Travelling Contemplations: The refreshing freedom of dispensability

I finally made it down to Bradenton, FL this past week. Instead of driving straight home, I went out of the way a bit in order to see some friends I hadn't seen in a long time. In fact, for some it had been around 10 years since I had chatted with them in person.

I had some time in the car to contemplate, so here are some of my thoughts.

The Refreshing freedom of dispensablity 

When Billy Madison returned to his high school, some 10 or so years later, he found he had soon been forgotten. At first, for him, it had been a downer. No one spoke about him anymore. I returned to Clinton in 2004 (I left in 2002), after I got married, so my former youth could meet Amy. And to prove to them that I did, actually, get married. Friends in the area still spoke about things I did and started in Clinton. Good things. But when I returned this time in 2013, 11 years after leaving for seminary, it was completely different. A deacon thought I was a visitor. Now of course others recognized me, but things were different. The little kids were big. Really big. And old. And to quote Fleetwod Mac, "And I'm getting older still..." They had a new youth leader, and I had little to no impact in their lives. But just like Billy Madison, the fact that I wasn't remember or involved anymore, provided some catharsis. I moved on, they moved on, but Jesus didn't. He was still committed to this small town church. It was bigger than I remembered it, having waxed and waned and waxed some more. Wax on, wax off, wax on. 

There was a different pastor and different staff. And the church was moving forward in preaching the gospel. It didn't need me; and my dispensability, instead of making me sad, refreshed my soul. The only thing tangible I can point to in Clinton, SC of my three years "in office" is a flavor from the Tropic Delite shaved ice stand called "Woodrow" (a flavor I lobbied for named after our street). After reconnecting with Charlene the owner, and getting a shaved ice "on the house," I eased on down the road and headed on. And so did the city. And so did Jesus' church. It didn't need me, nor was it dependent upon anyone for that matter. Thankfully.

Boston Strong: A more accurate kind of "strong"

While listening to NPR this morning I heard a sobering piece about Boston, just one month after the bombing malfeasance. Three people died-which is obviously three too many-but I had forgotten about the many survivors who had hadn't lost life, but had lost limbs. For them, the physical wounds only represent the surface of their struggles to get life back to "normal." From learning how to walk again to coping with a life that will never be the same, their work has only just begun. 

Boston Strong T-shirts are selling at a decent clip up there as this mantra has gripped the area, an area known for its resiliency. According to this T-shirt, Texas isn't the only place that says, "Don't mess with us." I can see why they are selling well. I might even buy one if I were a Bostonian. And I get the attitude for the many folks who were indirectly impacted. And I don't dismiss it totally.  

But could this attitude be thoughtfully critiqued, particularly in regards to how it might affect those directly impacted. It is different to know someone injured than to actually be the one who was injured. Or to be the family, friend, doctor, rehabilitation worker who has to walk with them through the process. Not everyone thinks Boston Strong, with its connotations, is necessarily the right road to take.

According to this NPR piece, count professional trauma counselors in this group. One commented to the effect that "It all depends upon what you mean by 'strong.'" For many doing battle with a new lifestyle, is not something you can say after a month, "Come one, now get up, get moving, let's get this thing going! After all, we are Boston and we are strong!" Many folks emotionally are simply not ready for this. Whether it be grieving, forgiveness, bitterness, or a range of many other emotions, processing this tragedy will take time for those who have been directly impacted by it. 

Strong? Well, not how we usually use the word strong. But common grace wisdom affirms what the bible has already spoken about humanity in times of grief and desperation. We have a book in the bible that is called Lamentations, which is written in response to God exiling His people, bringing upon them a great calamity (destruction of Temple, death, and deportation). Those are bad "d" words. Sorrow may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning, as the Psalmist encourages us (Psalm 30:5). But lets remember, this is poetry, not prose. It is not science. Joy doesn't return right away; it doesn't literally return overnight.

This trauma counselor was really on to something. Strong can't be "I'm ready to fight and take on the world right now, because no one can take that from me."

What does "strong" look like? For Paul, "strong" looked like admitting that he was weak and even boasting in his weakness, insults, and persecutions (II Cor 12:8-10). In fact, when he was weak, at that point in time, he declared he was at is his "strongest." It also looked like admitting his need for people to minister to him (Phil 2) and that he really needed people to pray for his boldness (Eph 6:19-20).  In the Sermon on the Mount, "strong" looks like "poor in Spirit" which means spiritually broken and needy before God. Meekness means letting others defend you. All of the above require much more power than bucking up or pridefully sucking it up, so doesn't that imply this is the "stronger" route? Couldn't we ascribe strength to these such attitudes and postures, because plainly speaking, they actually take more "strength?"

I'm all for Boston Strong if it is this kind of strong. Even secular grief counselors would agree with me. At least in part.

My tears without fears: Reflections on what I'll miss at Redeemer

Yesterday, at least as I can see, was my last Sunday at Redeemer as a pastor. I look forward to hopefully coming back for a missions conference some time in the future. It was hard for us. And for our kids. I was hoping it wouldn't be hard for Connar and Cade, but it was. And it will be, for a time. Tears come with church planting. They always have. When Paul spoke his parting words to the Ephesian elders we see

 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.  What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. -Acts 20:37-38

Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.- II Tim 1:4

I'm no Paul, but what I see in the scriptures is that the process of starting new churches, and leaving people "behind" has always involved tears. It is hard to leave friends, family, and churches behind. And yet such tears are necessary for the Kingdom to advance. For some reason, just about the only time I cry is when I watch movies, particularly when there is a child/parent separation or death. No one sees it but Amy. Because you may not have seen any physical tears yesterday, I want to share with you some of my "tears" in leaving Redeemer. I feel confident and excited for this next step of our journey. I'm as certain as I could be that the Henderson's, as a family, have been called to West Bradenton. Yet we still leave with tears, so here are some I want to share. No particular order.

• Barret. All pastors are replaceable and Jesus does not need any particular pastors to lead his local church. With that said, Barret is special. He let me preach once a month, and I know that was a big risk. I've grown in my preaching, which means that at one time I was worse than I am now. But Barret took the risk to let me grow, and wasn't afraid people would leave if he had me up front. Just like his senior pastor before him. Not only that but he prayed that I would be a better preacher than him. How cool is that? And when, as a church, we were really struggling financially, and thought we may have to lose our office, Barret said, "Don't cut Geoff's pay. Pay cuts will start with me." I don't think we ever had to go that route, but it was clear, that this guy was a servant leader. I mean, who does that? That's crazy. That's Barret though. I hope that God grants me such grace to do the same some day. I hope He grants me humility to pray for a greater success of others "under" me, even if it means people think less of me.
• Elders. I will miss elders who were really on the same page. We were moving forward in a common vision. That is a beautiful thing, kind of like oil dripping down a dude's beard  (Psalm 133:2-yeah, not sure that analogy is still as effective today....) This is actually rarer than people realize, so it's a beautiful thing for a pastor and for a church.
• Deacons. I like to make things simple to remember. A diaconate's job description includes overseeing three M's: Mercy, Maintenance, and Money. No one man is gifted in all three, but we have men who have gifts in at least one of those three areas. We need all three giftings to move forward as a church and we have them. 
• Leaders in general. I will never forget our deacon who said in the midst of the financial crisis of 2011, said, "Geoff is not going anywhere. We are keeping him here and will make cuts elsewhere." I'll never forget that. God blessed our church and not only did we soon have enough money to pay me, we had a building of our own. Then they graciously gave me a raise in 2013. Barret took the smaller raise to give me the bigger. Wow.
• Friendships. With good friends, you can live in places that you normally wouldn't pick to live. Even though I've been landlocked, and there are no snook for a 900 miles, these 3 1/2 years have been among the happiest of my life. Friendships have played a large part in that. I don't imagine that moving away will cause any of them to cease.
• Worship. Sundays are my favorite day of the week. The quality of music, the simple liturgy of the worship service, the gospel centered preaching, fellowship afterwards, the joy of the people involved, the learning which goes on in children's church, etc...
• CD group. Small groups have always been one of my passions, and I will miss our CD group, as well as the other CD groups which have been faithfully led by other leaders. Everyone of the small groups I've been a part of have been a blessing to me and I can't imagine life without one.
• Gratitude. I've never felt at any point that people were not grateful to have me pastoring here. I've often been thanked and thanked again. And its often for doing things like personal discipleship-which I love!
• Risk. The church took a risk in hiring an Assistant before it had a building. That's a risk. Money given to me could have gone toward a down payment on a building. But many people stepped out in faith. Just two years after bringing me on, a church gave us its building, which we would turn around and use as our down payment for our present building. As we see time and time again, God blessed the Kingdom driven risk of His people.
• Youth and Children's workers. It takes a ton of people to run a children's ministry. In a month we use more than 40 different people in some way shape or form. Without these workers (from nursery leaders to youth leaders), we would have less impact on our covenant kids. And most of the workers go way above and beyond simply teaching. I wonder if they are now learning to be careful, because when I see this, I usually "promote" them to more oversight duties!

The point of this reflection is not to fill Redeemer up with pride or pat itself on the back. I wanted you to see my "tears." Barret and I are very different. He cries up front all the time. I don't and probably will never cry up front.

In addition, I hope you realize that Redeemer-even when it disappoints you (and it will as all churches will)-is a special place; so be thankful for her, pray for her, and labor with her. 

How home inspections point us to the gospel

Today Satan, aka, the Home Inspector came into our home to discern everything that could possibly be/could go wrong with our house. Home inspectors walk through, (and this time the guy walked through with our potential buyer) and keep meticulous notes that can and will be used against the current homeowner. 

What is so hard for me, as I write this, is to think about all of the little things (or big ones) that the inspector can use against me. Because of his findings, I could lose a buyer or lose a lot of money. His judgments, even though they can often be flat out incorrect (as our last inspector proved), can cause great damage. And because they have real potential to harm, such inspections can prove quite frightening. Although I'm thankful that the Lord has brought much peace to me in this crazy time (today I also had to buy a new AC unit for our FL house), the inspector's judgment is real. It has real consequences, and therefore can elicit real fear.

But I was encouraged by the gospel last night in our CD group. We looked at Romans 8:1-17, and particularly in the context of confrontation. Either in giving or receiving confrontation, the gospel offers so much in the way of this. There are simply no "home inspections" for the Christian. There is no outside judgment that will hold sway over the Just Judge of all the Earth. 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Because the righteous requirements of the law have been met, I don't have to consider criticism as if it were coming from home inspector. Whether the home inspector has a point or not, the fact that he writes something in his report, now puts me on the defensive. I have to contend or defend. There are no perfect houses, and so as soon as I let him in my house, I have a target on my back.

However, while there are no perfect people, there are Christians who have been declared perfect and therefore no longer subject to shame or deductions. And because they are no longer subject to punishment, they no longer should have any fear of others' home-inspector-like opinions. And judgments.

¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.

We don't have to fear critique, which is meant to help. We don't have to fear judgments or punishment or check-lists, which are meant to harm and hurt. We don't have to fear confrontation, which is meant to help. 

Most of the times we treat those who lovingly confront us or offer helpful critique like home inspectors. But in reality, there are no more home inspections for us. We are set. Jesus took the home inspection for us, on our behalf, so the requirements of the law would be met in us. 

Loving confrontation is a beautiful thing. It says, "Stop choosing death when Jesus offers life." Loving confrontation does not come to another as a home inspector with a check-list, but a humble fellow sinner that by God's grace has noticed sin in our lives. He or she cares that we're stuffing our face with mud-pies, when we can have apple pies in the shade.

If we/I can begin to look at critique and confrontation, and even at times simple disagreement from God's Romans 8 perspective over us, we'll save ourselves the "need" to defend, contend, and pretend. Believing this takes a lot of work, but whoever said believing the gospel was for the faint of heart. Not Jesus.

Reflections on my West Virginia years, ammended

As my time in West Virginia is coming to a close, I wanted to share some reflections on this state. A state which boasts many fun-facts but has also been mired in misconceptions. I want to share some of those fun-facts, clear up, confirm, or dispute misconceptions and views "Gentiles" (non-West Virginians) still hold.

1. Country roads will take you home, and make sure that you will stay awake while driving on them. Because West Virginia is so mountainous, the shortest distance between two points (a straight line) is rarely an option. Someone described the cities to me as "islands separated not by water but by mountains." You will probably not fall asleep driving on the interstate because you will never drive in a straight line for more than a mile. But what about in-town neighborhood driving? Yep, you'll be awake for that as well, because you'll be avoiding potholes. Many neighborhood roads are not paved by the city, but instead left to Homeowners associations. My $100-a-year-fee for snow removal leaves little hope that our neighborhood road will not forever be plagued with potholes.

2. Pretty people? I didn't hold this myth to be self-evident but I know someone who did. He didn't believe there were pretty people in West Virginia. In fact, he didn't believe me when I first told him that so and so was from here. His reasoning: the gal was a very attractive. Of course he was from Virginia, and this neighboring state seems to hold a number of inaccurate prejudices. Finally, he agreed with me that his misconception was wrong. If you still don't believe me, Jennifer Garner is from West Virginia. There are plenty of pretty people here, just like there are in every state.

3. Family Values. I had heard that the family unit was strong here. Very strong. I wasn't disappointed, as this is true throughout all socio-economic levels. Birthdays are bigger here than anywhere else I've lived. Parties are only the start of it, as festivities also include, at the very least, separate dinners out with both sides of family. But because of this strong family unit, as an outsider, it can be hard to break in. Many give up and I've had conversations with folks who just end up leaving. I've found this to be a shared experience of both Christians and non-Christians. Fortunately I have had a wonderful church family that received me and my family as their own, so my experience as a pastor of an established church is a bit more unique. But for many who move here, it takes a long time to break through. Family units are so tight that brothers, sisters, cousins, are their friends. This is why a church has to think outward, as the opportunities to invite people into their family celebrations are not only endless, but necessary if the local church is to have an impact on its community. Of course it also has to think inwardly as well and consider the "orphaned" within the church.

4. Not "Buck Wild." Many West Virginians were angered at the show "Buck Wild." And they should have been. The world outside West Virginia has one view of what West Virginia is, and this is it. Now I'm not belittling any way of life; I'm simply saying that there are plenty of places in West Virginia which couldn't be described by "Buck Wild." Where I live, it is simply a small, fairly Southern, suburban bedroom community in between the two "big" cities of Charleston and Huntington. It is known as "The Valley" and is not Buck Wild. Many places are not Buck Wild, but there are already too many "Desperate Housewives of Teays Valley," so I doubt that type of show could get good ratings.

5. Sports Passion. I've enjoyed the sports community up here. They enjoy their sports. Now of course, West Va fans got pegged as the third worst fans by a GQ poll some years back, just behind Philly fans. But I've never seen couch burning in Hurricane. Florida is so divided with FSU, Miami, UF, USF, UCF, and after the NCAA tourney, who knows where Florida Gulf Coast will go? In West Virginia, it is pretty much W.V.U., with Marshall making up the large minority. For the most part the two opposing parties co-exist, much better than fans within the Florida college sports sub-culture. When it comes to sports for kids, there is the same passion you'd find anywhere else. Unfortunately that passion gets misplaced, just like the rest of America, and many people choose travel sports over church.

6. Fix-it culture. Dudes can fix things up here. Period. I can't, so I've enjoyed being around people who can. Not only that, but people really do want to teach others to fix. They get "fix-it discipleship." I've really appreciated all I've learned in that regard.

7. Not a bastion of Reformed Theology, but ripe for picking. For a number of reasons, of which many are unbeknownst to me, Reformed Theology has not taken much root here the way it has in Virginia. Now there are some bright spots, and some Presbyterian and Reformed Baptist churches are doing some fantastic work in mercy, gospel proclamation, and theological training. Also there are conferences, and bloggers springing up that are beginning to have influence. Yet there are many churches who not only are hostile to the idea that God could actually be Sovereign over everything, but believe the only inspired bible is the King James version. I never came across that in Florida. Still, I've never seen such people who really want to learn more deeply the gospel and the doctrines of grace. Many folks at Redeemer feel cheated that they didn't get to really hear about grace all of their lives. And so now they are trying to play "catch-up" and can't get enough. They want to meet. They want to read. They want to learn. They listen on-line. And they are incredibly thankful. I will miss that hunger and teachable spirit greatly.

8. Fewer Mom and Pop restraunts than expected. We have a plethora of Bob Evans, Tudors Biscuit World's, and Applebees, but fewer Hillbilly Hotdog type restraunts than I had hoped. And expected. But again, that may be more in "The Valley" where I live. I can't speak for all of WV.

9. Outdoors. Many people here take advantage of the beauty of this state. Most camp, and many fish. In fact, a much greater percentage at Redeemer fish than in my church in Bradenton, FL. That has resulted in "official" yearly men's fishing/camping trips that I started and are now continuing without my involvement, planning, or participation.

10. Property Value. Many folks told me, "You'll be able to get tons of land and a big house for very cheap up there." That's actually not true. At all. Where I live it is not cheap, and for the same house size, it's not much if any cheaper, than Bradenton. It was actually a decent bit more expensive up here just a few years back. Now if I were to live in one of the smaller cities outside this Huntington-Charleston area, there would obviously be a price break. But if you want a neighborhood, and some quality schools nearby, it is not usually all that cheap.

11. Counties over cities. Because there are few "big" cities here, most people refer to where they are from with the county name, not city name. I have never come across that before and can't imagine explaining to someone I'm from Hillsborough county. But it makes sense why they do it up here.

12. Higher Car standards. My Mazda Protege did not pass the car inspection up here. I had to get two new side view mirrors in order to get my 12 dollar sticker. Will not miss that yearly inspection.

13. South Carolina? There are probably more South Carolina car stickers per car in West Virginia than in South Carolina. It is a bit odd, but this is where WV folks vacation each year, so that's the reason. Still I have found it intriguing that with a state with such state pride would don the South Carolina palm tree sticker so often.

These are simply some of my reflections (as somewhat of an outsider) on West Virginia the last 3 and half years. I hope that if you're from here, you'll find that that I represented you well and if you're not from here that you at least learned something.

Passion and the Honey Badger

Tonight is the NFL draft. The night when 32 teams pick players they think truly benefit their ball clubs. However, the draft always involves a risk. You don't know exactly how a player will perform on the field. You also don't know exactly how a player will perform off the field either. Or for a drug test.

One intriguing prospect is former Heisman candidate Tyrann Matthieu, known to many, and especially to play-by-play man Brent Musberger, as "The Honey Badger."

Jim Rome interviewed The Honey Badger and I missed it. But as fascinating as a Jim Rome interview is, his reflection on the interview isn't too shabby. And I did catch that. Apparently Matthieu sounded quite sincere, though as many pointed out, so did Ryan Leaf several months before he got busted for breaking and entering someone's house looking for drugs. Still, Rome wasn't exactly sure how to think about Tyrann Matthieu. This was the same guy who failed multiple (and that's probably not fair to the word "multiple") drug tests. And at times, just didn't seem to care about football.

Would he care about "the cron" (marijuana for those who aren't as hip and down with the times) or would he care about football? Which would it be? Finally Rome pointed out a very simple and biblical truth: he would follow whatever he was most passionate about. If football was a greater passion, he wouldn't puff the magic dragon (maybe a little more apropos marijuana allusion). If football was his sole and utmost passion, he would have no problem with the weed, pot, reefer, hippy lettuce, etc...

In other words, he needed to replace his less worthy passion with a passion of much greater worth. His passion would drive him toward good things like practice and away from bad things like drugs.

I've never heard Jim Rome sound so much like Thomas Chalmers, who spoke of "the expulsive power of a new affection." Passion, affection, pretty much the same principle. You can't change a habit or any sin pattern (for any lasting period) in life simply by inserting rules or will-power; instead what we need is a redirecting of your passions/affections. When someone is willing to repent of a less worthy passion, it can then be replaced by a greater passion.

Matthieu needs to be reminded of the benefits of a career in the NFL verses the benefits of the "chronic." And he needs to be reminded over and over.

If I were convinced (which I'm not-but then again, I've seen former Buc's defensive back Tanard Jackson for the Bucs go back again and again to the weed, and even did so after being suspended a year, getting another chance, and doing it again when he played for another team) that Matthieu indeed had replaced that lesser passion, I'd draft him.

Fortunately there is a place for those of us like the The Honey Badger. In local churches, people of misplaced passions who chase after pleasure, comfort, power, or drugs, gather and fight for the only solution to their problems: Jesus. In Jesus they find not only forgiveness, but someone who is worthy of our passion throughout the week. They find Someone whom they can think about and in whom t they can delight. In Him there is not only gracious pardon but life transforming power.

Matthieu's problem is one of passion. We can all relate.

 

Fund Raising Thoughts: Show me the present and past cheerful givers

One of my greatest fears and hesitations in entering into the whole realm of church planting was raising money. But over time, it has become less of a fear and more of an adventure. Of course what adventure doesn't involve some fear, right? It would then become a romantic comedy! And I don't think that life is supposed to be a "rom-com (I like that designation better)." Anyhow, here are some initial thoughts after a little less than a month of support raising.

1.) Cheerful giving. Paul reminds us that God is honored with cheerful giving (II Cor 9:7). So I'm thinking that's probably a good standard for fundraisers to follow. So far, everyone who has committed money to the West Bradenton Project has done so cheerfully. Either that, or they are very good actors; but I will go with the former rather than the latter. Needless to say, I'm not resorting to Jerry McGuire "show me the money" tactics. I pray every day for God to show me the cheerful giver.

2.) Church planting is not the only thing worth giving to. My passion is church planting, and I agree with Tim Keller and many other missiologists like Ed Stetzer (yes there are such folks who study missions/church planting and have PHD's), that church planting is the most effective way to reach non-Christians and impact a city. However, throughout this process, I've been reminded of other equally worthy recipients such as missionaries and campus ministries like R.U.F. God gives different people different passions, and he gives people a heart and opportunity to financially partner with folks who share those same passions. And I'm obviously very glad for those supporting foreign missions and campus ministries, regardless of how it limits giving to our church plant.

3.) It's hard to ask people to do what you're not willing to do yourself. I felt weird about asking folks to give to our church plant if I were not giving to church planting (in another words-money that would not help me directly). I needed to put my money where my mouth was. If my heart is really into church planting, I need to be giving as well as going. And since money reveals what is important in our lives, we've gladly started giving to a dear friend laboring in the Boston area.

4.) If you are involved with/giving to a local church (which at one time was a church plant), it is important to realize that other folks first had to give in order for you to be able to give. In other words, many people who would never personally benefit from your church joyfully sacrificed so that you and others could hear the gospel preached each week. And that is a beautiful act of love: giving that only benefits others. The same act of love happens with foreign missions giving and campus ministries. But missionaries and campus ministers know that they are there BECAUSE others have given to them. And those being ministered to don't usually give (can you blame poor college students and indigenous unbelievers!). But I doubt this same type of thinking is as prevalent in the membership/visitorship of a local church-and I can see why since the person in the "pew" is giving and didn't ask for money! Yet their very presence and opportunity to give/tithe in a church plant/former church plant is only made possible because people, whom they will never meet until heaven, have loved them enough to pray and give. Others have first given to a distant church so that they can give to their local church. Those who recognize they are recipients of such prior gracious giving often want to give to church planting. At least that has been my experience so far at Redeemer. No one has said, "Well I think its silly to give to church planting," because they recognize many gracious people before them didn't think like that. 

5.) Churches recently planted tend to give to plant churches. An old established church, Scherer Memorial in South Carolina, gave a good bit of money to help plant Redeemer in Hurricane, WV. After having funded a church in Morgantown, WV, Redeemer will now help us start our church in Bradenton, FL. How cool is that? Paying it forward across state lines. Recently planted churches remember that they were once supported and because so, want to support others. If you want to go back even father, consider that an old established church in South Carolina, has really had a hand in planting two churches in WV and one in FL. Even cooler. And when the West Bradenton Project (not our final name) gets going, we'll be funding church planting as well. Probably in FL, but if I have an assistant from WV, then we'll send some dough up this way for sure.

These are just some preliminary thoughts, and this post is already probably too long...Thanks for making it this far if you did.