Pray for Your Pastors... They Need It!

I had one of those sleepless nights that I am notorious for; not because of an emergency or anything like that, I just couldn't sleep. Part of it was I had these "feeling" that something was wrong. I didn't know of anything specifically was wrong, but I began to intercede for people I know as I felt led to pray for them. I prayed for my city and for revival to sweep though our community. After praying, I was drawn back to an ongoing discussion that I have been having with a friend in the ministry. (I mentioned this is my last blog entry.) My friend has been battling loneliness, frustration, even depression. He was feeling like a failure because he felt like a minister ought not feel this way. I had to tell my friend that he is not alone, and that the fact is, the majority of us in the ministry feel lonely, isolated, inadequate and often like failures. Anyway, since I was up already and sleep was out of the question, I began to search the Internet for stats to back up what I told him. Some of these stats will be shared later in just a moment. But first, I want to encourage my readers to pray for your pastors. Trust me, we all need it.

Among the congregations which we pastor, people tend to fall into one of two groups, or somewhere inbetween. The first group tends to put pastors on a pedestal, thinking that they are invincable. Do that, and you will be sorely disappointed and disillusioned. We've got to come to understand that those in the ministry are just men and women... flesh and blood. Sin is an issue that we must contend with too. Compound this with the fact that we are frequently under attack, not just from Satan, but from the members whom we pastor, and it does take a toll on us.
The second group of people in the church tend to not ever think about the pastor, that is until they arrive at church. He (or she) is completely out of their realm of thought, until they either come to church or they or their family finds themselves in need. Then they expect the pastor to drop everything he is doing and be "Johnny on the spot." It does not matter what the pastor is doing or where he may be, he is expected to drop whatever he is doing and meet their need. In my time as pastor, I've been called home from vacation or family gatherings on several occasions. My son's 16 birthday was just ruined because of a situation in my church which the people demanded that I stay on the phone with them, literally for more than 8 hours, even though I was 22 hours away on a family vacation. Every time I would get off the phone, it would ring again, and again. I pleaded with them to allow me time with my son and to allow the church elders to help them. My pleas fell on deaf ears. Things like this happen to all of us on a regular basis. The perception is that it is our job to be everything from whipping boy to referee of their family fights. It's not uncommon for the phone to ring late at night after our kids are in bed with someone wanting us to come mediate a fight or just talk to someone who is lonely. The ironic thing is, no one considers how lonely our lives are. We seldom are invited to the parties and get togethers. I honestly think that people don't want the pastor there because his presence changes the dynamics of the room. Or maybe there are those who think we are just too busy. But the fact is, most pastors are completely shut out from these things and we are left on the outside. Yeah, pastors and their families are often the lonliest people in the church.

Now for those stats and figures that I came across last night, compiled by George Barna, Focus on the Family and a few other organizations:

* 80% of pastors believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families. Many pastor’s children do not attend church now because of what the church has done to their parents.
* 90% of pastors feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the demands of ministry.
* 70% say they have a lower self-image now than when they first started.
* Only 1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister in some form.
* The profession of Pastor is near the bottom of a survey of the most-respected professions.
* Over 4,000 churches closed in America last year. That’s more than 10 every single day.
* Many denominations report an “empty pulpit crisis”. They cannot find ministers willing to fill positions.
* More than 50% of all pastors are so discouraged that they regularly consider leaving the ministry.
* 80% of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years.
* 85% of pastors said their greatest struggle is dealing with problem people such as disgruntled members, elders, deacons, worship leaders, worship teams, board members, and associate pastors.
* 90% said the ministry was completely different than what they thought it would be before they began.
* 80% of pastors’ wives feel left out and unappreciated by the church members.
* 80% of pastors’ wives wish their spouse would choose another profession.
* 50% of pastors’ marriages will end in divorce.
* 70% of pastors constantly fight depression.
* More than 70% of pastors do not have a close friend with whom they can openly share their struggles.
* The dominant cause for pastors to leave the pastoral ministry is burnout. Number two is moral failure.
* At any given time, 75% of pastors in America want to quit.
* More than 2000 pastors are leaving the ministry each month

From James Dobson’s newsletter:

"Our surveys indicated that 80 percent of pastors and 84 percent of their spouses are discouraged or are dealing with depression."


Survey of Pastors (Fuller Institute of Church Growth)

* 90% work more than 46 hours a week
* 80% believed pastoral ministry affected their families negatively
* 33% believed ministry was a hazard to their family
* 75% reported a significant stress related crisis at least once in their ministry
* 50% felt themselves unable to meet the needs of the job
* 90% felt inadequately trained to cope with ministry demands
* 70% say they have a lower self esteem now compared to when they started in ministry
* 40% reported serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month
* 37% confessed to having been involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with someone in the church
* 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend

* One year the Southern Baptist paid out $64 million in stress related claims, second in dollar amounts only to maternity benefits

With these figures, who would want to Pastor a church?

Interestingly enough, one study reported the following:

* 3 out of 4 church members would give their pastors an “A” (44%) or a “B” (33%)
* Only 4% would give them a failing grade

This last information is leads me to think out loud, "How much of the problems and frustrations in the pastors lives would be allieviated if the 75%-96% would actually affirm the pastor more often, possibly taking the sting and focus off of the sharp criticism and outright attacks that we face regularly?
Just a thought.

Pastor's Need You All Year

I've been having an ongoing dialogue with a friend who is also in the ministry for the past several days. We've discussed the frustrations and stress of being a pastor. He made the comment to me about feeling alone and unappreciated, and I had to relate to him that not only do I often feel the same way, but the statistics show that most pastors feel the same way. (I will share statistics in the next blog entry.) While looking for these stats, I ran across the following article on the web that I wanted to share. It is taken from Revelife.com. You can click on the title below to visit their site.

Pastor's Appreciation Day...Is That All They Need?

Usually October is Pastor's Appreciation month and a day is set apart for a celebration to honor a pastor. You know what comes next..... people share funny stories, tell him he's the best pastor ever or send him off on a trip of serenity. Believe me, he enjoys all of that. Should I say, he needs appreciation, but not just in October. I'm not talking about gifts or admiration – I'm talking about watching his back, looking for ways to send messages of appreciation and asking him how you can pray for him.

Jezebel is out there tearing him down, sowing seeds of discord and doing what she/he is good at: undermining his authority. Haven't you heard or seen it? I have. Growing up in church I found myself actually jumping on the bandwagon and following what people said. The problem was this....I didn't have all of the facts! There are two sides to every story!

Jezebel killed the prophets; she usurped authority and had a smile on her face while she did it. I'm not apologizing, but she only did what her parents did....practiced Baal worship. The enemy is out to rob from your church, kill the unity and steal the love that is needed to have a balanced church. What are you doing to keep Jezebel under control? Is your church taking the time to support your pastor emotionally or is he surviving just to keep his job?

Everyone needs love. Everyone need appreciation, but please, it has to be consistently! For every kind word you say, there are probably 5-10 unkind words spoken to him out of rudeness or anger. He can never be all things to all people, but why do expect him to know it all and be able to bring fire down from heaven just so you can say you saw a miracle?

He is a man or woman who has feelings and they bleed, too! Ask the Lord how you can encourage your leader and them get a team of people to find ways to speak "life" to him....cards, phone calls, texts, a cup of coffee (cappuccino).....you get the point. It's not about money, although that can be a blessing for those who are under financial strain.

One year a woman from our church did something little for us everyday of the month. Everything was wrapped up in little packages and we were to open a gift everyday as marked...I was overwhelmed! I will never forget that Pastor's Appreciation Month. Get creative and go beyond the norm and make a memory for your pastor as often as you can....he may even preach better knowing he is loved!

What have you done for your pastor? Feel free to post Pastor Appreciation Day ideas or just say thanks to all the pastors out there!

Love Story Meets Viva La Vida

I just loved this so much that I wanted to share it with you all.

Expand Your Borders!

There's an old story about a frog who was born at the bottom of a well. There in that well he had water and food and he was comfortable. He thought life was splendid and that it just could not get any better, until one day he looked up and he saw sunlight. Climbing to the top of the well to investigate, he was amazed to find a much larger pond than the one he lived in at the bottom of the well. He decided to move out of the well and to set up housekeeping near the pond. One day he heard cows mooing and he ventured away from the pond to investigate, where he discovered a lake that was much larger than his little pond, so once again he moved. One day he began to investigate further and he found a rolling river, and diving into it, he was carried off to the ocean. Climbing out of the ocean onto the beach the little frog was amazed that as far as his eyes could see, there was nothing but water. Standing there gazing out at the ocean it dawned on him how limited his thinking had been while living at the bottom of that well. He thought all he ever need was down in that well, but now he had discovered that what he had experienced was but a drop in the bucket compared to all that was out there for him to enjoy.

Many people are living in their own little "well," reluctant to leave their comfort zone and they have settled for a limited and safe existence while all the while God has so much more in store for them. Isn't it time to climb out of the well and expand your borders? Isn't it time to quit staying in the safe confines of the "box" of safety you are in? Perhaps you've settled for where you are because you feel like circumstances of life have limited you. Remember, the enemy will do everything he can to keep you focused on your past in order to limit your future. Bruce Wilkinson says, "It doesn't matter whether you're short of money, people, energy or time. What God invites you to do will always be greater than the resources you start with."
Don't let fear limit your vision when God is your source because His supply is without limits! Just one idea, one dream, from God can change not only your life, but the lives of others as well. But first, you have to climb out of the safety of your well.

"Ditch It!"

Back when I was a kid, if we were doing something that we should not be doing, or were in a place we should not be at, and it looked like we would be caught, someone would yell out, “Ditch it!” When they did, we would drop what we were doing and act as if we had no idea of what it was doing there if someone asked us, or we would all run in different directions, separating from the activity that we were about to be busted doing. If anyone was caught, we denied having been a part of that activity.

Now this may seem to be a rather funny way of introducing a spiritual principle, but give me a little leeway for a moment. I want to talk just briefly of a time when God’s Word tells us to “ditch it!”


In the New Living Translation, Matthew 9:17 says “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. The old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins. That way both the wine and the wineskins are preserved.”

Back in the day, before the time of glass bottles, animal skins were cured and made into wine containers. A new container was soft and flexible, making it easy to work with, but over time they grew to be rigid and they lost their ability to expand. This is why Jesus said, “no one puts new wine into old wineskins.” This illustration was easily understood by the people of that time period, because they knew that if you put new wine into an old wineskin, the skins would burst and the wine would be lost. Everyone new full well that new wine had to be put into new wineskins. The image that Jesus was trying to get the people of his time, as well as us today is that you cannot put new ideas into people with a fossilized mindset. What he was (and is) saying is that we will never change our situation until we are ready to change our thinking.

Isaiah 43:18-19 says… “…forget all that--it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. I am about to do a brand-new thing.” In essence God is tell us that while we’ve seen him do some great and powerful things, to not look for a repeat of “yesterday” but to get ready for him to do something totally new and different! The problem is that so many are asking God to expand their lives, to enlarge their vision… but our mindset is limiting us. We must make room mentally for what God is wanting to do for us, in us and through us. God is saying, “Clear lots of ground… Make your tents large… Spread out and think big!” (Isaiah 54:2) We have to change the way we think! I recently heard someone say and I’ve repeated it over and over ever since, “If God can change your mind, he can change your future!”

Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you’ll be more disappointed by the things you did not do, than by the things you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the wind. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Where ever you come from, no matter what your past has been, God can and will enable you to rise up from and put and end to that old mind-set of defeat. But before he can fill you with “new wine” of ideas and a future, you must “ditch” the old wineskins that held your past. For many of us, this means our “wineskins” of religion that have held us trapped in the past. God is ready to do a new thing. The question is, are you ready to receive it and be a part of it?

Lonely People

This is for all the lonely people...

Lonely people, stuck in a crowd, but lonely just the same. They are all around us... but do we see them? Do we care?

I've been kicking myself since last night because I failed to be Jesus to someone who desperately needed to see him.

My wife and I were sitting in a restaurant last night where there was only two other people eating; a couple of college kids enjoying a rare night of indulgence of eating out. I know this because in the small restaurant I could not help but overhear their conversation. The young man told his female companion how tight his budget is and how he only has so many meals on his meal plan and how he tries to eat as much as he can when he does get to eat so that it will carry him through until the next day when he gets to eat again. She commented how she has more meals on her plan but that she only has a very limited amount of money to get her through this semester, and how she needs a blow dryer but that she is afraid to spend any money at this point. The young man talked about how this meal was far more than he really could afford, but that he was just so hungry that he could not say no to the offer. They continued to speak on about coming to college and both expressed their fear and loneliness that they have battled since coming to school two weeks ago. I felt a tugging inside to go speak with them, to give them my name and number and my offer of friendship and help... but I talked myself out of it, thinking that these "kids" did not want a 50 year old friend. I left that restaurant without reaching out... and I have felt awful ever since. I failed this round. I'm going to go back down to the college campus today and see if by chance I can run into them. Slim chance, but I'll try. I won't fail if given another opportunity.

Later last night, around 9:30 I received a phone call from a woman asking about our church. She had many questions... and to brutally honest, I found myself getting annoyed at them all, thinking to myself, "did she have to call this late?"
Then she asked me, "Does your church allow black people?" I laughed without thinking about it, and said, "Of course we do!" She wanted to know if we had any black people who attended. I told her that we do, but I honestly tried not to distinguish between who was black, white, Latino... I tried to only see people. She said to me, "you laugh, but you don't understand how lonely it can feel to be a single black woman walking into a white church that really does not want me there." I felt like someone cut my heart out of my chest with that comment. My mind again flashed back to those kids in the restaurant. Both happened to be of a different ethnicity than I am, and I questioned how much more this added to their loneliness and fear. I thought back over the past few days... how many people I have seen all alone, and how many opportunities I let slip through my fingers. That young lady sitting alone in the corner of Kaldi's Coffee. The elderly man sitting alone in the back corner of McDonald's. He had even spoke to me, and I responded, but only a brief, to the point, answer. He was reaching out for conversation, and I let another opportunity slip through my grasp, because I was too busy working on my Bible study for that night. (Rather ironic, don't you think?) Sitting here today the tears are streaming down my face because I can think of a dozen or so opportunities to just reach out and be a friendly voice or ear to someone... and I failed... miserably.
God help me to learn and to do better.
God help us all.

Score One For Russia

News is breaking this morning that President Obama has made the decision to kill plans for a missile shield in Europe. I find it interesting that Obama has not made this announcement here in the United States, but rather has told the east European statees that he is backing away from the plans initiated under former President George Bush to install an anti-mission sheild in Poland and the Czech Republic. Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer told reporters, "Today, shortly after midnight, Barack Obama telephoned me to announce that his government is backing away from the intention of building a missle defense radar on Czech territory." A senior Polish source told Reuters that Warsaw had received a similar message. An un-named U.S. official stated that the move was made to try to improve the "battered" relations between the U.S. and Russia so that they can work together on Iran and fighting the Taliban.

That sounds somewhat reasonable, right? But how is this perceived in Russia? Already diplomats in Moscow are saying that Russian hardliners will read this move as another sign of weakness of U.S. President Obama. These dipolmats say that rather than cooperating with the U.S. against Iran, they may use this move to regain Russian power in the former Soviet bloc. This missile shield was widely viewed by Poland and the Baltic states as a sybol of U.S. commitment to the defense of that region against any encroachment by the former Soviet masters who seek to reinstall their communist rule. "This would be very bad," said Witold Waszczykowski, the deputy head of Poland's National security. "Without the shield we would defacto be losing a strtegic alliance with Washington."

The timing of this announcement is either very significant or a collasal blunder on the part of Obama. It was 70 years ago today that the Soviet invasion of eastern Poland took place. Waszczykowsi said, "I hope this is just a coincidence." If it is a coincidence, it is a huge blunder on the part of our President. Russia has been making bold threats toward the U.S. ever since this shield was announced, to which President Bush stood strong, assuring Russia that the shield was not directed toward Russia, but as a defense against nuclear attack from Iran and other middle east countries. Obama has caved and handed a major win into the hands of Russia and freeing the way for another Russian take-over.

Another interesting note is that this move will kill a multi-billion dollar defense contract, most likely costing the U.S. hundreds of jobs.

Smooth move President Obama. Smooth move.

One World Currency? It's Closer Than You Think

Those of us who are Christians have long looked at the idea of a one world currency as a sign of the Lord's return. It's a lot closer than you might imagine.

The following is taken from the Telegraph.co.UK in an article printed on Wednesday, September 16, 2009.

UN Wants New Global Currency to Replace Dollar

In a radical report, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has said the system of currencies and capital rules which binds the world economy is not working properly, and was largely responsible for the financial and economic crises.

It added that the present system, under which the dollar acts as the world's reserve currency , should be subject to a wholesale reconsideration.

Although a number of countries, including China and Russia, have suggested replacing the dollar as the world's reserve currency, the UNCTAD report is the first time a major multinational institution has posited such a suggestion.

In essence, the report calls for a new Bretton Woods-style system of managed international exchange rates, meaning central banks would be forced to intervene and either support or push down their currencies depending on how the rest of the world economy is behaving.

The proposals would also imply that surplus nations such as China and Germany should stimulate their economies further in order to cut their own imbalances, rather than, as in the present system, deficit nations such as the UK and US having to take the main burden of readjustment.

"Replacing the dollar with an artificial currency would solve some of the problems related to the potential of countries running large deficits and would help stability," said Detlef Kotte, one of the report's authors. "But you will also need a system of managed exchange rates. Countries should keep real exchange rates [adjusted for inflation] stable. Central banks would have to intervene and if not they would have to be told to do so by a multilateral institution such as the International Monetary Fund."

The proposals, included in UNCTAD'S annual Trade and Development Report, amount to the most radical suggestions for redesigning the global monetary system.

Although many economists have pointed out that the economic crisis owed more to the malfunctioning of the post-Bretton Woods system, until now no major institution, including the G20, has come up with an alternative.

Is It OK To Laugh at Jesus?

I confess, I laughed. Bet you do too!

It's About to Change!

I don't have a lot of time to write about this right now, but late last night the Lord kept speaking to me and saying one word... "Change". This morning, when I awoke, I kept hearing the same word... "Change." As I've just sat and meditated and asked the Lord what he meant, the Lord said to me very clearly that between now and the end of the year there is going to be an eye opening, even startling change happen in my ministry and in my church. As I prayed about this and asked God to show me more, I felt like he told me to mark this date on my calendar and to mark the last day of the year as a reminder to go back and look at what He has done in the final 112 days of 2009 in my home, my finances, my business and in my church. I distinctly heard the Lord say, "I'm getting ready to reverse things."

I wanted to jot this down quickly before I head out for two reasons: 1) so that I do not forget it, and 2) because I believe this is not just for me, but to the Body of Christ. I believe that the Lord is saying to those who are faithful, a divine reversal has begun, starting today and between now and the last three and a half months of this year that the Lord is going to reverse things.. change is coming, even now. Restoration begins TODAY! I have never said anything like this before on my blog, but I feel this so strongly... if you are reading this and you are ready to receive this change and restoration, sow a seed. I'm not asking you to sow it into my church or ministry... but sow a seed somewhere into good soil. The Lord spoke this into my spirit and I have already sown a $500 seed into a ministry that I know is good soil. In fact, my church just did the same thing and has sown another $500 into another ministry this week! I never thought about that until just now! That's cool! The seeds have been sown and I am now looking for the harvest! Praise God! I'm not telling you to go sow $500, that is just what the Lord impressed on me for me. But you need to sow something! It is not the amount... it is the obedience.
Bring on the change Lord!

What In the World Is Going On? David Jeremiah

Dr. David Jeremiah writes an excellent explanation of the origin and relevant beginnings and goals of the Islamic religion which is important to understand if we are to understand end time prophecy. In view of the current economic and political mess we are facing, the author examines the Biblical prophecies concerning the times in which we live. He tells the reader how to see these events as well as how to respond as we approach the end times foretold in the Bible. So often it is difficult at best and very confusing for us to put the peices of the puzzle together because there have been thousands of books and articles written on this subject, each giving us their opinion. David Jeremiah's book cuts to the heart of the matter and rather than looking at the dozens of end time theories, he focuses in and takes a look at what he identifies as the 10 most important biblical prophecies concerning the end times. While some writers and theories instill fear in the reader when looking at end time events, Dr. Jeremiah's goal seems to be to help the reader find peace and comfort in these turbulant times. He reminds us that ultimately, God is in control. If you are one who has found the end time prophecies confusing and mysterious, I encourage you to read this book as Dr. Jeremiah will help you unlock the mystery.

Fearless: Imagine Your LIfe Without Fear by Max Lucado

I've just finished reading Max Lucado's latest book, "Fearless" and have to give this book high recommendations. In my humble opinion, this is Lucado's finest work in many years. The timing of "Fearless" is right on the mark as we live in a world in which we are confronted with threats of terrorist attacks, a tanking economy complete with failing banks, government takeovers and bailouts, and the uncertainty of whether our jobs will be there tomorrow. Fear grips our nation... even the world. In "Fearless" Lucado challenges us to "Imagine your life without fear" and points us toward the key to unlocking the chained of fear that have bound us.

I particularly liked the way that Lucado addressed a number of fears that are common to so many people and shows the reader how Jesus addressed each of these fears in God's Word, pointing us to replace fear with faith. He challenges the reader to make faith their instant reaction to threats, rather than fear.

Excellent read... excellent tool! Get this book!

God is Not Love?

Wow. Just listened to a preacher say that this message that God is love is a false Gospel; that God is "ticked off at the world and wants to pour out his wrath." Really? I think I read somewhere that, "God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son..." And I think that I read in another place " Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

People are listening to this guy and eating it up. They are loving this message that God is "ticked off at the world" but my Bible tells me that while I was yet a sinner, God loved me. Not that he was so ticked off that he wanted to come in and beat us and slaughter us... he loved us so much that he sent his son, his only son, Jesus Christ, and that if we believe on him, we are saved. That does not sound like a "ticked off" God if you ask me.

Reject that non-sense! If you will notice, this guy keeps saying to "stop listening to anyone else, because they will deceive you. The fact is that this man knows that if you listen to others, you will see the error in what he is saying, so he wants to isolate you from others and have you indoctrinated only in what he has to say.

Run!

Down Here: How Many Kings

Heard these guys in concert tonight and fell in love with this song. Great talent, but hear the words!

We Build Bridges

My last blog really upset someone. They felt like I was bashing on those who had left my church and trying to make myself look good in the process. That was not my intent, and if anyone else took it that way, please accept my apology and try to understand that I was not trying to hurt anyone but rather was trying to express that so many who leave churches, (not all, but many) do so for the wrong reasons and a very good percentage of those people end up not attending church at all.

I was speaking about this with one of the people from my church, and she suggested that I blog a bit about our church and how that we are not about causing division, but rather trying to build bridges to reach people who are unreachable. The fact is, in my time here I have taken a lot of flack from some of my fellow ministers in the community because Harvest Church has become known for being a church where anyone can attend. It has been said that our church is filled with ex-convicts, drug addicts, thieves, and so on. I stand proudly and plead "guilty" to these charges. In fact, I myself am an ex-convict, ex-thief, ex- drug addict, ex-alcoholic, and a whole lot worse. When God called me to Galesburg, I felt the mandate loud and clear that we were to build a church that will open it's doors to anyone. A fellow minister suggested years ago that I read a book, written by Jerry Cook entitled, "Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness." That book has had a huge impact on my ministry, and our approach at Harvest Church is to offer Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness to anyone and everyone, no matter where they have been or done in this journey of life. We don't sit in judgement, our approach to ministry is to build a bridge between Christ and people, regardless of their past. We are not so much interested in where people have been, but where they are going. We want them to discover love, acceptance and forgiveness from not only us... but from God who loves them so much that he gave His son, Jesus Christ for them. That cross bridged the gap between man and a Holy God.

One further note... that person who was upset with me told me that they felt like they had burned their bridges behind them, and they could not come back to Harvest Church if they wanted.
I want to go on record as saying "that just is not true!"
You see, that same "love, acceptance and forgiveness" that is offered to the the down and out, the broken and unsaved... we offer it to those who have left us... even if they feel like they have burned the bridge behind them.
Bridges can be rebuilt.

If you have left Harvest Church and felt like the bridge is gone, let me as pastor say to you... we'll help build that bridge. You will STILL find love, acceptance and forgiveness in Harvest Church.

There Is Something to Say About Being Established

I had a conversation this week with someone about the whole idea of changing churches. They mentioned to me how a woman who both of us dearly loved and respected had taught how she believed that a person should change churches ever so often. Honestly, this woman and I had discussed this before her death and honestly, it was, shall I say, one of the sharpest disagreements that we ever had. She had challenged me with the notion that Paul never stayed anywhere for more than a year or two at the most. My counter was that while Paul was the church planter, he always established a church, gave them a pastor and moved on to his next destination. He never once took any of the church with him to the next destination, but rather he established a church where ever he went and he did all he could to quiet any division within a church, and his method was never about dividing the church from one another, unless it was over a sin issue. We never did come to an agreement, but I stand by my view that Christian's should become established in a church and stay there, working in harmony to build the Kingdom of God.

Let's back up a minute. I find the picture above not only humorous, but it speaks a universal truth about the way people (and apparently cows too) think... "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."

Take a look at that picture. Is the grass really greener on the other side of the fence? Maybe it is really that these animals are demonstrating a natural desire to have something which it seems we cannot have... something different. I don't know, but we can see that in this picture the grass does not appear to be any greener, nor is there more food available. So, what is it that is so alluring? What makes them want what is on the other side?

Let's be honest... sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. Sometimes we just are not being fed, or what we are being fed is not good for us. Sometimes there is a need in another church and God is sending you to that church to assist. So, YES... there are times to leave a church.  In each of these cases, it is time to get to to the other side of the fence, no doubt. But we need to stop and evaluate just why we are wanting to get to the other side of the fence. Is it really that we are not being fed; or that we just want something different? Or maybe it is because we are refusing to submit to the leading of the pastor? Remember, pastor means "shepherd." What is a shepeard? A shepherd is one who leads, feeds and guides. The sad fact is that many may call someone else "Pastor" (or shepherd) but it is in title only and they refuse to submit themselves to the care of the pastor. Imagine a segment of a flock of sheep walking up to the shepherd and saying, "we feel led to go to this other shepherd's flock." Just doesn't happen. You belong to that flock and to the care of that shepherd."

Let me make an interesting observation, starting with a question. If you are being led, fed and guided then why are you wanting to go?" I've been a pastor for a long time now and I've seen and heard it all. I've watched literally hundreds leave for other churches over the years. On occasion I've actually had people come to me with very real, valid issues and I've agreed that it was time for them to go, and I have even helped them to find another church and pastor. But the vast majority of the time, it has fallen into one of these two categories: 1) I've just not being fed; or 2) I feel led to go. Let's look at both of these briefly.

1) I'm just not being fed. Can I say that this is just a lie? If the sheep are not being fed, then ALL of the sheep would be trying to bolt. In the natural, I promise you that if you try to hold an animal back that is not being fed and he knows there is food out there, he will do everything in his power to get to it. When a person or a small segment of the church says they are not being fed, what they are saying is either: 1) you're not preaching what I want to hear or 2) the guy down the street is preaching things that are appealing. Can I tell you that if you want to raise a healthy flock, you have to give them a balanced diet? You cannot preach only prosperity, or blessings, or only this or only that, but there has to be a balance of all that is needful. But people tend to have their pet doctrine and they will run to it.

2) I feel led to go. OK, I must admit that their are times that this is legitimate. There are times when God really is leading someone to a new church, for a specific reason. But I believe that is seldom. If this is happening, it is usually because that other church has not raised up the workers and God is sending in labors to that church. It is not just to go to the latest, happening church. That is man's doing and I don't think God is pleased with that at all. Most of the time when someone feels led it is because the are hearing things that tickle the ears somewhere else... OR... things are getting really uncomfortable and the Word of God is challenging them in ways they are not willing to go.

One last observation and I'll close this before it becomes a book.
I've noticed this for years, but I will use only the church where I currently pastor to make this point.
I've been at this church now for a little more than 5 years. In that 5 years I have literally seen more people leave us than what we have attending now. Of the original congregation that was here when I came, less than one fourth of them remain with us 5 years later. I've had numerous people tell me how much they've enjoyed the messages and teaching, even that they've never had a pastor challenge them and cause them to grow as they have under my pastorate. Yet... they left. In 5 years there are easily more than 100 who have left. Now here is the observation I want to make...
I would estimate that less than 15% of those that have left are established in a church today. Some have bounced from church to church. Some attend a church, but I'd be hard pressed to say they are established because they have NO involvement in that church. (In other words they are dead weight.) But the truth is that of those that left us here, MOST of them are not attending a church anywhere today. That's what happens when you leave the leading, feeding and guidance of a shepherd! A sheep cannot make it on his own.

Is the grass greener on the other side of the fence? Yes, sometimes it is. But just as the picture above depicts, most of the time it is not, but we just want to rebel and go for what we have been separated from.

Had a Good Laugh Last Night

OK, most of you won't find it as funny as I did, but bear with me this time.
Yesterday my daughter took some of the advertising postcards for my photography business to school and was handing them out to some of her friends. (I've made a deal with her that I will give her a percentage of any business she brings me.) So she's handing out these cards and one "friend" who is in band with her comes over to the table and asks her how she came about handing out cards for Dan Ash. He said something to the effect of how good Dan's photos were and that he has already decided that is where he will go for his senior pics next year. He asked her a couple of times how she knew Dan Ash. She and some of her friends where chuckling at this boy and he asked again how she knew Dan Ash. Ashley held up one of the cards and said, "Take a good look at this card." He did and then just looked at her. She told him to look again then pointed to the picture of Daniel and then at herself and asked him, "who is this?" He said, "you and your brother?" She was laughing at him now and finally said, "Dummy, this is Daniel, I am Ashley... 'Dan-Ash'... my dad IS Dan Ash Photography." Others where laughing out loud at the kid now.

To that boy... you know who you are... thanks for the compliment, and rest in the fact that you are not alone. There have been many people make the same mistake. I get phone calls from people asking for Dan Ash and I've had people in town who have made the connection that I am the photographer, but they don't know me, and now usually a couple of times a month I'll have someone call me Dan or Mr. Ash.
I think I have created an alter ego. lol