true, living example

As a parent, we are constantly second guessing how we are doing in that said role; parent. Am I teaching my children the right way to do specific things that will stay with them forever? Am I showing them the correct way to mow the yard? rake the leaves? paint the walls? take care of the car? Am I living a life that is the life I hope they copy, or imitate as they grow up?

Yes, there is a lot of second guessing that goes on when you're a parent. But, then there are those days when some of the most important questions you may have about your child are answered by a total stranger.

My wife, Karen, and I were in Asheville this past Sunday evening to visit my daughter and her husband. Our daughter, Kristen, is in charge of a children's ministry which was performing a Christmas play/musical at the church they attend. It went really well. The children said their lines (with very little coaching), and they sang so good. I believe everyone there had a great time. And, it was fun to see the impact Kristen was having on the lives of these children.

After the performance, there is the milling around and meeting people, and parents collecting their children to pack up their things to go home. A few people came up and told my wife and I they were glad we made it up and it was good to see us again. Then, a lady came up to us and asked if we were Kristen's parents. We answered yes, expecting the normal response about how much they enjoy the way Kristen works so hard with their child, or how dedicated she is with the children at the church. But, her response wasn't like those at all. She told us that she works with our daughter at a furniture store. Then she paused...and I could see tears well up in her eyes as she tried to speak. She swallowed hard...collected herself...and then she said... "Your daughter is a true, living example of a Christ follower."

Then she turned and walked away...wiping her eyes.

My heart was bursting inside me. I am sure my daughter knows the impact she is having on the children at the church, other young couples at the church, and other people at the church. But, she is also having an impact on those outside the church. She has invited this lady she works with on several occasions to come to the church. This night was her first time at the church, and she shared with Kristen's parents the impact Kristen has had on her.

Do we ever think that we can only impact the lives of people while we are at church? Do we ever realize the impact we have in our everyday lives? People are watching us. Our children are watching us. Our friends are watching us. Are we true, living examples of a Christ follower?   

"How to be Rich" re-visted

This has been a eye-opening four weeks with the series, How to be Rich. I was excited to hear that there were so many examples of life-change that took place during these four weeks. We received emails from people at High Rock who, for the first time, made an intentional decision to trust God with their finances and to seek what is important to Him in the way they approached generosity and the new perspective of what it means to be rich.

We've been celebrating the impact God had on those who accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior through a financial series. Many High Rockers, and some guests, chose to seek advice from a financial counselor, set up their own "spending plan" to help them prioritize the important, and many signed up that they were interested in attending a Financial Peace University Life Group in the fall. I am thrilled to see how God is moving through High Rock and the lives of you, who call High Rock "home". I believe the biggest thrill I have is in how this series will begin to impact even more the generosity which has been a characteristic of High Rockers through the years.

I understand the topic of finances is not always a welcome subject when we come to church, but I do know that every area of our Christian journey needs to be addressed and taught to help us grow in our understanding of how God needs to be in control of each area of our life so we can experience the true life He has planned for us. I believe this series did just that.

As I stated from the stage at the end of this series, I had fun teaching about generosity through this series, because I have experienced a life-change which has given me a new perpsective of what God desires in my life. My challenge, not so much for everyone who listened to the messages live or as a podcast on the church's website, but for me, is that I become more aware of how I can try and become more generous with what God has blessed me with; that I allow the life-change I have experienced to grow stronger and bolder as a follower of Jesus Christ; that I am joined by other High Rockers as we take every opportunity to influence others with the life-change we have been given; and, that we become the church God desires us to be...rich because of generosity; loved because of Jesus; blessed because of God.

compare

Today, Jon Allen (West Campus Pastor) sent out a message about a podcast he has listened to from Rick Warren about envy. And, how this envy can creep into our lives and consume our thoughts. There were many examples of what one could be envious of; the usual...home, car, job, athletic ability, etc. But, then it speak about pastors being envious of other pastors; their speaking ability, the size of the church they minister to, the successes of their ministry.

I would like to say this shocked me, that pastors act this way, but it didn't. You know that feeling you have when you see or hear someone who is dynamic in their speaking ability, and then you hear yourself speak? Or, when you watch the response a speaker gets from his message, and then you compare that to the response you get? I know too well this envy. A word I believe should go along with envy, and one I feel is the basis for this thought...is compare. Envy doesn't surface without us making a comparison. What I have been trying to learn over the past few years, is not to compare anything I have with what anyone else has, because if I do....envy. You did notice, I used he word "trying".

The podcast also had this quote in it..He has called me to be the best pastor I can possibly be given the gifts, talents, parents, experiences and opportunities God gave me. I didn’t choose any of those qualities. God gives you a set of gifts and judges you on how you use them. He won’t judge you on the gifts you don’t have. He’ll say, “What have you done with what I’ve given you?”

Man, have I heard that in my head a lot lately. I'm not saying I always listen to that advice, but I do hear it. This past weekend's message about depression was beneficial to me. Those moments in my life where I felt the most depressed, I believe, stemmed from this very thought of envy. There have always been better guitar players, better singers, better song writers, and better preachers; and, that trend may very well continue.

But, "What have I done with what God's given me?" That's where my mind and heart should be every day. I should be recognizing what God has gifted me with and make an intentional effort to use it to the fullest; not limiting myself by making a comparison with someone else and their ability. God gave them theirs and He gave me mine. He has called me to do the best with what I have been given. This podcast was a reminder to me of how much God has entrusted me with, but it is also a reminder of how He has gifted me for the task. I pray each day I use God's gift I've been given. Maybe all of us should consider the question, "What have you done with what I've given you?"

thank you Jeff

I have looked back through my life from time to time, sort of like a mental-timeline, and have seen where God has done some amazing things in my life; to mold me and shape me into who I am today and what I am doing today. He has placed events and people all along this timeline to detour me, encourage me, and influence me. This week, I was reminded of the influence of one such individual. This week I attended the funeral service of a dear friend; Jeff Horton.

I first met Jeff over 20 years ago. He and his wife taught a Sunday School class for married couples, and I taught their two daughters in a Youth Group. Jeff demonstrated a servant's heart in everything he did; on his job as a home builder; in his class as a teacher and encourager; his involvement in church activities; on mission trips as a leader; and, in his friendship to me. When Karen and I considered building our home, Jeff was the obvious choice. His friendship and devotion to the Lord inspired me in my walk, but I wasn't paying attention to what all God was doing through Jeff for me. 

I remember conversations we had over the years (we actually referred to most of them as "having church", whether we were in a building or standing out in a parking lot), but one which is still very clear in my mind was the time I told Jeff, and his wife Meredith, how I felt God was leading me to do more with my life; to go beyond singing in a choir, and to possibly lead worship one day. I can still see the look on his face; that look of "What has taken you so long to figure this out?!" Jeff's words of encouragement and assurance that God had been grooming me, preparing me for service outside of where I thought my limits were.

At his funeral service, a video was played of his testimony he had given in church just a month before his passing. In that video, Jeff recalled a Bible study he had been a part of on a few occasions; Experiencing God. I remember taking that course with him. I also remember the section of the study where, as follower of Christ, we are to be actively looking for where God is moving...and go there; to be with God; to serve Him; to worship Him. Not long after my conversation with Jeff about how I felt God leading me to do more with my life...Ray Johnson the lead pastor of High Rock Community Church called and asked if I would consider being a worship leader for this new church plant. Was God moving there? Was God moving me there? Yes, and yes. Is God still moving? Yes...He is.

It wasn't until the funeral; watching and listening to him speak again in a video, and getting the chance to speak again to Meredith, did I realize that Jeff's answer to my thoughts of God leading me was not limited to leading worship. His answer was to the realization that God was, and still is leading me. I told Jeff thank you then....and the other day, I said thank you again.

storms

This past weekend I had the opportunity to teach from Mark 4:35-41; Jesus calming a storm, and as I prepared for the message, I would try and think of storms I could use as illustrations to help people listening get a better understanding of what Jesus was capable of in their life. I tried not to name any specific storms which individuals may be currently going through themselves, so as not to have someone think I was speaking directly to them; to make the storms more generic.

However, God had other plans. Even though I wanted to focus more on "storms" in a general way, and not select a specific one to teach on, God introduced me to three storms people in the church were facing this weekend. These were specific storms shaking their lives; storms they did not see coming; storms which have gripped them in fear; storms they didn't feel they could handle on their own.

Knowing people are sitting in the seats, listening to what I am saying, and knowing they are actually in a storm at that very moment, played with my mind. Do I make a connection emotionally, joining with them in their storm, feeling the fear and the anxiety they're facing?....Or, do I place my trust and faith in Jesus; the calmer of the storm. I want them to know about the love Jesus has for them; how he gave His life for them because of that love; how He can calm them in the storm they are facing. Sometimes, it's not the storm "out there" that needs to be calmed, but the storm "inside" we need calmed. This is the type of storm most people face; the one no one else sees.

I choose to teach with the confidence I have in Jesus and in knowing how He has been with me through storms in my life. I share with them this confidence and faith I have in the One who has calmed my storms. I pray with them because I know God will respond to the cries of His children for help, and that He will comfort them and calm their storm.

I bring them into the boat I am in...the boat where Jesus showed me His peace in my storm.

holding Daddy's guitar

I make it a habit to change guitar strings on a regular basis. It’s something my daddy taught me how to do when I was a teen. There is nothing like the sound of a guitar with a new set of strings. Chords sound better….strums are fuller….finger-picking is cleaner and brighter….songs are fresher. A new set of strings will even spark creative thinking and listening to the chords and possible songs begin to surface. In the last couple of years, daddy would ask me to change his guitar strings for him; or, I would just show up with a set of strings for his birthday and put some new strings on for him. Maybe it was just to see him smile when he strummed his guitar with new strings, but I enjoyed the chance to change the strings for him.

This evening I was changing the strings on my daddy’s guitar; a Gibson Dove. Yes, it sounded so much better….I knew that would happen. This time though, things were a little different. This time, there was no creative process leading me to new chord patterns and possible songs; this time, the strings brought back memories. I remembered the first time daddy showed me how to finger a chord and strum the strings to produce a sound. I remembered all the practicing, the sore fingers, and daddy asking me what I had been learning. I could remember learning songs all the way through, and daddy wanting me to play them for him.

Daddy gave me my first guitar….his Gibson J45. I was so overwhelmed when he did that, because it had been his first guitar. I cherished that guitar, because it was his. I bought a better case for it. I had a local luthier do repairs to it if I messed anything up on it. Even though he gave it to me, I still considered it his guitar.

Now I am holding his last Gibson in my arms. Yes, songs he played and songs I played come to mind, but I found myself not really thinking about the songs and the sound of the new strings. I realized I was holding his guitar…and I am no longer changing strings for him. There’s an emptiness and a sadness. This is daddy’s Dove I’m holding…

….and, in my heart….I am holding him.