Open to All

The Statue of Liberty stands as an icon of freedom and represents the ideal of the open doors of America as we offer refuge and safety to those in need. A poem by Emma Lazarus is located there as well and contains the well known words, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Those words are powerfully inviting as they offer hope for new beginnings and a place to make a home.

As I meditated on that poem this past week, I felt those words should be used to describe the Church as well. We should be a people offering refuge, safety, rest, and the grace of Christ to those in need regardless of their social background, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, skin color, and past life choices. Perhaps this poem by Emma Lazarus could be modified to more accurately define the church's welcoming mentality:

Give me your tired, your poor, 

Your captive masses straining to be free from the heavy weight of sin, 

The rejected, recovering, confused, skeptical, and sinful. 

Send me your depressed, addicted, disadvantaged, neglected, and forgotten.  

Send those who are wandering looking for a home, tossed back and forth by the misguided intent of those who should be speaking love instead of hate. 

Send those searching for acceptance, genuine compassion, a life filled with purpose, and a safe haven from lies, abuse, discrimination, and legalism. 

We are Christ’s church and we lift His lamp as a comforting light to all who choose to enter. 

It's Not a Quick Fix

It’s sometimes difficult being a person who wants to fix things when they aren’t going well. I want to assess an issue, come up with a solution, and put it into action. Unfortunately, part of this desire can work against me by looking only for a quick fix. Long-term and deep problems can’t be remedied with a snap decision and limited time. As I often share with people in counseling situations, “You can’t change in a day what took a lifetime to create."

There are some situations which can’t be corrected with a shift in strategy, an innovative approach, or a perfectly timed word of wisdom. I think this is good counsel for personal relationships and an especially valuable perspective for the church. Instead of trying to quickly fix a person’s problem(s) and then assimilating them into the church body, we should be focused on engaging with people on a journey of faith and healing. God didn’t put His church together just to provide a overnight medication for what ails us. He intends this to be a thriving, committed group living in healing grace together each day.

The church should be viewed as a long-term, loving community instead of a religious, urgent-care clinic where we want to diagnose, treat, and dismiss people as quickly as possible. True religion isn’t a quick fix, but an ongoing commitment to seeking God together.

On the Go

I had the privilege of speaking at a local high school FCA breakfast (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) this morning and it reminded me of teaching high school, working in youth ministry and the fondness I still have for those times. Even after leaving the high school itself I spent many hours on campuses building relationships and visiting youth and adults. This is still an area of enjoyment for me even though it isn't my primary calling anymore. I enjoy the energy level, raw passion, and creativity of teens and it reinvigorated me to walk in their hallways this morning.

The bigger principle at work here is one that I always held firm as a value in reaching others. We have to leave the church grounds and spend time on the turf of people we want to influence if we are going to be effective. It's actually part of Jesus' commission to His Church-the simple command to GO. If we are going to lay claim to following Jesus we have to find ways to go into areas as His disciples.

A church that isn't on the move really isn't a church at all.

The Same Room

One of the most awkward things I have had to adjust to in ministry was the invitation time. It's fine when people are coming forward and making decisions and asking for prayer, but a little off-setting when no one moves at all. It's not just the lack of response that is difficult to adjust to, but the fact that I am facing all of these people while not leading them in any specific way. The longer I am in ministry the more I am able to see other aspects of this time and appreciate it more fully.

I stood today at the front of a room of 300-350 people while our worship team led a powerful song behind me. While I was fully engaged in singing (while also carefully watching for anyone who might come forward for prayer) I was able to watch people simply worship. The varying outward expressions of people were a balm to my heart as I was privileged enough to witness it while taking part in it myself. The room held quiet intensity, prayerful focus, demonstrative joy, tears of healing, and fervent hope. Some hands were in the air, others clasped quietly, while some desperately gripped the chair in front of them. Response varied among us, but we all responded in some way-whether privately or publicly.

It was the beauty of a shared experience on full display in the Church. None of us is at the exact same moment in our faith journey, possesses an identical background, or has matching maturity. There is still this grand moment for us to come together, be who we are, and offer what we have to the same God.

Refreshing

I had the tremendous pleasure to take part in worship at a house church near GCSU tonight. We have been ministering to college students for some time now and several of them had invited me to be part of a Tuesday night with them. That is normally our family night, but this week my four lovelies are visiting my mother-in-law in Nashville for her birthday so my evening was free.

It was a total breath of fresh air for me. I had no expectations on me except to show up and be part of the work of the Holy Spirit. I didn't have to think about what was happening next, who might make a decision, if someone greeted a 1st time guest, and how well the logistics were working out. I was able to simply be in the room and experience the organic flows of worship without much thought but of praise. I didn't sing a note, but reveled in the sound of a packed house of college students as they sang and prayed aloud as the Spirit moved them. I was blessed by their enthusiasm and simply closed my eyes to dwell in the waves of praise as they crashed over me. I was comforted and ministered to by the sharing of the Word and could feel the Holy Spirit communicating directly to me through each verse. 

It was a reminder to me of the beauty of God and the passion that people share for His name & His truth. I see these same reminders each Sunday as well, but the change from the norm was a special blessing for me tonight. I am enthusiastically encouraged through the work God is obviously doing in this generation and especially glad that we could share in it together tonight. 

Big Prayers

I am praying big prayers this morning & want to continue to do the same each day.  It is easy to fall into the pedestrian trap of simple prayers with easy answers, but that is not the faith that God is calling us to have.  I see the need for the mighty hand of God to be upon us and for us to lift up petitions to Him that when answered, will surely show how incredible He truly is.  Some of my prayers are for my personal life & many are for ministry here at Northridge.  I know that I am incapable of answering them on my own & I trust that my God is faithful to hear me and to provide the answer.  Here is a brief list of the things that I am praying for:

• My children to grow up into godly women who are passionately in love with Christ
• For me to be the Christian husband that my wife needs for her own spiritual development
• For my relatives to discover Christ through whatever means necessary so that they too can know what it means to live with Him and for Him
• For us to be rid of a house in Florida so that it no longer hangs over our heads
• A youth ministry at Northridge that is bigger than we could ever dream about
• A youth ministry that has a reputation of being genuinely & passionately in love with Christ
• A youth ministry that brings their friends to Jesus through their open & transparent relationship with Him
• A church that understands it is not about us-it is about the King of Kings and His calling & mission for our lives
• A church that continues to grow quickly-not just in attendance & numbers of decisions, but in depth of spiritual relationship with God
• A church staff to increase with the right mix of talents & gifts to see God's great work done here in Baldwin County
• A revival to take place that puts Baldwin County on the map as a place that belongs to God.

For any of these to happen I know that I (we) need to commit ourselves to prayer.  The efforts of men will only carry so far, but with the power of God nothing is impossible.  Show us, Father, things that will rock our world and blow our imaginations!