Church Hopping

One of the benefits for a pastor who's taking a few weeks off is that he can visit some other churches and worship with them. I did that yesterday and really enjoyed seeing how God is at work in other places --- even though I really missed being at Capstone!

The funniest part of the experience was walking into the two churches and seeing the facial reaction from the pastors. Both saw me as soon as I walked in and the look on their faces said, "What is he doing here?" Pastors RARELY visit other churches because of the whole working-on-Sunday-morning thing. Their shock was priceless. One even asked if I had gotten myself fired!

My first stop was Hope Fellowship. Mark Gasque is pastor and Jeff Brannon is worship pastor. Mark and I are connected because we bought his house when we moved to Anderson eight years ago. I know Jeff better. We have mutual friends and have hung out at lunch. Both are great guys.

Hope meets at 9:30 am in a former retail space between Books-A-Million and Circuit City. They've done a great job converting an old store into "church space." Everything looks top notch. The sound was great. Jeff is an excellent vocalist and leader and the band was tight. A young man on guitar shared vocals with Jeff and he had an excellent voice as well. They had a guest preacher. I slipped out before the service was over so I could get to my next destination.

The crowd was small but friendly. I was reminded of something us churches do that I had forgotten about. Those times when we "turn and welcome someone to the church" can be really uncomfortable for visitors if it lasts too long. I found myself standing alone with only a few people reaching out to me. Everyone else spent time greeting those they knew. This is understandable (it happens at Capstone) but awkward for the guest who really wants to just be a part of the service and not become too obvious. A good reminder.

My second stop was at Redeemer Church whose service begins at 10:30 am. Redeemer is a new Presbyterian church that meets in the old Ramada Inn. Patrick Miller is the pastor. Patrick and I met at Panera a few years ago and have talked a few times since then. I like what I've seen of Patrick and felt the Lord leading me to worship there.

The service Patrick and his team put together was for me (and others, I'm sure). Their service included a lot of Scripture, a time of personal confession and repentance, reflection, and prayer. Patrick did a great job teaching the Word. And the service concluded with Communion.

What touched me the most was how the service began. Patrick read (as it was projected on the walls) some Scripture about repentance and confession. Then, he invited us (if we were willing and physically able) to kneel before the Lord in humility and reverence as we allowed God to search our hearts. This simple act of personal reflection and honoring God by kneeling and praying helped me to prepare my heart for worship. Just a few moments of confessing all my struggles and anxieties and asking God to speak to me during the service had a HUGE impact on my personal worship. I felt more open and in tune with God and ready to hear from Him. And God really spoke to me through the songs, the Scripture and the sermon.

From the moment the service began, there was a sense of honor and reverence towards our amazing God. The set-up was simple. (Reminded me of Capstone's beginning days at the LaQuinta Inn.) The songs were a mix of current and traditional. There were kids in the room squirming and people going in and out. But throughout everything that was said and sung, God was exalted. It was all about Him. We even sang, "How Great Is Our God" along with "A Mighty Fortress." What a great combo!

I left there feeling personally stronger and more ready to handle the challenges of my life because our focus had been on the greatness of God. Understand: I knew God was great going in. But spending 90 minutes truly focused there had a great impact on me. And it all began with that time of confession and reflection.

That's something I don't do enough personally and it's something we do not do enough corporately as well. I'm looking forward to adding that in our Capstone services in the future.

One of my goals during this time off from Capstone is my personal spiritual nourishment. I got fed yesterday at two different churches and I thank God for them both. It's great to see God at work through new churches in our community.

Thanks for continuing to pray for me and my family. Those prayers continue to be greatly needed.

"The Shack" Review

A couple of weeks ago, I got emails on the same day from two different people in the church telling me that I had to read this book called "The Shack." Knowing I was going to be taking some time off, I picked it up and gave it a read.

A little background: The Shack has been one of those books that "came out of nowhere" and has steadily climbed the bestseller charts. Even though it was published over a year ago, as of today, it is the #10 bestselling book of all books on Amazon.com. It has created a lot of buzz from people who love its message of redemption to many in Christian circles bashing it for its obvious theological errors and twisting of fundamental Scriptural principles.

I mostly enjoyed reading "The Shack." The reader - especially the reader who is a Christ-follower - must understand that it is a work of fiction. Many of the descriptions of God, the Trinity, and His sovereignty are not accurate. Yet there is much that is Truth within this little book. That's what makes a book like this potentially dangerous to the reader who does not know what he or she actually believes as truth.

The appeal of "The Shack" is obvious. It taps into the emotional reservoirs that are common for us all: the guilt of past mistakes, personal failures, trying to understand why tragedies occur, and ultimately, making sense of God. As I was reading, I could easily relate to the emotional state of the main character (Mack) and to the questions about life that he had. Everyone shares the common experience of heartbreak at some point in life. And, everyone is looking for healing and hope.

The Shack attempts to provide that healing and hope through its fictional characters. While the story is genuinely relatable and its redemptive ending feels good to the reader, its inaccuracies in Truth should be a caution to anyone who reads it. Don't go looking to "The Shack" to give you hope in your circumstances. Don't go looking to "The Shack" to provide emotional healing for some hurt you may have. Don't go looking to "The Shack" for a better understanding of God.

Look to God's Word found in The Bible for hope, healing, and understanding. That is the only place to find absolute Truth in our world.

Should you read The Shack? You may enjoy it. You may want to stay away from it. I trust you can make that decision for yourself.

Just remember that ultimate Truth, life-changing Truth, is not found in an old wooden barn in the middle of the woods. It's found only in the Holy Word of God.

PS - Have you read this book? Leave a comment and share what you thought about it.

Time

If you were at Capstone yesterday, you heard me share that I am going to be taking the next month off from the daily work of pastoral ministry. In some ways, it was a difficult decision to make. I love what God has given me to do and I take my calling and responsibility to the church very seriously. My heart's desire is to be faithful to my role as pastor and teacher. But in other ways, the decision for the time away came very easily.

I've shared with you that over the past six months or so, my family has been going through some extreme trials. These trials have taken their toll on us. I am physically tired and emotionally exhausted. I know that this is not a good place for anyone to be, especially someone charged with the spiritual leadership of God's flock. The Lord has made it clear to me that I need some time to take care of myself, my family, and to focus on our health. My responsibilities to them is even more important than my responsibilities to the church.

I know that the Lord is our answer and our solution. He has been that for me since the day I met Him as Savior 34 years ago. HOW He is going to reveal His answers and solutions at this time has yet to be seen. I am going to spend this time seeking Him and waiting on Him.

I serve at Capstone with some amazing people. Our leadership team of trustees and staff have been and continue to be completely supportive of me, my family, and the needs we have. They are giving me this time with their blessings and prayers and for that I am so appreciative.

If you are a part of the Capstone family, let me remind you again of what I shared yesterday. During this time, we must not become like "most churches." At "most churches," when the pastor is away, people use that as an excuse not to go to church. Don't do that. At "most churches," when there are trials within the body, especially if it involves leadership, people begin to gossip and pass judgment and make up stories without knowing the truth. Don't do that.

Capstone has never been like "most churches" and we must not become that now. The work of God's church continues. The mission that God has given us of "Loving people into the abundant life that comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ" has not changed. If anything, the trials and challenges we all face should draw us closer together as a body as we pray and love and hold each other up during the hard times. The enemy wants to use whatever he can find to divide us. But as God's family, we must pray fervently and continue the fight against the enemy every step of the way.

Thank you for continuing to pray for us. I thank you for your love and support for me and my family. I will not be disappearing or going into hiding during this month. You'll see us at most everything going on. On Sundays, we will have different speakers in the pulpit and I look forward to hearing from them as well. And finally, I do not know how often I will write here over these weeks. I will as the Lord gives me something to share with you.

Blessings.

Home

It was great to have a few days and nights away at the beach. There's a place in Garden City that we've been going to off and on for many years. It's really like a second home. Very comfortable. Oceanfront. Most importantly, it's away from the madness of Myrtle Beach. No one had reserved the place the first week of June - which is very unusual. So we jumped on it. The Lord provided the time and I'm thankful.

Claire took a friend with her and so she had someone to hang with. That was good. I spent the early mornings walking the beach and talking (out loud) to God --- filling His ear with all my questions and asking Him for answers. I've always felt His enormity at the beach. Just looking out at the vastness of the ocean and the power of the waves confirms to me that He is huge and powerful. Even the fact that the ocean knows where to stop as the tides come and go completely amazes me.

Did God give me my answers? Honestly? Not as specifically as I would like. But He did remind me who He is and who I am because of Him. He reminded me of His plans and purposes for me -- plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future. He reminded me that I walk by faith and not by sight and that it's okay for me not to have the answers. He reminded me that He knew about this trial and He knows where this road leads. He reminded me to trust Him completely and to listen for and to His voice alone. That's what I must do as I continue to walk this road.

We had some serious fun at the Nascar Speedpark, though a five-year-old driving a go-cart (is that crazy or what???) about gave me whiplash as he hit me full speed after the race was over. Not good. We played putt-putt a couple of times and hit the arcade a few times as well. No matter how high-tech some of the games get, there's nothing better than skee ball with those old wooden balls. I love it!

I hear David did a great job at Capstone on Sunday. I will be back at Capstone this Sunday but I'm not speaking. Our youth leader, Brent Thomason, will be bringing the message. I am really looking forward to what God gives him to share. Brent did a great job speaking in Cuba on our last mission trip. I know God will use him on Sunday. Pray for him this week as he prepares!

And please pray for me as I take a few more days off. I continue to pray and seek God's wisdom and direction. Pray for Yvonne and Claire as well. And thanks for your love and concern for each of us!

Off

I'm off for a few days of sand and surf. We're headed down to Garden City so I won't be in blog-land for a while.

I would really appreciate you praying for me while I'm away. God knows I need a mental break and some answers. I'm thankful that He has a plentiful supply of both.

Thanks for praying for me and my family. I pray God blesses your week as well.