NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

God doesn't have any calendars in heaven! But he does use time to help us navigate the activities of life. New Year Resolutions are made every December and I recently read that 25% of the resolutions are forsaken and often forgotten by the end of the first week in January. An article in Wall Street Journal in 2012 stated that 88% of all New Year Resolutions fail. However statistics also showed that those that make New Year Resolutions are 10 times more likely to succeed.

I really prefer using the term "goal" in place of "resolution." Setting goals are different then most resolutions in that with goals usually it is measurable and it has an end. For example, a New Year Resolution may say, "I am going on a diet the first of the year" but a goal says, "I have a goal to lose 20 pounds by March 30, 2017."

Do I set personal goals at the beginning of each year? Definitely! Do I accomplish all of those goals? Definitely not! But for me, setting goals are very important. It helps me to examine my past and look to the future to things that I need to personally accomplish.

My goals are personal but yet look like many others. Goals to eat better, exercise much, spend less, save more, pray effectively, and read a lot; goals to have better relationships with God, family and friends. Easy to say these things but now it is time to put it on paper. Take time today to list a few goals. Make them measurable and attainable. Set aside time each day to review and work on your goals. Set mile markers and deadlines for completion. Keep a journal of how you are doing and review on the first day of each month to see how you are progressing. Make it enjoyable and not a burden.

Earnest Hemingway once said, “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” Goals are important but the end result is what counts. Enjoy life, live with purpose, and fulfill God's plan for your life.

"By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward-to Jesus I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us."  Eugene Peterson (The Message Bible)

These Three Remain

(Below is an article contributed by a friend, Rev. William Strickland. William is editor of the Gospel Messenger and serves his organization (Congregation Holiness Church) in Missions USA. Enjoy!

If you were to ask me what it takes to become and remain a great Christian leader, I could sum up all I know by experience and education in three short statements. But first, I'd have to tell you to not worry so much about becoming a great leader. If being a great leader is the chief goal of your life, you will surely not become all that Christ has called you to be. But in answer to the question, these three remain in my mind as the chief trio of prerequisites for anyone to be recognized as a great leader: Lead self well. Practice servanthood. Work well with others.

1) There must be present an increasing degree of leading yourself well. This requires the consistent practice of self-discipline in order to lead the various aspects of your self-life: spiritual and physical, mind and body, nutrition and entertainment. Make no mistake about it, Christ followers must continuously solicit the help of our Father in order to have any level of success in leading self-will. It requires self-discipline which when practiced according to Romans 12:1-2, becomes a Holy Spirit controlled (disciplined) life.

2) Others should be able to observe you consistently practicing servanthood. Servants live under the constant knowledge that their life is not their own; they have a Master. The Master of the servant of The Lord is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. Most who aspire to greatness rarely achieve it because they refuse to fully yield to the Lord-ship of Christ. He must reign on the throne of your heart, mind, and free-will in order for you to approach being a servant with the right attitude. That right attitude always resembles submission to the sovereignty of the Master. Servants of The Lord walk in humility and they refuse to believe their own press. I've made it a habit of telling myself for years now that I'm not nearly as good as my biggest fans think I am. But I also remind myself regularly that I am not nearly as bad as my worst critics think, or the devil for that matter. As a matter of thought, I've come to believe that it matters much less what others think of me as long as I am thinking correctly according to the words of my Master. If as a servant, I know my Master is satisfied with me, then little else matters to me.

3) Interpersonal relationship skills are a must and should continue to increase. Leaders must be able to work well with others and be seen as the ultimate team player. Everyone should want you on their team, because of the value you bring to the table. But make no mistake about it. Just because you have a seat at the leadership table or perhaps you sit at the head of the table, does not mean you are the smartest one at the table or that you are always right. Hence, this working well with others requires you to increasingly grow in these interpersonal relationship skills. Ministry leadership is not about how much you know or how much you can accomplish. As a servant-leader in the Body of Christ, you must be willing to get over yourself and how gifted you are, and learn that you're only a member of the Body. Working well with the other members of the Body will bring us closer to fulfilling the will of God than any individual effort. Aristotle said, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." The wisdom for the Kingdom is in understanding that we can only accomplish a John 14:12-13, "greater works than these" ministry when we learn to cooperatively work with others. Those are the projects that the Holy Spirit strongly desires to empower.

Yes, these three remain the top behaviors that I have to work on. None of these behaviors simply happen. Sure, some individuals find some aspects of these three to be easier than others. But as I continue on my journey of servant leadership, I'm continuously reminded that I am 100% responsible to be intentional in my pursuit of these three. I cannot blame anyone else if I am not becoming all that Christ has called me to be as a follower. And while I know that a great number of other characteristics could be listed, I feel sure that most of the items on such a list would fall under one of these three categories.

At the end of my life and after the eulogies have been spoken, I'd rather be remembered as a faithful servant of a great Master than as a great leader. What about you? What aspects introduced here do you find easier or more difficult than others? And since I have said "these three remain," which one would you say is the greatest of these? Let's talk about that and help each other grow.

RIGHT TURN AHEAD

Recently while traveling, I missed my turned and my GPS (Global Positioning System) "recalculated" and rerouted me down an unfamiliar road.  I ventured down the path that I was being instructed until I came to an intersection and cross over "Nowhere Road".   I chuckled and thought, "When you listen to the wrong voices in your life you will end up on Nowhere Road".

The wise old king, Solomon, addresses this as we have recorded in Proverbs 4:10-15 MSG,

"Dear Friend, take my advice; it will add years to your life.  I'm writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way, I'm drawing a map to Righteous Road.  I don't want you ending up in blind alleys, or wasting time making wrong turns..."

Probably all of us have taken many wrong turns in life.  But I am thankful that we have our GPS (God's Positioning System) that helps us to get back on the right road.  As you begin a New Year I encourage you to look ahead:

Map out the scriptures you plan to read for 2015.
What translation will you use?  Will you start from Genesis and go to Revelation or do you have another plan?  Are there a book(s) of the bible that you want to study more in detail?

Purchase or download a prayer journal.  
 It's always good to go back a year later and read what God spoke to you the year before.  Include scriptures you read, thoughts you received, and prayers needs you mentioned as you write in your prayer journal daily.

Plan a time daily to read, write and pray.
All of our lives are busy and there is never seemly a convenient time.  It is nearly impossible to do this the exact time 365 days of the year, but find the time that works best for you.  Do it and you will not regret it!

Be intentional about the books you read and conversations you have.
I like to read from several difference sources every morning.  I want to hear God speak to me through His Word as well as hear what He has spoken to others.  A good devotional book, a book on leadership, and a bible commentary is usually pretty close to me during my "devotional time".

I am watching for the signs ahead instead of always looking behind in regret.  Along the way I want to influence others to follow Christ.  To do this I must take the right roads of life and not lead any down the wrong path.  Solomon once said, (Proverbs 28:10 MSG)

"Lead good people down a wrong path and you'll come to a bad end..."  

As Dale Evans Rogers once wrote, "Happy trails until we meet again!"

May God be gracious to you and bless you and make his face shine on you in 2015!

PREACHER SHOES

While going into a Cracker Barrel Restaurant this week, during my travels, a four year old boy came up to me and asked, "Are you a preacher?"

Now I am asked that a lot by adults.  Probably because I wear a shirt sometimes with engraving that identifies the ministry I am involved in.  But never by a four year old!  I first looked at my shirt to realize I didn't have a "ministry shirt" on.  But then if I had, certainly a four year old could not have read the name on my shirt.  

I responded to the lad, "Yes I am."  Then in my curiosity I asked,  "How did you know?"  He immediately looked down at my shoes and without any hesitation said, "Cause you are wearing 'preacher shoes!'"  

I walked away somewhat amused by the logic of this four year old.  But also inspired that morning with a thought.

The prophet Isaiah use a similar analogy when he penned, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'"                                                   Isaiah 52:7 NIV

It was the Apostle Paul in Acts 13:25 NIV that reminds us that it was John, while completing his work, he said: "Who do you suppose I am?  I am not the one that you are looking for.  But there is one whose sandals (shoes) I am not worthy to untie."  

Shoes are mentioned several occasions in the bible including one where God told Moses to "take off your shoes for the place where you are standing is holy ground."

It is definitely not the shoes we wear but the message we share that makes the difference in the lives of others.

Are you sharing the good news?

Here are five things that all Christians should be doing:

1. Sharing the Good News
2. Heralding Peace
3. Overcoming Evil
4. Explaining the Plan of Salvation to Others
5. Shouting "Our God Reigns"!

Now for the decision of the morning, "What shoes will I wear today?"  Of course, my "preacher shoes"!

One Preacher’s Perspective

(Written by Guest Writer, William Strickland - Editor of the Gospel Messenger)

Got a few minutes? Let me share some random thoughts with you. Like many ministers, I really enjoy the opportunity to guest preach in any size church without regard to race, culture, or denominational affiliation (as long as I’m allowed to preach what I feel like I should). One thing I accomplish is temporarily lightening the load of the pastor during the week prior to that Sunday (less sermon prep). A meal with the host pastor and spouse or some of the staff if pastor was away, is usually a part of the experience as well. I try to be as encouraging as possible in all my interactions. And my personal ministry experiences continue to challenge my perspective and force me to grow. Maybe you already know these, but I feel the need to share anyway.

1) The majority of churches are not mega-church sized and that's okay. Approximately 80% will have 100 or less in attendance for their Sunday morning service. Over half of the visits I make are to congregations that have either leveled off or are in decline. It's not always the fault of the pastor, though they must lead the solutions. And I don’t believe there is a set pattern to get every congregation back on track to growth. But there are some principles that are applicable everywhere and the changes needed must be led by the key influencers of the congregation. With a holy unrest I have actually prayed more than once for The Lord to move me, if I needed to leave in order for growth to begin again. It sounds counterintuitive but it leads me to number two.

2) The overwhelming majority of pastors (and staff members) are bi-vocational and could really just use a break. Seriously, most are more tired than they realize. The life of a bi-vocational minister leaves little room for rest or unaccounted for time. Therefore, sermons will not usually be as smooth and polished as your favorite TV preacher. There's no staff to delegate other tasks to and there’s not enough time available in the week.

3) So, please stop comparing your pastor to every other minister. Your pastor is most likely doing the best he can. He is not your former pastor and he does not preach like your favorite evangelist. Please let each of God's servants have the freedom of realizing their own potential with their particular skill set and gift mix. Appreciate them for Whose they are and for who they are. One of the best ways to appreciate your pastor is to help ensure some regular time off. A week or two of with pay and away from the church every quarter of the year will do wonders for the servant of God.

4) Most churches do not have professional quality music and that's okay. They don't have to. Leading God's people in worship isn't supposed to be a performance for spectators to observe. But on the same subject, everyone involved in your worship service needs to have a heart after God in pursuit of excellence. Regardless of how gifted they are, if they lack evidence of growing in Christ-like maturity and refuse accountability, they should not be participating in worship leadership. 

5) Yes, money really is a big deal. Jesus taught fiscal principles too often for me to tell you otherwise. While church leadership should not have to nag congregations about the issue, please understand that it is vital for you to do your part. And that's all you have to do; your part. Regardless of what size it is, your tithes and offerings are more about your heart to worship. And it keeps the lights on, takes care of the pastor, guest speakers, and provides for missions across the street and across the sea. Seriously, money is a spiritual issue and you're going to have a hard time convincing God otherwise. Personal compliance to your local church and organization’s financial plan will bring great blessing. It takes real money to do real ministry!

6) When I stop to consider my own organization, one thing stands out as it pertains to ministers: Approximately 85% of our pastors and ordained ministry leaders are bi-vocational. Therefore only about 15% of them ARE fully funded in the ministry without having to be employed outside of the ministry or be dependent upon retirement funds. I use my terms because I don't like the terms part-time or full-time when it comes to committed servants of our Master. During my years of bi-vocational ministry, I did my best to be a full-time follower, servant, and minister of Christ (some days, I blew it). My calling served as an excuse to strive for excellence as an employee of the company and as a witness for the Gospel with integrity. Every ounce of training and expertise gained in secular employment made me a better minister. And likewise, my study of the Scriptures, experience, and training in the ministry made me a better employee for the company. So, perhaps two are better than one. It is my humble opinion that a minister should be content and consider it a privilege to serve God in a bi-vocational manner, until and unless He specifically transitions you into a fully funded ministry situation. And within American Christianity, fully funded positions are not plentiful.

7) It brings a little sorrow to my heart when a church does not make time for prayer in worship services. We expect the preacher to bring us a fresh sermon message each week and then we find an exit when it comes time for a prayerful response. None of us are too busy or so holy that a few extra minutes in prayer aren't beneficial. Prayer changes us, works miracles, moves mountains, and affects eternity – so lunch can wait. And if others are in the altars and you are not, let's stay focused on heavenly things and not begin those loud conversations. And if you must leave before the end of service, please do so quietly. It could be described as hypocritical for Pentecostals to proclaim such belief in the power of God and say we desire a great spiritual awakening, and then our actions say we are in too big of a hurry for prayer.

This is simply one preacher’s perspective. I welcome your comments and I’d be glad to hear your perspective. And as a reasonable adult, I'd be glad to discuss your disagreements.  

                                                   Guest Writer - William Strickland

                                                   

This Rose Is For You

What ever happen to the idea of wearing a white or red carnation on Mother's Day?

Living in the southern part of the United States during my childhood it was tradition for you to wear a carnation to church on Mother's Day.  I soon realized that some wore red carnations and others white carnations.  Every Mother's Day, because we could not afford a carnation from the florist, mother would find a rose bush that was blooming and pin a red rose to my shirt.  Not only to me but also to both of my siblings, and my dad had to wear a flower as well.  (He wore a white flower, because his mother passed away six weeks after his birth.)

I asked mother one time what this meant and she simply stated, if you wore a red carnation it meant that your mom was still living.  If you wore a white carnation it meant your mom was dead.

Seldom today, in the culture that I live around, do you see anyone wearing a flower in church on Mother's Day.  But today we still celebrate an over 100-year tradition of honoring our mothers.  Interesting enough it was May 10, 1914, that President Woodrow Wilson made a proclamation declaring the second Sunday of May the first National Mother's Day.

History books tell us that it was as early as 1868 that a special day was thought of to honor mothers. It was an attempt by one woman by the name of Anna Jarvis to reunite families due to the Civil War among the states.  And guess what?  Mrs. Jarvis's favorite flower was said to be a carnation.

Civil War in the United States today is not the problem in family separations, but many families are much divided.  It is my prayer that today is a day that families are reunited and those that are united that their cords will be stronger and will not be broken.

Roses in honor of Carissa
and my mother...

Now I may not be wearing a red rose today but mother thank you for being the mom that you are.  Thanks for all the times that you and dad sacrifice so that we could enjoy life as children in a godly home.  Thanks for the teaching of God's Word but more so the example you lived before me.

To my wife, Carissa, who has always loved children and has been a great mom to our three children and a loving grandmother to our grandson.  Carissa has been that mother figure to many of the children in her Pre-K Class in the public school and in her Sunday School classes that she taught for the past 34 years.  Thanks for being a mom to so many.

Roses in honor of all of the great moms...

Thank you to the many moms that have sacrificed many things for their children.  For some moms that I know that has been misunderstood or others that have suffered abused.  Thanks for being the caring, compassionate, mom that you are.  For loving your children and making their life simpler by doing all that you do for them.

I have been blessed to know many great ladies; some of who are moms and others that are not, that have been a part of Carissa and my life.  They have influenced many others and us.  Thank you for being the person you are and the difference you are making in the lives of those around you.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Good Friday (Friday)

Acts 3:25, 26 NLT

“And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it.  He gave it to them and said, ‘Each of you drink from it, (28) for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people.  It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.”

I recently completed a series of sermons about the formal trials of Jesus.  What amazed me about these trials is how that in a twelve hour time frame five or six different times Jesus' identity, integrity, and authority were all questioned all in a formal trial setting.  Annas, Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin Counsel, Pilate, Herod, and back to Pilate all played a role in questioning Jesus.  Then Jesus was led to a place call Calvary.  There is something about Calvary!  

I wondered what bothered Jesus the most in the last 24 hours before his crucifixion.  Was it when they tied him and led him to Pilate, the governor? Was it when he heard that Judas had hanged himself? Was it the cry of the people to "crucify him, crucify him"? Was it the beating with whips? Was it the crowning with a crown of thorns? Was it when the people bowed before Jesus and made fun of him, saying, "Hail, King, of the Jews!" Was it when some spit on him? Was it when some of the soldiers "cast lots" for his clothing? Was it the insults from the people that walked by and said, "You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you are really the Son of God!" Or was it the nails being driven through the hands and feet of Jesus that hurt Him the most?

Unlike many of us, Jesus did not dwell on all of His hurts.  Nowhere in scripture do I hear Jesus saying, "What hurt me the most is..."  What Jesus did think about when on the cross was what came out of his mouth, "It is finished!"  Triumph, not defeat, was on his mind.

"When He was on the cross, I was on His mind."  Not in the sense of remembering all the disappointments of man but remembering that we needed a Savior.  I know for a fact that many times I have disappointed Christ but He has never disappointed me.  Jesus wants us to be a winner not a loser.  He bled that I can be more than a conqueror through Him.  It is by His blood that I overcome sin.

Scripture for today:  Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 22:66-23:56; John 18:29-19-37

At the Passover Meal (Thursday)

Jesus sat down with his disciples for the Passover meal. During the course of the evening Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. Then he did a very symbolic thing in taking a cup, probably pouring into the cup, thanked God for it and gave it to his followers. Another part of that passage of scripture tell us that Jesus "poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples feet" (John 13:5).

Today I encourage you to read the events that unfolded at the Passover meal between Christ and his disciples.  Notice how intentional Jesus was at the table.  The conversation and the actions he did were intentional.  Jesus had a mission to fulfill and in the last hours before his crucifixion he needed to make the best of his time with his disciples.

Life is short compared to eternity.  My prayer today is that I will become more intentional about my conversation with others.  I read recently where you should think about whom you are going to meet today and think about the questions that you may want to ask.

Most of us speak thousands of words a day.  One study showed that the human being on an average will speak somewhere between 7,000 and 20,000 words a day.  That is a lot of words!

Who is it that you will fellowship with today?  Who is it that you will sat down for a meal with?  What can you learn from them?  How can you be an encouragement to those you speak with today?

Make your words count by being intentional about your conversation.  And as Jesus probably poured into the cup as well as the basin of water at the supper table, I encourage you to invest encouraging words into the lives of others.  Pour into someone today words of encouragement as well as allow them to speak into your life.  At the end of the day you should be encourage and an encourager to others.

Scripture for today:  Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-23; John 13:1-30

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT HOLY WEEK? (Wednesday)

One of my friends once stated that he used to have a pretty good memory but was now to the point that he could hide his own Easter eggs. Memory is a funny thing. Some things seem to be imprinted on our mind while other things we forget immediately.

During Holy Week, the day after the crucifixion of Christ and the day before his Resurrection we see several things that have been imprinted on the minds of many.

Matthew 27:55 (NCV) says, Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to help him were standing at a distance from the cross, watching. I am sure that what they saw on Friday was still imprinted on their mind Sunday morning.

On the next day the leading priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. They remembered the words of Jesus when he said, "in three days I will rise from the dead (Matthew 27:63)."  I am sure this was imprinted on their mind.

Then we have the disciples that had followed Jesus but we find in John 20:19 that on the evening of the first day of the week, they were together. The doors were locked, because they were afraid of the elders. These disciples probably had spent most of the weekend together with imprinted on their mind the many teachings of Jesus.

What is it that you remember the most about this week?  What event or words lay heavy in your mind and on your heart?  What is it that leaves a lasting impression on your mind?  Today, may we remember the events of this week and at the same time look with expectation of great things to happen on Easter Sunday! 

Scripture for today:  Matthew 27:62-66; Luke 23:56

FACING CHALLENGES (Tuesday)

The last week of Jesus' ministry on earth, before his crucifixion, he spent a lot of time teaching and a lot of time dealing with confrontation.  On one of these days during this week Jesus was challenge by the chief priests and the scribes, along with the elders of his day with the question, "Who gave you this authority?"  Jesus was teaching in the temple when the "religious people" of his day brutally interrupted him and questioned his rights to be teaching in the temple.  Imagine, someone challenging Jesus and his right to teach while in the temple!

Several years ago I was preaching when a visitor stood up in the middle of the church service and claimed that God had given him the other half of my sermon.  Needless to say this confusion was not of God and disrupted that particular church service.  I felt at that moment that my authority to preach the word had just been challenge.  To this day I am not for sure that as a young pastor I responded wisely to the challenge.

But Jesus knew how to answer every challenge of life.  When Jesus was asked the question "Who gave you this authority?" Jesus in returned asked, "When John baptized people, did that come from God or just from other people?"  The religious leaders fearing if they said, "It came from God," then Jesus would say, "Then why didn't you believe him?"   And if the religious leaders said that it came from people they were afraid of the crowd, because the crowd believed that John was indeed a prophet.

The religious leaders answered, "We don't know!"  Jesus said, "Then I won't tell you what authority I have to do these things."  It seems that Jesus always had the right answer for every challenge, and sometime Jesus just didn't answer the challenge at all!

I learned years ago that I do not have to answer every challenge; Jesus didn't.  Some challenges are nothing more than a distraction and is not worth the energy that we invest in the fight.  If Jesus had answered every question and accepted every challenge, he never would have made it to the cross and died for my sin.  I am glad that Jesus was wise enough to see that some challenges was no more than an attempt from the enemy to cause a distraction.

Don't feel pressured into accepting every challenge in life.  You too need to make it to the foot of the cross and some challenges will hinder your vision of the place that Jesus died for you. There are some things I know I have to confront with God's help, but I believe there are some things that I hear God saying, "Let me take care of this for you."

Thank you Lord for the challenges of life that I never have to confront because you have my front and my back side!

"But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard."  (Isaiah 52:12 NIV)

Scripture for today:  Matthew 21:23-46; Matthew 22:1-46;Luke 20:1-40