The Church is NOT a Noun

I feel compelled to dispel a long standing myth regarding what The Church actually is to many.   Most think “The Church” is the building where Sunday morning gatherings take place or the people that attend those gatherings.  In my humble opinion, that view is a false and limited understanding of what The Church is all about.

The Church is not a noun.  A noun, as we know from school or at least School House Rock (if you are too young to know what that is you can Google it; if you don’t know what Google is…well, I can’t help you), is a person, a place, or a thing.  The Church is not a person and does not refer to those that gather on Sunday morning or those that may lead such a gathering.  The Church is not a place and does not refer to any buildings where people tend to gather for any reason.  Despite what we think (and I know I will get hate mail/email for this), pews and stained glassed windows do not turn a building into The Church.  On the same note cool tables and chairs, projectors and lights don’t either.  The Church is not a thing; it’s not something you can touch or hold.  So if The Church is not a noun, not a person, place, or thing, then what is it really?

The Church is made up of all the people who feel the overwhelming tug of God on their heart and respond to God’s call to enter into fellowship with Him.  The Church is anywhere two or more of those in fellowship with God gather in order to engage in fellowship with Him; when this happens God joins the fellowship.  The Church is the presence of God reaching out to the hurting, lost, rejected, and needy.  The Church is not a thing, but it is the very essence of God residing in every single person across the globe who responds to God’s call to receive the unconditional love of God and accept that love as offered through God’s Son Jesus Christ.

The Church is totally unexplainable and results in people reaching out to each other in radical and extreme acts of love, kindness, and acceptance.   It transcends getting together on Sunday mornings for three hymns and a message and results in a movement of people compelled to live a life of extreme generosity towards God and each other.  The Church is not a noun nor is it an event.  The Church, from God’s perspective, is the supernatural presence of God in and among people, who are meant to be a living testimony of the most radical unconditional type of love possible.  The question now is, what is the church from your perspective?

LML…Love My Life

Love My Life!

Common among people within today’s social media culture is the phrase FML; a way of expressing dissatisfaction with a set of events or circumstances. But what if we were to look past the events and the circumstances we don’t like and focus on the good things that occur in and around our lives every day? There are so many people and situations that influence us in a positive way if we would only take time to notice them; and if we notice the positive things in our life, then we might actually love our life.  Over the next two weeks we are going to look at what it means to love, and to apply that love to our own lives.  This is a great teaching series to share with family or friends who are struggling with where they are in life today.  You don’t have to visit our church to listen or to download each message for free.   Join us for this 2 part series, LML…Love My Life.

February 7^th – LML…Love My Life

February 14^th – LML…Celebrate My Life

Messages are available free at:

iTunes: messages are posted the week after being presented.  Check the iTunes store by clicking on Podcasts-Audio Podcasts-Religion & Spirituality-Crossroads Audio from the iTunes store

Ustream Video: Videos can be viewed live each Sunday or for up to 4 weeks later at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/CrossRoads-Celebration

Audio/Download: The audio message is available the week after being presented at the CrossRoads Community Church website – http://www.crossroadsofjeffersonhills.com/CrossRoads/Audio/Audio.html

Where is God When…?

We just finished a series looking at and answering the question “Where is God When…?” If you’re a pastor or in a leadership position in the church where you are required to teach people then you know every time you step up to the plate it is after God has dealt with you in that area of your teaching. We originally were going to postpone the series but my son, who leads worship in at our Sunday Celebration and contributes to our creative process, thought this series was what we really needed; and since the series walked us through the book of Daniel he thought it would be a growth area for a lot of people. The problem was I really didn’t want to grow in this area…because I had my own questions about where God was in certain areas of my life. But I did my digging, let God walk me through some stuff and we did the series.

We started with the question of Where is God When Your Dreams are being Shattered? And we looked at how Daniel and his friends were physically and mentally stripped of everything: their manhood through castration, their names, and their heritage.  Their hopes and dreams were shattered and they were left with nothing but their faith. But we were able to see that for those who follow after and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are connected to a God who still makes dreams come true.

We next asked the question Where is God When Your Government is on a Rampage? We looked how God disciplined two kings. One who acknowledged the sovereignty of God and was returned to power and the other who was removed along with His entire administration paving the way for the another secular ruler who, hundreds of years before, God said would better serve Him. We also looked at world history and some countries and their governments and leaders and saw the commonality in those that governed God’s way and those that didn’t.  We walked away trusting more in a God who knows everything than in a political candidate or party who doesn’t.

When we asked Where is God When Your Future Seems Uncertain we saw how God revealed the future to Daniel and how God also revealed His future plans for the people of Israel, humanity as a whole, and those Whom God calls His children.

This week we finish up with the question Where is God When You Need Him Most. The answer…the same place He was when His Son was nailed to a cross for a world that rejected and hated them both; the same place He is while those to whom He gave His Holy Spirit fight and bicker about things like whether or not we have it; the same place He is while parts of The Church serve Him while other parts do everything except Be the Church…He’s loving us, supporting us, encouraging us, and waiting for us, as The Church, to tell others about His grace, His mercy, and His love.  We can all ask the question Where is God When…?  But can we truthfully accept the answer?

Don’t Hate the Giver…Respect the Gift!

I apologize for the delay in posting a follow up to the budget crunch blog.  I will actually post the follow up to that at the end of this blog.  As you can imagine, most people and churches have been overwhelmed trying to respond to, or figuring out how to respond to the overwhelming devastation that took place in Haiti.  I have been totally engrossed in trying to comprehend the responses of churches, organizations, and individuals.

The response from many was what we can we do, how can we help, or when can we leave.  But there were some responses that basically said “why should we help when we have such an overwhelming need here?”  Wow…let’s just say that I have been really struggling with those types of responses over the last week or two.  On the one hand I can totally see how someone can look at the state of our nation, our hungry, and the state of our homeless children and families and wonder why we are devoting precious financial resources elsewhere.  I can see why someone would wonder “where were those financial resources when women were being physically and sexually abused and members of our community were being removed from their home after months of joblessness?”

I would be concerned if I believed that those finances were just lying around and no one used them to help the people in our own communities.  I am more inclined to believe that the overwhelming outpouring of resources that we saw, and continue to see, comes from people reaching deep into resources they don’t have to immediately respond to an unheard of national disaster, a nation literally destroyed by an earthquake.

Do I hope to see the same level of giving and response to our own nations needs?  Definitely!  Will I condemn and/or criticize those that do not respond to our own nations needs now or in the days, weeks, or months to come?  Not at all!  Will I criticize the critics who are judging others but not doing anything themselves?  Each and every time!

I don’t think we have the right to judge or criticize those who are helping or how they are helping people in need if we are sitting and doing nothing.  If we are doing something then we can likely understand why someone would feel compelled to help.  We would also understand that we have no idea how much that person, organization, or church may have already contributed towards other needs.  People who help generally establish a culture of giving and reaching out.  People who don’t…well, they just don’t.

This whole concept has reconfirmed the steps our church is taking in ensuring our budget and how we use it is in line with our mission, vision, and values.  One of our core values is Extreme Generosity – giving at an over the top level.  We spent a lot of time (in some case years) in prayer asking God to provide human resources to help us Be the Church in our community.  And God has answered with personnel to fill critical roles.  Thus in order to ensure those roles remain filled we are only cutting one salary…mine.  We are taking steps to preserve the ministries that we are doing and cutting any that don’t line up with our belief in why we’re here.  I’m not writing this to brag or to boast, (seriously, how can I boast about a significant decrease in income).  However, if we truly believe that God answered our prayers by providing the people we needed then those people and the ministries they lead should be and will be preserved and eventually expanded as the ministries grow.

For those who think this is madness, or just grandstanding…we saw an almost 30% increase in our giving over the last several weeks since taking these steps.  Again, not boasting…just believing.

Budgets Don’t Crunch…They Crush!

I once heard it said that January is the worst time of the year for family economies.  Partly because people are getting credit card bills from their Christmas vacations and expenses and wondering who broke into their account and robbed them.  Also, many companies are reviewing their profits, or lack thereof, from the previous year and making layoff decisions.  What a way to start of the New Year.

Many leadership teams within local congregations are going through the same process; they’re reviewing budgets, making salary, ministry, and other budgetary determinations for the upcoming year.  Some had the luxury of making those choices prior to the Christmas holidays if their fiscal year ended in October or November.  Others follow the calendar year and just finished sending out some pink slips right in time for the holidays.  The fiscal year within our local congregation ends on March 31^st.  Thus we are just getting ready to sit down and review budgets, salaries, and the whole nine.

I go into this with a totally different perspective; one I received after talking to my aunt over the Christmas holidays.  She is a pastor of Christian Education at a church in Florida.  She told me that one year her pastor sent the entire finance team back to the drawing board because they were making cuts from the ministry budget.  His viewpoint was that if ministries were cut then how were they to actually BE the church?  WOW!!  Talk about an eye opener.

I had to give a lot of prayer and consideration to how our team would proceed.  What is most impactful in allowing us to be the church?  Which line item should be preserved more? Could we BE the church without a building and utility bills?  What about salaries?  Who could we BE the church with and who without? Which staff member would and could continue and on how much less?  If we stopped doing ministry, but had a building with lights and heat on and paid staff, could we BE the church?  I think you see where I’m going with this.

I’ll tell you what we did…but I want to hear from you first.  Check out the poll or just leave your comments.

A True Christmas Story…

As everyone is looking at, enjoying, and hopefully not having to return their Christmas presents, I hope we are cognizant of one of the best gifts of all…the memories and stories of a wonderful time with family and friends.  This story is one of the best, it is totally true, and yes, the names have been changed to protect the innocent…and some of the guilty.  And NO!, I am not the guilty one.

So after a great afternoon and evening of opening presents at my wife Christi’s grandparent’s home in Rochester, NY someone whispered to my wife Christi, “I stopped up the toilet”.  My wife lovingly whispered it was ok; it would be taken care of by someone.  Within minutes people started disappearing from the living room where everyone was gathered.  My wife’s parents were rushing back and forth and then we heard my father in-law yell out “Emergency, emergency!”   Some of us tried to act casual, as if nothing happened, so as not to alarm some of the other family members that were gathered.

Some of the younger generation left to view the damage that had been done.  They came back into the living room and began texting to each other stories of the fountain of water that was shooting out of the toilet bowl.  The water began to pile up in the bathroom and people dashed to save carpets and other items from floating out of the bathroom into the hallway.  Those of us still in the living room tried to continue with idle conversations and mindless questions to ensure the few who were unaware remained unaware.  Once some of the family members started to catch on that something was afoot, we did the only thing we could think to do…we blamed the dog.  We said the dog had gotten sick on the carpet and everyone was rushing around to ensure the new carpet was not stained.

In the meantime my wife’s uncle was carrying buckets of water out of the bathroom to the front door to dump in the yard.  Some family members were dispatched downstairs to assess the water damage to the bathroom and family room below.  All of the plush towels in the house were used to clean up the muddy (yes muddy) toilet water.  This of course led to the need for brand new towels as no one wanted to use the old ones no matter how many times they had been washed.

When everything was said and done the toilet and bathroom were unusable for a few days, the damage to the ceiling downstairs was minimal and we were left with a story that we have already recounted at least 25 different times over the last 3 days.

The moral of this story?  Well, there are many.  First, every story, whether good or bad will translate to a memory and every memory should be cherished if you can find anything good in it.  Second, every moment with family and friends should be cherished no matter what.  Finally, and this is the most important, always always always bring your own towels…well, just because.

Got a great Christmas story?  Share it here, can’t wait to hear it!

This Christmas Eve…

I had a discussion this morning with some local area pastors and we were discussing the different things that churches do to during their Christmas Eve Celebration.  I’ve included a brief listing here, but please share any creative God honoring ideas used by your church family:

Communion – Many churches celebrate the birth of Christ by partaking in Communion.  Some churches specifically leave communion out so as not to alienate the non-Christian who will make this the only celebration they attend all year.

Candle Lighting – Most churches start or end their Christmas Eve Celebration with a time where all the lights are turned out and every person lights and holds a candle; usually while singing Silent Night.  At our church I also always point out where the fire extinguishers are located.

Baptisms – It may seem out of place but there are some churches that celebrate the birth of Christ by celebrating the new Christian life of its members (hopefully in an indoor baptismal…brrrr)

Musical – Many churches put on a full scale Christmas musical; through music, songs, and usually a nativity or modern setting many churches present the story of the birth of Christ or how the birth impacts the life of people

Gift Giving – Some churches use the Christmas Eve Celebration to give gifts, food, or other items to those in need in the community.  They open their doors so people can  truly experience what it means to receive a gift in the name of Jesus Christ.

God: The Ultimate (and original) Social Networking Guru!

This statement may surprise you, but God came up with the idea of a Social Media Network. It wasn’t Al Gore, or any of the high tech entrepreneurs that came after him or the overly eager and energetic crew at Google…it was God.  Let me explain…

YouTube – was the first true venture into the world of social media.  It was created in 2005 with the catch phrase “Broadcast Yourself”.  It was a way for people to express themselves and become visible and in some ways accepted by others.  God did this in creating the nation of Israel and the Church; a visible way for others to see Him and know Him.

MySpace became the most popular networking site in the US in June of 2006.  It was the first big social networking site where you could “see what’s happening” with friends.  Its music application is now the most popular among new and experienced artists.  Facebook is a global social networking site with over 350 million users worldwide.  It was initially limited to Harvard students, expanded to other colleges and universities, then high school students, and now anyone over the age of 13.  It’s draw is the ability to see what friends are doing, allow them to see what you are doing, and even play games with them via the site.  God provided His holy Spirit so His followers could always be connected to each other and to Him.  Through God’s spirit billions of people across the planet are connected in the largest network known to man, the church.

Twitter is another social networking and micro-blogging site.  It allows 140 character tidbits of information from what someone is doing to full blown conversations.  God provided the Bible to be a constant update status on how He feels about you.  He also filled it with proverbs, psalms and other verbiage which is extremely tweetable.

When it comes to getting connected and being social, there is no one better at it than God.

I Was Thinking The Other Day, “What If Comic Book Superheroes Got Saved?”

I really was thinking this the other day (well, off and on for the last few months); what if comic book superheroes got saved?  Please don’t spoil this with a dose or realism…I already know that comic book superheroes are not real.  But, I was wondering if they were real what God would say to them moments after their conversion.  In my mind God would say something like this:

Superman:  Now you’ll see what it’s like to be really super!

Batman:  Not every night has to be so dark.

Green Lantern:  In brightest day in blackest night no evil shall escape My sight, let those who worship evils might beware My power!

Wonder Woman:  You can stop wondering…I am the One True God

The Incredible Hulk:  Good, now can we talk about this anger problem?

Forgive and Let Die

As we finished our 3 week teaching series on Forgiveness it became more and more clear that even in the church everyone has a different perspective on what it means to experience forgiveness.  We started the series by outlining some concrete steps in order to extend forgiveness to others (abbreviated list presented here):

1. Forgiveness is between you and God, therefore ask God to allow you to extend forgiveness person by person, sin by sin
2. Tear up any I.O.U’s you are holding, person by person, sin by sin
3. Renounce the negative memories person by person, sin by sin
4. Renounce the negative feelings you may be holding, person by person, sin by sin
5. Ask God to give you compassion for the person
6. Seek to do good or to bless the person

Although this may seem like a contrite list of steps to follow, it’s not.  It is a reflection of what God did for each and every person on the planet when He extended forgiveness to us.  It is the spiritual representation of the very physical act God did in forgiving us.  He made it personnel between each one of us and Him; He tore up any I.O.U’s and wiped out any debt for anything we might owe for our sin; He renounced any memories of our sins, as far as the East is from the West; He holds no negative feelings towards us; He shows us extreme unprecedented compassion; and God desires to bless us.  Since God extends forgiveness to us He expects us to do the same to others.  Although this one of the most difficult things to do…imagine you world today, your home, your family, your workplace, if we all forgave each other and accepted the forgiveness God gives to us.