Thursday, December 24, 2009

I’ve been thinking about accountability

 
I meet on a regular basis with other men and we hold each other accountable for certain value which we feel are important if we are to become the men God wants us to be. Recently I’ve been wondering if what we are holding each other accountable for are the things that are really the most important.

Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind, and with all of our strength, and that the second commandment is like it, that is to love our neighbor as ourselves.

My next thought is from Hebrews 11:6 where we read that we cannot please God unless we are living a life of faith. This is tough because it tells me that as long as I’m living my life with a safety net, as long as I have my life in control, then I’m not living by faith. Now I’m not saying my life should be out of control. What I am saying is if “I” am the one to have it in control then that that is not faith. The emphasis is on “I” versus God. If I am living by faith then I have to trust God to the extent that I act on what His word says, even when the circumstances look impossible. This leads me to think that I need my accountability partners to be asking me how I’m doing at turning the controls over to God instead of hanging on to the controls myself.

Hebrews 12:14 tells us to pursue holiness without which no man will see the Lord. We cannot dabble in sin if we want the Lord to show up in our lives in a powerful way. We’re going to have to say no to some entertainment. We’re going to have to guard our eyes from looking at some things. We’re going to have to guard our hearts from longing for things we shouldn’t have. We’re going to have to go to people and tell them we were wrong and ask forgiveness. We’re going to have to go to others and make restitution for wrongs we have committed. We may even have to go to past employers and tell them we have stolen or cheated them. We may have to go to a former professor and admit to having cheated on a test. If we want God to show up in our lives we must pursue holiness. The question we must answer is this. How badly do I want God’s power in my life? When I want God’s power in my life more than anything else then I’ll do whatever it takes

And then Jesus said in Matthew 7:20 that we would be known by our fruit. If I’m healthy I will be growing and reproducing. What fruit is there in my life, and what does that fruit say about my life?

From this I’m thinking that I need to ask my accountability partner to be asking me the following questions:
1. How am I growing in my love for God?
2. How am I growing in my love for my fellow man?
3. How am I growing in holiness and purity?
4. How am I growing in faith?
5. How am I growing in fruitfulness?

Send me some feedback on this and give me your thoughts and insights.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

I’ve Been Thinking

 
At 99° Celsius water is hot, but at 100° Celsius water boils and turns to steam. Steam, when contained and properly used can be used to run steam engines, the same engines used to power huge locomotives, ocean liners, power generators, sawmills, and many other such machinery. It’s only one degree, one single degree, but that one degree makes all difference.

Often it is that one degree that makes the difference between success or failure, between victory or defeat, between being the champion or being defeated.

I’ve been thinking about how the same is true in the Christian life. Some find going the extra degree just too hard. They don’t think it’s worth it. It’s just too much to give up. And so, many people settle for less. They get hot, but they never boil. They get close, but they never cross the line.

So I’ve been thinking. How hot am I? Am I simply hot, or have I crossed over to the point where I’m making steam and God can harness my output and use it for great things?

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

A letter to my BCF family

 
My Dear BCF Family,

More than once I have told Pastor Kenny that if I were independently wealthy I would stay on BCF staff doing the same things, only I’d do it for free. That’s how much I have enjoyed being your administrative/executive pastor. Serving you, my BCF family, has been a greater thrill than I could ever describe.

And because serving as your administrative and executive pastor has been such a thrill, stepping off staff is one of the most difficult and painful things I have ever experienced. The natural question then become, why do it? Well, that’s why I’m writing you, to share my heart with you and give you some insight into that answer.

It started last year when I got a personal invitation to go listen to a nationally known church leader. Only about 1,300 people were invited to that conference, and I was one of those men. None of my pastor friends got an invitation. Why me? I don’t know. How did it happen? I asked and tried to find the answer, but nobody could tell me. At the conference the church leader who invited us shared his heart, telling us about the huge need for pastors who have been trained to go train other pastors who have less training. At the end of the conference we were invited to stand and make a commitment to train someone else. I stood and told God, “Lord, I don’t know how you want to use me, but I’m here because you brought me here and I’m willing to do whatever You ask of me.” In less than a month God began putting things in place for me to begin teaching other pastors.

In May God worked it out for me to go to Peru to train church leaders, and then in July I helped lead a team where I oversaw the door-to-door evangelism teams. I didn’t plan or even try to put any of that together. God amazed me, working everything out so that I didn’t have to write a single letter or raise a single dollar of support. The team pastor who was scheduled to go couldn’t make the trip, and since I was taking his place the money which had been allocated for him was moved and used to cover my expenses.

The desire to continue training pastors grew, and I began thinking about how I could do more of it. I even began developing plans to do it. But all this time I was thinking I would stay on staff and do both. I thought I’d just train someone to fill in for me while I was away. But God had other plans. Slowly I began to recognize that God was doing the unexpected, and although I fought it, He won out. It became clear to both Pastor Kenny and me that God was moving me off of the BCF staff to go pour my life into training and teaching church leaders in foreign countries.

How will all of this work out? Honestly, I don’t know. Am I scared of stepping out into the unknown? No, I’m terrified! Most of you know that my training is in engineering, and engineers always overdesign to account for any unexpected circumstances, and then just in case something unexpected happens, we include a safety factor. I like that! When I get on an airplane it makes me feel good to know that guys like me designed and build those airplanes. We don’t like taking risks. We want to make sure all the bases are covered. God is stretching me way beyond my comfort zone. He is answering my prayer and teaching me to become a man of faith.

In the process of teaching me to become a man of faith I am seeing how God is teaching me to let go of security and trust Him for the impossible. In addition to training church leaders, God has given me a desire to start a company which will provide the income necessary for me to do this. I’m working on getting that company going, but the reality is that my dreams will fall flat and fail unless God steps in and makes it become a reality. I’m not smart enough, creative enough, influential enough, or educated enough to make this happen on my own. This dream is huge! There is no way I can pull this off! But God can. He is almighty God and with Him nothing is impossible!

But the dream keeps growing, and the desire has turned into a passion. I can’t just stay in my comfortable job and not do this! I’d rather fail trying then to never attempt it! In Matthew 16:25 Jesus said “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Jesus is saying is that if I try to live my life in safety and comfort then I’ll lose the very satisfaction and fulfillment I’m trying to find. But if I’ll risk it all for His name and for His kingdom then I’ll find a life that is worthwhile and fulfilling.

So what is the business dream? To start a greeting card business that will sell millions of greeting cards and support the entire ministry.

What is the ministry dream? To train a team of church leaders and help them train other church leaders, who will train yet other church leaders, who will train yet other church leaders, who… Just imagine, if one church leader were to train two men, and those two men train two men, and those two men train two men, and that progression were to keep going, then in one year a single leader will be impacting 63 other men. This is what Jesus did with His twelve apostles, and it’s what the Apostle Paul told Timothy to do. Just imagine what would happen if every mature Christian were training two other Christians.

Well, there you have it, the vision and passion that God’s given me.

So it is with mixed emotions that I step off the BCF staff. It seems like I have cried buckets of tears as I argued with God about this, but now I sense an excitement that God is going to bring to reality something I really only dreamed of doing.

To you, my BCF family, I say “Thank you!” My life is richer because of you. Serving you and being your pastor has been a real joy. I will always treasure the memories of living life with you.

At this point we have no plans to move. We love Brownsville. This is home. Three of our children were born here. But mostly, we love it because you are here. So please stay in touch and let me know if there is anything I can do to help. In the meantime I’ll try to keep this blog updated so that you can follow what God is doing in our lives.

I love you and pray God’s rich blessings on you.

Your friend and fellow servant,

Jim

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Growth & Fruit

In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said that He would build His church. But that doesn’t mean we sit back and watch.

When God delivered the people of Israel from Egypt He used Moses. God used David to kill the giant. He used Elijah to call fire down from heaven to consume the sacrifice. He used Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He used John the Baptist to announce the coming of the Messiah. It seems that God nearly always works through faithful people to accomplish his plans and purposes.

Throughout history God has worked through men and women to build His church. That means we have a part in what God is doing, and that our skill, or lack of skill, will determine how much God uses us to build.

In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-9) Jesus said some seed yielded a hundredfold, while other yielded sixty, and other only thirty. My prayer is that I will be one of those who yields a hundredfold.

So what do we need to do in order to be that good seed which yields a hundredfold?

First, we need to stop asking what we need to do in order to grow and reproduce. That’s the wrong question. The question we must be asking ourselves is, what is preventing me from growing and reproducing?

As we saw yesterday, growth and reproduction are natural. If growth and reproduction are not a part of our spiritual life then we need to look what is lacking or what is attacking. What nutrients are missing so that our roots are weak and we are malnourished? Or, what enemy is attacking us and destroying the reproduction process?

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Becoming Mature

I’ve been thinking about growth and maturity. It seems that God has placed us in a world filled with examples of things that grow, mature, and produce fruit. Plant a tomato seed and it grows, the plant matures, and has flowers, and produces tomatoes. A cat has kittens, they grow up to maturity, and then they have kittens. Chicken eggs hatch into chicks, the chicks grow to maturity, and then they lay eggs of their own. Everywhere around us we see examples of living things which grow, become mature, and then reproduce.

In fact, this is so much the law of nature that if a plant is not growing to maturity and reproducing we know something is lacking or something is attacking. It is either lacking nutrition, and therefore malnourished, or it is being attacked, such as by disease or insects.

The Bible tells us we should be growing to maturity and that we should be reproducing. In fact, Jesus said that we would be known by our fruit.

So here’s today’s thought: Do I have any fruit for someone to examine? If I do, what does my fruit say about me? Am I healthy? Am I malnourished? Am I diseased?

John 15:16 (NASB)
“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Developing a Heart of Gratitude

 
Earlier today I was walking around in Wal-Mart while waiting for Michael to get off work. As I walked around I noticed people buying “stuff” they didn’t need, and I began thinking about how unhappy so many people are.

My mind then drifted to a friend of mine who is always complaining. I thought of how I hesitate asking him how he is because I already know he will tell me how tired he is and how sleepy he is. I thought perhaps I should talk to him about his constant complaining, and suggest that he try giving thanks twice as much as he complains to see if he can change his outlook on life by “giving thanks in all things”.

And then it seemed the Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder and asked me how much I give thanks. I was reminded of how much I complain, and I wondered if people hesitate asking me how I’m doing because I’ll tell them about my bad back, or that I have a headache, or that I didn’t sleep well, or that I’m on an emotional roller coaster, or that…

Lord, please forgive me for my critical and complaining attitude. Help me to develop a heart of gratitude by remembering what You have done for me and how blessed I am to be Your child.

Thoughts to Ponder - What Am I Doing?

 
Often we think of sin as only having a negative consequence.

We think of sin resulting is something bad happening to us because we did something we shouldn’t have done.

But did you know there is another side to sin?

Sin also results in the withholding of something good that could have been, the blessing that would have been.

When Adam and Eve sinned they both experienced guilt. And then each of them had a particular sin consequence they had to deal with: for Eve it was painful childbirth, and for Adam it was struggling with weeds and thorns to get the earth to produce.

The obvious is that they no longer enjoyed those walks and talks with God in the cool of the evening. They no longer enjoyed perfect harmony with each other. They no longer enjoyed the beautiful Garden of Eden.

But what did they give up?
What might it have been like to raise children in a perfect setting?
What might it have been like to never have sickness, pain, colds, flu, headaches, etc?
What might have happened if they had been able to ask God how to create, how to design, and how to turn dreams into reality?

Think about it.
Imagine what blessings we might be missing out on becuase of our short sightedness and poor choices?

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Truths About Giving

 
The Problem

1. Our society has become numb and turned off by the constant requests for money.

2. We see pictures of starving children in Africa, AIDS victims, hurricane victims, earthquake victims, tsunami victims, and many other very real and legitimate needs. People today are pretty much inoculated to the point that the first mention of money causes them to tune out and turn off.

3. If we are going to get through to people’s hearts the approach must change. The presentation of a need no longer gets through.

4. People today want to get something when they give something. Sadly, the culture we live in has become so “me” that most people will not give unless they see the personal benefit to themselves.

5. The bottom line is this: presenting a need no longer works because people tune out and turn off before you get half way through the presentation. If they get an e-mail or a letter, they trash it as soon as they see what it is.

The Truth

1. Although the above is all very true, that should not present a problem for the church of the Lord Jesus. However, our approach must take this into account.

2. God is still looking for faithful men and women whose hearts are fully committed to Him, people who will use the resources He entrusts to them for His purposes, and not to satisfy personal desires and greedy wants.

3. In the parable of the servants, the two servants who invested the talents given them were entrusted with more and given greater responsibility.

4. God says that He is looking for those faithful people to whom He can entrust His resources.

5. For many, the reason they don’t have is because they have not given God His portion. They have been unfaithful with what God has entrusted to them so God cannot trust them with more. Back to the parable of the servants: the unfaithful servant had the single talent taken away from him and given to the faithful servant. Jesus said that the unfaithful will have what little they do have taken away from them and given to a faithful servant.

6. If we don’t have enough then we need to examine our hearts to see why because God says He is looking for faithful people to whom He can entrust His resources. Could our problem be that we have misused what was given us? Has God taken away what little we had because we have been unfaithful? It’s pretty simple to check that out. All we need to do is look back at our giving record to see if we have been faithful to give God His portion.

The Solution

1. Giving is the laboratory where God tests and grows our faith.

2. When things are going wrong we need to ask ourselves: Do I trust God’s plan and His promise, or do I go back to trusting my plan and my checking account?

3. God will keep us in this testing and proving phase until our faith grows to where we move past the point of trusting in ourselves and our checking account to the point where we trust God and His promises.

4. Only when we have proven ourselves faithful will we see God entrust His resources to us.

Monday, November 30, 2009

The Great Commission

In Matthew 28:18-20 we find what is known as The Great Commission. I’ve been pondering that quite a bit lately and wondering if perhaps we have been overlooking one of the words we find in that passage. It’s the short three-letter word “all”, as in “teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.

If we are going to teach new believers to obey all the commands Jesus gave us then that must mean we teach them to
1) go and peach,
2) help them become Christ-followers,
3) baptize them, and then
4) teach them to repeat that same process with someone else.

If we fail in any one of these points then doesn’t that mean we have failed to carry out the commands of our Lord?

When I stop and think about all that entails it’s pretty heavy because it means that if the person I pour my life into does not go pour their life into someone else then I’ve failed to get the main point across to my apprentice. Now I understand that may not always be the case, because even Jesus had one of his disciples fail. But if I don’t have any of those people I’m pouring my life into go pour their life into someone else, who pours their life into someone else, then somewhere along that process I’m failing.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Faithful vs Unfaithful

Notice in Matthew 25:14-30 the difference in the focus of the faithful and unfaithful servants. The faithful servants began their reports focuses on “You”, while the unfaithful servant began his report with “I”.


If our focus is on self then we will always miss the bigger picture, we will miss the thrill of great accomplishments, we will miss out on accomplishing something of significance.

It is only when I am willing to risk my life for the cause of my Lord that I’ll find a life worth living. A life that does not see God show up, a life that does not experience the power of God, a life that does not go beyond self is not a life worth living. That life is only an existence, not a thrill and fulfilling life.

So where is your focus?

Saturday, November 21, 2009

God's Dream Stretches Us

Are you dreaming of what might be? Are you wondering if perhaps God has something more for you? I came across this in a book titled Discover Your Destiny by Bill and Kathy Peel.

God's dreams stretch us. They cause us to reach for things we thought we could never experience, to risk what we thought we could never lose, to hope for what we thought we could never gain. Dreams cause us to tap into potential energy, discover resources we thought we didn’t have. They demand that we develop a stronger, deeper, more significant relationship with God than we’ve ever had before, to embrace the impossible and believe it’s possible because we worship the God of the impossible.

A dream from God lays hold of the “good works” that we were created for in Jesus Christ. His dreams bring our innermost being meaning and purpose as we’ve never experienced before. When we put ourselves in God’s hands, He will simply not allow us to stay comfortably complacent in our own small worlds.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Life Is As Good As I Choose

Enjoying life is a choice. We chose what we allow our minds to dwell on. If we chose to dwell on negative things then we’ll have a negative attitude and become even more negative. And believe me, life has more than enough disappointments to keep us down the rest of our lives.

However, if we chose to find the bright side of things, and then dwell on the positive things instead of the negative, then we’ll enjoy life and live with a positive outlook.

That’s why God says in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (NASB)

See that part at the end that says "dwell on these things"? That's a command we are to obey.

So the next time you’re feeling down just remember, it’s your choice. But also remember that dwelling on the negative is sin. God says we are to control our mind and dwell on His list of good things.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Have You Thought About Sin?

Have you ever thought about why sin is so bad?

Some of you read that and think, "Well, Duh! Of course sin is bad!"
But really, have you thought it through?
Quite likely, if we really think it through, and really see sin for what it is, we might not fall victim quite so easily.

Did God just randomly come up with a set of rules that He determined would be sin if we violate them? In other words, did God want to take away our fun, or did He have a reason for telling us to stay away from certain things?

The answer is right in front of us. It is not elusive at all.
Let’s start by understanding what sin is.
Sin is anything that is contrary to God’s nature and character.
For example; God is love, therefore whatever is unloving is sin because it goes against loving God character.
God is just, so whatever is unjust is sin because it goes against God’s just character.
God is pure, so whatever is impure is sin because it goes against God’s pure character.

Now, because mankind was created in the image of God, whatever is against God’s character is also against man’s character. Sin is contrary to man's natural design. What that means is that the Bible is not a set of rules that God determined were sin if they are violated, but the Bible is actually God's  manual for mankind to have a successful life.

My car manual says to put gasoline in the fuel tank. But if decide gasoline is too expensive and chose to put water in the gas tank instead, then my car won’t run. That doesn't mean there is a design problem, and it doesn’t mean there is an error in the owner’s manual. So long as I follow the manual my car will run fine, but when I decide I’m going to violate the manual because I don’t like the price of gasoline then I’ll run into problems.

That’s that way it is with sin and God’s Word. My opinion does not change the facts. The way for me to enjoy life to the fullest is to understand the manual God gave us, His Word, and then follow it. If we do that then Joshua 1:8 guarantees us success.

So the next time the enemy comes to you telling you that sin will be fun and that you can get away with it remember this, it is contrary to the purpose for which you were made.
It will destroy you!
Remember, Jesus said that Satan is a liar and a murderer, and that all he wants to do is to kill and destroy.
Don't fall victim to his lies! Call a mature Christian friend before you fall victim.

God's Way vs. Our Way

When we do things God’s way we release God’s power into our lives.
When we do things our way we cut off God’s power in our lives.
Therefore, obedience is like opening a valve so that God can pour His power into our lives.

I racall trying to explain this to a couple Christian businessmen who were violating software copyright laws.
I asked them how much God's blessing was worth to them, if it was worth more than the cost of the software?

If we're willing to compromise then God's blessing has a price tag.

Well, does God's blessing have a price tag?

Who's Got Control?

I've been reading and thinking a lot lately, trying to understand what God means when He calls us to live by faith. Here's an adaptation from the excellent book Wide Awake by Erwin McManus. I'll call it the Thought For The Day.

If I resolve to live the life of my dreams, if I refuse to settle for a life other than the one God created me to live, then I'm going to be terrified as I give up control and let go of anything and everything that makes me feel secure. I must focus and lock-on to the direction God has called me to live my life.

Now for us engineers that's extremely hard. We love safety and hate risk. We over design "just to make sure" and then add a safety factor "just in case".

Now I know that God has more than enough "safety factor". I know all those things in my head. But trying to get my heart to follow my head is my problem. I can't see God's safety factor, nor can I measure it, and that makes it hard. But then if I could see it and measure it then I wouldn't need faith, would I, and without faith I can't please God. So I see why I have to let go, and sometime I can get my head to be okay with that. Now I just need to get my emotions and my heart to follow.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Reaching Beyond Comfort

At some point you have to break silence and let people know what's going on. I think that time has come.

For one thing I need people praying for me because it's about got me at the breaking point. Another thing is I believe God wants me to share with my church family that even we pastors sometimes struggle to understand where God is leading.

So here it is: I'm stepping off the BCF Church staff at the end of the year. I know! I never thought that would happen either! It has been the greatest thrill of my life to serve with Pastor Kenny and the BCF staff team.

It all began in May of 2008. I got an invitation from Pastor Rick Warren to attend a conference he was having called Purpose Driven Community Gathering. It was by invitation only, and I got an invitation. I attended the conference knowing that God was doing something, but not knowing what. At the conference Pastor Rick said that the work of training pastors was simply too much for Saddleback, and that if we would help him train pastors he would give us all his notes and training materials. At the end of the conference Rick invited us to stand if we were willing to let God use us to train other pastors, and I stood.

Only weeks after I returned God began moving and in September of 2008 I spent a day teaching about 20 pastors and seminary professors in Matamoros, Mexico, the Purpose Driven material. Then I watched in amazement as God took me on two trips to Peru where once again I spent time training pastors and seeing first hand the needs of pastors and church leaders. Now God is moving me to invest my life in training church leaders to train other leaders.

As I step off staff I really don't know how God is going to provide for me and my family. All I know is I really believe God is saying to do this, and I can't ignore it. The passion keeps growing! I must do this!

So, as dumb as it may seem, I'm jumping! Is it scarry? YOU BET!!! It's more like terrifying! I've never done skydiving or bungee jumping because I hate the feeling of falling and being out of control. Guess what? I'm not in control! I've jumped with no safety net, bungee cord, parachute, or anything else other than God's prompting me to grow in faith and take the leap.

So there you have it. Pastors struggle too! So pray for me, please! I want to accomplish all God has designed me to accomplish. I want to hear my Lord say "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Purity

I got the thinking the other day about the consequences of what I have in my home. Actually, it was the language on the TV that brought this to mind.

I remembered reading where God told the people of Israel to keep their living areas clean, because He walked in their camp to deliver them and defeat their enemies. (See Deuteronomy 23:12-14)

Would God be pleased to be in my home?
Or, am I causing God to leave my home (leaving my home defenseless) because of the language I allow in my home through the TV or movies I play?

Do I even want to take that kind of risk?