Ministry

Fear

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(The following was part of a sermon delivered towards the end of 2015 at North Collins Wesleyan Church.  It felt a bit more relevant then, but I thought it was still worth sharing.)

Over the past few months I have noticed a growing sickness spilling from the hearts, minds, attitudes, mouths, and even social media pages of Christians.  There is an overwhelming plague against the attitude of joy and gladness that we Christians are supposed to have.  A plague that is attacking our spirits and hampering our impact on the world right now.  That plague is called FEAR.

Fear can be a ridiculous thing.  Recently, YouTube and social media has been blowing up with a new cat discovery.  People are placing cucumbers close to their cats, without the cat’s knowledge.  The results are often incredible.  For some reason, when a cat is faced with the unexpected arrival of the long green cucumber, it often decides to spaz out, in a big way!  (This is for real, look it up on YouTube!)

Why does this happen?  No one really knows.  Maybe because it’s unexpected or outside the norm.  Maybe because the cat mistakes it for a snake.  Maybe because the idea of eating a vegetable is the worst.  (Although my previous cats always got really excited when I gave them an olive.  Really excited, too excited, like – get a room, cat.)  Maybe because the cat just wants to confuse their human owners.  From what we all know about cats, this seems like the most logical answer.

Well, for whatever reason – the fear and the response are simply ridiculous. But then again, that is the nature of fear, it is usually ridiculous.  Especially for Christians.  Especially for anyone who says their faith is placed in God, the Ruler and Creator of our world.  Our God, Who controls the world, Who loves us completely, Who has our future on earth and for eternity taken care of.  Fear seems very out of place in our lives.

So let’s get to the point.  It is clear that our nation and culture is struggling with what to do with the refugee situation, quite possibly Christians most of all.  This is a situation about which I can’t and won’t tell you how to feel.  That’s not going to happen.  To be honest, I struggle with different feelings myself.

I know God wants me to love and care for all the people of this world.  That is the #2 commandment for the world given from Jesus! (Next to love God!)  I also know and feel the pressures of being a parent.  My family is my #1 ministry.  Their protection is important to me.  As Mel Gibson once said in the movie The Patriot – “I’m a parent, I haven’t got the luxury of principles.”  The desire to protect my family is very real in my heart.

I also struggle with understanding if and how my actions (and the guidelines for those actions) as a Christian individual, living for Jesus Christ, should be different from the actions of the United States of America (if we consider this country Christian or not).  Our nation needs to make decisions for the health of a nation, I need to make decisions for a life dedicated to Jesus Christ.

I say that all to clarify that I will understand wherever it is you feel you fall on this matter.  It is not easy and it is not clear.

But I do know this is very clear – we cannot be people of fear.  Fear cannot drive us, fear cannot motivate us, fear cannot be our response.  We, Christians, are not people of fear.

Fear cannot play a part in the lives of Christians, it simply can’t.  We know too much about who rules and controls the world.  Our Faith is built upon something too great for fear to play a part.

As Psalm 100:5 (NIV) says…
For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.

As 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) says…
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

You, my dear Christian friend, know too much to let fear drive your life, your actions, even your posts on Facebook.  Through God, we have power, we have love, and we have the ability to make wise choices because we have been empowered.

Allow your faith to have the place it deserves in your life, behind the steering wheel.  Do not allow fear to kill the opportunities in your life to stand in God’s power and show God’s unending love.  Instead, cast a message to those in your world that you know who rules the world and therefore you will make decisions out of power and love.

Maybe in the past few weeks, because of fear, you’ve said a few things or felt a certain way that was ridiculous.  Know now that fear has no hold on your life.  Take control.  Live, rather, in power and love.

My Pocket Knife

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Two Christmases ago I was met with a serious dilemma.  My family was unwrapping gifts and, as you can imagine, my daughter Stella (then four) was in a rush to enjoy her presents.  It wasn’t enough to just have each gift unwrapped, they had to be unboxed and enjoyed.  Here’s the issue: toy makers have conspired to seal their prizes behind ridiculous amounts of impenetrable plastic.  For real!  How much protection does a Disney Princess doll require exactly?  The answer – too much!  During that day, to keep things rolling and my daughter stabilized, I had to ask my dad on at least three occasions to borrow his pocket knife.

My ego had been hit.  I felt like my ‘man card’ was on the fritz.  This was unacceptable, I had been raised better than that.  I told my wife on that very same Christmas Day, I was getting a pocket knife and it was becoming a part of my life.

The past two years have seen a new me develop.  My pocket knives have come in handy on so many occasions (and yes I said knives – there are knives for all sorts of occasions).  It feels great when someone needs something cut or sliced and they ask if I have a knife and I can reply – “You bet – I’m a man!”  Boom – pocket knife saves the day!

My pocket knife goes with me wherever I go (well, except airports, government buildings, and certain church events).  My pocket knife doesn’t define me, but it’s there when I need it.  It’s the tool for me.

As a Christian, I’ve come to acquire a few tools that are pretty important to me as well.  One tool is so important I take it everywhere I go and employ it at every available opportunity.  It’s my smile.

I know what you’re thinking, I got suckered in with cool talk about knives and here we are talking about smiles – lame.  Don’t peace out.  My smile is the most important tool I’ve got.  It puts others at ease, it sets the tone, it offers forgiveness and hope, it states my intention, it opens a door, it peacefully brings moments to a close, and maybe, just maybe, it offers a glimpse of Jesus Christ.

There are some situations where it’s all I can offer and some where it’s all I can say.  For some people it may be all they see of me and hopefully for some it’s all they’ll remember.  A smile can lift a heart, heal a hurt, and brighten a day.

As Christians we need to smile more.  Our image hasn’t always been so great with the world.  You know this is true and in many cases that’s not going to be something we can change. Sure, I believe Jesus is the one way to salvation and that He’s the only way to the One True God.  And yes, I do disagree with the lifestyles of many people in this world.  But that doesn’t mean I have to be a jerk about it.

My God has asked me to love and to show love at every occasion.  Life is going to throw moments and opportunities for you to have an impact on someone.  When those moments present themselves, I hope you don’t find yourself scrambling for the tools to succeed.  So make sure your tools are ready and take them everywhere you go.  Smile.

Summer Pt.3 – Vacation Bible School

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Another summer comes to an end.  For most of my life summer has meant three things – Youth Camp, Family Camp, and Vacation Bible School.  Three things that have brought so much to my life.  Three ministries that many would say their ‘time’ or ‘value’ is fading.  As I finish another ‘summer’, I amazed at the impact and life-change these events have brought and I want to share a few thoughts as to the value I see.

Who really likes hosting Vacation Bible School?  I mean seriously – the noises, the whining, the germs, and the smells (don’t forget the smells – they can be potent).  Vacation Bible School (VBS) is a ton of work and at times it feels like glorified baby sitting.  What parent doesn’t want to have a week of having their children entertained most likely for free – that’s the best, but not if you’re the ones running it!  And then, as a leader you realize that your dreams of reaching to community kids is for the most part not happening – you’re just entertaining kids from your church and other churches in the community – for real!  So really – who likes hosting VBS?

Me!  I love Vacation Bible School and while some may refer to it as a ministry of the past, I say they’re just not doing it right! I work at a church that I believe is moving forward. We’re growing and trying to be as relevant to our community and time as possible. Even so, as the years have passed I have found VBS to be only getting more meaningful to us. Here are three awesome reasons why it works for us:

1. We make a statement! VBS is a great opportunity for your church and kid’s ministry to make a statement. First – that children and families are important to you.  Second – a statement about what your children’s ministry will focus on and prioritize.  Through this event we clearly communicate we are about being a fun and safe place where children will feel welcomed to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.  We don’t focus on what VBS has been historically – we focus on what we want to be for children and family.

We are creative in the way we communicate the gospel, but we are steadfast in communicating the love of God and His Word.  It costs money because big, ridiculously cool things do, and we want this to be big and ridiculously cool.  Children have a lot of fun opportunities over the summer, but if they’d rather come to our VBS than something else, we’re doing something very right.

2. We recruit new leaders!  Children’s ministries need dedicated volunteers and often this is something that is hard to find.  Vacation Bible School gives you a great opportunity to get new people involved in children’s ministry.  Think about the pros:

  1. They only have to commit for one week.
  2. There are lots of opportunities to serve in low pressure roles (snacks, games, hayrides, inflatables, check-in, etc.).
  3. They get to be a part of the big cool thing happening that week.

VBS can be very attractive to volunteers and it is a great way to find new leaders who will often decide they like it and want to give even more time.  Don’t be afraid to ask people to volunteer, this is an easy commitment.  Always get background checks on everyone (ALWAYS).  Allow people to see the joy in volunteering, they may catch the bug!

3. We build relationships!  The biggest impact in ministry comes through relationships.  But when you only see a child one to three times a week for just a few hours (if that), then building those relationships can be tough.  VBS presents a huge opportunity to grow closer in just a short span of time.

Believe it or not, I have found that people like to check something out a few times, maybe even quite a few times, before they really commit to it – go figure!  (Did you catch the sarcasm?)  I have noticed that for many families that have connected to our church, it took multiple special events for them to “check us out” before they really committed.  VBS is a great opportunity to build that connection and even speed up the process as it gives you a lot of time with a family.  Build relationships with these new children and make sure to connect with their parents every time they pick-up/drop-off their kids.

We’ve created a Vacation Bible School that works for us.  For us that means no crafts, but fantastic snacks (think cotton candy, nachos, Italian ice).  We retired flannel-graphs and instead our Bible stories are shared through the use of costumes, videos, and mega-illustrations.  We like hayrides, making a mess, and renting large inflatables.  It’s not perfect but it’s pretty awesome.  Yes it still smells, it is tiring, and it does cost money.  But the statement, the new faces, and the relationships are well worth it.

Summer Pt.2 – Youth Camp

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Another summer comes to an end for me.  Now maybe summer isn’t officially over, but for me it is.  For most of my life summer has meant three things – Youth Camp, Family Camp, and Vacation Bible School.  Three things that have brought so much to my life.  Three ministries that many would say their ‘time’ or ‘value’ is fading.  As I finish another ‘summer’, I amazed at the impact and life-change these events have brought and I want to share a few thoughts as to the value I see.

Throughout my life, especially my teenage years, there have been different versions of me.  Let me explain.  There was School Justin, Jr. High Soccer Justin, Family Justin, Church Justin, Cross-Country Justin, and the list could go on and on.  Different versions of me for the different places, people, and cultures in my life (and man was it awkward when some of those cultures collided – I know you’ve been there!).  Of all the “Justins” out there though, my favorite to be was always Youth Camp Justin.

What makes Youth Camp Justin so special?  Youth Camp Justin was the best!  He was free from all the restraints and pressures of the society around him to fit in and meet a social norm.  He was a Justin who didn’t have to work at looking out for himself because he was in a place where he was accepted and loved.  He was a Justin proud of the God and Savior he followed and to whom he devoted his life.  He was unashamed of serving Jesus and excited to stand as an example for Him.  Youth Camp Justin was on fire, courageous, hopeful, and light-hearted.  He  could light up others’ lives so easily with his steadiness and patient smile.  Ready to say to the world, “You be you, I’m going to be like Jesus.”

Few places in life so easily allowed me to be that person.  There were glimpses of that person at home and church, but the nature and culture of youth camp so easily brought it alive.  Every year of youth camp it became my dream to be that person all the time, for there not to be different versions of Justin but for me to become completely and utterly the Justin I liked so much.

As much as I wanted it to, it didn’t happen immediately.  Pressures are tough, wanting to fit in is real, confidence isn’t just bought, friends aren’t always helpful.  But that person I was at youth camp started to make a difference.  It was that version of me that made a pledge of purity and stuck with it.  It was that version that kept me away from drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.  It was that version that found life in spreading hope and seeing God’s light open others’ hearts.  And year after year, youth camp after youth camp, that Justin slowly took over, slowly came to dominate every part, every aspect, every avenue of me.  Today, I like to believe that every part of my life is that Youth Camp Justin.

I believe so strongly in youth camp.  Sometimes I am pretty sure I slightly offend people when I try to promote this event to them.  I probably come off a bit strong, a bit dramatic (that does sort of fit with youth ministry though – am I right or am I right?).  I simply want so badly for every teenager to see the youth camp version of himself or herself.  To have a chance to dream about what life would be like if they became that person.

Parents and leaders of teenagers – I could try to sell you on the opportunity to see great speakers, to participate in dynamic worship, to experience great events and building moments, or even plug the greatness of 5 teenager-free days!  Instead, I’ll simply ask this – Have your teenagers had a chance to see the best version of themselves?  To dream about the person in Christ they could become?

Teenagers – Life doesn’t have to be about fitting in.  You don’t have to settle for society’s desire for who you are and how you’ll live your life.  Find the best version of you, the you YOU love to be, and bring that version to life everyday.

As a pastor I hear so many stories about youth camp.  Stories of husbands and wives meeting at camp or dramatic moments of teenagers accepting Jesus Christ for the very first time!  These are the best.  I didn’t find my wife at camp and I had already accepted Christ into my heart at least 7 times before I was considered a teenager.  But youth camp is where I met the best version of myself and for that I’ll be forever grateful.

Value (3 Powerful Things to Communicate to Your Children)

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I find it funny to realize that for a chunk of my life the most valuable thing my wife and I owned was her wedding ring. Early in our marriage it was easily worth more than both our cars combined (although my Mazda Protege was really something special in a “how are you shaking so much but still running” sort of way). Like everyone else, I have things that I feel hold value (just look at my shoe collection), but I never understood being responsible for something of true value until I had kids.

I take parenthood very seriously. I am responsible for health, growth, laughter, and learning. There are so many integral parts to being a parent and they’re all important – but the development that I take most seriously is that of character. I desire for my children to not just be Christians, but to live a life that exudes the character of Jesus Christ. I want them to be shining lights for God through action, attitude, and word.

Making that happen is a lot easier said then done. Somehow my parents did it with five kids. I don’t totally know how they did it, but I know a few keys that I have tried to emulate. One of those keys is the communication of values. There are three specific things that they valued that I believed was passed to each of us five. Three values that if I can pass on to my kids I know I’ll have taken a huge step in the right direction.

1.  To value God.

Did you ever have to leave soccer practice early to go to church?  Oh man, I did – every, single, fantastic, friends watching, Wednesday.  Could it have hurt to miss a few Wednesday night church activities?  Probably not.  Did I learn anything incredibly fantastic on those nights?  Nothing life changing (although I did win the all prestigious CYC John Wesley Award – which currently resides in my office…with a mustache sticker on it).  Would I be any different today if I had missed those nights and been able to stay at soccer practice?  I doubt it.

Yet every Wednesday night I had to stand up in front of my friends, the ‘cool’ kids, my coaches, and others and leave practice to go to church.  I probably didn’t learn anything huge or have a life changing moment on any of those nights, but I learned one super valuable lesson – God comes first.  I feel like we make so many excuses to put God in the back seat.  There is no excuse not to pray, no reason not to invest time into God’s word, and no schedule full enough to stop you from steadily worshiping God with others.  God comes first.

How have you taught your children that God comes first?  How have they seen you put God before other things?  Following God isn’t an “if or when” – it is very clearly a “before all else.”  If I can get my children to grasp this, think about the base their life already has.  Boom!  I mean seriously – boom!

2.  To value others.

Growing up I can remember multiple quiet family nights that were ruined by the ring of the doorbell.  It could have been a lot of things – the couple down the street having marriage problems, a person from the community in need of physical or financial help, or maybe just someone who decided to “visit.”  For my parents it meant that even though they had already had a busy day – their evening was gone.  Don’t misunderstand, they made lots of time for family and when needed they set boundaries with people, but so often when others needed help they were there.

As a kid on the inside I saw the “bother” this created (I know, I know – ‘bother’ what am I, British?).  These nights were a hassle, a pain, an interruption.  But this is the kind of thing you do when you care about people.  I can remember my mom in the midst of a battle with breast cancer taking time for others expecting nothing in return.  People have value.

To me this is what being like Jesus is.  This is what it means to be a ‘Christian.’  To love others doesn’t mean we give up what we believe, nor does it mean we have to ‘be fine’ with everything someone else wants to be.  It means we think they’re important enough to give them our time, our care, our attention, and our love.  If my children weakly value others they’ll be fine allowing people to walk life where they are. If they truly value others they’ll have a burning desire to bring people to Jesus Christ.

Have your children seen you put others first?  Have they seen you make selfish decisions or sacrificial decisions?  Are you someone they and others can bother or do they know not to take your time and space?  Again, think about a child who grows to value God and then others.  That might just be scriptural (wink – Matthew 22:36-40).  That might just be super powerful.

3.  To value themselves.

In the Leininger household we rarely went halfway with something. If you were involved with something it was expected that you gave it your all and succeeded. In school there were really just two grades: the expected ‘A’ and the sometimes with a good excuse “B”. I don’t remember getting anything else and I am not sure what would have happened if I did. Sports brought the same expectations. I can remember after one soccer game my father telling me to not worry about the coach and about passing but to just get the ball and go. Don’t get me started on his lamentations about me dropping baseball to play soccer. He knew I was good at baseball (I was pretty much shut down at second base and I did score the winning run in my 6th grade championship game) and success was the goal.

I didn’t always enjoy some of those pressures at the time, but looking back I am thankful for them now. I was taught to expect to succeed and to work, to be aggressive, and to strive to make that reality. And this wasn’t just with grades this was with everything, this was with life. I am valuable.

My heart, my mind, my purity, my knowledge, my potential, my future, my love, my work – it all has value. Our children are so valuable. Our culture teaches them to give it all away to join the crowd. Be different – help them see the value they possess.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Remind your children they are of value. Set some expectations, demand that they work hard. Allow them to fail, make sure they know it is okay to come in 2nd, 3rd, and even 15th. But don’t stop raising the bar and pushing them to try harder, reach farther, and be more than society’s norm. They are worth it.

I absolutely believe that when anyone grows to value these three things in the right balances great things happen. God first, others second, and never forgetting that God paid a lot for us and we have value too.

Whether you impact the next generations as a parent, a teacher, through church, or as a service to your community – take time to communicate value. Model it in your life and share it with your time and God given opportunities.

Clear Eyes

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Churches are supposed to be welcoming, right?  That’s not really a question, more of a statement.  Like when my wife asks me, “You’re going to do the dishes, right?”  If a church isn’t welcoming it’s not going to accomplish much good in its community.  I think my church is very welcoming, maybe extraordinarily so.  But don’t most church goers think that about their church?  Funny enough it took a rather unwelcoming church moment to help me understand exactly why I can be sure my church knows how to welcome others.

When churches become a certain size they can become targets.  There are always new faces, random meetings, exciting ministries – you might say some hustle and bustle (okay no one actually says that).  It is exciting but it can create an opportunity for someone to try and take advantage.  A few weeks ago just such a person was slipping through local churches, taking advantage.

Then came the Sunday when the individual arrived at our church.  We had been notified to be on the lookout, but the whole thing didn’t seem likely.  I admit, this person made some rounds and probably got the customary smiles, head-nods, and hellos.  But then the unfortunate moment for them came, when one of our church leaders had eyes clear enough to see.  Clear eyes that first searched for ways to connect, then for ways to help, and finally for ways to understand.  And the situation clicked into place and our church became for but a moment a bit unwelcoming.

In Acts 3, Peter and John are on their way to the temple and they pass a man lame from birth.  The man calls out to them for money.  This is a regular kind of occurrence, something that most would say could be ignored.  But I love what Peter and John actually do.  Acts 3:4 says, “Peter looked straight at him, as did John.”  For maybe the first time in a long time someone truly looked at the man.  With clear eyes Peter and John saw the man and saw the real need.  They didn’t have money to give, but they gave what they had, healing by the power of the name of Jesus Christ.

Clear eyes – first off, I’m not referencing the product whose commercials featured the dynamic duo of Ben Stein (Bueller…Bueller…) and a beach ball (anyone else remember these commercials – just me?).  To me, clear eyes is having the ability to put aside our personal distractions, concerns, and self-focus so that we can ‘look straight’ at people.  We can give them the attention, the focus, and the care they deserve.  When this happens the true welcoming begins!

Seeing with clear eyes is not the easiest thing to do.  The biggest challenge is not allowing ourselves to get in the way.  We’re all going to have moments, minutes, and days where this is impossible, that is life.  But this is no small thing and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.  Having the ability to see others with clear eyes is a key ingredient to effectively ministering to others.  If you never allow yourself to do it, your impact is greatly limited.

I know what many of you are thinking, “Is he going to talk about clear eyes and never actually reference Friday Night Lights?” (A TV show that coined the phrase “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose.”)  Of course not!  Ask yourself – are you seeing others with clear eyes?  When you welcome people at church, when you see someone at work, and even when you pass someone in the grocery store – are you looking with clear eyes?  Put aside everything for a few moments and give someone your attention, your focus, and your care – see what they need, who they are,  and how you can make a difference for them!  Because maybe, just maybe, Friday Night Lights got it right.  Eyes clearly seeing others, with hearts full of Jesus Christ, could just be a recipe that can’t lose.