This is just a quick post to say that I had a really fun weekend on one hand and a really bad weekend on the other.
- At T.G.I. Friday’s (where I just started to work part-time as a waiter), I had a section of two tables only, but in the brief couple hours of lunch, I managed to make over $30 in tips from only $140 in sales. That means I was making people happy and they were tipping me more than 20%. Man that was a good feeling!
- As soon as work was done, I talked to a core member of our church who has decided to go with his wife and kids to another new church in town. He was supposed to be our drummer for the week, so I spent all afternoon trying to reschedule another drummer and plan a time for practice. None of it came together until about 7pm, and I didn’t get back from practice till after 10:30pm!
- Though I got 4 hours of sleep and a late start this morning for church, I prayed and asked God to help me have a positive attitude despite the potential stresses of the morning (our first Sunday in the swanky Holiday Inn downtown.) He answered the prayer by giving me an absolutely incredible worship service for me. I was really sensing His presence at work in me and in the people who came. I felt great about it. (Even though we had some big issues with the sound system and the computer).
- When service was done, I met a man who volunteered to join our setup team for next week!
- But soon after that, I encountered some people who had been completely frustrated by the hassles of today’s setup and tear-down process with a healthy dose of fear regarding the financial future of the church.
All in all, I had a great weekend personally, but I’m surrounded by frustrated people, and I feel responsible for their frustration.
Lord, teach me the lesson you have for me in this quickly so that I can bring some healing and restoration to others and repair some relationships. Give me the ability beyond myself to organize the systems of the church well. And Lord, please meet our financial needs.
I can remember when we were first starting out at Meadowland; the most common question I would get would be, “What is this church going to look like?” At first, I tried to come up with some kind of spiritual answer based on our vision and passages from John 17, Matthew 28, etc. However, experience taught me that my answer was a little too long and that people were not really interested in too many details.
So after about the 10th time I got the question, “What is this church going to look like?”, I came up with a different answer – “This church is going to look like exactly what you are willing to put into it.” You see, a body does not survive with just 1 arm, or a 2 legs, or a brain, etc. It takes all parts of the body, working together to make it. Your role is to help others to see how they are needed and where they fit in.
Ephesians 4:11-13 says, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
You may enjoy evangelism, teaching, leading worship or small groups, etc., but your primary role is to equip others for ministry, to “prepare God’s people for works of service.” So the fundamental question is, “Who are you equipping?” I would grab all the men, especially the ones that are asking you about the future of the church, and start investing in them one-on-one or as a group.
Oh, and don’t be disappointed by attendance last weekend. 4th of July and Labor day are two of the worst days for attendance, everywhere. I walked into Panara after church yesterday, and where there is usually a 15 minute wait I saw only 2 customers!
Count on my continued prayers my friend.
~Richard
“‘To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? Nothing is impossible with God.”
– Isaiah 40:25-26, Luke 1:37
Praying for you again and again
Thanks for the encouragement Rich!