Memorial Day

memorial: something that is intended to remind people of somebody who has died or an event in which people died

I consider myself very fortunate not to have been sent into battle during the time I served in the United States Army. I served under President Ronald Reagan during the last years of the cold war. Although I worked in personnel, I was acutely aware of what I was trained for. As I would screen individuals who would be working with nuclear and chemical weapons, I saw first hand the weapons that could potentially wipe out the human race.

I knew that I would not be making a career out of the service, but I was and am still honored to have served. So with a grateful heart I give thanks for the men and woman who have laid done their lives for this nation. Whether a nation looks back to determine if a war was just or unjust, no soldier has ever given their life in vain.

"No greater love has any man, than he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13.

So on this Memorial Day, I will take the time to pray for the families who have lost loved ones during our current crisis, I will pray for the peace of all nations, and I will proudly honor those who died for me.

Thank You

Yes, it has been almost one month since I have posted anything to this or any blog. I am finally taking a breath after an excellent Easter season celebration. It is nice to know that the effort expended during this time was worth it. Seeing people asking Jesus Christ into their lives for the first time is an awesome thing. Many prayers, and much work went into presenting the gospel over the last four weeks.

With that in mind, I would like to say thank you to all those who volunteered their time to bring it all together. I have personally spoken to many that were involved, but I know that many more helped without even bring notice to themselves. To those who built the staging, to the lighting, sound, clean up, and props; teachers, helpers, and greeters, whether your role was big or small, without you the load would have been much heavier.

Thank You,
Pastor Jerry

Economics

the study of scarcity

One of the few lessons I retained from high school was from a teacher whose name I can not even remember. He stood in front of the class and said "Economics is the study of scarcity, if you remember that one thing, you will get a passing grade in this class." I still remember that one thing.

The economic conditions churches and businesses face today are much tougher than they were just a few years ago. When times were good, funding could be found for all kinds of projects. We really did not have to use much discernment when making decisions, but times have changed.

"Scarcity clarifies our thinking, priorities and identity" ~
Jim Sheppard, CEO GENERIS

This is a challenging time for everyone. As leaders, we must set the standard that is to be followed. We must clarify our thinking. We must distinguish between needs and wants. A need is something that will stop the momentum of an organization if not met. A want, while making a job easier, does not effect an organization's momentum. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between the two, but distinguish we must. Yes, this is a time of scarcity, but more importantly it is a time of clarification.

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?" ~
Luke 14:28

Leadership Help from Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares

Ok. I admit it; I am fond of British humor and television programs. With the phenomenal success of cooking programs, one of my favorites is Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. In each episode, Gordon Ramsay visits a failing restaurant and acts as a troubleshooter to help improve the establishment in just one week.

As I watched the different episodes, I noticed a pattern among the restaurant owners emerge. Even though the owners knew that their restaurants needed help they refused to believe that what they were doing was the cause for the restaurants demise. Whether the menu needed changing or the decor needed updating, the owners were in denial. Their passion (vision) was failing because they were not in touch with the needs of their own communities (culture).

One thing is evident, for vision to thrive it has to be in sync with its culture. That is why Paul said, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this for the sake of the gospel, that I might share in its blessings..."- 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, NIV. As leaders we need to step out and into our culture and see if our visions will thrive or die.

Passion

intense enthusiasm: a strong liking or enthusiasm for a subject or activity

I sat in on an interview for a youth pastor position and was intrigued by the number of times the word passion was used. The interviewee was asked if he had a passion for youth, a passion for technology, a passion for ministry, a passion for _____________ (fill in the blank). The person they were interviewing already had the background to be a youth pastor (education, training, work ethic), but their concern was not for the background. They wanted to know if there was passion.

You may be lacking in material, money, and sometimes skills, but if you have passion you will find a way to overcome every obstacle. When we have passion we get creative in our approach. At "The Idea Camp", Erwin McManus stated that "out of passion and concern comes creativity". When you lose your passion, what you are doing becomes just another job, another chore, even another hated thing. We need to check our passion meters on a regular basis, especially when it comes to being a follower of Christ. As the church, are we passionate disciples or are we just going through the motions?

Adjustment

adapt to new circumstances: to adapt to a new environment or condition

Even without global warming, the environment in which I live changes every three months. Indiana experiences all four seasons without fail. I adjust to the changing seasons as well as anyone else who lives in these parts. I wear shorts in the heat of summer and a heavy jacket in the cold of winter. I adjust because the environment has changed. Environmental change does not just occur in nature. It also occurs within culture and the culture that the American Christian church resides in is changing. But are leaders willing to adjust to the change?

You can no longer slap up a building, put up a sign and expect the community to fill the seats. Church leaders can no longer hide their heads in the sand and pretend that nothing has changed. Dr. Wayne Lee, of Church Life Cohort, expresses it like this,"You can not do church in Babylon the same way you did it in Israel." The American Christian church has entered Babylon and leadership needs to connect this generation with the living God.

At C3 Tommy Barnett stated, " The church has made the method sacred and not the message." As leaders, are we preserving methods to the detriment of the message? One simple fact, in order to have communication you have to have a transmitter and a receiver. We have to ensure that the "Good News", that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, is not only transmitted but received.

Let's make it about saving souls and not just about the status quo.

Happiness Is Your Responsibility

The Great Eight
How to Be Happy
(even when you have every reason to be miserable)

Scott Hamilton (with Ken Baker) shares his story of working his way to the top of the skating profession only to discover that fame and wealth do not bring happiness. Through triumph and tragedy, Scott learned eight principles that helped him take hold of the happiness that eluded him and shares them with his readers.

With stories from his professional and personal life, Scott takes his readers on a journey to discover what his love for skating taught him about happiness. "Skating taught me how to be happy. I have always kept these eight as my own private, personal secrets that I practiced daily with repetition, focus, and discipline. Now I want to share them with the world."

The Great Eight is not a book full of theories, but comes from a life of practice and discipline. It is a revealing look into the life of a man who has made the choice to choose happiness over bitterness and regret. From learning to truly trust God to standing in the spotlight, Scott speaks to men and women of every profession. If you are ready for the challenge of being happy, get this book and put The Great Eight into practice in your own life.