would the real church please stand up....

Lonnie LittleBird praying for our team on the Buffalo Jump. Thank you brother.


So, I realize that I did not post over the entire summer. The Site Director position really didn't allow much time do so, but here I am now. First just a couple of updates. I have accepted a position with YouthWorks! (www.youthworks.com) full-time. I am the new Area Director for part of the Southeast Region. This means I will be moving to Birmingham, Alabama and working out of our offices there. I will also be doing a great deal of travel to the sites I am responsible for. I can not tell you how excited I am for this opportunity to serve alongside people who are doing transformational ministry in such a profound way. Also, big congrats go to my former roommate and dear friend Dave...he popped the question to his girlfriend Kristina Friday, and surprisingly enough she accepted! Congrats friends. Now onto my thoughts for the day...
This morning, I was talking with a friend of mine about church, and he is struggling with some decisions. After chatting for a few minutes, we realized that the heart of the struggles come down to one thing which I myself have struggled with as well. The church he attends has really begun to do things with the corporate big business model and therefor has somewhat turned him off. It no longer seems to be about simply loving God and loving people. When talking about his other options, we began to realize how many churches have embraced a new philosophy and challenge to be and do the next big thing. Confession time. I have been a part of these churches, and in fact I have done a great deal in the past to foster this mentality. We always played this numbers game seeking to grow, and then providing a pretty lame justification; "every number has a soul." While that sounds real cute and kinda makes sense, the problem lies in the fact that we were concerned with the number first and then gave the number a soul. Seems to me God called us to concern ourselves with Himself and His people first and rejoice when those numbers grew. Think about Acts 2.

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

The word number was used once and it was an afterthought!

I am so blessed to have found a church home in Mobile, that has extremely effective leadership. And by leadership, I dont mean the person that can grow the biggest church, do the biggest programs, or pay the most choir members and sunday school teachers. What I mean by effective leadership is this: willing to do whatever it takes to bring PEOPLE into the kingdom of God, invest in solid relationships that will help him and others grow, and not cower down to the world's standards of what the church should look like. The Grove has one agenda, LOVE GOD AND LOVE PEOPLE!

Looking back I don't know how I even made it to The Grove except by the grace of God. My friend told me today, that it had been so long since he had been in a church that was actually being the church, and I knowing a great deal about the town he lives in, could not even recommend one. So here is my question, WILL THE REAL CHURCH PLEASE STAND UP! There are people dying to be a part of something more than another club or corporation. There are people longing to love God and to love others. I saw many of you this summer at YouthWorks!, but now it is time to shine your light and let the whole world see. What would happen if we began turning things on its head. Now instead of buying billboards to up our giving and attendance, we buy billboards because PEOPLE are looking for JESUS! Now instead of creating a new "edgy" worship service because it will bring in a different demographic, how about we recognize that PEOPLE aren't looking for edgy, they are looking for JESUS, in whatever manner HE presents Himself. Do we really think Jesus needs as much help as we try to give him. He tells us to simply LOVE HIM AND LOVE OTHERS, and just let HIM do the rest. I believe as this begins to happen, the church will begin to shine like none other and people will be drawn to Jesus Christ and not our cute programs. Just Sayin'.

Lance

PS. I realize that all churches have their own struggles. These are simply my thoughts on how we can make those struggles about Jesus and people as opposed to places and things. As always, feel free to leave your comments and criticisms.

...high enough...

This feels so weird working on my blog again. It has been quite a while, and honestly, at this point I am not willing to say that I have missed it. Sometimes it feels like hard work. I made a commitment in the very beginning to be open, and vulnerable, and as transparent as possible, and that is not easy at all. But, here I am and here we go.

For those of you who do not realize yet, I am back in Lame Deer, Montana working for YouthWorks. I work with a great group of people that are excited about serving alongside me and I thank them for their commitment. I am realizing more and more how much of a privilege it is to be able to serve these friends here and work for such a phenomenal company. You know I have often found myself in places this past year where I was more concerned with money or what people think of me, than I was whole-heartedly serving Christ. When I come back here, I realize that stuff just isn't that important. I have been sleeping on an air mattress for the past two weeks now and have 10 more to go. We have been dealing with some frustrations that simply come with serving in missions sometimes and have 10 more weeks to go. We have been working and meeting from early in the morning to late at night and have 10 more weeks to go. And some how, I feel privileged and blessed in a beautiful way.

Sunday morning, Pastor Dean (from the church we are currently staying at), put a song on his iPod and the lyrics were profound to me. The song is Phil Wickham's "Cielo."

"Now I can't lift my hands high enough, can't lift my hands high enough, when I am reaching for you my God."

In my life, I have found myself reaching for so many things that I believe will make me happy. As I grow in discipleship, I am seeing that the most important thing to reach for is Christ. My prayer is that through this time in service to God and the people of the Cheyenne Reservation, I will reach higher than ever before, I will live louder than ever before, and that I will shine brighter than ever before, because none of those things can be overdone if I am doing them for my Savior. Just Sayin'. Thanks for continuing to join me on the journey friends.

...year...

well friends, it has been quite a while since we spoke last. I would love to tell you all kinds of things that have happened in the past few weeks, but truthfully, there hasnt been too much. I have spent some time at the beach, and I have also spent a lot of time catching up with my cousin Donna who recently moved to the area. Good times....

So let's get started. I recently had a conversation with Donna, and within that conversation we spoke about my experiences in ministry. You should understand that I have wrestled for so long now with exactly what I need/want to do. I have gone all over the spectrum, from bartender to new church start pastor, etc... Really, all over the map. Finally, Donna asked me, "Lance, if you could do anything in the world that you wanted to do right now, what would it be?" My answer was very simple. Student Ministry. The truth is, I love students and I love leading them toward the cross. But notice, that is what I WANT to do. I actually do believe that God will bring me back to student ministry; within the church even. But, I also realize that it is not the plan right this moment.

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to go to Spanish Fort United Methodist Church where my Youth Pastor Paul is on staff. We had a great opportunity to catch up and talk about some different things (including AUBURN FOOTBALL!) Through this time of reflection and thought, Paul offered me something that I am so grateful for....a mentorship. I began thinking about how, I have not in the past 9 years had someone that really effectively mentored me into ministry. And so, that is what I will be doing over the next year. I have decided not to work in the church again for at least 1 year. I have got to take time to grow before I can lead anyone. My option is to be in this wilderness and barren land and come out with nothing, or I can be here and LEARN! I pray it be a year of learning. I believe I will come out on the other side with a deeper understanding for God's will for my life and a better idea of how to fulfill that will.

I will never forget a conversation I had with a Pastor friend of mine, June Jernigan (i know, this is a lot of conversations), as I was passing through Montgomery to come back to Mobile. June told me that I was very fortunate to be in this place of wilderness, and that I am doing something many dont. Stopping long enough to be lost. I am sure that is paraphrasing and not nearly as profound as she stated it, but I guess what I am saying is this...why dont we ALL take some time to be lost. If you are no longer do things on purpose, maybe it's time to reevaluate. If you are no longer doing things for the sake of leading people to Christ, maybe it's time to reevaluate. If you are just going through the motions and are not seeing the fruit of Christ's life, death and resurrection in your life and the live's of those around you, maybe it's time to reevaluate. These were all symptoms I have had, and I am praying that God will meet you and I both in this wilderness! Finally, thank you to all of the people who have been pouring into my life like Tom Lane who is always just an encouragement, Deb Kenny who just blesses me with love, Paul Olsen who is willing to help lead me, Dave who is just willing to be a great friend, Donna Jo who is a listening ear and loving cousin. I pray that you all have people surrounding your life that have poured the love of Christ into your life as these have mine.

...empty... (haiku)

cool breeze, lost, empty
In You I find my refuge
Where else to look to?

Just to let you know friends, I have moved back to Mobile, Alabama. There are parts that seem so much like and yet parts that seem so foreign. Much more wilderness than I expected I think. I covet your prayers that I might actually pay attention to the guidance of God through this time of wilderness. job? yeah pray for that too please! Thank you all for your continued interest and prayers. You are all pretty amazing friends. I'm just sayin'...
Blessings,
Lance

...wilderness...

So this time last week, I shared with you, my friends, that I was at a place of crisis. A place where I would be making some life-defining decisions. You should know that I have decided on my next step. I am taking a trip. It is not a trip I am particularly fond of, however it is a trip that I am tentatively looking forward to. I have no idea how long I will be on this trip, and honestly I am not totally sure I want to know. I would like to share with you a little bit about what this trip looks like and I would like to be honest with you about why the decision to go on this trip was so tough.

So, where is my destination, you ask? As you may can tell from the title of this post, I am going on a trip into the wilderness. It may not be quite what you are thinking. I am not literally going into the wilderness. Let me explain. Last week I had the great opportunity to meet with one of my favorite pastors, Rev. June Jernigan from Millbrook FUMC. She was able to put to words so well, exactly the circumstance in which i find myself. The truth is, I don't have any clear direction on what career or location in which God would like me placed. In fact, I find myself with no clear direction at all with exception to the words from Micah 6:8 (to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with my God). June reminded me that sometimes we MUST go through a wilderness in our life. Sometimes, it is necessary to get absolutely LOST with only God to give you the direction you need. So here I find myself lost in a wilderness and I am praying like mad that God will continue to be the compass that provides the correct direction.

So what does this wilderness look like for me? Actually, in my confusion and not hearing clear direction from God, I am yet excited about returning home to Mobile, Alabama. I will be working in a non-church position (or two), and waiting to see what God has planned for me next. It is such a blessing to have this opportunity to STOP, WAIT AND LISTEN! And how much more a privilege to be able to do that in a great place like my home. I will look forward to continue keeping you updated and I pray that all of us would begin taking some time to rest and actually rely so fully on the Lord. It will not be easy, but it MUST happen. I'm just sayin'.

...crisis...

Ok, so before any of you freak out, everything is ok. I will expound upon the title of this week's post in just a moment. First let me tell you what has gone on til now for the past couple of weeks. We had our final group on the reservation last week. It was a great group from Minneapolis called TreeHouse. I want to encourage you to check out their website and pray about supporting their ministry. http://www.treehouseyouth.org/ Next, we traveled to Denver for our closing events with YouthWorks! I was not accepted for the Area Director position and I am actually oddly encouraged by that. Just moments before I found out I prayed that God would begin to close some doors on opportunities. We went to a Rockies game last night. They lost, but still a good time. Now, I find myself in Fayetteville, Arkansas in the home of the best family in the world...the Stines! 850 MILES IN ONE DAY! Thanks to the Stines for having me tonight.


Now to the point of this week's blog. Recently, I was listening to one of my favorite Pastors, Rev. Adam Hamilton from United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. In honor of his 45th birthday, he was inviting the congregation to have a crisis, midlife or otherwise. As Rev. Hamilton spoke, he began to explain that the word crisis comes from a Greek word that simply means "a decisive moment." A decisive moment. A fork in the road. A place where you decide, "I can do this, or I can do this...and no matter which I choose it is going to change my life forever." This is where I find myself. I can not tell you how much I have agonized over what is to come next in my life. Even through my decision to step away from the institutional church, I have had multiple churches asking me to consider coming to serve their student ministry vocationally. Did I make the right decision about this? I have also had this overwhelming desire to participate in some other avenues of ministry, but will I be happy not having continual one on one contact with students? Then there is the other option to just step back into secular work and volunteer for ministry. SO MANY OPTIONS! What I do realize is this...God is calling my heart to be broken for something....but what? When I really come to the conclusion of the question, I believe the answer will lead me to the calling in my life. I also began to think about Micah 6.8 through this process where God simply reminds us of His very simple will...."to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with him." So easily said but man! Here is the transparency...I pull away from the church partly due to fear. Due to a desire not to be fired or see students wrestle through that process. I veer away from simple missionary service, because I realize the amount of debt I have, school and otherwise, and find it somewhat irresponsible not to take care of those things first. Then I veer away from secular work because honestly, it is certainly not what I feel called to. So what next?

I my friend am going to embrace this crisis! I am going to acknowledge this as an opportunity for growth and learning about God's faithfulness in my life. I am going to continue on this journey realizing that God has CALLED us to crisis! He has called us to draw a line in the sand and make big decisions that will change the world and draw other's to Christ. Who knows, maybe we all need to have a crisis? Just sayin'.

P.S. Thanks to all those who read this summer and who will continue to join me in this journey. You can listen to Pastor Adam's sermon at http://www.cor.org/worship-sermons/sermons/show/sermons/Part-1/

...a new friend on the journey...

This week, I would like to take a few minutes to tell you about a new friend that I made last week.

Her confident, yet gentle demeanor seemed to demand and deserve respect. She arrived with her church group two Sundays ago, and I felt an immediate connection to her spirit. She is a United Methodist pastor from Illinois and her name is Pastor Harlene. Pastor Harlene is a wonderful woman who has been in Pastoral ministry for 15 years now. She is the Associate Pastor of a wonderful church with a wonderful group. My admiration for her continually grew for her throughout the week.

In our first conversation, we were speaking of cultural issues with her being an African-american Pastor in a predominately white congregation. She seemed so proud of her congregation for the progress they were continuing to make toward being a culturally diverse congregation. Not only was it a proud response, but it was a response filled with confidence that God would continue this good work! Praise you Father for reminding me that you came to reconcile all of us unto Yourself!

Our next encounter of significance occurred at the Buffalo Jump. The Buffalo Jump is a 70 ft drop off where the native would kill herd of buffalo. Pastor Harlene bravely yet a little nervously decided to walk down the side and around the entire Buffalo Jump. I am pretty certain that she would have like to turned around after the first few steps, but I encouraged her that it might be easier to continue going around than to turn back. I thank her for trusting me. We spent a great deal of time slowly working our way around the buffalo jump with her right behind me and sometimes finding balance by holding my shoulders. She would never realize this, but it meant so much to me to watch her amazing perseverance! We stopped often but never permanently. What wonderful conversation and fellowship we had together.

The final significant encounter came on Thursday night after club and church group time. I was not feeling great and I was a little frustrated about some things. I was down on myself for something I couldn't control. As I was sitting in the kitchen reading the gospel of Mark, Pastor Harlene came in and asked if I would be willing to serve communion to their group. HOLY MESS! Who am I to serve communion to anyone. Sure I have served before, but this was different. I felt so humbled and so honored all in one big swipe. I told her I would be happy to serve communion with her, and so we did. She offered me an opportunity to share some insight with those present and I believe God used me to speak into the hearts of some students that night. I feel like there may be some even greater point to this encounter that has yet to be revealed, but we will see. Anyways, it was a beautiful communion.

I am not sure why I felt it so important to tell you of my new friend Pastor Harlene, but I did. I am not sure if I will ever see her again. I am not even sure if we will ever speak again. What I am realizing through this post is we should not take any opportunity for granted. We should live our lives trying to embody the ideals of Jesus Christ and longing to be Christ to others. Pastor Harlene may never know the impact her simple presence had on me, but that does not change the fact that it did. When we long to reflect Jesus to others, we will continually find him in the faces of those that we meet. I'm just sayin'.

Lord Jesus, help us to reflect your glory onto others. Work through my friends and I to make a difference in someone's life the way Pastor Harlene has mine. Help us to be your hands and feet. And Father, I pray that nobody ever remember us for anything we did or said, but that they would remember us for who we serve...you! Amen.