Don’t forget this!
16 JanI will never forget August of 1991. I was a young man (VERY LITTLE GRAY HAIR), had a great job, had found my soul-mate, and we had a 9-month-old baby girl who slept very little (and she still doesn’t) who was the absolute world to us!! And I finally reached this point where I could run from God no longer. So, I surrendered to His call. Resigned from a really good job with no idea where my next paycheck would come from. People were patting me on the back, telling me they would pray for me, and life was good!!
Diana and I were sitting in a worship service in Enoree Baptist Church. It was the first or second Sunday of August. Something in that worship service tripped a switch in my head and it began to sink in … WHAT HAD I DONE?? I had walked away from a really good job at a growing company and now I had no idea how I would provide for my family!! WHAT HAD I DONE TO THEM??? Needless to say, the devil was having a field-day playing ping-pong with my head.
What was really happening was the REALITY of needing to trust God had hit. My pulse raced and my heart was heavy. It was one of the biggest crossroads I’d ever faced in life. Would I trust Him?? Would I trust myself??
And then the guest speaker said something. It was the easiest verse I’ve ever memorized, because I knew it by heart after I heard it the first time. IT SPOKE TO ME RIGHT WHERE I WAS, and when the devil heard it, the ping-pong match with my head and heart IMMEDIATELY stopped:
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight!
Suddenly, there I was realizing that I JUST NEEDED TO TRUST GOD!! I was nervous … anxious .. heck, I was scared out of my skin!! And God said “If you will JUST TRUST ME, I WILL WORK IT ALL OUT!!”
I don’t know what kind of worry you have in your life right now. But I KNOW some of you have worry. But Diana and I are LIVING PROOF that the promises of God are TRUE!! If I continued and just scratched the surface of that truth here, I could shut down the internet.
DO NOT FORGET THIS: You can count on Proverbs 3:5-6!!!
The REST of Good to Great
14 JanOk, yesterday when I referred to Good to Great by Jim Collins, I talked about passion for the vision of an organization. There were several other key elements of organizational greatness I left out. I probably won’t remember them all, but there were a few that made a real impact on me. Such as:
Get the right people on the bus! Your organization needs the right people for it! Those who fit. Those who are apt to adapt and make a difference in your organization.
Get the wrong people off the bus! Not typically something that would fit a church mind you, but in a business organization, if there are “right people” for your organization, then there must be “wrong people”. Those who do not fit. They need to go (according to Collins).
Get the right people into the right seats on the bus! Another powerful strategy for any organization (and especially a church) is to make sure you have the right people playing the roles that suit them. Playing the roles that fit their skill set and their calling!! Having the right people on the bus is not enough … Having the wrong people in the wrong roles can damage an organization.
There is even MORE to the book that all of this. It really is worth the read!! However, just as I said yesterday, I hope the passion for what God has called you to do will light a fire in your heart, today and everyday!!!!
Not as easy as it looks
10 JanOver two decades ago, I answered a call to God. Left a promising career in information technology to pursue whatever God called me to and wherever He called me to go. It took this young family from Easley, SC, to Tigerville, SC, for nine months and then to New Orleans, LA, for three years. CULTURE SHOCK!! It would be bad enough to move from Easley to the Big Easy, but from TIGERVILLE??? Wow. And that is an understatement.
God led us from North Greenville College (now UNIVERSITY) to the Gentilly area of New Orleans East and the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Any time I tell natives I lived in New Orleans East, they look twice at me and the respect level goes up!! It was FAR from an “easy” place to be!!
Diana, Krissy, and I moved down there with little more than the promise that God was calling us down there and HE was in control. And it was one of the greatest times in my life!! We saw His hand working DAILY in our survival!! Nothing will ever replace that experience.
Over the past few weeks (and especially the last two), circumstances have me and several other staff members working hard with the Youth Council to continue youth ministry. We have been without a youth pastor since early October, and the natives are getting restless. And so are all of us!! I can assure you that all of this job is not as easy as it looks … and if you thought Justin, or Wes, or Sidney, or any other youth minister at Ebenezer in years past DID NOT work hard — YOU ARE WRONG. And I am reminded of that RIGHT NOW.
But, with all of that written, there is one more truth to share in this blog entry: I AM CONFIDENT that GOD has the PERFECT PERSON to be our next youth pastor. And I am also confident that the best thing we can do is BE PATIENT and WAIT ON GOD. Rest assured that we and the personnel team are working as hard as God will allow us to work on this!! And we are dedicated to getting it right … not just putting a warm body in the job.
And I guess my time in New Orleans taught me this: God WILL NOT FORSAKE US. He has a plan. Wait on Him. Encourage your youth (if you have any) to do the same. I promise if we wait on Him and get it right, it will be WELL WORTH the wait!!!
Pics and plans for the Headboard
31 DecLinks to plans:
http://ana-white.com/2010/03/plans-mason-headboard-its-all-in-finish.html
Cut list for FULL sized bed which is what we built:
http://ana-white.com/2010/03/plans-reclaimed-wood-headboard-full-and.html
An Open Letter to my Ebenezerites
31 DecHave I told you lately that I am proud of you?? I think that is allowed!! In this day and age of economic stress YOU have been faithful to God and I am now able to write something that many pastors cannot write: WE HAVE EXCEEDED OUR BUDGET IN GIVING FOR THE YEAR!! And the fiscal year is not quite closed!!!
You are continuing to be faithful to God financially, spiritually, and physically in your service. And, as your pastor, I am proud!! Keep praying for our church and all that God is doing. Keep seeking YOUR ROLE and doing it as well as you can!! Don’t forget that Jesus Christ PROMISED to be with us in all things! Do not fear, the Holy Spirit walks with you into every situation!!
All things considered, this is a great way to end the calendar year!!! Have a great and safe New Year!!
A Gentle Reminder
30 DecAt the end of each worship service today I did two things: I thanked Paige Self for her hard work, serving as a youth intern with us since March. During our youth ministry vacancy, she has filled many gaps to keep things going. We are thankful for her and commit to pray for her and (after THIS Saturday) her HUSBAND Patrick McCabe as they move to Wake Forest, NC, where Patrick is enrolled at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Marriage is never easy, and seminary presents an entirely different set of stressers for them. So pray for them!!!!
SECOND, PRAY FOR OUR YOUTH PASTOR SEARCH!! God has the right person out there for us. Already chosen by His hand. Our personnel team is working as hard as we can, but God will do this in HIS timing and not ours. Many people are starting to get antsy … Honestly, I am the antsiest of all!! But we MUST allow God to do this in His timing. Not ours. We don’t need to hire someone … We need to FIND GOD’S CHOSEN ONE FOR THIS MOST IMPORTANT ROLE!!
One Pastor's Perspective 