The One Less Traveled By

I was reading my favorite poem in the world this morning. It is, "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I like the poem feel I have taken the road less traveled. I believe as a church we have taken the road less traveled. I know that it will and it already has made all the difference.

Endings are better than beginnings (Andrea)

In a couple of weeks I will partake in the annual celebration of my birth. I'm not one who wants any fuss. (Unless it is an 80's themed roller skating party to which everyone would be invited!) I will usually tell Darrell specifically not to do anything to draw attention to that day. (I will also refrain from posting the date in this blog... it will remain a mystery!) Regardless of however little or much commotion is made of the day one thing always remains true for me. Birthdays are always a day of reflection for me as well as a time to set goals for the future.

Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I am a planner. My life is on a very strategic timeline. We all have come to the realization that life doesn't always go according to plan but there is something to be said for setting some goals and striving to meet them. God has a way of reconfiguring the things I do though.

The main reason for liking my life on a timeline is that it is neat and tidy. (That is a whole other obsessive-compulsive disorder I have in and of itself... love neat and tidy!) I really think I had succumb to the whole "you can never over-plan" philosophy. But what happens when God throws you the proverbial curve ball? I think a symptom of the timeline lifestyle is there isn't a lot of time left over to enjoy the things that are going on now. God has a way of reminding me not to take the here and now for granted. What is He teaching me now that I would not be able to see if my eyes are only focused on the next and later?

My tendencies to plan come from a place of thinking that if everything is already set up then nothing can fail. With failure comes disappointment and sadness. The problem with this is that if the plans are only "Andrea-made" then I have set myself up for failure because without Christ I can do nothing. I gotta lay it down. I love that God has given me the ability to cry as He is showing me things. I used to be very hard, closed off and lacking any outward emotion. Crying used to be cowardly to me. I was confirmed in my gratitude for tears tonight as I read Ecclesiastes. I love how the message translation puts it in chapter 7. "Crying is far better than laughing. It blotches the face but it scours the heart. Sages invest themselves in hurt and grieving. Fools waste their lives in fun and games.... Endings are better than beginnings. Sticking to it is better than standing out." I long for more wisdom and discernment from the Lord. I know He has Darrell and I exactly where He wants us but sometimes I want to see more results sooner. I fail to realize that sticking to it is better than standing out at times. We have all heard that perserverance builds character but, you know what, sometimes I don't want to perservere. I want INSTANT GRATIFICATION so I can move onto the next project on my calandar! That is what our society tells us we deserve... even the church has fallen under a hyper-prosperity doctrine. What is wrong with me? I am realizing that I need to put my timeline down and focus on the here and now. Here- C3 Church reaching and connecting Orlando to Christ like never before. Now- Almost 200 new believers that are a part of my family that I will spend eternity with. Lord, scour my heart even if I have to cry a million more tears. I want to grieve for those who are lost and hopeless without you even if it means missing a thousand of my self-gratifying deadlines. The only hour that matters is the last. Lord thank you for the promise of the end being far better than the beginning. With that promise I live in the now.

Thanks

Today is Tuesday after a long Memorial Day weekend. Where can I begin? "Memorial Day" weekend, a time to celebrate the ultimate sacrifice that so many have made for their country. I like many yesterday went to the cemetery to visit a loved one who has passed on but served their country. My Dad is one such person. My Dad served in WWII in both the Army & the Navy. My Dad made it through WWII only to succumb to Alzheimer's Disease in 2000. His contribution to the freedom which I enjoy now will never be forgotten. When I saw the American flags on all of the graves of people that served in the military at the cemetery on Monday it touched me deeply. My Dad never talked about the war very much but I have seen a few remembrances of his time in the service. I can also remember his story about being on the USS Atlanta (Destroyer) in the Pacific as it was sunk and surviving to tell of the horror that he went through.

I also heard on the news yesterday that there are only three remaining US service men that served in WWI. In fact one is in Florida and I think they said he was 107 years old. I pray that we never take for granted, no matter what war or conflict our military personnel have been in, their sacrifice and their dedication to this great country that we live in. We truly have much to be thankful for and their sacrifices should rank right at the top of the list. Did I enjoy the weekend and the extra day off? Yes I did but this weekend means more to me than just a day off. It is a time to say thanks Dad and thanks to all of those who have served so that I can enjoy being a US citizen. THANKS!

A+

I have been thinking recently about my new fascination with blogging. I think that I have stumbled onto why I am liking it. I have never journaled before or kept a diary of any kind. But, I have always liked writing. I believe that this is the first time I have just written because I want to. While in school (college) I had to write for the professors and for a grade, never just for myself. I think that has something to do with it. I also would love to write a book but know that the chances of getting something published would be next to impossible. Writing usually comes from personal experience, whether it is a fictional story, autobiography, memoirs etc.. The ability to vent and to get your personal feelings out to people in a logical, methodical and organized way has an attraction as well. I think that blogging gives me the ability to sit down and think and put my thoughts down on paper (or computer) and gives me the ability to take some of the intense emotion that is usually impulse and focus that into succinct talking points that are organized and make sense. I believe blogging gives me the ability to accomplish all of this. It also gives others a glimpse of the person that is inside that normally is hidden. The ability to put yourself out there so that others can share in your triumphs and losses is therapeutic and kind of fun. I am sure that a psychologist would be able to clearly define this type of behavior and that's fine. All I know is that I am enjoying it and that I am writing for me and I give myself an "A+" every time. Blogging is awesome.

American Idol vs. Lost

OK I am officially shamed. I claim to be a Lost fan but I miss 2/3 of the season and therefore can't watch the season finale and blog about it like my good friend Barry Leathers. Instead I am left to blog about American Idol. Which show should I have watched? Lost, no question about it. So to all of you Lost fans I promise I will do better and watch the episodes I missed and will be ready for next season.

Now back to AI. We all know that Jordin had the most talent between her and Blake. I am disappointed that Melinda did not make it into the finals but my friend Barry Oser made a valid point last night. This is "American Idol" it is about having the total package. Although Simon says that it is a singing competition and Melinda had the best vocal talent it is a total package kind of deal. Yes Melinda had the talent and stage presence but she did not have the "look". Jordin and Blake had the "look" and enough talent to make it all the way. Although I might concede that point to Barry O. , I raised another point that he did not fully agree on but I believe is the heart of the matter. AI is a popularity contest. Whoever America likes the best and votes for is the winner. No denying it, popularity contest. So congrats to Jordin, the winner. Blake and Melinda will do just fine without the contractual shackles of AI. And I will stick by what I said last week. AI is what it is. Reality TV, entertainment for the masses. It's been a fun season and we will say so long until January!

Against All Odds

You know sometimes I feel like a salmon. Trying to swim against the overwhelming current, swishing my tail to make it up-stream jumping over obstacles while fighting the gushing water. Sometimes I sit back and look at the current of negativity and the repeated misquotes, inaccuracies (sometimes, out and out lies), mischaracterizations etc. Sometimes by people we don't even know and then sometimes by friends we've had for years. When the world seems totally against us and what we want to see accomplished at C3 Church then I remember I only need to look to Jesus. It feels that if people were betting on C3 Church and it's success that the odds would be totally against us. Then once again I only need to look at Jesus. The tide of public opinion was overwhelmingly against Jesus. In fact they wanted him dead. Who incited this groundswell of public opinion? The religious people of that day, the pharisees and priests, the "Godly" or religious leaders. These people conspired with the very government that was oppressing them to have Jesus wrongfully charged, tried and convicted to keep Jesus from busting up their legalistic rule over people. The only people that stood with Jesus were his mother and eleven out of the twelve closest friends that He had in the world. One of his closest friends even betrayed him to the people that would orchestrate His death.

So did Jesus have all of the odds against Him? In the evaluation of the situation by people in His day I am sure they would say Jesus had no chance of pulling out a victory. Does Jesus know what it is like for people to hate Him, say evil things about Him, lie about Him, have friends betray Him? Yes He does. Let me ask a few more questions. Is C3 Church God's church? You better believe it is. So when people are actively saying negative, derogatory things about C3 Church are they railing against God's church? Yes they are. Do I want to be identified with God and His church? Yes I do. Will God empower His church to accomplish the task He has given it? Yes He will. Did Jesus beat all the odds and turned defeat into a glorious victory? Yes He did. Did He lay down His life for His church? Yes He did. Does He love and care for us the same way today? Yes He does. Does Jesus understand everything we have lost to reach people for Him? Yes He does. Does Jesus promise that when we lay it all on the line to do His work will he make a way and help us? Yes He does. Is God the same yesterday, today and forever? Yes He is.

Now the question is, will I take God over the conventional wisdom of the masses that predict our "certain demise"? Yes I will, because Christ has done it before. Christ went against all odds and won. Even though this might sound old and trite I believe it, "God and me make a majority". I'll take God over the odds everyday. I'll swim up-stream, against the current with every last ounce of strength I have. Against all odds!

The Most Valuable Gift Someone Can Give

I attended two funerals this weekend. While sitting in both of them and just thinking, something very profound hit me. I am sure I am probably not the first one to look at life from this point of view but it is still profound (at least to me) none the less. When you think about the most valuable gift a person can give to someone, several things might come to mind. Some might say money, some might say love, some might say any number of possessions. Although some of those answers are good none of them are what I am thinking of. There is something that every single person possesses that is the most valuable commodity in the world. Once this possession leaves you, one can never get it back. A person can not make more of this possession and you can not earn or gain any more of it by any means. By this point some of you know what I am talking about. The most precious of commodities is time.

I believe that the time that you give someone is the best expression of love you can give. Think about it. Once you give it you can not get it back. It is the one thing that you have total control over and your most valuable possession. I know that most of our time is spent at work but that is time that is given for compensation. When you spend an hour with someone that is a gift that you will never get back and if it is given to someone that you want to be with it is given unconditionally.

I spent some time with my beautiful wife this weekend. That was time well spent. I spent time at church this weekend, celebrating in worship with 700 people, the greatness of God. That was time well spent. I spent several hours this weekend sharing grief with friends over lost loved ones who they will never get a chance to give time to. Time comforting them. Time well spent. Some other time was not spent as wisely. I did spend some time in front of a mindless time sucker called TV. Time not spent wisely. All that to say this. Time is the one commodity that we don't know how much we have and yet I along with so many spend haphazardly without concern as if there was an endless supply. I pray that I can give my time to the most important things in life, God, family, friends, church. I don't know how much time I have left but I know that if I give this most valuable of gifts to the things that matter the most then my life will be fulfilled and full and there will be no regrets when my account of time has a zero balance.

Don't Call Me A Christian-(Andrea)

When I think about what it means now to be called a "Christian" I get knots in my stomach. I have no shame in lining myself up with Jesus Christ but it hurts me to align myself with those that say they represent Him and show no love to those who are different than them. I've grown up in church all my life and have seen hundreds upon thousands of Christians who know a lot but don't show a lot. I would be a liar if I said that was never me. Growing up I took a lot of pride in being a "good girl." I followed all the rules that were indoctrinated into me. Regardless of all my deeds I had a dead faith. I looked upon those who were different as messed up or corrupt. I needed Jesus to resurrect Himself in my life again. I was the so-called Christian like the church in Galatians. The one enslaved by law forgetting about my freedom in Christ. God is a God of change yet He always stays the same. The change He is doing is within me.

I have a friend of mine that just gave her life to the Lord. I'm quite emotional about it. I truly think it is the first time that God has intentionally placed me in someone's life and I layed my pride aside. God used her in my life to teach me a lesson and bless me through her newfound faith. My interactions with her and my prayers for her were not based on another notch in my evangelism belt but out of a deep need to show love again. Love that saved me from bitterness and anger. Love that saved me from mediocrity and hypocricy. That is not to say that I am not mediocre or hypocritical at times. I am... I am human, but through Christ I am made whole and perfect. He purges the impurities in my life and actually uses my weaknesses to show His strengths. If he can change a jaded Christian and turn them into a loving Christ follower, then He can truly save anyone. 99% of the time it is the "Christian" that shows the least amount of love in this world. We need change more than those we consider the greatest offenders because we represent Him... and what a poor representation of the love of God we have shown.

Let me finish by saying this. How can we say that we love God and not truly love others? I've read this so much I've memorized it. It is so engrained that I could rattle it off to the point of it having little or no meaning. Let it mean something. Galatians 13:1-7&13 "If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing. LOVE IS PATIENT AND KIND. LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS OR BOASTFUL OR PROUD OR RUDE. IT DOES DEMAND IT'S OWN WAY. IT IS NOT IRRITABLE, AND IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF BEING WRONGED. IT DOES NOT REJOICE ABOUT INJUSTICE BUT REJOICES WHENEVER THE TRUTH WINS OUT. LOVE NEVER GIVES UP, NEVER LOSES FAITH, IS ALWAYS HOPEFUL, AND ENDURES THROUGH EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE. Three things will last forever-faith, hope, and love-and the greatest of these is love."

God's Masterpiece, Not A Paint-By-Number

Andrea and I had a great conversation with my Sister-In-Law, Brittney last night. She feels called into the ministry. She feels called in the area of music/youth. Her sense of urgency and zeal are contagious. She wants to conquer the world for Jesus right now. I remember how that feels. I remember as a teenage boy feeling a call on my life. I remember in 1992 accepting the call publicly in a church service. I remember wanting to drop everything and conquer the world for Jesus. I remember the blank canvas of my life at the time and remembering how I wanted the painting of my ministry to look like. I also remember that even though I thought I was ready for ministry at that exact moment, God knew I needed to learn a few things and fortunately, I knew that God's timing was not my timing.

As I look back, I am thankful for key people in my life that cultivated my calling. I have to look back first to my mother and father. They fostered a love for God and for His church at a young age. I witnessed their devotion and loyalty to God's work like no other people. I am thankful for Pastors Hugo and Peggy Venegas which taught God's Word to me and under whose ministry I accepted the Lord into my heart as a seven year old boy. I am thankful for Craig Stamper who saw the potential I had to be effective in ministry and challenged me like no other to become a vessel that God could use. Lastly I am thankful for Byron Bledsoe who listened as God spoke to his heart to finally turn me loose in ministry. Without these people the seeds of desire would not have been cultivated in my life. Without these people I would probably not be in ministry today.

As I look back, the span of time between which I publicly accepted the call and the time I actually went into full-time ministry was ten years. It would be very spiritual of me to say that those were glorious years at which I knew God was working, teaching and toughening me up for ministry but that is not how I saw it at the time. I constantly questioned God, "Why not now? Why do I have too keep working in jobs I hate? Why can't I finish college and go to seminary like my friends? Why, Why, Why?" (I'm glad that God can handle our why questions.) I can remember struggling with the losses of my dad who had Alzheimer's and my mentor, Craig Stamper, dying in an automobile accident. I can remember filling in as interim music minister after Craig's death and thinking that maybe now was the time that God would unleash me in ministry and then only to be crushed by not even being considered as a candidate. I can even remember questioning if I was even truly called. But, I did know that the desire I had as a young man was still there and I trusted God enough to know that He was in control even if I had no clue to what His plan was.

Now here I am, fourteen years after I publicly accepted His call and four years after I have been in the ministry full-time. I can now look back and see exactly what God's plan was. I'm thankful that God put me through everything He did because it made who I am today and made me strong enough to stand when it seems like I can't go on any further. Most of the time our timing is not God's timing. We almost always want it now. We are definitely products of our "instant gratification" culture. We want what we want and we want it yesterday. It's hard to imagine that God does not work the same way. Even today in my life I am constantly asking God, "Why can't C3 church have 5000 people now? Why can't you give everyone the vision of ministry like you have given us (pastoral staff)? Why can't you make everyone love us? Why, Why, Why?" But, then I remember the time of learning and growing that God had for me over the last fourteen years. I know that God is in total control and that he is teaching me valuable lessons that I need to learn for the future. I realize that what I feel now and what I felt in those ten years before ministry are nothing but growing pains. Do growing pains hurt? You better believe they do but without those pains you do not even realize you are growing. Will Brittney have growing pains as she pursues her call? Yes. Will I have growing pains as I continue in ministry? Yes. Will C3 have growing pains as we try to reach the community for Christ? Yes. Is that good? Yes, you better believe it is because if you feel no pain then there is no more growth.

The urgency, zeal and growing pains that God places within us mixed in with His perfect timing create a masterpiece that only God could paint. The difference between a "paint-by-number" and a "Mona Lisa" is the time it takes the artist to create the piece of art. I think the extra time is worth it. God's masterpieces are definitely not paint-by-number.

American Idol

Ok, since I am a music guy I feel I must comment on what happened on American Idol last night. If you don't watch the reality talent show contest then just skip this blog. It is obvious and has always been obvious that A.I. is not a singing contest it is a popularity contest. The evidence even from this season (i.e. Sanjaya) is overwhelming. As long as more people like you enough to call in and vote for you more than the other contestants then you will make it all the way regardless of your singing abilities. Melinda Doolittle was obviously the most talented and consistent contestant on A.I. this season. I'm disappointed that she did not make the final but that's not such a bad thing either. Just look at Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson. The other two contestants that made it to the final are good performers. Blake I think personally is the weaker of the two but neither Blake or Jordin has the quality of singing voice like Melinda. Melinda will have an awesome career in front of her. All that to say this. It's reality TV. It's entertainment. The unexpected is what is expected. So American Idol is what it is.

My Nephew

Today a took my 3 year old nephew, Hayden to school. Hayden loves the movie "Cars". I have "Life Is A Highway" by Rascal Flatts from the "Cars Soundtrack" in my iPod so I proceeded to turn it on in my car. Hayden then pulled out his "American Idol" microphone from his backpack and started to sing along. I had the song set on repeat so he was performing the whole way to school. Hayden told me that "Life Is A Highway" is his favorite song. Life is truly a highway and I am glad there are awesome little moments along the journey like I had with my nephew this morning. It makes the driving worth it!

Anger's Fog

I have received several emails over the past few days. These emails have not been encouraging, in fact they have been harsh, cruel and inflammatory. When people let anger take control over their lives it clouds their judgement and puts them in a fog. The emails I have received have been from people that are upset at the leadership team (of which I am a part) of my church. Our only goal at the church where I serve is to reach un-churched people for Christ. In this process many things have changed: i.e. Worship Styles, Home-Teams (Sunday school) etc. This has a lot of people angry because "their" church has been replaced by an emphasis on the un-churched and un-saved. The angry people have tried everything to tear down what God is doing. They profess lies and launch personal attacks on the staff of my church. All of this in the name of God and because they are angry. The people I refer to are well meaning people but I believe that anger has clouded the logic in their heads. When people sign their emails as "Jack Bauer" and then try to put it out there as a reasonable and logical discourse between two people is insane. If someone can't sign their real name to a written statement about something they believe in then I say they don't really believe in that cause and they most certainly can not be taken seriously about whatever they are talking about. Once again anger has taken over. When a professing Christian flat out says that people coming to know the Lord is not the most important thing that a Church can hope to accomplish then I say that anger has clouded that Christian's vision. Anger in itself is not bad, after all Christ was angry but did not sin. What is bad is that people let anger take control of them instead of controlling their anger. I pray that I never let anger take control of my life so that I find my self in a fog that is so thick that I can't find my way out of. I pray that Christ will always be my fog lights so I can find my way to clearer paths.

Loyalty, It Means Everything

I know this is probably going to sound very cynical but I believe that very few people that claim to have loyalty for you when times are good will still profess that loyalty for you when times get hard. I make that statement from circumstances that I find myself in at this time in my life. I think that loyalty comes from a deep sense of love for someone else. Loyalty puts yourself aside, your own desires to come to another person's aid, be it a friend, family or associate, no matter the cost. To believe the best when all the world might think otherwise. I think that Jesus did no less for us than when He sacrificed His own life because of His loyalty, His love for us. Think about it for a moment. The religious establishment hated Him because they cared more for their own traditions than they did the people. Their loyalties were to themselves and their own desires. The staff at the church of which I am a part of started a few years ago down the path of setting ourselves and our desires aside to reach the 87 percent of Orlando that does not go to church. We stated that our loyalties were with Christ and the only mission that He gave the church, which is to reach the lost. Most of the Christians that attended our church a few years ago agreed that the lost needed to be reached and that we as a body of believers needed to reach out to the un-saved and un-churched. Now a few years later, I am even more resolved to reach the un-saved and un-churched. Although my resolve and the resolve of our leadership team is as strong as ever, the resolve of 99 percent of the people that started with us has vanished. The very people that "loved, supported, cared, agreed and said that they would be loyal to the end" are gone. In fact most of these people are now in a campaign to destroy the church they were once a part of. As the fight to reach lost people became harder and as people were taught to put their own desires aside, this became to difficult and their loyalties were revealed. I believe that most people exhibit loyalty but only to themselves and their wants and desires. When loyalty calls on them to come to someonelse's aid at the expense of themselves, most can not stand. I am so thankful that when it came time for Jesus to put Himself aside to reach me that He did it. Christ was loyal. I also know that Christ will empower us to do His work. I pray that my loyalty to Him and His work stays strong. Loyalty, it means everything!

First blog

Well,
This is my first blog. I could say so much or I could say so little. I really never thought that I would blog but here I am. My blog is loveworshiplovelife. I love God first and foremost, second I love my beautiful wife Andrea, next I love my awesome church where I lead worship. I thank God for my life that He has given to me. Love and worship is what my life is about. Hence the name of my spot to blog.

To love God and to love others, a mission that is repeated a lot at my church. That's what it's all about. This should be the mission of the church as we point people to the cross. This mission keeps me going even through tough times and through good times. I pray that God will help me love Him and love others more and more. I pray that through the worship that I lead, others will see the Love of Christ. I pray that we love worship and we love life, the Life that was given for us so that we might have an abundant life that we never deserved or ever dreamed of.