What Are You Reading?

Shepherds tend to be readers. Most pastor friends I know read continually for pleasure, to sharpen their skills, or explore new information. I seem to read in spurts. I will read 2-4 books on a particular subject all at once than not pick up a book for a month. At the present I have three resources that I am reading: Preaching-The Art of Narrative Exposition by Calvin Miller, Everyone Communicates Few Connect by John Maxwell, and Preaching magazine. It is obvious that God is leading me to sharpen my skills as a communicator and preacher which I readily admit needs sharpening. Who wants to be a dull preacher anyway, or maybe more important who wants to listen to a dull preacher?

What are you reading and what is God speaking to you through those resources? I have a friend who likes science journals and many of his sermon illustrations reflect his science interest. The same may be said of someone who reads leadership books, or history, biographies, archaeology, and various genres. Even in our “light” reading: fiction, magazine articles, browsing internet stories, etc., God will spur our imagination to enlighten us, make a spiritual connection, or reveal something within us.

Our sheep want a shepherd who is informed, primarily in God’s Word, second with the world and culture we live in. Karl Barth captures this idea when he said, preach with a Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. With a wealth of information at our fingertips (literally), we have a great opportunity to deepen our understanding of our world, sharpen our skills, and broaden our connection with others.

Campfire Question: What are you reading and why?

p.s. I invite you to leave a comment on the campfire question - my hope is this blog will not be a monologue but a discussion.  I am encouraged to hear from you and your insight.

Who Do You Follow?

I preached this past Sunday on 3 John and the encouragement and praise given to John’s dear friend Gaius, as well as, the warning of Diotrophes the inhospitable, self-centered church leader. The verse directly following John states “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good.” The question I proposed to my church family was “Who do you follow, or imitate or even mimic?” We all take on certain attitudes, life philosophies, theological viewpoints, mannerisms and even clothing styles from those we follow: parents, teachers, professors, writers, speakers, TV personalities, etc. However, this question has remained with me this week in whom do I follow as a pastor/shepherd and preacher?

Who is my model, who do I emulate, who do I hold in high esteem, who do I follow? Certainly Christ first and foremost, but others have influenced me as well. As a writer I value Max Lucado’s life revealing style. I appreciate Calvin Miller’s depth of study and insight into exegesis, homiletics and preaching. I like the academic teaching style of Dr. Del Tackett (The Truth Project). I enjoy the preaching of Bob Coy (Ft. Lauderdale) and the leadership principles of John Maxwell. They have all influenced me, and if I am honest, I do imitate (maybe not very well) them in my role as shepherd, pastor and teacher.

But here is the challenge for me…there is a large and growing church population that loves, and I mean almost fanatically loves popular ministry personalities of Joyce Meyers, Joel Osteen, John Bevere, T.D. Jakes, and seniors love Benny Hinn and still even Jimmy Swaggart (which has always perplexed me). I recently saw John Bevere speak and he was very entertaining, compelling with an enticing message of empowerment. Putting doctrinal issues aside, most from the word-of-faith camp, I know that I would become instantly popular if I followed, imitated and mimicked them in my preaching style and content…guaranteed. I would hear “Amens” throughout the sermon, they would be nodding and smiling with approval, they would run to the altar, and they would slap me on the back and say “Now that’s anointed preaching” and “The Holy Spirit showed up today Pastor”. Because of their zeal, I know our church would grow in attendance and I would be their new spiritual hero. Who doesn’t want to see their church grow, to be successful and have their preaching admired by others?

John’s words tether me to the post of sensibility “imitate what is good”. For me, I have reservations with the above for many reasons, and I need to examine who I follow and if their actions, teaching, theology and style is good. Good for what God has called me to be and minister as his Shepherd for our specific church and community present and future. I am thankful for the good influence of Lucado, Maxwell, Miller, Coy, and Tackett in my life and I feel good about the direction God is leading me to be as his shepherd.

I know I will never fulfill the expectation of those who fanatically follow Joyce Meyers, Joel Osteen and the like, and I will always fall short in their eyes. This is true because they remind me often, “Oh, Pastor I watched John Bevere this morning and his message was the most powerful, anointed, life-changing prophetic Word of God, I have ever heard…I recorded it for you.” Still I aim to be faithful to God’s leading in my life as his Shepherd in writing, leading, preaching and teaching and to follow that which is good.

Campfire Question: Who influences you? Who do you imitate, follow or even mimic?

The Joy of Preaching

I gripped the pulpit as if I were being launched into space as I defended myself behind its authoritative structure. My legs felt weak and voice squeaky as I spread out my notes and fumbled with my Bible. I looked out on the 500 or so faces in the congregation, and my mind went blank as I desperately tried to remember my witty, side-splitting, and insightful introduction…nothing but silence as the folks looked on. “Let’s pray”, I muttered. After the prayer I stumbled through the Bible passage and began to read point one from my notes, then point two. At this rate I would be wrapping it up in 4 min. and 32 seconds. But something miraculous happened mid-way through my novice attempt at preaching, I began to feel a little more confident, to relax, to feel less self-conscious, and as I shared a personal story some even laughed. I could feel that I was beginning to connect, and there was a rising confidence to share God’s revelation and Truth. After the response and closing prayer, I felt completely spent, emotionally, physically and spiritually, but there was also a deep sense of fulfillment and joy. This was my first sermon outside of my home church, over 10 years ago as a staff pastor in Port Orchard, WA.

The fulfillment and joy I felt afterward gave me the initial confidence that I could fulfill God’s nudging on my life to be a preacher. Years later, after preaching to adults on a regular basis, this joy sustains and, at times, rises up as a refreshing cool drink of encouragement. As shepherds feed the Word of God to his sheep, this joy flows from listening to his leading, being obedient, and sharing his message of hope, love and restoration in a way that connects. It is the joy of Christ springing up from within my soul. John 15:11

The Apostle Paul emphatically stated “Preach the Word”. Jesus said to Peter “Do you love me? Feed my sheep.” We have an awesome calling and opportunity to share God’s eternal Truth to those who trust us on a weekly basis. This is a sacred responsibility. It is also fulfilling and full of joy when we have served faithfully as 2 Tim. 2:15 states. This joy is not dependent upon comments of others, who fell asleep, who nodded in approval, or said “Amen”, or even in how many were there, but simply in our obedience to Christ. My fellow shepherds hold onto, celebrate, and be encouraged by the joy we have in Christ as you preach the Word this Sunday.

Campfire Question: Do you still feel the joy of preaching? Share a joyful preaching moment.

 

Precious Father...

When our family needs to laugh, or have a distraction from the busyness of life we watch (again for the hundredth time), refer to, or quote lines from Nacho Libre, 2006. It is one of those wacky movies that has become a part of our family culture and inside joke between us when someone incidentally quotes a phrase or word from the movie, “but I do”, “duties”, “nitty-gritty”, or “it’s the best”. My favorite line in the movie is when Nacho is in the chapel, kneeling and praying at the altar, after a long night of losing badly in the wrestling ring. He prays, “Precious Father, why have you given me this desire to wrestle and then made me such a stinky warrior? (sniff, sniff) I smell cookies.” Nacho’s robe catches on fire from an altar candle, and he runs out of the chapel leaving a trail of smoke.

From the first time I watched this corny, slapstick movie that line grabbed my attention, for I can relate to Nacho’s prayer. “Why God did you call me here to be your man to lead your sheep when I am such a stinky shepherd?” I don’t know about you, but there are days when I feel that statement echo in my heart. When I feel like I messed up, when I feel like I let somebody down, put my foot in my mouth, delivered a dry, forgettable sermon, or just generally feeling like I am losing ground as God’s Shepherd to lead and care for His flock. For me, the danger of staying in the treacherous bog of discouragement and insecurity could easily lead to frustration, anger, defensiveness, apathy, overcompensation, disillusionment, cynicism, and becoming demoralized. That’s not good. From those feelings often exaggerated responses come to mind: going to the happiest place on earth (Disneyland) for two weeks by myself where everybody is smiling at me, watching Veggie Tales videos all day with Larry the Cucumber, repeating “God made you special and he loves you very much”, yelling at someone, or even dreaming of driving an airport shuttle full-time.

…but God doesn’t want me to linger in that bog of discouragement. He wants to reach down, lead me out, and encourage me as His undershepherd. So, when I find myself muttering Nacho’s prayer under my breath, “Precious Father, why have you given me this desire to wrestle and then made me such a stinky warrior?” I need to pause and remember the one who called me to his service will equip, strengthen and encourage me each step of the journey like others he called: Noah, Gideon, David, Peter to name just a few. I am sure you have many scripture encouragements that now come to mind.

Writing the blog is cathartic and healing in many ways, and my hope is as you take a few minutes to read it and respond, that you may find encouragement and safety in our gathering as Shepherds around the campfire.

Campfire Question: Got a verse, a personal story, an encouragement to another shepherd who may be thinking “Why did you make me such a stinky warrior?”

Don't Sweat It

I admit that I love the reality TV series that focus on outdoor survival. My favorite is the original Survivorman with Les Stroud that has spawned numerous other shows: Man vs. Wild, Dual Survivor, and Man, Woman, Wild, all from the Discovery Channel. They must trigger my primal instinct to survive against whatever environment, terrain and nature throws at you, to find shelter, stay warm or cool, make a fire, hunt & gather something to eat, and always, always find suitable drinking water. One major survival skill that is repeated often is, when exposed to the elements, never sweat.

Our family has branded this one critical piece of information into our primal survival skill set, the one-liner from Survivorman, “never sweat, it can kill you”. In each episode, Les Stroud will make at least one, if not many, statements regarding sweat. In being exposed, dying of hypothermia, heat exhaustion or dehydration in all terrains: mountain glaciers, central American jungles, or high-desert plateaus. We never knew how dangerous and critical the issue of sweat was to our survival, but now we share our wisdom throughout our daily activities. “Dad, I am sweating, I need to take a break from mowing the lawn”, or while walking through the mall, “Dad, I feel some sweat forming, we need to stop and rehydrate…hey look, Jamba Juice”. Now when we take a day hike through the Mt. Hood National Forrest we bring along a pack mule carrying gallons of water and extra dry clothes…just in case we sweat.

I think this survival tip is a good reminder for us as Shepherds to survive in ministry. That just as sweat is the body’s reaction to overexertion and overheating, so we find ourselves often with mental, emotional, relational, physical and spiritual overexertion and overheating…and we sweat. The signs of sweat might be physical and mental lethargy, unmotivated work, feeling negative, irritable and critical, unhealthy physical habits of overeating and lack of exercise, isolation from family and friends, a lack of passion in our call and zeal in our service to Christ. The dangerous outcome of exposure to the elements without heading the sweat warnings are despondency, depression, vulnerability to temptation, outburst of anger, bitterness, and even laying down the Shepherd’s staff and walking away. Pay attention when you sweat.

When we recognize the sweat forming rings under our arms, or pools down our back, and we need to wipe our foreheads often, it is a sign we need to stop, rest, rehydrate and put on some dry clothes. We do that by taking our vacation time, getting away, or prioritizing recharge time with family, at the golf course, fishing, whatever. It is difficult to find those times to pay attention to our needs when the needs of Shepherding are constant, demanding, and ever increasing. Shepherding is hard work and hard work produces a lot of sweat, but our key to survival is to “never sweat, it will kill you.”

How do you find weekly times to stop, rest and recharge?  What activities do you enjoy that strengthen and encourage you? 

Walking in Ministry

The sun danced on the rolling waves as they bowed upon the warm sandy beaches. A light breeze from the vast expanse of the ocean refreshed all the senses with its salty, cool, marine air. This was a perfect day at one of my favorite places on this earth, New Brighton State Beach near Santa Cruz, CA. Charlene and I would take daily long walks on this beach. As we held hands, we would sometimes share the details of our day, dream of our future together or simply walk silently enjoying the moment. This was one of those moments, perfect beach weather, walking with my beautiful young bride, and then I stepped on something warm, soft and mushy and it pushed between my toes. I instinctively hopped on one foot with a yell of terror as the pungent odor filled my nose. Dog Poop! Somebody must have been walking a Saint Bernard which had just eaten two full bags of Extra Fiber Big Dog Chow. Gagging as I hop into the water and let the waves wash away the “stuff”, I am now filled with anger, disgust, and nausea. In an instant when all was perfect, suddenly was replaced with thoughts of drowning some guy walking his Saint Bernard on the beach.

At times ministry can be like that as well. It takes just one step into somebody else’s dog poop to ruin the day. Our full attention and thoughts focus on that smelly, irritating, nauseating poo. You know those times I am talking about. After you have given your best leading Sunday morning worship, Ms. Spiritual walks up and says, “Good sermon Pastor, but its too bad the Holy Spirit didn’t show up today, like it did when Pastor Moses (who could part the Red Sea each Sunday) would preach…now that was powerful preaching.” Or maybe the phone call from a starved sheep, who feels they are not being “fed” by your teaching, even though they only attend a third of the time. And we can step in the smelly poo, by being overly critical of our own missteps in the sermon, in relationships, in not fulfilling a task or role like we feel we should, etc. Being focused in the poo, robs us of the joy of what God is doing around us and through us as his Shepherds.

It is a privilege and joy to serve as Shepherd of God’s flock, and when we look around we can see the Great Shepherd at work in people’s lives through us. He is encouraging those ready to give up, through our affirming words and prayers. He is transforming lives from a worldly view to God’s view by the renewing of their mind, through our teaching in small groups, sermons, counsel and writing. He provides hope, peace, joy, and forgiveness to the flock through our ministry even in the simplest, ordinary act. God uses us as shepherds/pastors for his purpose and will, a gift from Christ to his flock.

An encouragement to my friends, my fellow Shepherds, and specifically a reminder to myself, be careful of dwelling on, being overly sensitive, or overreacting to the poo as we walk in ministry. It’s a picture perfect day and God is walking beside us.

Share one story of where God has used you to bring hope, joy, encouragement, or truth to another within the past month. Why did it affirm and bring joy to you?

Gathering the Wood

To my fellow shepherds. The work and calling of the Shepherd is unique. Whether you have been a pastor for a few years, as myself, or for a full lifetime you know this calling is challenging, rewarding, exhausting, exhilerating, deflating, inflating, mundane, transforming, impacting and heartbreaking. At times we may experience all of those emotions within a week of caring for God's sheep.

I would like to invite you to the Shepherds Campfire. After a long day caring for the sheep, feeding them, leading them to the living water, protecting them from predators, searching for those that have wandered off, and seperating those that are butting heads, we gather in the cool of the night. Finding a comfortable spot, we lay our staff's down, sip on a hot cup of coffee, and sit around the glow of the campfire in the warmth of fellow shepherds and friends.

I am gathering the wood and calling my friends, my fellow Shepherds to join the campfire. I would like to initiate the campfire discussion with a weekly blog and encourage you to share, to vent, to inform, to plead, to pursuade, to encourage or to give thanks. I don't want to be the only one who shares...for I need you. If you are a typical pastor, I know you are busy, being pulled in various directions, but my hope is that this blog will be an opportunity for us to gather, laugh and maybe even cry as we share in this great and unique calling together.

Campfire Question: Do you feel you need the friendship and support of other pastors? Why?