Minggu, 29 Januari 2017

An Unexpected Phone Call Helps Church Cross Cultural Barriers

An Unexpected Phone Call Helps Church Cross Cultural Barriers

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Cross-cultural ministry is quite common at Reformation Faith Ministries in Kokomo.
A pastor’s vision, accelerated by a surprise phone call, led to some incredible opportunities for Reformation Faith Ministries in Kokomo, Indiana. Most recently, the predominantly black church welcomed and fed 150 white people for a memorial service.
As it turns out, cross-cultural ministry is quite common at Reformation Faith.
“I didn’t think it would pan out exactly like this,” says Antonio Stewart, pastor of Reformation Faith, a church of about 55 attendees.
Around 2010, Stewart sensed God’s call to lead a nondenominational, multicultural church. Finally, in 2014, a group of six people began meeting with him to pray, fast and save money while looking for a “fixer-upper” they could afford in which to host a new church.
A few months later, he received an unexpected phone call.
The Friends Church, a predominantly white Quaker church, had seen a decrease in numbers, and the leadership wanted Stewart, whom they had just met, to buy their fully furnished building, which appraised for about $900,000. They were only asking for $50,000 from Stewart.
“It was dramatic,” Stewart says. “I never thought that we would walk into something like that.”
The church’s copiers, pianos, Bibles, a van, an organ—“everything you can name”—were included, he says.
The sellers gave Stewart two requirements: Don’t sell, and minister to the community. The area surrounding the church is mostly white, but Stewart, who served six years in the racially diverse military, was ready.
Reformation Faith’s ministries include back-to-school giveaways, a food pantry and outreach to the homeless and prisoners.
Referring to the church’s congregation, which includes African-Americans, whites and Hispanics, Stewart says, “In Scripture, I never saw where it should be either white or black.”
REFORMATION FAITH MINISTRIES
Kokomo, Indiana
TheReformationFaithMinistries.com

4 Reasons Every Pastor Should Journal

4 Reasons Every Pastor Should Journal

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“In a world of deep conversations, we need a place to ponder better questions, not just finely tuned answers.”
Journaling has been one of the most intimidating, yet life-giving habits I’ve ever started.
For years, I’ve had numerous failed attempts at journaling. Part of it was the thought of seeing it as a diary: “Dear Diary, today I don’t want to write in you because I feel stupid writing this way as if you are a real person.” Other times I failed because I didn’t see myself as capable of writing anything meaningful.
Why? Writing has always been an area of insecurity for me. I don’t see myself as “well-spoken.” Or, what if someone found my journal and read my thoughts? Are they going to be critical of them? (If I were really honest with you, this was the reason I fought blogging for years.)
So periodically, I’d buy a nice journal, try it for a few days, get frustrated, literally throw it across the room, pick it up and put it on the shelf.
Rinse and repeat.
My failure came not from the attempt, but the mindset going into it. I felt I needed to journal the way (I felt) others were journaling. I’d hear about how other pastors did it and thought to myself, “What the heck is wrong with me that I can’t do this?”
I’d even ask others about their approach, try it out, feel like a failure again and step away. I liken it to David trying on Saul’s armor. What they handed me didn’t fit right. I needed to move forward but needed to discover what “fit” me in confronting the things I was facing.
It was during a time when I was dealing with a season of depression that I found myself in “my Psalm.” But that day, something changed in me. It’s as if God gave me a new view of the Psalms—yes, as songs and poetry, but also as a journal. I felt the Psalms were helping me peer into the heart and emotions of some very human leaders who were dealing with deep thoughts, both good and bad.
Maybe it was the almost “unprocessed” approach of the Psalm writers that connects with me. Some of the chapters seem written with an unfiltered heart and no concern over who will read the their words/lyrics. Yet these words were not simply “venting.” They were the bleeding of the heart to express, through words, what the heart was experiencing. I began to see the writers developing new perspectives as, over and over, the chaos of what they saw was overshadowed by the enduring love and mercy of God.
The Psalms gave me permission to journal the way I needed to journal. Just as the 150 chapters held so much variety in length, subject and style, I felt the Lord released my pen to transcribe not a form, but a moment. I didn’t have to step into a style, but I could work out what was in my heart. Some days, my journal pages have looked like Psalm 117. Other days are a bit like Psalm 119. Length didn’t matter; the journal moment did.

1. In a world of reactions, we need more careful thoughts.

Journaling has been my place to process and work though what is deep in my heart. From blogs, to sermons, to my personal devotions, the meditations of my heart are worked through privately before they’re made public. Journaling for me is an act of stewardship. Everything God has given me I need to be a steward and manager of. Blasting people with rawness can my make my flesh feel good, but it can taint the testimony of Christ in my life. I don’t want my pride to shine brighter than the Christ in me. So I journal.
There exists a horrible habit in social media of posting before processing. There is a boldness people feel behind a screen that has developed into an unhealthy way to express raw thoughts before you’ve taken time to gather them.
Friendships have been compromised over misunderstandings. Hurt and pride have kept apologies from being expressed. I often wonder if people are using social media to process what is happening internally. And when those thoughts are rejected while in the “processing stage,” the depth of rejection and bitterness goes deeper. Thus, journaling can be a huge help of guiding us toward stewarding our mind and emotions.

2. In a world of deep conversations, we need a place to ponder better questions, not just finely tuned answers.

When I read the gospels, I love that Jesus could be approached with questions. I also love that he asked questions back. I feel that we in Christianity spend so much time working on apologetic answers when we should, first, have apologetic lives. It’s easier to tell someone how to live than it is to show someone how to live. And the way to work that out is to begin to ask the questions that are on your heart. My journal becomes that place to ask questions, both to God and myself.
Questions are good, and God is not intimidated by them. Some of my questions to God are as I’m trying to wrap my finite mind around things in this world. Other questions are things that, I feel, the Holy Spirit is asking of me. God is big enough for my questions. Are we “big enough” for his, and do we have a place to work them out? Thus, I have my journal.

3. We don’t need a place “get out our feelings” necessarily, but to sort through our thoughts.

Again, I don’t do diaries, but I’m not against emotional exercises where we need to get out our feelings. For me, journaling is about processing. And most of the time, those thoughts don’t get completely worked through in one day or moment. Sometimes a thought is carried over weeks and months. But my journal helps me to work through it, sometimes table it for a while, and then refer back to it as I take progressive steps forward in it.
Journal tip: I use hashtags in my journal like most people use on social media to identify topics and thoughts. It gives me to ability to more easily look back through to past thoughts and posts.

4. A journal is your “altar reminder.”

A common practice in the Old Testament was to set up reminders. Shepherds would scratch accomplishments on their staffs. Scribes would write on tablets. But people, often, would build an altar. It was set up so that every time somebody saw it, it would be that reminder of what God spoke and what God accomplished.
Periodically, I’ll look back through a journal. I’ve cringed at some thoughts and things written. I’ve also shed some tears as I was so humbled by the way the Lord had faithfully worked in my life. But too many people don’t have those “altar reminders” that help show how faithful God has been.
I think of Psalm 77 when the writer feels forgotten. Then, in verses 11 and 12, he remembers the deeds and works of God. I like to imagine him thumbing through some previous scrolls and seeing other “altar reminders” in his life to remind him that even though his senses can’t detect God, it doesn’t mean that God has stopped working. God has been faithful in the past and he will be faithful in the future.
If you’re ready to step out into this tremendous life-giving habit, then I’d give you this advice:

1. Buy a comfortable journal.

It’s got to be something you like AND something you see of value. Investing a few bucks on it will help bring value to what you are doing. Also, it’s got to be comfortable to write in. I need lines; you may not.

2. Start simple.

Write down what Scripture you read each day and a thought or two. Don’t think you need to write a lot, and don’t think you need to have a specific order to your words. Some days I write three sentences, some days a whole page. I include bullet points and arrows, circle words and create hashtags.

3. Find your time.

It doesn’t matter what time it is, but work to find consistency. You may try it and discover that journaling is tough because of the time of day. Don’t get discouraged—just change to a consistent time that fits you.

4. Make it accessible.

I keep mine in my backpack with my computer. When I get ready to work, the journal comes out with my work ready for me to write. When I go into a meeting, I like to have it handy in case I need to write down a thought to process later. If I don’t have it, I use an app on my phone and make a notation that this is a “journal thought.”
You’ve got this. As difficult as it was to begin, it has helped me become a better man, husband, father, pastor and preacher. Stewardship over our thoughts, if handled well, can position us to be more effective kingdom builders. And like many things, the most difficult things we root into our habits develop the sweetest fruit in our lives.
Dave Barringer (@PDBarringer) is the lead pastor at Kalamazoo First Assembly of God in Portage, Michigan. He blogs about pastoring and marriage at PDave.me.

How the Presence of God Fuels Our Mission

How the Presence of God Fuels Our Mission

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David Fitch: “We not only gather in God’s presence on Sundays, we live in his presence the other six days of the week.”
A couple years ago, I was on a weekend church retreat at a Michigan City, Indiana, beach house, when an unusual conversation broke out. About 20 people were gathered on the back porch to discuss the direction of their church, and I was acting as their consultant. They had moved to a specific suburb of Chicago about two years earlier to plant this church. They had engaged with many hurting people in the neighborhood. They had made inroads into community activities and were involved in bringing healing to some of the town’s basic needs. But they were frustrated.
“What are we doing here? We’ve been here two years and nothing is happening!” said one of the men, Matt. “We haven’t seen any more people come to our Sunday gathering. We haven’t seen any conversions.” Matt wasn’t seeing a connection between what they did on Sundays and the rest of the week.
Then, a woman named Sylvia jumped in, “I don’t know what I’m doing with Joan in the neighborhood. She’s so broken. I thought I was helping her, but now you’re all telling me I’m enabling her. I thought this is what we were doing here as a church. Now I’m so confused as to whether I’m supposed to be doing anything.”
Sylvia, it seems, saw the helping of hurting people as the work of the church. But she was not clear as to how what they did as the church extended into her relationship with her neighbor.
Both Matt and Sylvia illustrated a disconnect between their organized church life with God in worship and discipleship and the life they led with God in their neighborhoods.
This disconnect, I suggest, is common in today’s missional churches. Churches that emphasize God’s mission in the world and urge Christians to participate in it often find many Matts or Sylvias among them. We struggle to connect what happens “in here” as a committed people of God gathered on Sunday to what happens “out there,” where Christians minister daily among the struggles and injustices of the world.
This all changes when we understand that God is always present and at work in the world, and the church—as a people—is called to be faithful to his presence through Jesus Christ. We not only gather in his presence on Sundays, we live in his presence, discern his presence and witness to his presence in the world the other six days of the week. What we do on Sunday, tending to the presence of Christ as we gather together, enables us to discern that same presence at work in the rest of our lives and in our neighborhoods. Discipleship and mission are inextricably linked. And the church is neither Matt’s emphasis nor Sylvia’s emphasis alone—but both are intricately intertwined.

Being Faithful to His Presence

The theme of God’s presence runs through the entire Bible, beginning with Adam and Eve in the garden, to the tabernacle and the temple among the people of Israel, to God coming to us as “Emmanuel–God with us,” all the way to the new heaven and the new earth where God dwells fully present among his people (Rev. 21:3-4,22).
The Old Testament speaks regularly of God’s presence in the world. Yet God was still especially present with his chosen people Israel via the tabernacle and then the temple. John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” Through Jesus, God came to dwell with humanity through his people, the body of Christ, the church, which the apostle labels “the temple of the living God” (2 Cor. 6:16). The entire story of the Bible leads toward God restoring creation to his presence through Jesus Christ and his people.
It is amazing the ways that Jesus promises to be present among us. To name just a few, Jesus tells his disciples that when you have a conflict, and two or three come together and agree, “I am there among you” (Matt. 18:20). When Jesus inaugurated the Lord’s Table, he said, “Whenever you eat this meal, be present to my presence” [my translation of the Greek word anamnesis, which is typically translated as “remember me”] (Luke 22:19). And so the church has long recognized Jesus’ special presence at the Lord’s Table.
In Luke Chapter 10, Jesus tells his disciples who proclaim the gospel that “those who listened to you heard me, and those who rejected you reject me” (Luke 10:16). Jesus is saying he is present in the proclaiming of the gospel. In Matt. 25:34-46, in a parable, Jesus tells his disciples that when they are with “the least of these,” ministering among the poor, he is there present with them. In each of these disciplines—I contend in my book Faithful Presence that there are seven of these disciplines—Jesus promises to be present among us.
When we gather as Christians on Sunday, we gather to encounter his presence. We encounter his presence in all the ways described above: at the hearing of the gospel proclaimed, as we eat around the Table, as we tend to each other’s needs, as we discern conflicts together, as we submit our lives to God’s reign in prayer. Yet this experiencing of God’s presence does not stop when we leave church and go home. Because God is present and at work in the world, these disciplines help us discern his presence at work in the world, as well.

Discerning His Presence in House Groups

And so, when Christians gather in homes to eat together, we do just what we did on Sunday. We tend to his presence around the table. We give thanks and open our lives to whatever God would do here among us. We submit all things to Christ. We quiet our egos and tend to the people around the table. On Sunday, the bread and the cup taught us how God works in Christ. So we look for God bringing people to his forgiveness—reconciliation and renewal of all things. A space is opened up for God to work as Christians gather to eat in their neighborhoods.
One night, my “house group” was sitting around the table sharing a meal together as was our custom every Friday night. We were eating together, talking, listening and tending to one another. We had grown in trust. We had learned to recognize how Jesus was present among us. A few of us, including myself, shared about family struggles. People listened as we shared the conflicts we were struggling through.
As I listened to my friend share about how he and his wife were walking through the darkness, seeing little signs that God was taking them somewhere with their oldest child, I felt encouraged. I also saw some signs of hope in my own marriage. In conversation that night, I was challenged to look at my anger and control. Someone recalled a text from the previous Sunday’s sermon (one I had preached). I received all this because I was able to submit to Christ’s real presence at work around this table. That same night, Hillary, one of our friends, was with us. As she listened, her eyes widened. She said nothing. But God was speaking. She was seeing new possibilities for healing in her own family relationships.
As we prayed that night, we put all these things before God, asking him to be present. As I looked back weeks later, I recognized how that night had opened up space for Christ’s presence to work in all of our lives and disciple us into the ways of Jesus in our families.

His Presence Always Takes Us into the World

But of course God is at work among those who do not yet recognize him as Lord. And so the things we practice on Sunday and live around our tables at home must extend into the places where he is not yet recognized.
As we go to the various third places of our lives—the YMCAs, the PTA meetings, the coffee houses, the local bars, the parks where children and parents play, the town hall meetings, the places where we work, wherever we share a meal or a beverage—we go in the confidence that God is already present there, as well. The only difference between these places and our homes is that we are guests in these places. We come to sit, listen and tend to what God is doing among others, and when the space is opened, we offer reconciliation, pray for healing and proclaim the gospel. We know Christ is there, but we cannot assume he will be welcomed. This is all under his lordship and yet to be seen.
For years, I spent the first three hours of my day at a McDonald’s, grading papers and doing communications and other work I had to get done. The coffee was cheap and the Wi-Fi was free. Over time, I began to be open to discerning Christ’s presence in that place. I saw an amazing cacophony of people flowing through there, many seeking to be known and to know others. They were seeking presence. As I made myself available, as I listened and tended to people, a space opened for Jesus to be present. The booth in McDonald’s would be transformed into an extension of the Lord’s Table.
Picture, if you can, me sitting across from John, a man who had been homeless for three years. I am anxious. I am busy with my work. I am preoccupied. John is talking about a conspiracy theory about Mars and President Obama (I am not exaggerating). But the Spirit is telling me to tend to what God is doing in John’s life, to believe that God is at work around this table. And so I cast my eyes on John. I quiet my ego and stop my fidgeting. I put aside all of my own agendas and make space to discern God’s presence at this table. John senses something. I ask him what evidence he has for the Obama conspiracy with Mars, but we move on to much more interesting discussions.
Several conversations later, around Christmas, John tells me he hasn’t seen his kids in 10 years. We unravel some of the pain together. I tell him I believe Jesus is Lord and is at work reconciling all things. I tell him some of my own testimony. I tell him I believe God is working to reconcile John with his kids. In other words, I share the gospel. He tells me all the reasons why this cannot happen. I say I believe Jesus is Lord, and invite John to trust him. John says yes, and so we write a letter to his children, asking for forgiveness. This sets off a string of events in which God works to restore and heal. John and I both experience being forgiven and forgiving others in ways that transform both our lives. A year later, John is with his family at Christmas. Two years later, John has a job. And people in McDonald’s are asking, “What has happened to John?” John and I were both discipled during that experience.
There are many more episodes like this that illustrate not only how God changes a person, but also how he changes situations and unjust systems. In each case, it is amazing how the dynamics change when I, as a Christian, open up space to discern Christ’s presence around a table with people who do not yet know him as Lord. I am no longer a person who knows something that the other person doesn’t. I am no longer that person trying to get someone else to do something I think he or she should do. Instead, I am transported into this arena where God is already at work in Christ, and I am privileged to witness what God is doing. In the process, I, the Christian, learn and grow as much, if not more, than the one I am spending time with.

Discipleship as a Way of Life

That evening on the back porch in Michigan City, I asked the group to count the number of significant relationships they had with people in their neighborhoods. It could be the neighbor next door, the zoning committee chairman of the village, the town hall policeman or woman they met with to discuss race issues in the community, or a hurting widow they had met at the coffee shop. We counted about 75 people who they were involved with in long-term, real-life relationships in various kinds of situations. I then asked if their church attendance was 50 people (the total who showed up on Sunday) or 125, the total number of relationships with whom they were discerning the presence of Christ at work among them. I argued it was the latter.
Often, churches separate discipleship and worship from evangelism. We mistakenly make discipleship about personal growth with Jesus and make evangelism about explicitly telling others about Jesus. But when discipleship means discerning Christ’s presence in my life, in the people around me and in all my encounters with others—whether at work, in third places, schools or neighborhoods—discipleship is inseparable from mission. As such, discipleship can no longer be a program at the local church. Evangelism cannot be something we do exclusively on a weeknight outreach event. Instead, both are joined as a whole way life, given to his church, called to be his faithful presence in the world.
Some of this article was adapted from excerpts from Faithful Presence: 7 Disciplines That Shape the Church for Mission (IVP, 2016).
Order this book on Amazon.com »
David Fitch is B.R. Linder Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary in Chicago.

5 Legitimate Fears of a Church Planter

5 Legitimate Fears of a Church Planter

Over the course of a church planting journey, pastors face many fears. And that's OK.
Having participated in two church plants as a planter, and now working with church planters on a regular basis in a coaching capacity, I know firsthand the fears associated with planting a church. It’s a leap of faith, and one God is calling many to these days.
My theory here is that recognizing the fears and realizing their legitimacy is part of guarding our hearts against them. The fact remains that for a church plant to be successful, at least in Kingdom terms, God must provide His grace.

Here are five legitimate fears of church planters:

1. No one will show up. If we do all this work and it doesn’t work, what will we do? You’ll be thankful you were obedient to what you believe God called you to do and wait patiently for Him to provide. We had to consistently remind our core team that God was in control of numbers. Our job was to be faithful. That doesn’t mean you stop inviting people or investing in the community around you, but you trust that God will stir hearts for His work.
2. We can’t afford it. You probably can’t. There will seldom be enough money, or so it may seem at times. God calls us to big tasks. Church planting is hard and not cheap. But the Lord will provide resources for His vision. Again, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to educate people on the needs or help them understand the command, value and blessing of giving, but it does mean you trust God even when the checkbook balance is low.
It also doesn’t mean you won’t have to wait to make major purchases or there won’t be times you have to wait until “Sunday’s offering” to get paid. Our paycheck was delayed several times the first couple of years so other bills and other staff could be paid, but we were never hungry.
3. I don’t know what I’m doing. Isn’t it wonderful? It means you’re insufficient without His sufficiency. What a great place to reside! The great news is that many have gone before you. Learn from others and stay on your knees before God.
4. People will leave. True. Most core teams are cut in half in the first few years. At first, I thought we were to be the exception. We weren’t. Other people will come and never return. But some will stick. And they will have hearts for the vision. And in them, we rejoice at what God has done. We build our teams around those whom God sends to us and who remain steadfast to the journey ahead. That team may change several times the first few years.
5. We don’t have a building. No, but you probably don’t have a mortgage either. And you’re raising up an army of volunteers for set up and tear down. You are building service and sacrifice into your DNA as a church. Isn’t it wonderful! Don’t lose that atmosphere and culture of dependency, even when you have a building someday.
Final thought. These fears are legitimate, real fears. Don’t be ashamed that you have them. The key is not to live in them, but to live and walk in the faith that God will complete His plans and enable those He calls.
What other fears have you experienced in church planting?

Church Planting & Letting Go

Church Planting & Letting Go…

When I told my buddy about my church planting plans, he said, “You’ll never let go of the ring, Frodo, they never do.”
My friend Ken Hiroshige was also my dentist. He drilled me with words while while working a long needle into my jaw.
“They never let go when they get to your place. It just isn’t done. There is too much pride involved. You’d have to really sell out and I don’t think you can.”
Ken compared leaving a large Southern California pastorate to Frodo letting go of that magic ring in Tolkien’s books. He knew that I’d trade security and recognition for the insecurity that comes with planting a new church. However, he was also very wrong in his assumption that “this just isn’t done.”

Leaving What You Know

I had just told Ken that I felt God calling me to leave a great life to plant a church in Kaneohe, Hawaii. The church plant would involve people of a different racial and cultural background than mine. My wife and I would leave a congregation of more than 2,000 people and a California beach town that fit like our own skin. We’d move away from friends whom we dearly loved. All this while our church benefited from heaps of improbable attention in the local, and national, media.
The Associated Press had recently released a story about our church that appeared on more than 40 radio stations, newspapers and TV networks across the country. A big LA newspaper published a two-page spread, complete with photos. The biggest rock station in Canada interviewed us twice. Esquire magazine kicked it off with an eight-page story that mushroomed into our 15 minutes of fame. This was heady stuff to relinquish for the relative obscurity of a new church plant, in a place where I knew practically no one.

Losing To Gain

The Bible brims over with stories of people who let go of the “ring” in their lives.
God called Abraham to forsake familiar circumstances–his father’s inheritance, political power and family idols. God never gave him a map. He only promised to show him the land after he got there.
Read about Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Jesus disciples and Saul of Tarsus. You must let go of personal control whenever God calls you into something new. When you let go, you surrender the (sometimes boring ) benefit of familiarity for the excitement of living in faith. Scary, but fun.

Church Planting While Letting Go

Every church planter knows this well. And, those who send them also struggle. Sending churches let go of good leaders, money and people whenever they multiply a church. The  kingdom of God gains first, but we do to. God does give to those who give and he blesses those who yield to his call.
The move resulted in a conglomeration of a couple of thousand churches, tons of new friends and a life worth living. I’m glad we did it. Now, I face upheaval all over again. This time it isn’t to plant a church. I’m retiring from my job as pastor of Hope Chapel Honolulu.
I thought retirement brought quiet hours with friends and catching up on novels and history books. The actual “retirement” now presents several new and busy opportunities to share the message of this post–how to make disciples and multiply churches. Retirement may be different than I envisioned, but each time I’ve let go, I’ve found that God has new blessings waiting. I’m excited!
Once you experience it, letting go should get easier each time he asks…
(Adapted from chapter one of Let Go Of The Ring: The Hope Chapel Story, fifth edition)

Jumat, 27 Januari 2017

How to Value The Singles In Your Church & Get Them Plugged In


How to Value The Singles In Your Church & Get Them Plugged In

Posted by Sarah Newsome on 1/26/17 7:49 AM
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As humans, we like to categorize things. And not just things; we like to categorize people, too. Church ministries tend to be dictated by the categories that we come up with, and most of the time, it makes perfect sense: Children’s Ministry, Student Ministry, and Men’s / Women’s Ministries exist because each of these groups has some needs specific to its own members.
But what about the (oft-dreaded) Singles Ministry? Churches recognize that young, unmarried adults might want to spend time with others who are in the same stage of life as they are, but then don’t know how to minister to them or value their potential contributions without simply relegating them to some thinly-veiled "dating ministry."
I don’t think that churches actually view singleness as a “less-than” phase of life, but they don’t know how to integrate singles into church life in a meaningful way for both the single members of their congregation and the church itself.
Here are a few suggestions for doing just that.

1. Don’t call it a Singles Ministry.

This kind of name for your ministry - even if the targeted demographic is almost entirely unmarried young adults - inherently defines its members as, first and foremost, single. It can also make them feel like they’re in a dating ministry. While some probably want to meet their future spouse (and might at your church), I’d argue that most don’t want to have to think about impressing the opposite sex every time they step foot in church.

Most singles don’t want to have to think about impressing people every time they step foot in church.Tweet: Most singles don’t want to have to think a/b impressing people every time they step foot in church. http://bit.ly/2jpw2XQ @VanderbloemenSG

Also, it can make unmarried but dating members of your congregation feel a bit lost - they’re not technically single, but they also can’t join a young marrieds group. And if your adult groups or small groups are all comprised of married couples, those can be a bit intimidating to the not-yet-marrieds.

2. Create a mentoring pipeline.

As a mid-twenties member of a church in Washington, DC, I was struggling to find someone a bit more mature in her faith walk to help guide me. I asked my pastor, who graciously suggested his wife (with her permission, of course - pastors, please don’t volunteer your spouses without first asking them!). But a lot of my friends weren’t as blessed to get connected to an older Christian for the kind of one-on-one time I had with my mentor.
An established system for pairing young adults with older mentors would help bridge the divide that can sometimes develop between generations. Learning from Christians who are further on their faith journeys would help young unmarrieds focus on the long-term goal of their own faith and give older Christians a way to impart their learned wisdom to the next generation.

3. Connect singles & families.

One of the best ways to prevent division between singles and families is to purposefully bring them together. Your church can develop a program where singles can be paired up with families where the young adults are invited for dinners or to fun family outings, and young adults can help serve the families by helping to cook, do household repairs, or babysit. Along with a mentorship pipeline, this kind of program can normalize full integration of all the different segments of your congregation into a unified body that is striving together.
What are some ways your church is ministering to singles and integrating them into the life of the church in a holistic way?
If you liked this, you'll also enjoy 4 Sure-Fire Ways To Drive Singles From Your Church.
How churches should engage millennials webinar recording

The Kingdom Gospel

The Kingdom Gospel

by Bill Hull
In my previous post, "The Six Gospels We Preach Today," I described the most prevalent gospels people preach today. Here I will focus on the one that I believe is the Gospel of Jesus: The Kingdom Gospel. 
What we can call the kingdom gospel best captures the preaching of Jesus and the early church. This is the gospel first announced by John the Baptist: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 3:2). Jesus preached this gospel as well: “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). Right up to his ascension, Jesus’ disciples expected him to establish the kingdom (Acts 1:5–8). The early church also expected this throughout the thirty years after, right up to Paul’s last days. “For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him” (Acts 28:30–31 NLT). Jesus promised that this gospel of “the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached through the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14).
What is the kingdom gospel? It is the proclamation of the rule and reign of Christ over all of life. This good news began with his deliverance of ancient Israel and his promises to save human kind from the kingdom of darkness, despair, sin, and death through a Messiah. It is the announcement that the promised Messiah has come as Jesus, who is the long-expected king who will sit on God’s throne. Though him we have access to eternal life, and we come under his rule by following him and becoming his disciples. From him we learn how to live our lives to the fullest. The good news is that it doesn’t matter if we are Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. Jesus came for us. He lived for us, died for us, was raised from the dead for us, and will return for us and reconcile all things to himself. Those who follow him will live in his presence, under his rule. Those who reject him will eternally exist apart from his loving presence, which is called hell—the best God can do for those who don’t like him or desire to be with him.

How do we enter this kingdom of God?

Entrance has always been the same. Jesus has invited us to follow him, and he is the entrance to the kingdom. So start walking! We enter by accepting him as our rabbi and our king. We agree to learn from him by following his teaching, submitting to his direction, and praying for his help and provision. As we do, we grow to know him and love him, and through the work of the Holy Spirit, we start to become like him.
Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." The kingdom gospel tells us why we were born— for the kingdom of God. The kingdom is the realm of God’s effective will, where his will is done, and it has arrived. His will is becoming a reality in the lives of those who follow Jesus and who make up his body, the church.

More Than Forgiveness

While the kingdom gospel speaks of forgiveness of sin and eternal life, it is about more than forgiveness, where we will go after we die, or how to get into heaven. It is about more than self-interest, and more than trying to create a better world that fits our political or religious perspectives. Unlike the aforementioned gospels, the kingdom gospel includes a call to self-denial. It is focused on giving ourselves for the sake of others rather than on becoming financially prosperous or satisfied religious consumers.
In short, the kingdom gospel calls us to discipleship. Being a disciple of Jesus, learning from him and submitting to his leading and his teaching, is the norm rather than the exception or the option. It calls us to become apprentices of Christ and learn from him how to live our life as though he were living it. If he were a plumber, what kind of plumber would he be? If he were an accountant, what kind of accountant would he be? This is the gospel for real life.
Dallas Willard speaks of the power of this gospel in his classic work, The Divine Conspiracy:
If [Jesus] were to come today as he did then, he could carry out his mission through most any decent and useful occupation. He could be a clerk or accountant in a hardware store, a computer repairman, a banker, an editor, doctor, waiter, teacher, farmhand, lab technician, or construction worker. He could run a housecleaning service or repair automobiles.
In other words, if he were to come today he could very well do what you do. He could very well live in your apartment or house, hold down your job, have your education and life prospects, and live with your family, surroundings, and time. None of this would be the least hindrance to the eternal kind of life that was by his nature and becomes available to us through him. Our human life, it turns out is not destroyed by God’s life but is fulfilled in it and in it alone (13).

For the Ordinary People

In other words, the kingdom gospel speaks to ordinary people and brings transformation to ordinary lives as people listen to and obey the teachings of Jesus. This is the gospel Jesus preached to ordinary people and related to their everyday experience. Yes, we need to remind people of the background story of Israel and include the apostles’ teaching. But the heart of this gospel brings us to knowing, following, and obeying Jesus.

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Follow Bill Hull on Twitter here and Facebook here.
This excerpt has been adapted from Conversion and Discipleship.
Image credit: Unsplash.

The Holy Spirit and How People Change

The Holy Spirit and How People Change

by Bill Hull
When George Whitefield was asked how many people were saved in a meeting where he had preached, he answered, “I don’t know. We should know more in six months.” Whenever the gospel is preached, we know that God works to convert people. But even Jesus indicated in the parable of the sower that we cannot judge if a person is converted by an immediate response (Mark 4:1–20). Outward appearances can be deceiving. Like in the seed in the parable, some people grow at first, but in the end they bear no fruit. Jesus teaches that we will know if people are true disciples if they bears fruit over time.
In Conversion and Discipleship, I discuss how salvation is both an event and a process. We are saved, yet we are also being saved. But what actually happens within people to effect transformation? How do we change? How does the inward transformation we experience manifest in our decisions and conduct? The answer is to all of these questions is the Holy Spirit. This process of change can’t possibly happen without the presence and work of the Holy Spirit.

How the Spirit Works

The Holy Spirit is in the business of making us new people by transforming our mind and changing our character. The transformed mind informs the will, and from the will, we act. We all know this by experience. However, we don’t change by just wishing or praying it to happen. A simple exhortation to stop doing something will rarely make a dent in overcoming habitual sin. Some excuse their lack of progress by claiming they need more time to come up with a more profound insight or plan. But the brutal truth is that they use up this time in the same unproductive ways. We need the work of the Holy Spirit to change us.
Keep reading this blog for more on this topic.

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Follow Bill Hull on Twitter here and Facebook here.
This excerpt has been adapted from Conversion and Discipleship.
Image credit: Shutterstock.

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How Spiritual Disciplines Form Habits

How Spiritual Disciplines Form Habits

by Bill Hull
When we start to train our mind to look at life differently, a great struggle will ensue. And if this training is not in the context of supportive relationships, we will probably fail. Lack of relational support is also why so many people gain weight back after significant weight loss. If they think it is a terrible loss to not eat chips, cookies, pasta, and ice cream, they look on these unhealthy foods with longing and miss eating them. Eventually, they go back to their old habits because they want to go back and think they need to.
So like the goals in weight loss and healthy eating, the goal for spiritual growth is to form the will through the process of transforming desires and then through obedience to exercise good desires until they establish good habits and godly character. As Willard says: “We want to have a will that is fully functional, not at war with itself and capable of directing all of the parts of the self in harmony with one another under the direction of God” (Willard, Renovation, 156).

Confusing Disciplines with Spirituality

As helpful as spiritual disciplines are, they must not be confused with spirituality itself. They are not the basis for our relationship with God but simply practices that provide a context for him to work to transform us. I find it most helpful to think of spiritual disciplines as like the exercises we do to improve our physical well-being. Some disciplines will work indirectly like running, which changes the physiology of the body. The muscles burn energy, the lungs expand to take in increased oxygen, and the heart pumps harder. Over time (several weeks), the muscles grow stronger, the lungs have more capacity, and the heart’s ability to pump blood increases. The runner did not directly will the muscles, heart, and lungs to become better; this happened indirectly. The runner willed to run to attain the desired result but also gained greater general health.
The spiritual disciplines work in a similar way. Let’s say that you desire to become a more loving person. You can’t command your feelings to suddenly change. But you can choose to take the actions that will lead to the desired result. You ask God to change your motives. Then like a runner, you begin a program of regularly praying, taking in God’s word, and worship him in a variety of ways. Over time, your heart begins to enjoy pleasing him, like many runners begin to enjoy running. You may choose to fast, transferring the physical desire for food to spiritual longing for a deeper experience of God and the nourishment he provides. Then you may choose to serve others by doing loving things for them. Suddenly one day you realize that you enjoy serving others and that loving others has become natural for you. Like running changes the body, your spiritual discipline exercises, developed into habits, change your character, which is revealed by how you act. You chose to keep at these exercises because God put the desire for change in your heart.
Let me give you another practical, concrete example from real life. One fruit of the Spirit is self-control, the ability to do what we intend to do and not do what we don’t intend to do. Many people lack this ability. They cannot pass a pastry tray without having a taste, or pass by an attractive person without flirting. Often the desire for that food or person remains in their heart and mind.

Jesus on Transformation

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of the process of spiritual transformation. The religious leaders, scribes, and Pharisees were focused on external behavior, ignoring the heart. But Jesus looks at the source of behavior, not just the outward appearance. He teaches that true godliness is driven from the mind, will, and spirit. For example, Jesus teaches that murder is the result of anger. If people are not first angry with others, they are not likely to murder them. So rather than avoiding the act of murder, we should focus on thoughts, attitudes, and feelings. Jesus tells us to deal with our anger, cultivate peace and love in our relationships, and forgive others who wrong us.
Here is an analogy. If you are flying to Houston from Los Angeles, you don’t have to fly to Seattle. Flying to Seattle is not something you need to worry about. In the same way, if you learn to forgive others and deal with the root of your anger, you won’t need to worry that you will kill them.
Lust provides another concrete example and connects to our earlier discussion about self-control. Suppose you are a man who meets an attractive woman, and you allow the image of her to take up residence in your mind. You can’t go through a day without thinking about her, having fantasies about her, and creating an alternative universe where you are together. You realize that something must be done to stop these desires. Our first impulse, trying harder to exert our will power, won’t work. You can’t command yourself, “DON’T LUST. DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT HER!” Neither will attempting to obey commands and keep promises. No, the problem is too deep for these solutions. You need to address the source of your thoughts and the reasons behind your desire. The goal is to get to state were not thinking about the woman does not seem like a loss. You need to examine your longing and why you feel deprived when you don’t have what you desire. You need to bring the provision of God into that place of longing.

The Remedy

These situations are where the spiritual exercises and disciplines are helpful. The good news is that we have remedies to cure wrong desires! Whether our longing is for a person, food, a house, a job, or some other thing, the remedy is the same. Consider some basic things:
  • Begin by asking God, “Why am I longing for this person, thing, or situation?” Pray for help in discerning the source. Find another person you trust to talk with about it. Dietrich Bonhoeffer often spoke about how sin wants nothing more than to be alone with you. Sin is empowered when we shut others out.
  • Take a close look at your expectations and think about the consequences of satisfying your sinful desire. Often, we fail to think through to the end. So we need to ask what would it be like, honestly, to get what we want? Our dreams are filled with assumptions about the world that are not aligned with reality. Graciously, God will show us the fallacy of our dreams, which may have been fed by the values and idols of the culture in which we live. Also, you may have triggers in your life, unconscious ways of responding in which you’ve been trained to be dissatisfied with what you are or have. Remember that the enemy’s goal is to make us dissatisfied with what God has given us and to doubt that he loves us. The enemy wants us to think that God is withholding good things from us.
  • Be patient. Change takes time. You may ask why and then have to wait in trust for God to reveal the answer. In the meantime, practice what he tells you. Avoid the triggers and practice the antidote: remember that everything you have is a gift from God and learn to be thankful for what you do have. Focus on the good news of what Jesus has done for you in the cross and resurrection. Your mind will eventually change and inform your will. Over time, you will begin to want what God has convinced you is good. One day it will dawn on you that you no longer miss thinking about that person, food, house, job, or whatever. Its power is gone, and that is just fine with you.
  • Keep exercising the spiritual disciplines such as worship, service, Scripture reading and memorization, prayer, fasting, confession, submission, silence, and solitude. These disciplines expose our motives and bring the flaws in our character to the surface. Negative thoughts that have been buried for a long time and create destructive emotions will be exposed. The disciplines will provide the structure and context that you need for long-term growth and maturity.
Continue to read this blog for more on spiritual disciplines and training.

bill_hullFollow Bill Hull on Twitter here and Facebook here.
This excerpt has been adapted from Conversion and Discipleship.
Image credit: Unsplash.

Three Characteristics of the Kingdom Gospel

Three Characteristics of the Kingdom Gospel

by Bill Hull
In my post, "The Kingdom Gospel," I shared the nature of the Kingdom Gospel of Jesus. In this post, I’d like to draw out three characteristics of the kingdom gospel to show why it is unique.

First

The kingdom of God grows by investing in a minority population. Jesus describes the kingdom of God through parables and claims that those who have spiritual insight will understand. Those who are not inclined to hear cannot understand. “For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand” (Matt. 13:13 NLT).
Using a parable of sowing seed, Jesus explained how the word of God receives a variety of responses. His audience was observant Jews who were expecting a political and military revolution but who were not inclined to believe a rural, untrained rabbi. So Jesus told them that some who hear the message will not accept it. Others will respond but be lack luster, nominal, or casual. But the good news was that others hearers would respond and produce a harvest of their own, reproducing from a third to a hundred times as much (Matt. 13:18–23).
We could argue the parable gives the impression that a majority will either not respond or will fall away and produce no fruit. So Jesus may have been implying to his disciples here that they should focus on nurturing the minority who respond positively. In this they would be following their Lord, for he spends his time where his efforts with produce fruit. The fact that he spent most of his time recorded in the gospels with these few men is evidence. As disciples of Jesus, we should not fret over those who refuse to follow him but focus our energy on responsive people who will grow.

Second

The kingdom gospel teaches us to obey God by living intentionally in the middle of diversity and ambiguity. Jesus uses another parable to liken life in the kingdom to a farmer who planted some wheat, but then weeds grew up with the wheat. The wheat and weeds were so intermingled that the farmer couldn’t pull the weeds without destroying the wheat. To get any harvest, the two had to be allowed to grow up side-by-side and then separated at harvest time when both were cut down. Jesus explains that the wheat plants are his followers and the weeds are the disciples of the enemy. In the end the angels will separate the two, and off to their respective abodes they will go, wheat to heaven and the weeds to life without God (Matt. 13:36–42).
Following Jesus requires us to live next to those who do not believe or follow our King. It also means we have an obligation to love them as Christ has modeled for us. We are not charged with determining and declaring who is in the kingdom and who is out. Only an omniscient being is able to do this, and we are clearly not qualified. We are simply to live and love, pray and tell, and some of those weeds will develop ears to hear. The strategy is that if we live among them, we have access. The institutional church does not have the same degree of access or opportunities that its members have every day.

Third

The kingdom gospel reminds us that growth is slow but will ultimately permeate everything. Jesus uses two illustrations to explain how his plan is in all of life, a mustard seed and yeast in bread. A mustard seed is small, but it grows so large that it can provide birds with shade and even a home. This illustration reminds us of many Christians who started with only a helping hand but went on to build orphanages and hospitals. The mustard plant is like the Red Cross, or Christians who help when disaster strikes, or those with a Christian legacy.
Yeast, of course, permeates an entire loaf. Jesus’ point is that like yeast, his word spreads in a quiet way, but once it does, it cannot be stopped any more that yeast can be removed from a loaf to keep it from rising. Like yeast, the King’s disciples must be worked into the middle of the community to have the greatest contact and impact.

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Follow Bill Hull on Twitter here and Facebook here.
This excerpt has been adapted from Conversion and Discipleship.
Image credit: Shutterstock.

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Simple Ways ANY Plant Can Welcome Families

Simple Ways ANY Plant Can Welcome Families

A surprising source for teaching your plant how to truly welcome families and kids.
Simple Ways ANY Plant Can Welcome Families
You only get one opportunity to make a first impression with new families. And it normally determines if they decide to return to your church or not. Follow up is in vain if a family has a bad first experience.
That being said, how do you make a new family feel welcome? I recently read about a family that had a great experience not at church…but with an airline. But what they shared translates right into your ministry. You see, when it comes to first impressions and customer service, families don’t differentiate between a church and a place of business. If you give them a crappy first experience, they’re not going to give you a pass just because it says “church” on the sign out front.
Let’s take a look at this mother’s response to the airline and what caused her to say it was a great experience. It reveals some great tips on making new families feel welcome and cared for.
“As a mama who has flown with small children dozens of times on your airline, I can honestly say the kindness you gifted us today went above and beyond. I shall share my tale because the good in our world is too often swallowed by the not so good. Not by me.
Today, a cold December morning, my four children and I made our way to Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). Flying alone with my pack is not for the faint of heart, though I was gifted with the realization that the ease of one’s journey has much to do with the kindness encountered. This mama and her four children, the youngest with special needs, was shown gentleness and warmth at every turn. It really matters. Did you know that? I never knew that. I had decided to drop off our luggage outside, before parking, so as to avoid hauling it on and off the shuttle bus. Your smiling agent waiting on the curb, seemingly just for me, whisked my bags away and encouraged me to wait in the warm car as he did all things necessary. Within minutes, he returned to hand me my license and five boarding passes. Merry Christmas, he said. Kindness. Once we finally made our way inside, kindness again. Please come this way, no need to wait in the long line. This one is for priority customers. Our precious Amos, still in his footy pajamas, so often makes things tougher, but not with your airline. My older children were enchanted with this preferred treatment and so was I. Nothing seemed to be a problem. Today, I needed nothing to be a problem. We made our way to the gate and though we weren’t first class customers, much to my daughter’s dismay, we were ushered forward. Yes, smiling gate agents beckoned my motley crew to the front of the line, spattered with ketchup, and Amos, still in those feety pajamas, with his right big toe peeking out now. Early boarding meant plenty of time to get little people settled and comfortable. This new plane had individual screens with movies and games and we were all given head phones, no need to pay, the gentle eyes spoke. Before I knew it, another jovial flight attendant had gotten ahold of my phone and was snapping pictures, a kind gesture recognized by a mother that is too often absent in the snapshot. Michele with her kind eyes and Frank with his necklace of blinking lights reminded us that people really do care about families like my own. “They think we’re important, Mom. Amos is important.” Thank you. Before, during and after flight 1266 today, you made a mother and four children feel awfully special.  What a Christmas gift.
Wow! This letter is full of tips for making new families feel welcome! Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Kindness – People will remember how you treated them. How do you make new families feel? How do you treat them?
Went above and beyond – How can you go the second mile to make families feel welcome? What are some little things you can do?
Gentleness and warmth at every turn – Families will remember every interaction they have. Disney has reminded us that while no one owns the guest, everyone owns the moment they are with the guest.
Smiling agent – Smiling makes a big difference. People remember this.
Seemingly just for me – How can you give undivided, individual attention to each family?
No need to wait in the long line – People hate waiting in line. How can you keep your check in, drop off and pick up lines short? Do you have a separate check-in area for guests?
Nothing seemed to be a problem – Do you make people feel like they are bothering you or blessing you?
Individual movie and game screens and we were all given head phones – What are some little things you can give families to make their visit easier and more convenient?
Jovial flight attendant – Volunteers’ attitude and appearance makes a difference.
Snapping pictures – Provide opportunities for families to take pictures together.
Kind eyes – People can tell in your eyes if they are welcome or not.
Necklace of blinking lights – What are some little fun things you can do to create a fun environment for guests?
Feel awful special – How can you make new families feel special?
I would encourage you to sit down as a team and walk through these points. Hit these and you’ll see more families have a great experience and return.
Dale Hudson
Dale Hudson has served in children and family ministry for over 25 years. He is the Director of Children’s Ministries at Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach, Florida. He has been named one of the Top 20 Influencers in Children’s Ministry. He is the co-author of six ministry books, including 100 Best Ideas to Turbocharge Your Children’s Ministry.

Avoiding Ministry Implosion

Avoiding Ministry Implosion: What’s Below the Surface?

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“It’s important to periodically ask ourselves what is brewing below the surface of our lives.”
Brittle leaves crunch beneath our feet as the six of us hike the three-mile trail not far from my home. The temperature spikes into the low seventies, uncharacteristically warm for a late October day in Michigan. I run here regularly and know the route well, but the path is new to everyone else. My five hiking companions are younger pastors. We meet every few months, often in a coffee shop, but today I want to focus our conversation from a specific place we will pass on our hike.
About thirty minutes into our walk, we pause at the site where a barn once stood. The structure is long gone, and today only the foundation is visible. Mature trees rise around the space that once housed livestock and farm implements.
I’ve halted our hike at this location to reflect on that part of our lives nobody sees—the foundation, the world that lies beneath the surface. That space where holy disciplines and hidden sins grow. It is from this interior, private world that our public lives will thrive or falter. For better or worse, who we are in private usually manifests itself in public.
I’ve selected this site and bring up this sobering topic because of a growing casualty list.
  • The computer system of a hookup website is hacked, exposing the double lives of public figures.
  • A professional athlete is besieged by the media when allegations of domestic violence surface.
  • The sketchy financial practices of a politician threaten to ruin her career.
  • A pastor is forced to resign after repeated complaints that coworkers and board members fell victim to his controlling, demeaning rage.
Above the ground all seemed well—a thriving career, a growing ministry, a satisfied constituency. But trouble brewed beneath the surface. And major regions of neglect threatened the whole structure.
You might be a highly gifted, unbelievably talented man or woman who genuinely affects hundreds of lives with impact. But if and when an implosion occurs, it will be difficult for those exposed to the rubble to remember your positive, life-giving side. When secret habits—those concealed below the surface—are exposed, it will be challenging for others to remember the positive aspects of your character and ministry.
It might not be fair, but we are more remembered for a devastating fall than for steady goodness. When a house burns to the ground, the foundation is all that is left to see. Oswald Chambers used the imagery of “who we are in the dark” to urge his readers to pay attention to what was happening beneath the surface of their public lives:
We are only what we are in the dark; all the rest is reputation.
What God looks at is what we are in the dark—
The imaginations of our minds;
the thoughts of our heart;
the habits of our bodies;
these are the things that mark us in God’s sight.

And so the six of us pause beside the aged foundation of the barn and talk about our public worlds and our private worlds. About what is above the surface and what lies below the surface. I take the conversation very seriously, believing the stakes to be immeasurably high. The private habits of these five men greatly affect the health and vitality of five congregations. And apart from the impact on their churches, the hidden lives of these men will affect their five families; together, they have over a dozen children. I am hopeful that our conversation will fend off some future tragedy, that we might detect patterns of sin and weed them out while they are still small and operable.
As we stand at the site of the old barn, we speak openly of our own struggles and challenges. We share of ongoing temptation and success and failure. We talk about our foundations, the part nobody sees. Or rather, that nobody sees for the time being but someday may be exposed to in a manner we cannot predict or control.
And so we hike, and pause, and talk. We talk about who we are when nobody’s watching and the difference it makes. I wish everyone had a space for such honest dialogue.

What’s below the surface?

It’s important to periodically ask ourselves what is brewing below the surface of our lives. That part of us nobody sees. Recall the passage from Proverbs we explored on Day 12: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Prov. 4:23).
What is the condition of your heart? Does any bitterness grow, threatening to poison your relationships? Do any wounds fester, unattended and unhealed? Does any lust rage? Are any hidden sins nursed, unobserved by all but God? What is growing below the surface?
This is also the space where we quiet ourselves before our Creator, where we plead for mercy, confessing that we are not right. Our hearts are the soil where grace grows, where healthy roots plunge deep, nurturing life above ground.
Rarely does anyone drive past a house and admire the foundation. But it is the foundation that supports the rest of the structure. An enduring public life is supported by a vigilant private life.

A Plea

What did you find when you looked beneath the surface of your life? Did you acknowledge the presence of something that deeply troubles you—a poisonous attitude, a gaping wound, an embarrassing habit, or secret addiction? If you are reading this and believe you’ve really made a mess of things, please reach out to those who love you and can help walk you out of the darkness. Know that your first impulse will be to cover up your mess, to keep your problems hidden. The threat of exposure can be paralyzing.
Here we face a monstrous challenge. A destructive, hidden behavior drains our life away. But voluntarily exposing our darkness to someone feels suicidal. It might be long and hard and complicated and painful, but I plead with you to deal with what grows in your private world. I plead with you to seek the wisdom of a skilled friend or pastor or counselor who can speak God’s mercy and direction into your life. It is highly unlikely that you will find your way out of this on your own.
Trust that there is someone out there who can enter the tangled mess and walk with you toward holiness and healing. Trust that God is not done with your story. Trust that lasting, life-giving transformation is often found on the other side of an embarrassing revelation. Trust that God’s redeeming grace desires to bring you home and that he will show convincing evidence of his mercy along the path.
Believe that there is hope. Remember that many who finish well suffered an ominous setback in the middle miles. It’s not too late to get back in the race. It’s never too late to begin building on a new foundation.

Reflection

Reflect upon your foundation. What do you see when you look beneath the surface of your life? If you see a tangled mess—something you can’t solve by yourself—you need someone you can turn to for help. Write down the names of several people you can count on when your foundation begins to crack or crumble.
Taken from Dream Big, Think Small by Jeff Manion. Copyright © 2017 by Jeff Manion. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com.
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Jeff Manion is the senior pastor of Ada Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan (a 2016 Outreach 100 church, No. 56 largest), where he has served for more than 30 years, and the author of The Land Between and Satisfied. For more: JeffManion.org