“It’s Thursday morning. Pastor Doug has a clear calendar, an aberration in his busy schedule. Actually, the calendar is not really clear; he has set aside time to finish his sermon for Sunday. His Bible is open; study aids are nearby. He begins to study.

Then the phone rings.

His assistant tells him about a car accident involving a family in the church. The ambulances are already on the way to the hospital. Doug leaves all of his study material on his desk and jumps into the car.

On the way to the hospital, his assistant calls him again. The entire Godsey family of five was in the car. None are seriously hurry except Gary, the father and husband of the family. His condition is grave.

Pastor Doug walks into the emergency waiting room. The family has just been told that their husband and father did not make it. They see their pastor and run to him sobbing, in total shock. Doug is there for them. He stays with the entire family for three hours until he is certain that enough people are around to care for them.

The Afternoon

He stops by his home to see his wife and grab a quick sandwich. It is now afternoon. He’s not sure if he can return to his sermon preparation, but he knows he must. He must fight the emotional exhaustion of the morning, and finish the message. But as he walks back to the church, his assistant apologetically tells him that two people need to speak with him. They consider it urgent.

Doug meets with the two men. One of them is the worship leader of the church. He is struggling with his ministry and is considering giving up. For two hours, Doug listens, consoles, and attempts to encourage the staff member.

The next visitor then catches Doug off guard. George is one of the key lay leaders in the church. Doug considers him a friend and an incredibly vital person in the overall leadership of the congregation. George struggles to speak: “My wife is having an affair . . . “  There are no more words for 15 minutes. Just tears and sobs.

Doug stays with George for over two hours. They pray together and talk about next steps.

It’s nearly five o’clock in the afternoon. Doug is too drained to attempt to get back to his sermon. Instead he begins to look at his crowded email inbox. He cringes when he sees one of the senders of an email. But he cannot stop himself from opening the message. It’s from one of Doug’s most frequent critics in the church. She has two complaints. The first irritation was something he said in last Sunday’s sermon. The second complaint addressed Doug’s failure to visit her sister-in-law who had minor outpatient surgery yesterday. The sister-in-law is not a member of the church. And Doug knew nothing about the surgery.

And Now Evening

Pastor Doug shuts the laptop cover and moves to his car slowly. He’ll stop by the house to grab a quick bite to eat. He needs to check on the Godsey family. He will stay with them for a while, but he must leave prior to 7:30, when he is to give the invocation for a local high school basketball game.

Several people get his attention at the game, so he doesn’t get home until after nine o’clock. He goes to his small study in his home, shuts the door, and begins to cry.

Gary Godsey, the father and husband who was killed in the car accident, was Doug’s best friend.

This was the first chance Doug had to grieve.

A Call to Pray for Pastors

The story is true. Only the names have been changed.

In a few weeks, I will be initiating a call for church members to pray five minutes a day for their pastors. Will you make a commitment today, even before the initiative? Will you commit just five minutes a day to pray for your pastor? Will you ask others in your church to do so? Will you pray for their strength, protection, wisdom, and families?”

Here’s an excerpt:

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I read several “tweets” this morning from pastors that I follow on Twitter.  There seemed to be a common thread running through their comments.  In addition to Biblical quotes there was the acknowledgment of the difficulty of Mondays.  As I read their comments it occurred to me that next month is Pastor Appreciation Month and it is clear many pastors need some appreciation and encouragement.  So, based on their “Monday Morning” thoughts I decided to write on their behalf today. 

Dear Pastor,

I know it is Monday and you are tired.  I have prayed for you already today.  Another week means new sermon preparation and busy schedules.  As you begin a new week you are still trying to process last week and in particular yesterday (Sunday).  What did you miss?  What went right?  What went wrong? 

I am praying for you as you process why some of your people had to be so disrespectful to you.  It is tough when someone decides they want to be rude or negative toward you or the church.  It is tough when someone carries a ”chip on their shoulder” because they think you haven’t spent enough time catering to them and their problems.  It is tough when you are compared to some other preacher that someone wishes you were more like.  It is tough when there is no response to the sermon you spent 20 hours writing and preparing.   It is tough when church members decide to be absent from services, especially when some of them are leaders in the church.

But…

You made a difference in my life.  I know I didn’t say it, and maybe I should have, but I needed every message you preached yesterday.  I know God used you!  I can’t speak for anyone, but I am blessed you are my pastor.  Just like me, I know you are raising a family, dealing with the economy and trying to plan ahead.  I know the time with your family is often infringed upon by ministry demands – thank you for the sacrifice.  I know you can’t fix all my problems, so forgive me for thinking you can.  I realize that everyone wants you to focus on them and their problems all at the same time and that is an unrealistic expectation.  I know you are not perfect (I’m not either) and that’s ok!  I don’t want some other pastor, I am thankful God sent you!  I am sure Mondays are hard.  So let me say simply – Thank you!  I don’t say it enough, but I am thankful for you.  Oh and one more thing…I am not the only who feels this way!

Signed,

A Friend

Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the complexity of life.  Schedules, commitments, obligations, etc – they stress me out!  To be certain, I have complicated my life by allowing many of these things to attach themselves to me.  But I think our culture is guilty of adding a lot of stuff that stresses us too!  Life is busy and fast-paced and sometimes we get to the place where we can’t figure out what life is all about.  Life becomes about a lot of stuff that really is not all that important. 

As Christians we must never forget Who and what life is all about.  Jesus told us, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life…”  (John 14:6) so that we would know how to have eternal life, but also because He wanted us to experience life here!  If we are going to experience that kind of life then we need to figure out what really matters.  What is it that Christians need to know so that they live full and abundant lives?  We need His truth! 

Every Wednesday night this Fall I am going to be taking us to the basics, the foundational truths that will help us live life to the fullest as Christians.  I know I need this – I believe many of you do too!  Maybe you have a friend that is struggling in their faith – or looking for faith – invite them to come with you. 

I am going to teach about such things as:  how we know the Bible is the Word of God, how to handle temptation and win, finding God’s will for your life, how to be filled with the Holy Spirit, how to know you have eternal security…and more! 

Life is complicated, our faith doesn’t have to be!  Come join me as we “Get Back to Basics” and figure out what really matters.

Yesterday was “Friend Day” at Jones Road.  We were ending our 40 Days of Community by inviting our family and friends to a day of worship, fellowship and fun.  What a day it was! 

Our Bible Study hour saw great fellowship time, promotion Sunday for our Preschool, Children and Youth ministries and many guests. 

Our Morning Worship Service was amazing!  As you came into the worship area you sensed the excitement and anticipation.  God was working and moving.  Dennis Wilbanks was our guest speaker for the service.  The choir sang their hearts out and the people were openly worshipping.  When the invitation began people began moving!  We had many decisions – some came trusting Christ as Savior and Lord, some came transferring membership by letter and God got all the glory! 

Our Evening Service was, in fact a church-wide picnic.  What a great time of relaxing and sharing and laughing.  All over the property, inside and out people gathered as families and as friends to share a meal together.  The youth challenged the adults to a softball game.  Glad to say the adults beat them! No one was in hurry, no one was following a schedule – everyone was just enjoying the moment of being together.

All I can say is… Oh Glorious Day!

I am preaching through the book of James on Sunday nights at Jones Road.  I love the book of James.  The practical approach to our faith, coupled with the clear commands of living that faith have inspired and challenged me throughout my journey with Christ.

For the past two Sunday nights we have been in chapter 5.  Chapter 5 in the book of James is all about trouble and how deal with trouble.  Truth – we all face troubles in this world.  We will have disappointments, losses, stresses and more while living here.  These things don’t need to destroy us!  In fact, James encourages us to let our troubles lead us to bolder faith and deeper committment!  How do we manage that?  We patiently pray.

As I was thinking about that this morning and preparing this Sunday night’s message it got me to thinking.  I realized that for a lot of Christians we have this all wrong.  We have allowed “backward thinking” to steer us in the wrong direction.

Let me explain.

Check out this scenario:  You are going along with your life.  You go to work, come home, pay your bills, go to church, you engage in all the normal life stuff.  No worries, no major troubles, life is good.  You talk about God’s blessings, His faithfulness and His love in your life.  One day it all changes.  Trouble comes.  Maybe you lose your job or you have trouble with your teenager or mother or spouse.  What was normal just became abnormal and you are confused.  You have talked about God’s blessings, His faithfulness and His love, but now you have some doubts.  You are asking, “why me?” 

Question:  What do you do?

Here is what I see many Christians do – they fall into “backward thinking.”  Instead of trusting the Lord they trust themselves.  Their once faithful walk becomes less faithful and more shaky.  You once were at church every time the doors were open, now not so much.  You once gave the advice of “drawing near to God in times of trouble”, but now that trouble has knocked on your door your advice seems hollow.  You decide that you can’t do all that you use to do for the Lord because the stress from the troubles in your life just won’t allow it! 

Here’s the problem – it is all a lie!  You are thinking backward.  Thinking this way will not see your problems decrease, but rather increase.  When you walk away from Him you are walking toward the ruler of this world – and he will not help you.  He is out to kill, to steal and destroy you! (John 10:10)

Listen to what James told us to do:

James 5: 13-14 “Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray.  Is anyone cheerful?  Let him sing psalms.  Is anyone among you sick?  Let him call on the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

When you are running in the wrong direction you probably aren’t praying like you should.   It is hard for the church to pray for you when you never attend. 

I know that there are a lot of people dealing with some heavy stuff, but it is not too heavy for God.  You have been carrying it by yourself – why don’t you drop it?  Turn back to the Lord and trust Him.  It won’t get better out there alone.  Even trusting the Lord doesn’t mean the troubles immediately will vanish, but you won’t be alone and you won’t be going in the wrong direction. 

Is anyone….?  Pray!  Believe!  Walk with the Lord!

What has God been doing?

God is always at work!  We don’t always see Him at work because we are not looking for Him.  My prayer has been in these 40 Days of Community that the Lord would open our eyes to see Him moving and working.  In some ways I believe He has answered that prayer.  I have seen Him add to our church family, I have watched members reach out to one another in new and loving ways, and I have experienced spiritual warfare (which means Satan does like what God is doing!).  Many have shared how God has been refreshing their faith and bringing joy back into their daily walk.  I watched individuals volunteer to serve in new places of ministry and begin to do it with enthusiasm.  I have seen our children’s ministry and youth ministry increase in attendance.  I have felt a drawing together within the body of Christ that has been long overdue.

I have also experienced the negative.  Satan will never leave God’s people alone.  If God is working and we are obeying then you can guarantee that Satan is trying to tear it down.  I am at first discouraged when I see the spiritual attacks, but as I reflect I must be encouraged simply because I know that God is up to good things and the devil doesn’t like it!  These 40 Days have brought attacks, but those attacks seem to have strengthened not weakened.

How are we responding?

I could list many responses to our 40 Days of Community.  There have certainly been many visible responses.  It may be too soon to be able to really answer this question.  During the excitement it is easy to see the response, it is always in the days that follow that we really find out the truth and the impact of a spiritual journey.  Perhaps the best way to answer the question in the “now” is to offer several personal observations of what God has revealed to me. 

1.  We need one other.  When He told us to “love one another”  He meant it.  We are the body of Christ, the family of God and brothers and sisters by faith.  We should act like it at all times.

2.  We should think the best of each other.  Far too often we assume the worst about someone and then allow that thought to separate us.

3.  There is no place for suspicion.  When we chose not to trust one another we are always going to remain divided.

4.  Nothing is impossible.  Even though we say it often, we rarely live like we believe.  It is time to change this!

5.  Less said is always more.  We are in the business of building not destroying.  When we talk too much we usually find we are prone to destruction.  Speak less and listen more.

As we prepare to enter our last week in 40 Days of Community I am encouraged by many who have chosen to be faithful in these days.  They have prayed and listened and responded.  God is working, don’t miss it!

We began a 40 day journey on July 17th at Jones Road Baptist Church.  It is a journey that is needed.  It is the type of journey that has life changing potential.  It is a journey that affords the traveler time to reflect and refine their individual journeys and also time to reconnect and recommit to the relationships of those who are traveling with them. 

Relationships are so important in this life.  The most important relationship is our relationship to the Lord.  Once we are born again then we are connected to other believers in a new way.  How do we relate to each other as believers?  How do we maintain and even strengthen our relationships with other believers?  That is what we are seeking in this 40 day journey.  We are using the Bible as our map and we are striving for honest conversation and evaluation.  We are asking for the Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us.  We are looking for permanent change. 

Today I went to the funeral service of an 11-year-old boy.  I had the privilege to have been a baseball coach to this young man.  A tragic loss to his family, he will be sorely missed.  As I was sitting in the service my mind swirled with so many thoughts about our relationships in this life.  I thought about my family – my wife and daughter and 3 boys.  I prayed a prayer of thanksgiving for their blessing to me.  I thought about my extended family and the support they provide to me.  I thought about friends who are constantly willing to stand with and by me.  I thought about my church family and how blessed I am to be connected to others who love the Lord and each other. 

Here’s the truth - we need each other!  Some days we need someone to laugh with us and some days we need someone to cry with us.  There is no better place to cultivate these relationships than the church.   As the church, we need to strive to be loving, caring and compassionate.  Our 40 day journey at Jones Road is all about moving us closer together.  When we move in that direction I know we will find we really are “better than ever together!”

I know for most churches we think we need every member we can get, but the truth is we don’t.  Churches have allowed some “enemies of the cross” to stay for far too long.  In fact, some of been in the church for so long that it is hard to even know who they are anymore.  So, tonight in our Wednesday night service I am going to tell you who they are.

Time is growing short and it is past time for the church to get passionate about her work.  We will never move forward as long as these “enemies” remain.  Tonight I will name 7 enemies to the church.  I will call them by name.  We will pray for them to repent and come back into a right relationship with the Lord. 

Spread the word!  Tonight – 7 people the church can do without!

I think I would go nuts if I didn’t know what time it was.  I check my watch repeatedly throughout the day – not because I have to be somewhere at a certain time – but simply because I want to know the time.  My obsession goes deeper.  All the clocks in my house have to have the same time.  It makes me crazy to see clocks off by several minutes.  (Something that does not bother my wife!)  If we have a power outage I cannot wait to reset all the clocks.  I use our cable box to set all the other clocks to the same time.  The cable box becomes my “standard” for the correct time for all the other clocks and watches in my house.

When it comes to “standards” time is very precise.  All over the world time is to be regulated to less than a second of difference.  Here in America we have several agencies that oversee that regulation.  The National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Depart of Commerce and the U.S. Naval Observatory work together to set the “standard” that gives us the right time.  Can you imagine the chaos without some universal standard of time?  Standard of time began with train schedules.  It was extremely important that trains be exactly on time to avoid disasters.  In our technology driven world a “standard” of time is essential to safety and security.

Amazingly, no one disputes the “standard.”  We don’t find people who have decided to live their lives 10 minutes ahead or behind everyone else.  For the most part, people all over the world have allowed their lives to become regulated by the “standard” of time set by the regulatory agencies. 

As Christians we have a “standard” too.  Our “standard” is the Word of God.  We are to use the Word to regulate our lives.  It is the Word that sets the standard for what is right and what is wrong.  The Word sets the standard of our limited understanding of the character of God.  We meet Him on the pages of the Word and we come to know Him from the “standard.” 

I made a statement in last Sunday nights sermon. 

“We don’t measure against any other standard, except the standard of the Word of God.”

I was preaching about the difference between worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom. (See James 3:13-18).  The Word guards against using worldly wisdom to guide our lives.  If the Word of God is not our “standard” then something else is.  For some people culture is their “standard.”  Whatever the latest fad or sensation becomes the “standard” they live by.  For some their calendar is their “standard.”  Whatever consumes their time becomes the way they live their lives. 

That’s why the Word of God is so important.  If we decide to use our own “standard” for how we live our lives we are headed for big trouble.  If you want to see that illustrated go read the Book of Judges.  Check out the very last verse of Judges – Judges 21:25:

“In those days there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

There was no “standard” (a king) so the people did whatever they wanted to do based on their feelings.  Dangerous.  Sadly, this is the move of many in the church today.  We need to be very careful.  It is odd to me that we have faith in the “standard” that tells us what time it is, but we so quickly dimiss and look to some other “standard” to tell us how to live our lives.  God gave us a “standard” – His Word.  Use it!