Brain overload!

After meeting with some good friends at Journey Church in Chattanooga, I’m having a hard time processing all the things going through my head.  My thoughts are scattered like I spilled M&Ms in the car – they are all over the place, in every crevice of my mind, and some will probably not be discovered for months…

But some things I’ve been reflecting on today in no particular order:

• If you base success on numbers and giving, you will miss the real successes of life change.  Imagine if Jesus had ignored Zacchaeus?  Jesus ministered to a guy one-on-one, instead of placating the crowd that was all around him.
• No pastor/leader in ministry should ever say “I cannot be your friend because I’m a leader.”  That works for CEOs; not for pastors/ministry leaders.  I recently read that one of the biggest mistakes leaders make is thinking that they are above the flock that they lead.  Wrong.  Only Christ is (and he was known as a FRIEND to sinners).  As a leader, you should be modeling friendships – not running from them.
• We are all going to feel really stupid when we get to heaven and find ourselves standing next to people we have shunned in this life as we worship God together for eternity.  (Will there be awkward moments in heaven?)
• I value my friends more than I tell them.  I need to change that immediately.
• Discouragement will come from the most surprising places.
• Encouragement will come from the most surprising places.
• When it comes to church, doing something truly “new” is very difficult.  We cling to the language of our subculture.  We play in the sandbox of Sunday morning church.  Even people who want something new will still have to fight the tendency to migrate towards the familiar and comfortable…towards “easier.”
• When it comes to obeying God:  Stick. To. Your. Guns.  Just don’t point them at other people.  Remember who the real enemy is.
• I have been in professional ministry my entire life, and just realized this weekend that I’m not sure I know how to truly serve people outside of the professional ministry sandbox.  I can “play” church with the best of them, but I desire with all my heart to BE the church to people.  But in all my training and experience, I’ve focused on what happens within the walls of church – not outside them (at least not in many, many years).  More on this in posts to come…
• People either glorify Jesus, or try to take the credit for glorifying Jesus.  It’s far too easy to get caught up in our own hype about Jesus, instead of Jesus himself.
• “Relevancy” is no longer about style of worship or dress code; it IS about whether or not we who call ourselves Christians are relevant in how we love and engage our communities.  More on this in posts to come, too…
• I hate the word “network.”  I do like the word “friend,” however, and I’ve discovered that there are leaders/ministers everywhere looking for friends.
• I am thankful for those who pour into me and allow me to serve alongside them.
• Road trips in the rain are hell.
• Road trips in the rain with a group of friends are worthy every mile.

More to come…

Tagged as: church, friends, leadership, ministry, pastor, pastors, the future