Congrats To Steve Carr

Congratulations to Steve Carr who made a stellar comeback…and beat me in the blogging pastors league’s fantasy football Super Bowl by 11 points (so far…he still has one more player that could rack up more points this evening).  It was a fun season…I played in three different leagues….though I did the best in blogging pastor’s league.  Second place isn’t so bad…at least I did better than this very girly guy!!! 

Thanks to Matt Mehaffey, Travis Johnson, Dave Anderson, Bob Franquiz, David Boggs, Michael Lukaszewski, Troy McMahon, Mark Nelson…and especially the league champion Steve Carr…for letting me be a part of the fun.

We Don’t Take Sundays Off

This post is in response to several emails and text messages I have received today from other church planters. This is in no way a slam at churches that take Sundays off…I just thought this would be a quicker and more simple medium for answering the question.

No we don’t take Sundays off at Compass Point. We rarely call off services for weather. Right after we planted we called off two services because a hurricane was suppose to hit. At church time the sun was shining because both storms went south of here. We now make that decision late Saturday night or early Sunday morning and utilize Calling Post to get the word out. Heck, this past spring there was a tropical storm hitting Lakeland at church time…we went ahead with the service…and ran out of chairs. Floridians are tough…we don’t sweat gale force winds, falling trees and flooding.

Seriously, we don’t take Sundays off for holidays or to give our folks a break. At Compass Point it’s not about our needs…it’s about the needs of disconnected people that need to hear God’s Word. If our volunteers need a break…they ask for it…we fill their slot…and give them a break. I don’t want folks to burn out in leadership or volunteering…but I also don’t want to miss a chance to bring the Word of God to people that need to hear it.

We also don’t call off services because it causes a loss in momentum. In our first year as a church plant, Compass Point did take the Sunday off after Christmas. For us it was a huge mistake. It took us months to gain back the “Big Mo”…not to mention we had four guests show up for church (with one of our regulars who didn’t get the memo)…only to find a sign saying we were taking a day off. They never gave us…or any other church…a shot again.

I guess my final reason is that the Sunday after Christmas is usually heavy on regular Compass Point folks in attendance. It’s a great way to celebrate the year that is ending and casting vision for the upcoming year.

By the way…we did a danish and cereal breakfast thing this morning before the service…had a really great family-oriented service (brought the kids in for this one)…and had slamming attendance.

It All Comes Down To One Game

In August I was asked to play in a fantasy football league for blogging pastors.  Some of them I had talked to by phone or email…but very few of them I’ve actually met in person.  For me it was a great way to get to know some other men of God in a fun way.  I lost the first six games…since then I have gone undefeated.  Today is the Super Bowl in the league and I am playing Steve Carr for the bragging rights.  After seventeen weeks it all comes down to one game.  Unfortunately my main scoring players are resting on the bench today getting ready for the playoffs.  I had to grab a bunch of folks off of the free agency list last night…let’s see if it pays off.

The Passing Of A Pioneer

My time in the Christian Music industry afforded me the luxury of meeting many of the pioneer musicians and songwriters of the genre.  One meeting that always sticks out in my mind was Roby Duke.  I was only around him for a few hours one afternoon…but his humility, upbeat attitude and phenomenal musicianship  left a lasting impression on me.  His laugh was infectious…but it was his ability to make people feel at ease around him that really moved me.  I had listened to his music over the years…a mixture of blue-eyed soul, folk and jazz…and was a little intimidated to be around him.  I’m not sure if it was his gentle demeanor or his quick sense of humor…but he made me feel as a peer and not a fan.  The truth is…I made a fool of myself as I stood there awestruck…stammering and stuttering trying to sound like I was a “player” in the CCM venue…in a feeble attempt to impress him.  We both knew I was not…but Roby graciously played along.

On Wednesday Roby went to be with the Lord as the result of a heart attack.  His voice has gone silent…his guitar forever in its case…but his music…and his legacy…will live on.

My Favorite Post Of 2007

This post got me in an international Associated Press article and on Fox News. This post received the most flaming emails. This post received the most criticism from other blogs. This post caused the biggest hits ever to my blog. However, it is the following post from June 11th that is my favorite from 2007. The cloning of churches in America is one of my biggest pet peeves and this post is probably the closest to my heart over the last year. I have reposted it for those that initially missed it.

CLONES

I’m a clone.
I know it and I’m fine.
I’m one and more are on the way!
- Alice Cooper in “Clones (We’re All)”

Clones are everywhere. Everyone is “real, relevant and relational”. Everyone is “doing church differently”. Everyone is “authentic”. Everyone is a “new community of faith”. Everyone…is beginning to look the same.

The same tag lines. The same lighting system. The same message series. The same praise band. The same videos. The same…welll…the same.

You’ve never seen church like this? You can’t throw a rock in any direction in America without hitting a church that looks like that!!!

It started out with a few in each town. They did it…and did it well. They reached people for Christ, baptized them, discipled them and then shepherd them into leadership. It was successful. It was incredible. It was a mighty tool for the Kingdom of God. It was yesterday!

Move on. Think outside the box. Be creative. Innovate. Paint a new picture on a blank canvas. Color beyond the lines. Invent. Redefine. Provide an alternative. Imagine. Inspire. Be original. Become the first. Lead the way. Raise the bar. Blaze a new trail. Go where no man has gone before. See past the horizon. Dream. Dream big. Dream new!!!

Whatever you do, aspire to be more…than just a clone. The Kingdom of God…and a lost world…needs it.

Greatest Gift

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. - Luke 2:1-20 (ESV)

My Dad

Sorry for not posting here much over the last few days. My family was busy prepping Dad for his cancer surgery yesterday. He came through the procedure with flying colors and the doctors feel certain they got everything. Thank you for the prayers and support. I especially want to thank those that took the time to email my family and I…it was such an encouragement.

I’m on my way back to the hospital as Dad will be there a few more days. Keep praying…and again…thanks. God truly used you guys during this difficult time!!!

We Must Be Emerging With The Word

I realize that faith without works is dead.  However, I have also come to realize that works without the Word is also dead.

Having grown up in church throughout the 70’s and the 80’s I saw the foolishness firsthand of how church programming, alternative religious events and multi-purpose family life centers allowed Christians to hide from the world…to become salt that never left the shaker.  The idea of a church “emerging” outside the four walls of the sanctuary…to actually take the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world…revolutionized my Christian walk..and pastoral leadership.  I began to engage in…and lead others in…taking water to the homeless, visiting those in prison, befriending AIDS patients and loving on the unloved.  What I discovered through a very long process it that the people I reached out to…were changed for a moment…but not for a lifetime.

I suppose it goes back to the old saying that “If you give a man a fish…you feed him for day.  But if you teach him to fish…he never goes hungry.”  It began to dawn in me that what the AIDS patient really needed was comfort for an afterlife in Heaven once the disease helped to end their life.  What the prisoner needed to know was that they were living out Galations 6:7…but John 3:16 could set them free forever.  I came to understand no matter how much I loved on the homeless and the unloved…I was going to die…and they were going to die.  Human love can only go so far…what they really needed was to know a Love that transcends time, life and nature.  They needed to know a Love that was comforting but also just…that encouraged but also disciplined.  They needed to know God.  A bottle of water, a free meal or a hug wasn’t going to tell them about that.

I began to realize that Scripturally it is not enough for the Church just to emerge into world and today’s culture.  Churches were not called to be welfare agencies, self-help groups, political protests or social justice activists.  The Church was called to take the uncompromised Word of God into a dying and hopeless world.  You cannot do that without opening up your mouth and proclaiming Christ.  I agree that we must be doers of the Word…but we must also be sayers of the Word as well…or the world will never know why we are doing it.

As I stated before, faith without works is dead.  Works without God’s Word being boldly proclaimed is also dead.  There must be a new way of emerging for the Church.  A way that does not leave the message quietly behind within the fours walls of the sanctuary.  For if we have emerged without the Message…then we really haven’t emerged at all.

For Those In The Land Of Ice And Snow

I had a speaking engagement in Daytona Beach tonight.  Spent the afternoon on the beach…sitting in a lawn chair…letting the warm water wash over my feet…and sweating in the 79 degree weather.  It’s so great living in God’s favor down here in Florida!!! 

The Title Of Lead Pastor

At Compass Point we take the titles of our leaders very seriously. We don’t set a title just because some other church has done it…or it looks cool. We mainly give a leader a title for two reasons:

1. To clearly communicate to the flock of Compass Point what that leader’s role is.
2. To remind the leader what they are there for as a servant to God and as a shepherd to Compass Point.

Over the last few months I have noticed some bloggers kind of taking shots at the title of Lead Pastor. I can only speak for myself and why I have the title of Lead Pastor at Compass Point. It is solely for the the second reason listed above.

I truly believe that the head earthly shepherd of a flock should be leading out in all areas of spiritual development and example. I think that the CEO model of church leadership is flawed and is not in any way Biblical. The idea that the Lead Pastor…Senior Pastor…sits in an office, only interacts with the top level leaders, studies for preaching 50 hours a week and never gets out among disconnected people was not an example set by Jesus Christ. I realize that there comes a numeric size in church where it becomes difficult for a pastor to do everything…to be there for everyone…we are seeing that firsthand at Compass Point right now. I also realize that there has to be times when teaching, preaching and leading pastors shut out the world to concentrate on God. However, being an example and setting the bar for accountability, lifestyle, discipleship and evangelism is something a Lead Pastor or Senior Pastor should never delegate.

The reason that I prayerfully chose the title of Lead Pastor over Senior Pastor is strictly a reminder to me that I’m not a CEO setting at the top of major corporation barking out orders to my underlings. It is a title that reminds me that I have to be out in front actively leading others to do the things for which God has called us to do as followers of Christ and the Bible. It reminds me that I must be more than just a hearer of His Word…but an actual doer of His Word. I should always being setting the example by leading out in…

• Developing a more deeper personal relationship with God.
• Developing a more deeper understanding of God’s Word.
• Spending many hours a week in Bible study and serious prayer.
• Being a Godly, loving husband that knows when to say “no” to the outside world.
• Living a life above reproach.
• Leading my family in the ways of the Lord.
• Modeling submission to proper accountability.
• Fleeing from all appearances of evil.
• Knowing good, sound doctrine and being able to convey that to others.
• Planting Scriptural seed in the lives of those I come in contact with.
• Being open and active in the areas where the Holy Spirit is watering planted seed.
• Mentoring those that can take the next steps in following God’s calling for their lives.
• Encouraging folks to really development an intimate relationship with our Father.
• Developing authentic relationship with others…both believes and non-believers.
• Physically helping around the church.
• Worshipping in Spirit and in Truth.
• Being a friend to “the least of these”.
• Displaying wisdom in the things that I say, do…and write (I struggle in this area)
• Not allowing “snakes in the playground” by tolerating bad doctrine or false teaching.
• Go to places that Jesus would have gone…which isn’t always the four walls of the church.
• Being a shepherd…not a CEO…to the flock of Compass Point.

Seldom is a day when I am not giving out my business card to someone. I’m reminded each time I see my title on the card…that as the Lead Pastor of Compass Point…I am to do more than just tell people how to live their lives according to the Scriptures…I am also to show it.