We’re three years out from 2020 and for some reason my mind recently wondered back to one of the most challenging years of our ministry. As for many, 2020 was a roller coaster for us personally and ministerially. We had just finished phase two at our church campus and there was tremendous momentum. The first month of January, when weather can make attendance a challenge, we were having regular crowds of over 250. Though we had just finished our new auditorium, crowds were swelling so much that we had to order additional chairs. Services were dynamic and powerful, God’s presence was rich and deep, and it seemed as though the sky was the limit.
Like many, I had a twenty-twenty vision for 2020, unfortunately, like most, I never saw COVID in my twenty-twenty vision. By April I was standing on an empty stage trying to preach like I was preaching to 300 but in truth, I was preaching to three cameras. We reopened the campus in May with two services and spaced seating but people were fearful and crowds were sparce. Slowly people began to return but church and life was different, people came late and left immediately, momentum was lost. I spent a lot of time setting at breakfast tables talking people through the challenges and fears. I realized that COVID was not only changing the way we did church; it was impacting relationships. People were hesitant to get together, they were distant, unattached, and confused.
As summer came and we were trying to figure out how to reconnect people, our family went through one of our darkest seasons, we found out depression is real, even if you are a person of faith. This moment helped us understand the importance of getting people reconnected. We navigated through that dark period and as fall came we began to focus on reconnecting people. Many had got lost as they were processing COVID. It was then we decided to do something out of the box; to make a personal house call to every member who called Life home.
From the outset of starting Life, one of Mary and I’s priorities was to make sure every person felt important. We had been a part of churches where there were clicks, where money meant preferential treatment, and a few got time with the pastor. We were determined to do our best to value and invest in everyone. It didn’t matter if you worked at a warehouse or skyscraper, you mattered. Through the years we set at breakfast, lunch, and dinner tables with everyone and nearly every Sunday took someone out for lunch and listened to their story. So, with this backdrop, we set out to make a visit to everyone who called Life home.
Christmas was coming, so we bought over 150 tins of Christmas cookies, ordered a bunch of Christmas cards, and began our journey. We didn’t quite realize the endeavor we had taken on. At the time, nearly 350 to 400 people were calling Life Connections home, and they lived all over central Indiana. For over three weeks, for multiple nights, we would hop in our SUV and make deliveries. We’d show up unannounced, ring door bells and hand people cookies and a Christmas card. Some weren’t home, so we’d leave them on their porch, but for the many that were, the expression they had when they opened the door and saw us was priceless. There were tears, hugs, but mostly big smiles. Many were shocked and I don’t know how many times we heard, “we can’t believe that you would come to our house.” We’d spend a few minutes with them, sometimes pray for them, and then off to the next family. We may have missed a couple of homes, if you are one, we apologize, but through the process we came to realize was that more than the cookies or the card, the gift we really gave was showing up, demonstrating that we cared about them, that they were important…that they mattered.
A church is not a corporation, it’s not programs, it’s not an agenda; it’s family. Some have good stories, some not so much. Some are rich and some are poor. Some are highly educated, some didn’t’ finish high school but often have more common sense. Some are introverts and some are the life of the party, but all want to be a part of the party, or at least invited.
What made Jesus so amazing is He made everyone important, something that the Pharisees never figured out. They preached one thing but lived another. They pretended to minister and care for people but had no personal interest in them. It’s what turned people off to religion and it’s a pattern in many churches today. Ministries that preach and have processes, but no real interest in spending personal time with people. Jesus took time for children, the broken, the widow, and hurting families. He went home with the sinners like Zacchaeus, across a sea to touch one man filled with a demon, and to Samaria for one woman who was going to a well alone. What Jesus preached is what he lived. If he did, shouldn’t we? Everyone matters.
We don’t know her name, background or what caused her to step into an affair. At the moment it really didn’t matter, she had been caught in adultery. She was now a pawn to men who would use her for their benefit. Men with long robes, hard hearts, personal agendas and a frenzy for murder over mercy now stood over her. Self-righteous men with no concern for her soul or eternity, only their agenda and protecting their religious convictions, now stand screaming, “stone her, the law condemns her.” Half dressed, overwhelmed and dazed by what has just happened, she lays weeping in front of Jesus. But her accusers had made one fatal mistake, they had asked Jesus, “What do you say?” Stooping between the weeping woman and angry mob Jesus begins to write. What he writes only eternity will tell, but whatever it was, one by one, accusers and self-righteous men begin to drop their stones and walk away. The silence is only broken by the whimper of a broken woman. Jesus lifts her head and ask one question. Not why did you do it? Not what were you thinking? Simply, where are your accusers? Consumed by her sin and pending punishment, she doesn’t realize they are gone. Glancing around and seeing no one she says, “there are none.” What self-righteous people will never say, Jesus says, “neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.” The words still ring true today. No matter what you have done or where you have gone, know that no matter what anyone else says or thinks, Jesus says, “neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.” He doesn’t throw stones. He gives second chances.
Lost. It’s not an intentional destination. No one makes plans to get lost; it just happens. One wrong turn produces another and before we know it, we have no idea where we are. Often, especially if you are a male, the words, “I’m lost” are hard to say. We prefer a phrase like, “were just a little off course.” Whatever the choice of words, whether lost or a little off course, it is an admission that we have made a series of mistakes. The reality is that until we admit, “we’re lost” we will continue to meander aimlessly. The simple confession, “I am lost changes everything.” It’s only once we’ve admitted were lost, the journey to “found” begins. It’s then we’re willing to ask for help. It’s then we begin to retrace our steps to find our error. Its then we are willing to rely on others. It’s then that we carefully, step by step, try to get back to a safe and familiar place. No one intentionally gets “lost” in life. It just happens. How did the prodigal get to the pig pen? One bad moment, compounded by a poor decision, throw in a moral lapse, some bad company, and suddenly he finds himself in a place that is so unfamiliar, and a place he never intended to be. Fortunately, it takes just one good decision to change everything. Sitting in a pig pen was the moment the prodigal came to the realization, “I am lost.” It was the moment that changed everything. One moment stench, the next moment hope. A few more steps and his imagination began to see possibility. A few steps more and he sees home. Can I encourage you if you’re lost today? You’re not that far from home. Just one admission.
A raindrop, pebble, rock or stone; no matter the object or size, it creates a ripple that the diameter, effect and end, no one knows. The impact of our lives, are much like a ripple. We serve God, share the Gospel, give money and tell our story, yet often leave this life not knowing the impact of our existence. Stephen is an example of such a life. The Bible simply says that Stephen was a man full of faith, full of grace and power and full of the Spirit. His life ends tragically with a stoning by wicked men. Those who witnessed his life likely talked about his potential and all that he could have done if God had spared his life. Yet, that day was just the splashing of a stone. The impact of his life had not ended, but just began. That day a young Saul watched his stoning and a ripple started in his heart. A ripple that would takes years to see its effect, but on a road to Damascus, everything changed. Saul becomes Paul, is converted, and the rest is history. Countless messages preached, missionary journeys, many churches established and twelve epistles written. All a ripple effect from a life that seemed to end so senselessly. When we get to Heaven I imagine Stephen will be shocked by the impact of his life. I have a feeling it will be the same for many today who read this story. Live a life that leaves a ripple.
You can feel it in the air. A change is on the way. The nights are cooler. Trees are hinting of a change with peaks of color beginning to show on their leaves. Fall with all its splendor and glory is on its way. Soon we’ll be enjoying its colors, having bon-fires, taking hay rides, carving pumpkins and eating smores. If only it was that obvious when there was a change of season in our lives. Unfortunately, we frequently miss the signs of change when it comes to the seasonal changes in our lives. We often get caught off guard, sometimes overwhelmed or frustrated when there is a change of season. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven,” and then he goes on to describe fourteen different seasons he had experienced. His point? Life is not static, its fluid. Seasons are good, they bring wisdom, strength, faith and growth. It’s the cold of Winter that causes roots to grow deep. It’s the rains of Spring that brings growth. It’s the warmth of Summer that causes the branches to reach for the sky and it’s the splendor of Fall that shows us the value of seasons. Sensing change in your life? Embrace it. Its God love and grace that takes us from season to season or as Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 3:18, from glory to glory.
In the prophet Haggai’s day, God had brought His people back from failure and difficult situations. Instead of focusing on what God had done and the possibility, many of the people could only focus on “what was” and on their failures. Haggai’s message was, “the end was going to be greater than the beginning.” To someone today you need to know your best days are in front of you! But it’s a choice. How you view your situation is so important. We have a choice. Do we talk about the past, the problems and the pain? Do we give more power to the failure or the Father? Do we keep grace from covering us, mercy from mending us and forgiveness from freeing us? Do we live in the old house or move to the new? If we move to a new house mindset we see the possibilities in Jesus. In the new house there’s a God view instead of a guilt view. In the new house faith starts speaking, the gifts start working and we start living in the Spirit. In the new house there’s a different countenance on our face, different attitude in our spirit and conversations that springs from our heart. Your end is supposed to be better than your beginning. It’s time for someone to move into a new house.
Your heart matters. In fact, God is more concerned about your heart than anything else. While I’m not here to diminish the importance of living Godly and Holy, it is the inside that God looks at and it is the inside that will produce a true Christ like lifestyle. In 2 Chronicles 30, Hezekiah’s heart is to bring His people’s lives and families back to God. The problem is no one is qualified to bring them to repentance and they had missed the Passover. Hezekiah’s hunger is a month late and would have to be performed by an unclean person. God has a dilemma. He has people who have hungry hearts but don’t have it all together. Hezekiah confesses the errors of his people and asks God, “will you hear our prayers, will you heal us?” In one of the more amazing moments in the Bible the scripture said that “the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people (2 Chron. 30:20).” What a moment of grace! Grace that is still available today. Five husbands and living with a sixth man, not a problem. Caught in the very act of adultery, not a problem. Thief and murderer breathing your last breath, not a problem. Grace showed up at a lonely well, at the screams of judgmental accusers and at the cross of a guilty man. Need grace today? Give Him an honest heart and His grace will show up.
The calendar says it’s still spring. The activities and heat say it’s summer. Heat and humidity are here and plants and grass are already gasping for water. What we need is a storm. A gully washer. A downpour. Though we enjoy the fun of the sun, we need the storms. Without storms we don’t get the necessary rain. Storms slow us down. Storms bring clouds to shade us from the sun, breezes that purge the dead limbs, and water to the areas that are in drought. What is true in nature is true in the spiritual. We enjoy the good times, when troubles are few and life is light. But then God sends a storm. Something that rocks our world, slows us down and brings us to our knees. Not always what we want, but often what we need. Without storms we can burn ourselves out. Without storms, areas in our lives that need a purge, would never be cleaned out. Without storms, the refreshing of God’s Spirit that brings our hearts back to life, wouldn’t come. Going through a storm? Be thankful. He see’s something in our lives that is dying. Something in our heart or soul that needs watered. He allows a spiritual rain, disguised as a storm, to come into our lives. He sees we need a pause. A rest. A time of refreshing. He’s the God in the storm and when it’s time He’ll say, “peace be still.”
To Abraham He is the lamb provided. To Moses He is the I AM that I AM. To David He is a very present help in a time of need. To the three Hebrew children He is the fourth man in the fire. To Isaiah He is the Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. To Mary He is Emmanuel, God with us, He is her baby, her son. To the blind, lame mute and diseased ridden He is a healer. To those overwhelmed by their sin and failure He is grace and mercy. To Simon Peter He is the Messiah, the anointed one, God with us. To John He is the Word. To the Pharisees He is a stumbling stone. To the disciples He is Rabbi, the teacher. To Mary, Martha and Lazarus He is a resurrecter. To Thomas, after seeing His nails prints, He is my Lord and my God. To Paul He is the God of all grace. To everyone who believes and comes to Him He is the Savior. To each and every individual, He is what you have needed Him to be and what you need Him to be. He is help, strength, courage, healer, deliverer, redeemer and most importantly Savior. But three days after His death He became something that had never been done before and hasn’t been done since. He conquered death, hell and the grave. To the world, He is Risen!
The eternal questions are the most important questions of life. Four questions that will determine everything about our destiny. Do I believe in God, not in a god, but the God, the one found in Genesis 1:1, the “in the beginning God?” Answering that question leads to the next. Do I believe in the Word of God; the Bible, that it is the infallible Word of God, that it is true and that it is the final authority? If I believe that there is God, that His Word is true then the next question is, do I believe there is a heaven and a hell and that each of us will arrive at one of those destinations? If I believe there is a heaven and a hell then the next question to ask is, what must I do to secure my eternity? If I truly believe there is an eternity then who do I want to answer the question about getting there? Do I want a religion, a religious institution, a church, a pastor, a friend or an internet source? I suggest you want only God to answer that question. The question answered by Jesus, God in flesh, in John 3 when He said to Nicodemus, “unless one is born of the water and Spirit he cannot enter in.” The real questions of life. Four eternal questions. Answer wisely.
The Last Supper. It was Holy but at the same time it was human. Artist render it as Holy, we view it as Holy and it was, but there was so much humanity in the moment. As the disciples entered the room they had failed to follow the custom, to make sure guest feet had been washed. Setting in the room, the conversation was not about scripture or sinners, but about who would be on the right and left of Jesus, who would be important. Jesus enters, and without condemnaiton or judgement, takes a basin of water and towel and begins washing the feet of those that in less than 24 hours would turn on Him. One would betray Him, another would curse Him and nearly all would abandon Him. Though He knew their future, He washed their feet, broke bread and had communion with them. Twelve very imperfect men; men looking for power and position and men that had faith but would fail, and yet, Jesus by His actions was saying, take this communion, because you believe in me and undestand you need me. Communion is not about your perfection, but His. It’s about understanding, acknowleging and saying, I believe in and need the work of Jesus in my life.
Just in case you forgot; God provided a lamb for Abraham and Isaac, a way of escape from Egypt for the Children of Israel, a road through the middle of a sea and river for an entire nation, caused walls to fall for Joshua, took 300 men and defeated a massive army, took a shepherd boy and made him king, protected three Hebrew men of faith in a fiery furnace, kept a man safe in a den of lions, turned water into wine, opened deaf ears and blinded eyes, cast out demons, raised dead people and took the keys to death, hell and the grave.