Family FAQ

On Sunday morning, November 11, I'm doing a message called "Family Matters FAQ." Between and now and then, I'm just talking with people in our community, encouraging them to share some of their biggest questions related to family issues. For instance, one mom I talked to yesterday said that her biggest question was "How do I balance everything? How do I balance God, work, children, activities, etc.?" What a great question!

Over the next week, I'll be gathering questions and taking notes. If you have a question that you'd like to ask, please feel free to email me or comment on this post. I will look forward to looking into God's Word and sharing some answers with you on November 11.

Lunch with Ed

I had lunch with Ed Stetzer today. Ed is Director of LifeWay Research here in Nashville. He is one of the "top dogs" in the areas of church planting and missional research. I've talked with him on several occasions, but today was the first time I actually sat down to pick his brain a little.

For the last few years, I've been impressed with his research and writings. Today, I was impressed with his willingness to take time out of his extremely busy schedule to have lunch with me. He offered some advice, he offered some encouragement, but there was one thing that he said that jumped out at me. He said (my paraphrase):

"I'm 41 years old, and your forties are usually the years of greatest impact in ministry. I want to use the next decade to change the world."

As I heard him say those words, I couldn't help but be inspired. I believe God will use Ed in the next decade. I'm 30 years old, and I want the next 20 years of my life to count--not so that I can feel good about myself, not so that others will applaud me, but so that more people will find their salvation and joy in the God who loves them and gave himself for them (Galatians 2:20).

What about you? Whether you're 20, 30, 40, or 50 years old, let me beg you: Use the talents, gifts, abilities, passions, money, and time God has given you to change your community and your world.

Ed, thanks for the inspiration today!

You can check out Ed's popular blog at http://www.edstetzer.com/.

Child Dedication Service

We just had a great child dedication service at PCC. I love doing these dedications. There are 2 main reasons why we do them:

(1) We want to praise God for the gift He has given. The Bible says:

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. (Psalm 127:3)

(2) Also, we do child dedications because it is a time for our church to say that we support parents and we embrace our responsibility to help them teach and train their children. Yes, parents are the primary influencers of their children's spiritual development, but the local church also plays a key role in raising up the next generation to become Christ-following leaders.

Here are some pictures from our child dedication service on October 21. The great photos are courtesy of Angela Bertrand. Thank you Ang!

"In the Heat of the Night"

This coming Sunday morning (October 28) will be interesting. We continue with our I Love the 80's series, and the message will focus on S-E-X. The title of the message is named after the old 80's show titled In the Heat of the Night. I don't know about you, but it seems like the church is guilty of not talking about this topic enough. Maybe pastors are not sure what to say about the topic??? There is no question that the church should talk about sex. God created sex, so He's not against it.

Anyway, pray for me over the next couple of days as I pray about what God wants me to say. Like I said, it should be interesting!

Former Soviet Union

Over the last year, the former Soviet Union has been on my heart. One reason is because my wife and I are adopting from Russia. The former Soviet Union had never been on my radar screen until we began this adoption process. Recently, I've been talking with missionaries in Russia about what God is doing in Eastern Europe. And on November 8-9, I'll be attending a "Volunteer Summit" here in Nashville, and I'm so excited about hearing more about how God could use Peace Community Church to reach those who have never experienced the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

If you'd like to hear more about what God is doing around the world, specifically in Central and Eastern Europe, then I invite you check out the following websites: http://www.hope4cee.org/index.htm

http://www.imb.org/main/lead/page.asp?StoryID=5229&LanguageID=1709

Here are a few Bible verses I'm committing to memory over the next couple of weeks:

PSALM 67:2

May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere.

PSALM 2:8

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

Catalyst

Last Thursday and Friday, I attended a church leaders conference in Atlanta called Catalyst. Although I wish the Braves were still playing so that I could have squeezed in a game, at least a friend and I had a chance to eat at Fuddruckers on the way down.

Anyway, I thought the conference was pretty good. I had been praying for God to teach me and encourage me during the conference, and He answered my prayer. Here's what God taught me:

• As a leader, I must use my position and power for the benefit of others. Jesus modeled this for us in John 13, where the disciples were stunned by His humility. Is anybody really stunned by my humility? When I fail to follow Christ's example, I'm saying that I'm greater than Jesus. (from Andy Stanley's talk)
• The people I am leading need recognition and relevance. They want to know they are making a difference, especially when it comes to making an eternal difference in people's lives. (from Patrick Lencioni's talk)
• Jeremiah 1:4-19--This passage was the most encouraging part of the conference for me. Francis Chan, one of the key speakers, challenged me by asking: "Do you really believe God put you in this position (as pastor/church leader), or are you just running a church?" I left the conference on Friday encouraged by God's words to Jeremiah.
• If I want God's blessing on my life, I must get in on God's agenda. (from Rick Warren's talk). This principle has been foundational from the very start of PCC. It helps drive everything we do--from small groups to the P.E.A.C.E. Plan.
• I also left the conference with this powerful quote from Francis Chan: "If Jesus had a church in Simi Valley, mine would be bigger. People would leave his church to attend mine because I call for an easier commitment."

I'm still trying to digest this one! I think Chan's words are true, but it's so tough to call people to the same level of commitment that Jesus expected. You always have people get mad at you personally, and it's a challenge to help them understand that the Christian life is not about following the pastor's expectations. It's about denying self, taking up your cross daily, and following Christ (Luke 9:23).

Hangin' Out with My Nephew

My 4 year-old nephew (Luke) and I hung out a little bit this afternoon. First, I picked him up from school, and we went to Wal-Mart. There was a CD signing there, and we had a little "meet and greet" with The Oak Ridge Boys, Collin Raye, Bryan White, Teddy Gentry (from Alabama), Marty Raybon (from Shenandoah), and Rebecca Lynn Howard. Here's a picture of Luke and William Lee Golden of the Oaks (Luke calls him "Billy Lee")-

Here's a picture of Luke with Marty Raybon and Rebecca Lynn Howard:

After Wal-Mart, I took him to Station Camp High School, where our church meets on Sunday mornings. The principal had to sign some paperwork for me, and he gave Luke a football! Next, I took Luke to the local LifeWay bookstore and bought him a VeggieTales toy. Then, we went to Dairy Queen.

It was a great few hours. You know, I've got a bunch of stuff to do. I've got books to read, sermons to write, small groups to organize, etc. I've got a lot to do between now and tomorrow afternoon before I leave for Atlanta's Catalyst Conference.

But it's worth it to take a few hours out of a busy schedule to spend time with my nephew. On the way back to his house, I missed the turn. I've been to Luke's house many times, but for some reason, I missed the turn. Luke realized what I did and asked me, "Did you go past our house?" I replied, "Yeah, I missed the turn. I don't know why, but I did." Luke said, "You just made a mistake." I smiled and then commented, "That's right. I made a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes, don't they?" As Luke nodded his head, I asked him: "Do you know the only person who never make a mistake?" He shook his head. I added, "Jesus Christ is the only person who never made a mistake."

I just couldn't pass up the teaching moment. Tonight, since my wife is out town, I'll catch up on some of the work I missed this afternoon. Today, the right thing for me to do was to invest in the next generation, specifically my 4 year-old nephew. To all of you out there, I say: Work. Work hard. But make sure to make time for the next generation. They need us. They need spiritual leaders they can look up to. The Bible says in Psalm 78:4:

We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.