Souled out Servolution

 

Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Teresa of Avila

Just a little talk with Jesus

Now let us have a little talk with Jesus,

Let us tell him all about our troubles,

He will hear our famished cries,

And he will answer by and by,

Now when you feel a little prayer wheel turnin,

Then you’ll know a little fire is burnin,

You will find a little talk with Jesus makes it right

I love this old song.

What worship song makes you want to stand to your feet and raise your hands in surrender to Jesus? What song makes you want to open your heart up?

Just a Little Talk With Jesus, is still one of my favorites, it still makes me want to raise my hands.

Now for all you Southern Gospel fans out there, and I think there may be two or three that read my blog that love Southern Gospel, this is probably one of my all time favorite Southern Gospel Quartets, The Gold City. I love the harmonies.

And I’m throwing this one in just because it’s my blog and I like the song.

The last video was the Cathedrals, I lost count of how many times I had seen the Cathedrals and the Gold City in concert when I was a teenager. Southern Gospel music still stirs my heart and brings back so many memories of when I first got saved.

What old hymns or gospel songs do that for you?

things over heard

For those that don’t know, which is I think all none of you, I am a volunteer at Crosspoint Community Church (the writings and ramblings given on this blog are the sole opinion of me and not Crosspoint Community Church).

Crosspoint is a portable church, much like the first church, except we don’t follow a cloud around, put up a tent every Sunday, make our pastor wear ornate robes, and carry around the Ark of the Covenant. We do however like to burn animal flesh over a hot fire, but we call that a cookout.

To set up all the equipment, stage, lights, video, sound, lobby, and kids area early in the morning can be challenging to say the least. You could probably the imagine the cast of characters it takes to put all of this together in a short amount of time, it takes a very “special” kinda volunteer to want to wake up at 5:30 in the morning and set up church at a movie theater.

The point of this post is for those of you that have never experienced setting up the “tabernacle” early in the morning, I want to share with you some of the things over heard during set-up at Crosspoint.

1. We are going to need someone to clean up the goat crap if it craps on stage.

2. Hey guys, I am going to jump off this 8 foot ladder and I want you to catch me, it’ll be easy.

3. Over more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more. STOP!!!! Now put it back.

4. Bring the box with the snake in it down here.

5. Now get the box with the other snake and bring down the other side.

6. Where’s all our help? Oh there you are.

7. I hope I’m not a wuss and pass out while she is piercing my ear, I’ll make sure I’m positioned to not fall on the drums or guitar in case I do.

8. The goat ate Tony’s music.

9. Did Dana bring the wine?

10. Plug this here, this here, this here, this here and this here, you got that? No.

I kinda wonder what you would over hear when they set up the Tabernacle.

All kidding aside, I get to serve with a great group of volunteers on the set-up and break down team. These folks make the magic happen and you don’t ever see them. They are make a huge impact for the Kingdom one cable at a time, one light at a time, one piece of tape at a time. Love you guys.

You might be a stupid Christian if….

Kevin dusted off his blog yesterday and wrote a post about continuing on with the series Stupid Christians. I’m not one to steal an idea and I’m not sure that I am since I am modifying it a bit.

I love the Jeff Foxworthy ‘You might be a redneck if’ jokes, I wrote a post about ‘You might go to Crosspoint if’ a while back and it is still my most popular post. One of the things I think we as Christians do that give us a bad reputation is we take ourselves entirely too seriously. I am willing to bet you (oh no he’s gambling) that most people would be highly offended at being called a stupid Christian. So here goes, I am going to start the list and, it will only be about how I am/was a stupid Christian, so if you add to the list it has to be about you, NOT anyone else.

You might be a stupid Christian if….

You ever thought secular music is an evil influence.

You thought the King James Bible is the only translation you should use.

You voted against the lottery because it WILL ruin families.

You flip someone off on your way to church.

You sleep with your girlfriend and think it is OK because God wants you guys to get married.

You think drinking is a sin and get drunk on the weekends.

You think Jesus actually cares about who is President and that it was a surprise to Him.

You gossip about some one and disguise it as a “prayer request”.

You really believe that Jesus was a white guy with long hair dressed like a hippie.

You think that there are plenty of other people paying their tithes, the church doesn’t need mine.

And to finish it off…….

You think everyone from “that church ” is going to hell.

I’m sure I have offended you with something I have said, but this is how I was/am a stupid Christian.

Feel free to add your stupidity to mine….

Recipe

What do you get when you add students, moms, logistics worker, chemist, managers, teacher, pharmacist, guitar guy, editor, office administrator, bar tender, waitress, and a computer geek together?

Community.

I am so proud of my Life Group for stepping up and being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.

Everyone did a great job, it was hard work but a lot of fun. Most important is that Christ was glorified and some very special people had fun. Thank you guys.

buddha

Me and one of the guys I work with were at a local service station today and he made a comment to me that just grated every bit of me.

His comment was, “I can’t understand what they are saying in there it sounds like a bunch of ducks quacking”.

“They’re Vietnamese”, I responded.

He said “ya whatever, I just can’t understand them”.

I agree you can’t understand them.

The conversation goes on and he tells me that “they have some kinda Buddha shrine set-up in there and I don’t much care for that, but hey that’s for them, it ain’t for me.”

I almost responded ” hey it ain’t your store, it’s their belief and their culture.”

How many times have we seen an idol or shrine set up to a false god and we just say, “hey that’s for them, not for me”?

Or how many times have you wanted to defend someone because of their beliefs?

I don’t believe in attacking anyone because of how the believe.

But I do know for fact that we are to share the Gospel of Jesus, with everyone…..even Buddhist.

Chazzism’s

Closed out our Heroes series at church this week with a Rockstar.

Charles Hill is one of those guys that when he gets up on the mound all he is doing is throwing heat. So in the spirit of what would normally be Davism’s (borrowed from Tony Morgan about Perry Noble), we have Chazzism’s this week.

• We don’t have an accent, you guys have an ack-cent.
• Does it count if your mother was born in the south? Your Jewish if your mother is Jewish.
• When you look at the confederate dollar bill that’s my blood. (No he’s not a racist he was telling a story about a distant relative)
• I’m not Chris Rock like Dave is.
• Get your band-aids out, we are about to get a little wounded today.
• Ricky Bobby is a true Alabama hero.
• How many of you ever thought of Noah’s wife as a hero?
• Heroes act when called upon.
• Heroes are at the right place at the right time and they do the right thing.
• You better be doing more outside in this world than what you do for an hour on Sunday
• Are there such things as booger seeds? (A question his daughter asked his wife)
• Coming to church an hour on Sunday is not contagious.
• Going to church does nothing.
• Heroes are mission obsessed.
• You’ll be able to tell what your obsession is by looking at what you spend your time, your talent and your treasures on.
• Are you really willing to give your lives?

I really needed that band-aid Charles was talking about.

Are you excited?

I am a refugee of sorts.

Contemplating if I should even say what I am thinking right now…..

I am a refugee from boring church.

Is that wrong of me to say?

Ok, before anyone gets there panties (or manties if your a dude) in a bunch let me explain.

My church FREAKIN ROCKS!!!!!

Sad reality, not everyone that goes to a church, or has attended a church, or will attend a church can say that. I am not church bashing so hold your e-mails for just a sec um-k? Um -k. People get bored with church. Period. Whether it is the music the sermon or Sunday school. Going off on a tangent here, who ever thought up Sunday school? When I was in school I didn’t like it, why would I want to go on a Sunday? I mean, really? Back on topic, people get bored, they aren’t excited, does that mean they aren’t excited in their salvation, ya that could be a reason, but I think a bigger reason people get bored is because church can be boring. Oh is that taboo to say?

Here’s the deal, Jesus is Lord, without Jesus there is no church. The scripture tells us that he is the head of the church. So why would we want to tell people about Jesus in a way that most people would think is boring? No, not everyone thinks their church is boring, but there are some that are sitting in the pews at the First Bapticostal Methodoligistic Holiness Church of Our Lady in the Clouds Christ Episcolated Calvin Luther Assembly that might, next time when you catch yourself thinking about what buffet your going to head to for lunch look around you and see how many people aren’t paying attention either. If you love Jesus and truly believe that he is the savior of the world and that if you don’t have salvation you are going to hell wouldn’t you be jumping up and down trying to compel people to come to Christ? Would you tell people about Jesus in a way that would put them to sleep? Bore them? In a language that they can’t understand? Sing songs about deer panting for a drink of water? Or would you rather tell them in a way they could understand. In a way that would excite them.

Are you excited about your church? Can you honestly say that when you get up on Sunday that you are excited to hear the word of God from the man that is anointed by God to bring it to you?

I ask you all this for one reason. To pray.

I am not trying to compel you to come to my church. What I am trying to compel you to do is pray. Pray for your church, or for yourself. If your not excited about your church it is probably because your church isn’t exciting. I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday about church. He serves in his church but would love to come to ours full time, and ya know I would love to have him at our church full time. That is a selfish thought and it convicted me. What I should be praying for is his church to be excited. You see I’m pretty sure this guy is excited in his salvation or he wouldn’t be helping our church set-up on Sunday morning and them leaving to go and serve at his church. I want his church to be excited so he won’t have to look for a church that is.

hands and feet

What does community service mean to you?

Does it mean wearing an orange jump suit and picking up trash on the side of the road?

Talking to a group of students about the dangers of drug use because a judge told you to?

Going to a homeless shelter and serving people on the soup line?

Giving someone your last five dollars so they could get a cup of coffee and sandwich or *gasp* a bottle of cheap booze?

Praying with a person that is hurting, the world has come down on there shoulders and they are on the edge of jumping off a bridge, swallowing a bottle of pills or cursing God?

Painting a local charity organization’s thrift store?

Buying groceries for a family that has hit a rough patch and just needs a little help getting through it?

What does being the hands and feet of Jesus mean to you?

mission, military, ministry

I am learning a few lessons this week in regards to leadership. I am not an expert on leadership and I don’t believe there is an expert in this subject. I will also contend that being great at something does not make you an expert. With that being said I will start in on how I suck.

Lesson #1: “Mission before men” does not apply when working in the ministry.

• Your mission is men.
• If you cannot communicate your mission effectively how do you expect your men to carry it out.
• Your mission is personal, so are your men.
• Your men do not change to your standards you have to be willing change to theirs, so long as it doesn’t compromise the mission.

Ok now let me give a few explanations. When I was in the military there was two schools of thought in leadership. The first mentality is “You place your mission before your men”. The second mentality is “Your men are the most important thing”.

The ideal mentality is to find a perfect harmony with both thoughts. I can say that I never met one leader that found that harmony while I was serving. Most of the leaders I knew had a “mission before men” mentality. To be perfectly honest I prefer that. That was the way I was taught to lead. You complete your mission no matter what the cost, what you are working for is the “Greater Good”, you may have to make sacrifices. I never charged any machine gun nests while I was in the military, I was a power lineman. Not a lot of machine guns or Iraqis to deal with when you are changing out street light bulbs, looking back I didn’t have a lot of friends either. But the streets were well lit and there were very few power outages on my watch, mission accomplished.

Working as a volunteer leader at my church is making me totally relearn and change how I lead. I am having to learn that the mission is men, or mankind if you will, and that includes the men that work side by side with you in your mission. Communication is always the biggest key to carrying out any mission, but  leading people in the ministry it is how you communicate what your mission is. You can bark orders and they will be carried out. You can ask someone to do something for you and there is a better than 99% chance that it will get done, but the person you asked will feel better about what they are doing as opposed to having a “task master” barking at them. Your mission is a personal mission because you are working for your personal Savior. The people you serve with are just like you, screwed up mutts that love Jesus, get to know them. Be willing to change how you do things to accomplish your mission. Being nicer to someone does not compromise your mission, getting personal with someone does not compromise your mission, you will accomplish your mission with greater success and fewer sacrifices by changing how you do things sometimes. Leaders are in control of the things around them, the people around them and themselves.

Unfortunately I suck at all these things. This past week at church I got into a disagreement with one of my very best friends. The disagreement got heated enough that he left so he could cool off. The disagreement essentially centered around my leadership style and communication. I won’t go any further into the whys but the whole thing really set me back on my heels and has made me think long and hard about how I do things. My friend and I have already reconciled like most men do, I let him punch me just as hard as he could in the arm and I got to ride his bicycle. Bottom line is I needed that from him to show me where I fail. Thanks buddy, I’m sorry.