Leadership Thought:  What Happens When a Believer Dies? (Part 2)

Dear Friends,

Yesterday we examined the question of what happens when a believer dies as we looked at what existence is like for the believer who has died and awaits the return of Christ (the rapture) and the final establishment of a new heaven and new earth.

We looked at Philippians 1:21-24 where Paul writes, “for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.”

Here we saw that Paul is speaking of his desire “to depart and be with Christ,” for he says it “is far better.” He speaks of death as simply a departure from the body, a departure not into some temporary nothingness where one resides in an unconscious condition, but one in which we are with Christ, and if we are with Christ, then we continue existing with Him.

Paul says that state is very much better than our present state. He could not say that if death was only a state of unconsciousness without any awareness of Christ’s presence. No, he says life in heaven is far better because we are with Christ, and we know it. If this were not true, would it not be better for us to remain in this life on earth where at least we would have conscious fellowship with Christ?

But secondly Paul writes that as long as we are “at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord,” and that as a result he would “prefer rather to be absent from the body and be at home with the Lord” (See 2 Corinthians 5:6-8). Why would Paul prefer to be absent from the body (on earth) unless it meant to be at home with the Lord in heaven where our souls experience a form of fellowship and a conscious recognition of His presence? Paul is clearly expressing his preference. The choice he has is to either be at home in his earthly body or to be absent from that body and at home with the Lord. His choice is the ladder-to be home with the Lord, for He recognizes that means conscious fellowship with Him.

Thirdly, when Jesus is speaking to the thief on the cross, He says, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). This can only be taken to mean, “Not only will I remember you when I come in my kingdom, but already today you shall be with me in heaven.”

And finally, we learn n Revelation 6:9 where John is speaking of his heavenly vision. He expresses seeing underneath the altar ‘the souls of those who has been slain because of the word of God, and they are crying out, “Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth”? (v.10) Those individuals are surely conscious and active and not in some form of unconsciousness or "soul sleep.".

While we confess that we cannot know everything about our new heavenly estate, we know we will be in His presence, as we eagerly await that time when He will return with us to set up His new Kingdom on a new earth where we will reign with Him for ever and ever. Praise be to God.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: What Happens When a Believer Dies?

Dear Friends,

Two Sundays ago, I had a member come up to me in church and asked me what happens when one dies? Her question was precipitated by a fear that her believing mother may not be enjoying the blessed hope of heaven promised to everyone who puts their trust and faith in Jesus.  

At the time of her question, I had been re reading Randy Alcorn’s classic book Heaven, which I recommend to anyone who is looking for a complete and comprehensive study on the subject.

In his condensed booklet on heaven, called “Biblical Answers to Common Questions,” Alcorn writes, “God’s people in ages past had a source of strength and perspective largely unknown to us today called Heaven. It was their central reference point, the North Star by which they could navigate their lives. But in contemporary society, Heaven has fallen off our radar screen.” (p .6)

That’s not true anymore.  Today there is a new and heighten interest in what lies beyond the grave. 

The study of heaven is more relevant today that at any time in the last few decades. Fear of death because of the Pandemic and loss of loved ones due to the ravages of Covid, have heighten people’s awareness of death’s reality and have led many to a new interest in discovering what lies beyond this earthly existence.

Church consultants tell us that this interest in one of the main reasons that many are returning to church; they are looking for an answer to life’s greatest question - “What happens when I die?  Consequently, it is important that the church has a biblical answer for them.

At funerals I frequently remind those present of Paul’s words to the Colossians where he writes, “if then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

Paul tells us we are “to set our minds on the things above,” and for the next few days I want to 

encourage you to do just that together we examine what happens when a believer dies.

This morning let me draw attention to Philippians 1:21-24 where Paul writes, “for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.”

Paul speaks of having a desire “to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” He speaks of death as simply a departure from the body, a departure not into some temporary nothingness where one resides in an unconscious condition, but one in which we are with Christ. If we are with Christ, then we continue existing.

Paul says that state is very much better than our present state. He could not say that if death was only a state of complete unconsciousness without any awareness of Christ’s presence. No, our life in heaven is far better because we are with Christ, and we know it. If this were not true, would it not be better for us to remain in this life where at least we would have conscious fellowship with Christ?

Contrary to what some describe as soul sleep, where the body remains asleep, unconscious, and unaware of anything until the time when it is to be reunited with the body when Christ returns to join our spirits with our new resurrected bodies and sets up His rule and reign in the new heaven and the new earth.

We will have more to say about this tomorrow as we look at additional biblical evidence for one’s conscious existence and presence with Jesus when we die.

Yours in faith and fellowship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Words Written to a Sad Friend Who Relapsed.

Dear Friend,

I have a good friend who has struggled for many years with an alcohol addiction. After months of sobriety, he relapsed, a familiar story in his years of battling his addiction. Discouraged and feeling defeated, he wrote me and shared his utter humiliation over what he perceived as another failure on his road to recovery.

My friend was remorseful and was saying all the right words that his friends and family wanted to hear, but whether he ‘fails forward’ will be determined by his future attitude and actions.

We can leverage our failure if we learn from it. As I said to my friend, “failure is never our enemy, it is our attitude and response to it that determines whether or not it becomes our enemy."

Every time we fail, we need to remind ourselves that even though we have failed, we have failed a few feet forward. We are moving in the right direction. We are making progress. And when this happens, we need to get back up and recognize we are a few feet closer to success. Failure creates opportunities for growth, but only if we learn from it and leave it behind us. If we learn from it, failure becomes our friend

In a men’s leadership class, we studied the book Spiritual Leadership by Oswald Sanders, and in his chapter on failure is a passage worth noting. Quoting historian James Anthony Froude, Sanders writes, “The worth of a man must be measured by his life, not by his failure under a singular and peculiar trial. Peter the apostle, though forewarned three times, denied his Master on the first alarm of danger, yet the Master, who knew his nature in its strength and in its sweetness chose him. Successful leaders have learned that no failure is final, whether his own failure or someone else’s.” Spiritual Leadership, Oswald Sanders, p 163.

Paul reminds us that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28) So regardless of what you have done or the number of times you have failed, God is not finished with us for He is always at work, ready to reclaim our story and write a new and fresh beginning.

If you have ever failed, and that’s includes all of us, you might want to read the "Red Sea Road."

                   Have you come to the Red Sea place in your life,

                   Where in spite of all you can do,

                   There is no way out, there is no way back,

                   There is no other way but through?

                   Then wait on the Lord with a trust serene

                   Till the night of your fear is gone;

                   He will send the wind, he will heap the floods,

                   When he says to your soul, ‘Go on.’

                   In the morning watch, neath the life lifted cloud,

                   You shall see but the Lord alone;

                   When he leads you on from the place of the sea

                   To a land that you have not known;

                   And your fear shall pass as your foes have passed,

                   You shall no more be afraid.

                   You shall sing his praises in a better place,

                   A place that his hand has made.”

                                Annie Johnson Flint

Have a great day, and if you are ever walking the Red Sea Road, take a listen to Ellie Holcome as she sings the words of this song which reminds us that God writes wonderful comeback stories!

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

The expression "failing forward" was taken from book of that same name by John Maxwell

 

Leadership Thought: A Suggestion of What to Do on This President’s Day.

Dear Friends

On this day, I thought it appropriate to direct our thoughts to one whose life stands front and center in the pantheons of presidents, and the one whose life established this Presidents' Day, day, our nation's first president, George Washington.

I have been reading Eric Metaxas Seven Men and Women and the Secret of Their Greatness and of the 7 great men he lists as having a lasting imprint on our nation and our world, he includes the likes of William Wilberforce, Jackie Robinson, Pope John Paul 11, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but at the top of the list he places George Washington.

Now a lot has been written and much has been debated regarding the faith of our founding fathers, some who were perceived to be agnostics, Deists, or Christians. In critiquing the faith of our first president there has been debate where his faith falls in this regard. Washington was never known to be outwardly expressive of his personal faith, (it has been said that there is hardly a letter that can be found which includes the mention of Jesus), but none the less, he was known to be a man who lived out a deeply held faith as commander and chief of our nation's first army and as our first president.

There is a well-known painting many of us may have seen of Washington kneeling in prayer beside his horse, but biographers have questioned this painting indicating that there was never any record of Washington ever done such a thing. Regardless of whether the painting was based on fact or fiction, there is no doubt but what he was a deeply religious man whose faith played a significant part in his decision making.

“Washington nephew, George Lewis, was an inadvertent witness to his uncle’s faith. He related what he saw to Washington's biographer Jared sparks, who wrote:

‘Mr. Lewis said he had accidentally witnessed (the general’s) private devotions in his library both morning and evening; That on these occasions he had seen him in a kneeling position with a Bible open before him and that he believed such to have been his daily practice.’” Seven Great Men and Women and The Secret of Their Greatness, Eric Metaxas, p. 36

Washington wrestled with the slavery issue for much of his adult life, but as Metaxas writes “On  July 1719 he finally made an important decision. He rewrote his will, not only freeing his slaves but also ensuring that the young ones would be taught to read, write, and learn a trade, and that the old and infirm ones would be taken care for the rest of their lives.” (Ibid. p.47)

Whatever his level of personal faith, and no matter how private it may have been it was certainly lived out in his actions and decisions and in his relationships with both friends and adversaries and most of all among the people he ruled as our first, and as many would proclaim, our greatest president.

On this President’s Day, may we take time to remember to pray for our President and all those who rule our land, and may our prayer be that almighty God would enable each of them to model the civility, courage, and compassion of President Washington, and may they, like him, fall on their knees as he as they seek His will for their lives and for the life of our nation.

Happy Presidents' Day.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

 

Leadership Thought: It’s Not too Late to Send a Valentine.

Dear Friends,

Yesterday I had breakfast with a friend in our church. While talking about his job, he remarked how difficult it was for him to work where he did. His comment caught my attention. He said, “I have worked there 17 years and I don’t ever recall a time when my boss ever spoke one encouraging word to me.”  

I couldn’t imagine how my fried survived working there for 17 years without ever hearing one word of encouragement.

There are few gifts that one can give that are more valuable than encouragement. It is so easy to give. It doesn’t take much time or effort. It can be offered in just a few short words-written or spoken- and its can be life changing.  A kind word or an encouraging note is all it takes to lift another up. And yet, in spite of its ease of giving, it seems that so many are unwilling to give a gift that is so life changing.

I think back to a time when I was pastoring in western Pennsylvania. I had been there four years, and I was staring burnout in the eye. It had been a wonderful church, and I had every reason to be thankful that the Lord had placed me there, but I was tired, discouraged, and feeling like I had not accomplished all that I had set out to do. I found myself wondering if it might be time to look for a new challenge in another church.

I guess I wasn't very good about hiding my feelings, for somehow word got out to the congregation of how I was feeling. I remember it well, for it was shortly before Valentine's Day when I started receiving them in the mail. They were love letters from the congregation. Someone had orchestrated a love letter campaign, and for the next couple of weeks my mailbox was full of letters of encouragement written by members of our congregation.  They were brimming full of gratitude and appreciation. They were dressed up as Valentine's, and they screamed out, “We love you.” Even as I share this, tears well up as I remember those special people who helped save my ministry. To this day those ‘Valentines’ are as some of the choicest deposits in my bank of memories.

It has been said that encouragement is oxygen to the soul.  We can’t live very long without it. It is the quality that provides the burst of energy needed to finish the race when thoughts of quitting echo in our ears, and the finish line seems so distant.

I'm sure that the apostle Paul knew how valuable encouragement was. Maybe that is why he wrote,” Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thess. 5:11) or again to the Ephesians when he writes, “Don't let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 5: 29).

I know we are a few days removed from Valentine's Day, but I would ask you if there might still be a few Valentine love letters you might wish to send someone who needs a little spark of encouragement. Those letters, while costing so little, may be the very gift that brings eternal value to those who receive them.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S. “We blossom under praise like flowers in the sun and dew: we open, we reach, we grow. Gerhard E. Frost

 

Leadership Thought:  Flawed and Failing, He Will Change Your Life, A Response to One of My Readers.

Dear Friends,

One of the joys of sharing Leadership Thoughts is that I get to connect with so many of you through these daily messages. I love hearing from you, especially when you share perspectives on the subjects about which I have written. Yesterday, I heard from a couple of readers regarding yesterday's message on integrity.  I made the comment that "once trust is broken, it is next to impossible for it to be restored.'  I certainly didn’t mean to imply there is no hope for failed people for as my reader friend pointed out “there are more examples in the Bible of God using failed people than people who avoid failings.”

God is in the business of taking failed people, just like you and me, flawed and broken. and restoring them to newness of life. The Bible is filled with such examples.

The Apostle Paul is one of the greatest examples of God’s transforming power to change a heart of hate (once rounding up believers to be persecuted and killed) to a heart of love that sought to rescue and restore those he once hated.

The first verse I learned as a new believer was 1 Cor. 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation. The old has passed away; the new has come." God specializes in making old things new. He is in the redesign business, fashioning new life out of brokenness.

In 1962 God forever changed my heart and transformed my life, and I know He has done the same for many of you as well. Our God is a ‘life changer, and no matter how hopeless your life may seem to be, He will “make beauty out of ashes."

For many years Streams in the Desert, was my ‘go to’ spiritual resource for devotional reading. Edited by L.B, Cowman, it is a spiritual classic filled with encouraging stories and writings from those who have journeyed the road of spiritual faith. I quote from the March15^th devotional (p.115-16) containing the following quote from J. R. Miller.

“Christ is building his Kingdom with the broken things of earth. People desire only the strong, successful, victorious, and broken things of life to build their kingdoms, but God is the God of the unsuccessful- the God of those who have failed. Heaven is being filled with earth's broken lives, and there is no bruised reed (Isaiah 42: 3) that Christ cannot take and restore to a glorious place of blessing and beauty. He can take a life crushed by pain or sorrow and make it a harp whose music will be total praise. He can lift earth saddest failures up to heaven’s glory.”

Yes, how true it that “through waves, and clouds, and storms He gently clears the way.”

God will make a way where there seems to be no way. He will redeem your failures, restore your brokenness, and renew your hopes and dreams for a new and changed life. Just yield your life to Him, trust in His power to change your heart and mold you into a glorious new creation. He will do it because He loves you, and He wants the best of everything for you. He is a Promise Maker, and a Promise Keeper, and He will keep His promise to give you victory, both in this life and in the life to come. 

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Colossians 3:23-24

 

Leadership Thought: How to Be a Person of Influence.

Dear Friends,

“Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.” Daniel 6:4

A person of integrity, like Daniel, is a person who is always faithful, responsible, and trustworthy. He is the kind of person who earns the trust of others. He is a person of influence because people know he can be trusted. When he says he will do something, you know it will always be done. 

The Center for Creative Research, in a significant study, “learned that one thing that sounds the death knell for those who aspire to the top rung on the ladder is betraying trust. Virtually anything else can be overcome over a period of time, but once trust is betrayed, moving to the top of the ladder is out of the question” “How to Gain Influence,” John Maxwell Leadership Podcast).

It has been said that "it is always easy to do right when you know ahead of time what you stand for."

When you are in a pressure situation and you are faced with the choice to stay the course of truth or compromise that truth, what’s inside you will always be squeezed out.

Let us dare to be a Daniel, never compromising, always faithful, responsible, and trustworthy.  If we are, we can be sure of one thing; We will always be a person of influence.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S. In the words of one of country music's queens, Tanya Tucker, "It's never too late to do the right thing now."

Leadership Thought: How a Phone Call from Dick Armstrong Changed My Life and Ministry.

Dear Friends,

A few years ago, I attended the funeral of a dear friend of mine, whose words back in 1969 forever changed the direction of my life and ministry. Those words came from the lips of Dick Armstrong, who had been a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, and who had passed away at age 94.

Dick enjoyed a varied career in both the secular and religious worlds. He was a professional baseball player, an accomplished pianist and composer of music. He was the director of public relations for the Baltimore Orioles baseball team, and the first person to introduce the idea of team mascots to professional sports, his Mr. Oriole, being the first professional team mascot to appear on the field. Dick, who had pastored one of the largest churches in the Presbyterian denomination, was also a prolific writer who authored seven books and had been working on three others at the time of his death.  Dick was the most amazing and multi gifted man I have ever met. His obituary filled a full page of the Princeton newspaper. 

I first met Dick while he was serving as President of the National Trustee Board for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Our interests in sports and faith brought us together, and thus began a friendship that we maintained for almost 50 years.  Whenever I visited him during the later years of his life, I always left feeling encouraged and inspired to be a better person and a better pastor.

But now about those words that changed the trajectory of my life and ministry. Dick had been serving as interim pastor at the Cedar Park Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, and one day he called and asked me if I would be interested in considering becoming the pastor at Cedar Park.  Cedar Park was a predominately white church situated in a changing community that had become 80 percent black, and the challenge facing the church was how to reach the predominately black community with the gospel.  At the time I was serving a small church in Syracuse, New York. I knew little, if anything, about urban ministry, and having grown up in a predominately white community in Watertown, New York, I felt totally inadequate and unprepared for the kind of ministry the church needed. Dick was persistent, however, and on two different occasions he called and encouraged me to explore the possibility. Each time I politely told him I was not interested. 

After our third conversation, however, he closed with the words that forever changed my ministry directions.  Dick said, "Tom, I believe You're the man for this ministry." Dick believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. He had confidence in my abilities at a time when I felt totally inadequate. I couldn't get those words out of my mind. "Dick believes in me!"

Belief in someone is a powerful force in shaping his/her life, and it was knowing that Dick believed in me, along with the power of the Holy Spirit that made me overlook my limitations and inadequacies. I accepted Dick's challenge, pursued the position, and soon after was called to become Cedar Park's pastor. The next seven years of my ministry were life changing for me and our family as our church became one of the few integrated churches in Philadelphia. During that time, I was stretched and challenged in ways I never could have imagined, but all the while I never forgot Dick’s words, "Tom, You're the man for the ministry," and they encouraged me to persevere when ministry challenges confronted me.

Encouraging words are powerful and life changing as Dick's words were for me. They can become the 'positive push' that can alter the direction of our lives. They can become "the wind beneath our wings" that enable us to soar beyond the limits of our own abilities and expectations.

"There are high spots in all of our lives and most of them have come about through the encouragement of someone else." George M. Adams.

The Apostle Paul fully realized the power of the 'positive push' when he exhorts us "To encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are already doing " (1 Thess. 5:11).

Is there someone in your life who would benefit from your words of encouragement? Why not drop them a note or pick up the phone and give them a call. I promise you that you will be glad you did, and so will the person you contact. Who knows but what your words might be as life changing as Dick's words were for me?

Yours in faith and friendship

Pastor Tom

P.S. "People go further than they think they can when someone else comes along and tells them that they think they can." John Maxwell

 

Leadership Thought: You Say It Best When You Say Nothing at All.

Dear Friend

Many years ago, when I was fresh out of seminary and pastoring a small church outside of Syracuse, New York.  I received word of an accident that had taken place just up the street.  I was new to the area and did not know the family.

When I received the call, I immediately left our church and walked up the block to the site of the accident. I had been informed that a dad had been outside mowing his lawn when the blade of the mower struck a rock, became disengaged, and like a missile went hurtling through the air, tragically embedding itself in the skull of his four-month-old son.   

I confess my seminary training had not prepared me for this kind of visit. Words don’t always come easy when you’re faced with a tragedy like this. As I quickly made my way to the home, I thought to myself what am I going to say to this family?  You see in seminary we had been trained to know the right thing to say and do in particular situations, but now my mind was blank and any thoughts about what I would say escaped me.

As I arrived on the scene, I saw police cars and the flashing red lights of an ambulance which had just arrived. They were loading the tiny child into the ambulance, and I was informed that he was dead.

I saw the dad whom I had never met, and I walked up to him not knowing what, if anything I could say to him. I remember looking him straight in the eye, and without saying a word, I just wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. Together we stood there embracing as we tasted the salt in one another's tears.

I don't remember saying a thing, but my embrace and my tears communicated a message far more powerful than any sermon I could ever preach.

A few days after the funeral, he called me and told me how much he appreciated all I had done. I couldn’t imagine what it was that I had done that was so deserving of appreciation.  I hardly spoke a word for I knew nothing to say, and yet he thanked me for my ministry.

I told him thanks, as I told him that I didn’t feel I had done very much, and he said, “Oh yes you did. “You held me and cried with me, and that meant more than anything you could have ever said or done.”

That day I discovered the value of touch, and I learned the meaning of those well-known lyrics sung by Allison Krause who sings “You say it best when you say nothing at all.”

That was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. It was reassuring to discover that one doesn’t always have to possess the right words to help someone who is hurting. At times like this there is no need to deliver theological platitudes for such words are often devoid of any power to heal a broken heart.  All that one needs are a couple of arms and a few tears from a caring heart that feels the pain of another’s loss.

What do you say at a time like this? Nothing, for what I learned that day was that “you say it best when you say nothing at all.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: What Tom Brady Has and All God’s People Need.

Dear Friends,

I was interested to learn that a week after Tom Brady notified the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he was retiring, he spoke again in such a way that he appeared to leave the door a crack open for a possible future return to the playing field. Brady has a passion for the game, and it is just too hard to say goodbye to something you are passionate about.

I believe passion is the key to success, whether on or off the football field. Passionate people are generally successful people, whatever their walk in life may be.  Brady possessed this quality, and because he did, he will probably go down as the greatest quarterback in N.F.L. history.

One of my favorite movies from years past was “Zorba the Greek.” Zorba was the epitome of passion. He lived his life with reckless abandon. His style of life was contagious.

Author and speaker, Tim Hansel writes about him: “His zest for life at its fullest, his amazing way of flowing with life and pain inspired his employer, whom he called ‘Boss,’ to say to him, ‘Zorba, teach me to dance.  Zorba had an incredible appetite for life and grace.  I found that infectious. As Zorba said so well: ‘The life of a man is a road with steep rises and dips. All sensible people use their brakes. But I did away with my brakes altogether a long time ago because I'm not at all scared of a jolt…What have I got to lose?  Nothing. Even if I do take it easy, won't I end up the same? Of course, I will. So, let's scorch along.’” Holy Sweat, Tim Hansel, p. 82

As a former coach, I always looked for passion in my players. If they possessed a passion for the game, no matter how limited their skills might have been, I knew they would eventually be successful because of their great passion to improve and be their very best.

Author and speaker, Tony Campolo says, “Until I am committed, there is a hesitancy, a chance to draw back. But the moment I definitely commit myself, then God moves also, and a whole stream of events begins to erupt. All manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, persons, and material assistance that I could have never dreamed of come my way and begin to flow toward me the moment I made a commitment.” Quoted from a John Maxwell podcast, “The Leaders Greatest Gift.”

Paul exhorts the Colossians to be passionate about what they do. “Whatever you do, do it heartedly, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23).  In Ecclesiastes we read, “Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with all you might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Why did the workers in Nehemiah’s day complete the walls around Jerusalem in just 52 days? It was because, “The people had a mind to work” (Nehemiah 4: 6). They were passionate, full of enthusiasm, as they went about their work.

Whatever you and I do each day, let's do it passionately. Let’s serve passionately, work passionately, love passionately, leaving no question where our heart resides. Let's not go half speed, but full speed, and let it never be said of us that we were guilty of sleepwalking through life. Like Zorba, let’s get ‘scorching’ and who knows what a difference we might make today and even for all eternity.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: A Wonderful Feeling Following a Church Leadership Meeting Last Night.

Dear Friends,

George S. Patton once said” If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” I thought of Patton’s words this morning after attending a leadership meeting last night at our church. Our elder board was discussing a significant renovation issue with which we had been wrestling for over a year, and at one point during our discussion, one of our members suddenly raised his voice a level or two and began passionately arguing in favor of his preferred position.

Yes, I confess, that member was me, and I acknowledge I may have been a bit too ‘exuberant’ in my protestations., I had definitely ‘stirred the pot,’ but thankfully what ensued was an honest an open discussion regarding the question at hand. While differences in opinion can easily divide a leadership team, differences of opinions can also lead to its progress, especially when those leaders are mature, respectful, and are seeking the greater good of the ministry or organization they represent.

All of this got me to thinking about a conversation Beth Moore, a noted evangelical bible teacher had with the late Bill Bright who was the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. Bill Bright had magnificently led Campus Crusade for Christ on a path that enabled the organization to bridge the gap between denominational and non-denominational churches.

Beth pointed out to Dr. Bright, that most leaders go to one extreme or another, and she wanted to bridge the denominational non-denominational gap like he had done, and she wondered what kind of advice he would offer her to be able to accomplish such balance in his ministry. She asked, “What would you tell me? What advice would you give me so I can do what you have done?”

Bill Bright was laboring to breathe, with a disease that he had been bearing for so many years, and taking a deep breath, he said, “Beth, love, love, love, and when you are tired of loving, you love some more. And when you really don't agree with them, you love them even more. You just continue to love, love. Make the mark of your life love- that when you die, they will say, didn't she love? Make it all about love.”

How we need to hear that message in our fractured and polarized culture of today. Whether we are in the world or in the church like we were last night, the key to accomplishing anything of significance is love.

The fruit of the spirit is love, and if that love is genuine, that fruit will look, and smell and taste like love. If that fruit is genuine, it will be seen in our lives and in the life of our church. I remember someone saying, “nothing happens through us until it happens to us,” and how true that is. If we want our culture and our churches to be characterized by love, then we must be sure that each of us individually manifests the fruit of that love in our lives.

And when I went to bed last night following our sometimes-heated meeting, I felt loved. I may not have convinced our church leaders of my position, but I knew one very important thing and that was that I was still loved and when you know you are loved nothing else matters.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought Are You a Contentious Christian?

Dear Friend,

Are you a contentious Christian?  In today’s politically polarized world, it is easy to become one. Each of us may possess strong feelings about our political positions and persuasions. I confess it is easy for me to draw a line in the sand and become emotional and even belligerent over the cause I might champion.  

Sadly, many of us have witnessed relationships severed because of unkind words that were spoken or positions that were defended because of the fervent feelings positions we held.  It is not wrong to feel strongly about a particular position, but let’s never forget that our witness for Christ is more important than the candidate we support or the cause we champion.

As Christians there are times to be both peaceable (Romans 12:18) and contentious (Jude 3).  We are to be “both kinds of people depending on the issue and concern we address.” For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time for war, and a time for peace (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8).

Yes, I watch Fox News, but I will often turn to MSNBC because I want to hear what is being said from another perspective.

Whatever our reaction and response to the issue being addressed, our ultimate concern must always be our witness for Christ.  All of us need to remember that “the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone” (2 Timothy 2:24).  Yes, there is a time to fight for our faith, but let’s be sure the underlying cause is motivated by our love for Jesus and our desire to see others come to know Him.

Philip Yancey in his book “The Jesus I Never Knew” offers thoughts that provide a much-needed boundary for our conversations and relationships with others.  Yancy writes “I feel convicted by this quality of Jesus every time I get involved in a cause I strongly believe in.  How easy it is to join the politics of polarization, to find myself shouting across the picket lines at the “enemy” on the other side.  How hard it is to remember that the kingdom of God calls me to love the woman who has just emerged from the abortion clinic (and yes, even her doctor), the promiscuous person who is dying of AIDS, the wealthy landowner who is exploiting God’s creation.  If I cannot show love to such people, then I must question whether I have truly understood Jesus’ gospel.”  

So maybe the best thing we can do is to turn off our television sets for a while and ask God to show us if our contention is “godly, loving and kind.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

 

A Weekend ‘Un Spiritual’ Leadership Thought’ (Spoiler Alert, For Only Those Who Like Country Music)

Dear Friend?

What's your preferred list?  I mean what do you think about when you can’t sleep?  For me I like to think about my all-time favorite country songs. As you probably know from my past Leadership Thoughts, I am a great lover of country music, the classics from the 50’s through the 90’s. My selection never stays the same; it is always evolving, and tomorrow it will be different that it was at 3 am this morning.

As I lay awake unable to sleep, because I had too many things on my mind, I began thinking of my 20 favorite classic country songs. I know the list will change by tomorrow because a few of you vintage country listeners will remind me of a song I should have included, but for what it’s worth, and I know it’s not much, I suggest the following songs that came to my mind during the early morning hours. They are in no order of preference, but if I had to prioritize them the first couple would be He Stopped Loving Her Today, George Jones, and Sing Me Back Home, Merle Haggard

Here’s the rest:

You Don’t Even Know My Name, David Allen Coe

Bobby McGee, Kris Kristofferson

She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful, Sammy Kershaw

Cheyenne, George Strait

Looking for a Place to Fall Apart, Merle Haggard and Jane Fricke

Go Rest High on That Mountain, Vince Gill and Patty Lovelace

Gone Country, Alan Jackson

Everything That Glitters is Not Gold, Dan Seals

Please Come to Boston, David Allan Coe

Where Have You Been? Kathy Mattea (bring the tissues)

Chiseled in Stone, Vern Gosden,

Bring Them Flower Now, Tanya Tucker

Old Hippie, Bellamy Brothers

I Should have Been a Cowboy, Toby Keith

Your My Best Friend, Don Williams

Big Girls Don’t Cry, Reba McEntire and Brooks and Dunn

Three Wooden Crosses, Randy Travis

Unfair Weather Friends, Merle Haggard and Willy Nelson

The Dance, Garth Brooks

When I Call Your Name, Keith Whitley

Keep it Between the Lines, Paul Overstreet

Trying to Get Over You, Vince Gill

Don’t Take the Girl, Tim McGraw

Pancho and Lefty, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson

Meet Me in Montana, Dan Seals …………………… and yes, I would have to slip in one contemporary ‘classic,’ Broken Halos, Chris Stapleton

I know I said 20 but who’s counting? When country music comes to mind, how can you limit yourself to just 20. In fact, as I pulled out a list from yesteryear I had over 70 songs, so please appreciate my brevity.

No, nothing spiritual on a Sunday morning, but if you can’t sleep and quoting bible verses won’t do, then try remembering some country classics, and I think you will be glad you did. And if you do, be sure and send me one or two of your favorites.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Is the Grass Really Greener on the Other Side of the Fence?

Dear Friend,

We have heard that “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,” and that is often true. But as someone once remarked, "so also is the water bill.”

You and I have an awful habit of comparing ourselves and what we have with those who have more.  As a result, we often miss the best God has for us because we fail to appreciate the blessings we already possess.

Unfortunately, in today’s world when we are bombarded by ads of every variety that are always promising comfort and convenience, happiness and contentment, we are tempted to think we will also find that happiness in some product or some service. But these things seldom bring happiness or contentment. Just ask some of the lottery winners whose newly found wealth has brought them nothing but misery and discontentment. 

We are too much like the guy described in the following bit of doggerel:

“As a rule, mans a fool

When it cool, he wants it hot.

And when it’s hot, he wants it cool.

Always wanting what is not.”

Happiness comes from within and not from without. If there is a vacuum within your heart, Satan will steal in and convince you that happiness is found in a credit card. However, like cotton candy, our purchases may bring temporary pleasure, but soon after we want something newer and bigger, which almost always means more money. As someone said, “greed has a growling stomach.”

The Apostle Paul possessed the secret to contentment, and as a result he could be happy regardless of his circumstances. Whether living under a bridge or in the penthouse, he knew that contentment results from an inside experience and not from outside extravagance.

He declares that secret when he reminds us that, “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:10) 

Christ will meet all our needs, but never all our greed. God wants the best for us, but often we miss that best because we fail to recognize the blessings we already possess.

An ancient Persian legend tells of a wealthy man by the name of Al Haffed, who owned a large farm. One evening a visitor related to him tales of fabulous amounts of diamonds that could be found in other parts of the world, and of the great riches they could bring him. The vision of all this wealth made him feel poor by comparison. So instead of caring for his own prosperous farm, he sold it and went out to find these treasures. But the search proved to be fruitless. Finally, penniless and in despair, he committed suicide by jumping into the sea.

Meanwhile, the man who had purchased his farm noticed one day the glint of an unusual stone in a shallow stream on the property. He reached into the water, and to his amazement, he pulled out a huge diamond. Later when working in his garden, he uncovered many more valuable gems. Poor Al Haffed had spent his life traveling to distant lands seeking jewels, when on the farm he had left behind were all the precious stones his heart could have ever desired.

Security can never be found in a safe deposit box. Jesus has taught us that a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15), and He advised his disciples “to lay up treasures for themselves in heaven rather than on earth” (Mt. 6:19f).

Let us never forget that contentment never comes from the accumulation of things, but from the assurance that “God will never leave us or forsake us”, and that’s a promise we can count on.

Yours in faith,

Pastor Tom

P.S. People say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but that is never true if you are willing to fertilize the side you are on. (Adapted from a quote from the Washington Post and found on the internet)

Leadership Thought Why Every Church Member Should Be a Part of a Life Group.

Dear Friends,

If you have seen the movie, “A Few Good Men,” you probably remember the striking three-word question shouted by Colonel Jessup as he sought to defend himself against the charges of malfeasance: "Are we clear?”

Likewise, as a church we need to be asking ourselves the same question. Are we clear when it comes to communicating what we believe should be the goals and direction of our church? Church members deserve to know those goals and the process by which we seek to achieve them.  For example, if one of our goals is to ‘make disciples,’ then the question becomes how will we achieve this goal?  If we know the “what”-making disciples- then what is the “how”-the process for making disciples?

A church can attract attenders through preaching, but disciples are formed and fashioned in small groups. I would go so far as to say that unless you are a part of a small group, we call them life groups at New Monmouth, you are in big danger spiritually. We need each other if we are to be spiritually healthy and well-functioning members of the body. We live in a “crowded loneliness,” and when we isolate, we slowly die, both physically and spiritually. Casual connections will never be enough. We need regular face to face relationships, the kind that are so close that when I cry, you taste the salt in my tears.

To use a baseball analogy, just putting the ball in play is never enough. We need to figure out how we can insure our players cross home plate. If the team is not clear on the “how to” of accomplishing the goal, we may wind up with each player using his own strategy to accomplish the goal, rather than working together in a coordinated effort to achieve that goal.

A lot of discipleship strategies include the dispensing of information-what disciples need to know- largely communicated in the large group context of worship, and yes, knowing what to believe is an important part of the disciple making process. But also, of critical importance is teaching followers the importance of belonging and pointing them to those they “need to be with.” You may need to take a moment to reread this last sentence, or you may miss its significance. Often the most effective venue for disciple making is found amid a loving and supportive small group environment comprised of people who are committed to love and care for each other. Following Christ involves believing, but it also means belonging, and these two aspects must never be separated.

As much as I enjoy gathering together for worship in a large community setting like worship, I recognize that some of the deepest spiritual truths I have learned have come within a small group setting where I was challenged, exhorted, encouraged, and yes, even rebuked in the interest of disciple making.

In closing, I remind you that while Christ intended for our relationship with Him to be personal, He never intended it to be private. We need each other, and I hope each one of you who reads this message recognizes this. Believing without belonging is like possessing good news but having no one to share it with.

Yours in faith and fellowship,

Pastor Tom

Leadership Thought: Doing Above and Beyond to Keep Church Visitors Returning.

Dear Friend,

“In his book the Circle of Innovation, business guru Tom Peters describes a trip he took:

‘My first stop was the Ritz Carlton at Peachtree center in Atlanta. In the course of my stay, I encountered 25 to 30 hotel employees. Some were housekeepers, some were waiters, some were maintenance people, some were accountants, on their way to meetings with sheaves of paper under their arms.

Every time one of them (including the accountants!), performed what I call the Ritz Pause. This is, they took a couple of seconds, stopped, looked at me in the eye, and asked, ‘How's everything going? Is there anything I can do for you?’” (Going Public with Your Faith, William Carr Peel and Walt Larimore, p. 75).

As I reflected on his words, I thought about how important it is for the church to model this kind of behavior when it comes to church visitors.

First impressions are often lasting impressions, and we don’t often have second chances to make first impressions.

As church members we must always strive to go out of our way in welcoming new visitors, taking extra effort to make them feel comfortable and at home. Walking with them instead of pointing them to the Sunday School area, taking time to introduce yourself and engaging them while practicing the “Ritz Pause” and asking, “Is there anything I can do for you,” are the kind of actions that people will never forget.

It has been said that "people may forget you, but they will never forget how you made them feel, and how you made visitors feel may be that special quality that brings them back to church again.

It is not always the big things that visitors will remember about your church-they may be impressed with the quality of preaching, or music or the beauty of the sanctuary or worship center, but they will never forget how they were treated and how you made them feel when they worshiped with you.

I like to remind our people that ‘every member is a minster’ and every Sunday, it is their responsibility to exercise their ministry by reaching out and spending time with each, but always giving special preference to those who may be first time visitors.

Each Sunday I suggest that every member pray this prayer before setting foot in church, “Lord, help me meet and make a new friend this Sunday. Help me be your eyes and ears, always sensitive to the ways I might make a difference in another person’s life. Help me come to church with the mentality that seeks to find a need and fill it, and don’t let me leave until I have made some difference, however small it may be. in someone’s life.”

This past Sunday I was in Houston, Texas where I was involved in a church consultant training program, and I worshipped in a wonderful church named Above and Beyond Fellowship. As I reflected on the church’s name, I thought what an apt way to describe a church member’s job description, one which reminds us to continually and consistently be looking for opportunities to practice the kind of love, care and concern that goes “above and beyond” what anyone, especially a new church visitor, might ever expect.

Today and every day, let’s commit to being “Above and ‘Beyonders’ for Jesus, so that wherever we are and whatever we do, people’s lives will be blessed, and He will be honored.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom