T’was the days before Christmas and all through the spot

 Our gas is flowing and furnace is hot.

The tree is still lit from a paid power bill

 and the fridge is half stocked with delicious food still.

Ma has her car and Pa with the van,

If not than their grateful for the strength to walk and stand.

All of a sudden there rose a great sound

It’s the water meter man just doing his rounds.

No problem he says, just checking on stuff

Christmas at our home, and we have more than enough.

What’s that in the mail, looks like they want money

The mortgage, cash in the bank, so there is no worry honey.

Tough to think that this holiday will go without stress

When you are content in Christ you are truly blessed.

So no matter if all your bills are paid or not

Remember to thank God for all that you’ve got

If your loved, and cared for that is a blessing,

Don’t complain if there is no tree in your home for dressing.

Forget not that there are others worse off than you

Be grateful to God for what little you can do.

Christmas is and has always been more than stuff and things,

It’s about the love that our Christ Jesus brings.

It’s about us exclaiming on a bright Christmas morn,

That rescue has come, for Jesus was born!

I recently have had a pretty significant shift in how I see my life and our church. I think it’s for the better. It started a few months ago while our church was doing a campus clean up for the recovering Morris Brown College. We had been talking about being a church that serves others, and we were finally doing it. My wife said something that confirmed and solidified things for me. She said, “We made service a verb, not just a noun.”  I have not been able to get over that simple yet profound statement, and it has continued to be a rallying cry for our ministry.

For many Christians and churches, service is a noun. Service is only something that is attended weekly to help us grow in our faith. Love Jesus, read your bible, don’t do bad things, and go to church service. These are good thing, but they must accompany action. 

The problem with service being a noun in the church context is that we have lost it as a verb, and in some instances the heart to love and help those around us. Service is vitally important in the lives of Jesus followers. Service is the out working of the Christian faith; it’s a proof of legitimate belief, not the only proof, but a proof. 

I am not saying that service is salvation. It should be what we do because we love God and love people. That is why Vertical Church is so focused on touching and impacting the campus and community. We want the outflow of our love relationship with Jesus to touch those who He loves. We love God, and we do good for others.

The word ministry means to service. In other countries, they understand this. In England the leader is called the Prime Minister, or the Head Servant. In this country, we have Christian “ministers”. Some are looking to be exalted and served rather than serving others. I think we have lost the connection between ministry and service.

The Bible teaches that we should be doers of God’s word and not just hearers. I think that service as a noun had trained us to be great hearers, but slow doers. I also believe that more people would be open to our faith if we were faster to serve. Let us not forget, that Jesus himself is our example. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45 Service is and must remain a verb!

A large piece of living on this rock we call earth, is we all have in common our shared struggle. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have some challenges, problems, or stressors. They vary for all of us, but when we are honest, there is usually something that we wished were different and/or better. Money, children, marital status, life purpose, carrier opportunities, political leanings, etc are common to everyone. I have made it a major part of my preaching to share my issues publically, and I have found that people resonate with a minister who is honest in this way. Although life can be tough we should never lack gratitude for the things we do have.

There is a thin line between wanting things to be better and complaining about what we wished was better. The funny thing is, we can be so quick to hear other people cross that line, but be deaf to when we breach that border.  It is because we can often see the blessings in the lives of others and be blind to them in our lives. I am guilty of that as well, but we need to be careful or we could become ungrateful, bitter, and jealous. We can be so comfortable with the blessings we have presently, that we as a result whine about our lack when we should be rejoicing in our abundance.

When I came to Atlanta for college I saw a young lady that, in my estimation was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. A few weeks later I saw her again, and she seemed like just another girl. What changed? She hadn’t, my perspective had. I had never before seen so many pretty women in my life, and this girl was one of the first. Over time she became a simple brushstroke on a very large tapestry of feminine beauty. I had become familiar with seeing attractive women and what once stood out was now quite common.

This is what happens in our lives, God blesses us, and we rejoice. Then He does it again, and we say wow. But about the 100^th time, we start to feel like we deserve it. Somehow, that first thing that caused us to rejoice, losses its luster, and we neglect to give God the same response. This is both wrong and disrespectful to a God who loves us and gives to us in spite of ourselves.

To combat this wave of ungratefulness, I think we must embrace a simpler mindset. I used to attend a traditional church filled with senior citizens. Every Sunday, they had a time of testimonials. Every person would start with the same thing; “I thank God for my life, health, and strength.” In this simple statement, we can capture the secret to overcoming ungratefulness. We need to thank God for what we have, and for the simple gifts He gives.

So, instead of complaining that we don’t have the money we need, lets thank God for enough to make it through this day. Instead of griping about the spouse you don’t have, thank God for the friends and family who love and support you. Instead of complaining about the house you wish you had, thank God for a roof over your head. Thank God for your strength, if you don’t have much strength, thank God for your health, if your health is failing, then thank God for your life! If God has blessed you with LIFE, then thank Him for it, because life alone is a gift. “Thank God because he's good, because his love never quits.” Psalm 118:1 Never forget that there is always someone who would love to have the blessings you may have forgotten about. Be blessed. 

We give candy to children who knock on our door on October 31^st. I know that many in the Christian community will disagree with and probably judge us harshly for doing anything on that day, but to those who would, God bless you just the same. I fully understand the controversy over a pastor participating in any portion of the Halloween holiday.  I will explain my very missional reasons for giving candy to our neighbors’ children.

It is important that I say, that I don’t celebrate All Hallows Eve, which is the original name for Halloween. It means the eve of a holy day. The origins of the holiday are directly connected to the November 1st catholic All Saints Day. We don’t dress up as ghouls and goblins, or carve scary faces on our produce. Halloween is a day celebrated by those who engage in wiccan religion. I must say, that knowing that doesn’t make me want to run and hide, but rather to be light in the midst of darkness.

If the children in my neighborhood came to my door to get candy on January 5^th, we would give it then also. How often do we get an opportunity to touch and impact the lives of our children in our community? There is a trust that happens as you lock eyes with parents who bring their children to your door. We have found that it has been a step toward building relationships with them, and we are a part of the spiritual journeys of 2 families in our neighborhood. Their kids know and trust us; it had been a window into the lives of those who live around us.

We are also intentional about giving full-sized candy, no fun-sized here. If we truly want to make a difference, we must stand out. Okay, we do attach a scripture, because if you are going to get candy at our house, that’s what comes with it. It’s just a small touch to make sure that they know where we stand. Some people would have a problem with that, but our neighbors don’t mind it.

I think Christians can have greater impact on their communities by giving candy to the children rather than by sitting in the dark making a statement nobody will ever hear (we did that for many years). If you believe that a day can be intrinsically evil, then it seems to me that we should be the good in the midst of it. If it’s a dark holiday, then we should shine as light in it. Lest we forget that the scripture says, “You are light for the world. A city cannot be hidden when it is located on a hill. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven.” I appreciate if you don’t see this scripture the same way, but we do. That’s why we give candy to kids on October 31^st. 

I am a fan of honestly and candor in blogs. As a pastor it is always a tricky balance that must be struck to show vulnerability without loosing credibility. I’m going to give you a glimpse into the struggle and challenge of the church-planting journey. Caution: this may be hard for some to read.

Church planting is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life!  I am not kidding it is outrageously difficult. I helped plant a church and I have encouraged and advised on a few start-ups, but there is nothing like going through this process as the lead pastor. Sometimes this job is not fun. I warned you that I would be honest. Before you think I have lost my mind or are quitting, I am fully committed to fulfilling God’s call on my life and His joy does sustains, but it’s just hard.

I recently tweeted, “If you know a church planter, encourage, pray for, and support them.” You have no ideal of how hard this journey is. Church planting is very isolating. Some existing pastors see new guys as either a threat or competition, so there are little kind words come from that direction. The average person simply assumes that the planter and the family are okay, so they can be silent. Other church planters know how it feels to be overwhelmed themselves, so we tend to huddle together for support. Get the point; it can be very lonely.

I have found that when it comes to my sleep patterns I am either unable to sleep or near comatose. I also find myself dealing with the high stress of finding a location for our gatherings, trying to get everybody on the same page, solidifying a band, updating websites, meeting with community leaders, raising support for both my family and the church, etc. It’s hard to finish a thought, let alone have a conversation.  I have to remember to breathe.

So my days now look like…

Wake up, breathe…Spend time with God, breathe…Spend time with my family, breathe…Connect with someone on my launch team, breathe...Talk to a potential supporters, breathe…Trust that God will provide, breathe…etc, breathe…