.  Life change happens best in this setting.

Email is not always appropriate, particularly if someone is in duress or crisis.   It’s another reason we need to build teams because we can’t always be everywhere and do everything ourselves.  Set follow up “tasks” for yourself to be sure to re-connect with people for updates.

3) People should not be ignored, but cared for (v.37).  Jesus knew to make provision for the people needing our care.  Don’t leave follow up just to the connections team.  Be sure to keep your eye on the prayer requests, or towards those people that inquire for information.  Determine how you can go the extra mile.  Set “hospitality” into your heart.  Invite people into your heart and home. 

4)People are to be equipped, not just scheduled (v.38).  Beware filling holes in lieu of building people.  Take time for the personal touches.  Send equipping email.  Call those in your span of care at least once a month.  Unless you take the time to care in this way, people will not stay with you for the long haul.

We don’t need to hire more staff, we need to equip the people in our church to lead.  That means we need to develop people (Eph 4:11-12), even as we pray for and teach them.    Whatever you’re doing, divide your job by hours and go find people to help you.  You will get more done and develop leaders along the way!

Begin your day with this question:  What can I do to encourage and equip people today?

Why I’m Going Gray

Right now God is doing an awesome work at Palm Valley Church. Lives are being changed en masse, people are inviting Jesus into their heart during every service, more people are stepping up to serve than we’ve ever seen, and there’s just an awesome feeling on campus during the weekends. I love my job.

On the flip side today was one of the most depressing days I’ve had in 15 years of ministry. Right now a lot of people are struggling, and it hurts my heart. 4 people stopped me on the patio yesterday and asked for prayer because they’re losing investment homes, and they’re worried about the impact. Today I learned of 2 more good friends who are facing the loss of their homes. Another good friend called me to tell me he’d been let go at his job this morning, adding to 2 others who were let go last week. I hurt for people who are hurting. As a pastor I love the people in our church, and I hate to see them struggling. Yet I rest in the promise that the Lord has their situations in the palm of His hand, and He will not let them go.

At the leadership level I have a responsibility to continue to lead the church where God has called us to go; and we’re facing some real challenges. I feel like God is stretching and growing me in incredible ways. Growth is always uncomfortable, yet necessary and rewarding. I want to be the man, the husband, the father, the pastor God wants to develop me into. To steal a line from my message yesterday, I’m “tuning in to Him” to see what He’s doing through this.

Overall, please know that I’m not freakin’ out. I just sense that right now a lot of people at Palm Valley need real leadership and encouragement, and solid answers about how to live through times of uncertainty. This teaching series couldn’t have come at a better time. Palm Valley’ers, please know I’m praying for you. It’s times like this that God will develop our character and draw us closer to Him; as well as each other. I felt so much peace this weekend as we talked about the foundation for our lives, Jesus Christ, and the knowledge that it is exactly what we all needed to be reminded of.

You don’t want to miss the upcoming weeks at Palm Valley as we continue to talk about how to live with certainty in uncertain times. I’ll be bringing some very practical advice from the Bible about how to make it through the tough times in life.

I also decided to write this post to help other pastors. I know that there are a ton of pastors out there feeling the same way today, and I want to encourage you. Be strong and courageous, and continue to lead your church through these tough times. I believe all of our churches will come through this stronger, refined, and better equipped to reach our world with the good news of Jesus Christ!