Kidney stones are evil
This morning, I went from feeling like I was going to die to wishing I would.
While writhing on a gurney in the emergency room, I came to the following conclusions:
- Kidney stones are of the devil.
- Narcotics are a gift from God.
Pray for me, because I don’t like crying like a baby in pain.
Read MoreFootball Faith Part 3
I can’t stand hecklers. I once went to an FSU homecoming game with a friend of mine. At the time, I was a Gator fan. Now, Seminoles and Gators do not get along very well. But, I went to spend time with my buddy. It was not about whether FSU won or lost. It was about hanging out with my friend and enjoying a game. Glenn was more important than my Gators.At one point in the game, some idiot began cheering for the Gators. The only problem is that the Gators were not playing that day. He just showed up to heckle and almost lost his life for it. Nobody wanted this killjoy ruining their party.
Have you ever been to a game or event when someone around you was determined to have a bad time? The music and cheering were too loud. It was too hot or too cold. Their hot dog tasted bad and their drink was watered down. The team they were “supporting” was obviously filled with inept players, coaches and fans. Why did everyone around them have to keep standing up? Don’t people know that it blocks their ability to see the game? They obviously know more than the cheerleaders, players, coaches, management and even all of the other fans. They are so busy criticizing that they miss the winning touchdown or, even worse, that peoples’ lives are being saved!
Are we still talking about football?… Anyway…
Everybody loves the cheerleaders. That is, everybody but the buzz kill, booing, cynical hecklers. No matter how reserved you may be, watching cheerleaders go for it makes you want to dance. I love cheerleaders so much that I married one. They keep the party going. Their job is to keep the momentum rolling between plays, during timeouts and at half time. They line up and cheer for their players as they run onto the field. When the team is having a bad day, they encourage them to not give up. They are the life of the party. Can you win a game without the cheerleaders? Absolutely… but it will not be nearly as much fun!
Have you ever been to a game that was so exciting that it was deafening? At church, cheerleaders are the ones who jump up and applaud when people accept Christ. They are on the front row singing at the top of their lungs while throwing their hands in the air (visualize “spirit fingers”). When the service starts, they let out a shout. Cheerleaders never say, “That’s too loud?” or “Why did they do that?” They celebrate the wins and do their best to lift spirits during the losses.
We’ve got Spirit! Yes we do!
We’ve got Spirit! How ‘bout you?
Nobody likes a buzz kill, but we all love the cheerleaders. GO TEAM!
Now sing with me…
Read MoreWe are the champions, my friend.
And, we’ll keep on fighting ‘til the end.
We are the champions!
We are the champions!
No time for losers
‘Cause we are the champions – my friend. *
Football Faith Part 2
Recruiters are always on the lookout for the next great player. The recruiters are the ones going out in the “real world” finding future football disciples. They are watching the players coming up in the ranks. They talk to players about their organization. You would never hear a recruiter saying, “Our team is horrible. We never have any fun.” Or “Our coaches are really tough.” NO! They are championing the cause of their team and filling prospective players in on the benefits of their winning team. They say things like, “Why don’t you come out to one of our games. We’ll take great care of you. You’ll have a great time. Just check it out.”
In the church, recruiters are the people who are looking for those who have not joined God’s team. They woo them and draw them in saying, “Why don’t you come to church with me this Sunday and check it out. I’ll show you around and introduce you to folks. You’ll have a great time.”
Coaches devote their lives to developing the gifts and talents of their players. They correct, guide, push and provoke them. They consistently point out the weaknesses of their players so they can be strengthened. Even NFL coaches take their players back to the basics regularly. They mature their players by keeping them focused on the basics, not on the tricky stuff. A winning coach will push their players until they think they cannot go any further. Great coaches celebrate the win by giving credit to their players.
In the church, a great coach will give their life to drawing out the gifts, talents and abilities of the people they minister to. A pastor who develops and trains leaders around them is a winning coach. A pastor who does not develop his leaders is a poor coach with a mediocre team at best. A Small Group Leader who can identify and train up other leaders in their group is a winning coach. Like coaches, great pastors and leaders identify the weak areas in their people in order to develop them into winners.
The players are about the win. You play because you want to win and you win by putting points on the board while keeping the other team from scoring. Winning football players spend a lot of time perfecting the basics. They watch game films looking for ways to improve. Winning players know how their adversary plays. Football is not about the glamour, celebrity or fame. It is not about the trick plays or who can kick the farthest. It is about who wins on game day.
In the church, the players are the men and women who serve to make game day happen. They are the greeters, ushers, check-in team, singers, musicians, media crews, children and youth workers, prayer teams and on and on. They are there to make the game happen, so people will come to know Christ and then grow in their relationship with Him. They are not there coddled. They are there to make it all happen so that people are saved.
Do you see yourself as a recruiter, coach or player? Tomorrow, I’ll post about cheerleaders, spectators and hecklers.
Read MorePosted by Bryan | 2 Comments
Football Faith Part 1
I write this post as I watch Noah yelling like a maniac on the practice field. He just lined up against one of his team mates, growling like a crazed animal and then proceeded to lay him out on his back as he ran right through him. As he came to a stop, his coach yelled, “Great job! Now, do it again but power through more!”
For two hours, three to four days a week, his coaches yell at him. They make him run until he feels like he will die. Then make him work harder and harder. They keep going over the fundamentals every day. Why do they do this? Why do they continually correct my son like this? Why don’t they just tell him how good he is doing and leave it at that? Why must they continually point out what he is doing wrong? Don’t they even care about him?
OF COURSE!
They do this because they want him to succeed. They do this every week because Saturday is coming and we have a game. All of this is for Saturday… Game Day. The time when it all goes down. Do or die. Both Noah and Adam play football. So, we are on the practice field between 6-8 hours every week along with hundreds of other families across Wilmington to prepare for Saturday… for a football game.
I believe church should be like football. Lord knows (literally) that our message is much more important than football. We should spend every day preparing for Sunday, our game day. So, what does a win look like? I propose that it looks like life change on a mass scale. The win comes when the opportunity is given to turn their lives toward Christ and follow Him. This Sunday was a big win for us at The ROCK. As I gave the call for salvation, hands went up all across our auditorium. I was so pumped up that I lost count after twenty hands were raised! Each time I saw a hand heaven scored again and all of heaven went berserk.
If you are already a mature follower of Christ, this puts a tremendous responsibility on you. It means you spend your week drawing others into our community of faith.
I believe church should be a lot more like football.
Coming up… are you a recruiter, coach, player, cheerleader, spectator or just a heckler? It’s time to get in the game.
Read MoreHere we go
So, for the last two years, I have been experiencing a huge paradigm shift. God has been messing up my idea of church. I am grateful for those that have gone before me and I do not believe what God has been showing me dishonors that legacy. On the contrary, I believe it builds on what I have been taught for a long time.
Throughout this process, I have been hesitant to write about this new vision of what could be. It is so different and dramatic from what we have experienced in the past that I have allowed my apprehension to hold me back. I have read the amazing stories of Perry Noble, Steven Furtick, Mike Ashcraft, Jeff Kapusta, Ed Young, Craig Groeschel, Mark Driscoll, Scott Hodge, Mark Batterson and many others wondering,
Why not my church?”
I was reminded of what John Maxwell wrote in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,
Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
I was reminded to write my vision so that those who identified with it could run with me. My thoughts are written to inspire, provoke, challenge and propel. I want to annoy the religious and motivate the passionate.
In a recent message at Lifepoint Church, Jeff Kapusta said there are around 100,000 people in our area that do not regularly attend a church. This means a lot of people around us are not headed in the right direction. I believe He wants everyone in our city to be saved.
My prayer is that my dream causes you to either act or react. Just don’t be complacent… it’s about to get interesting around here. Are you ready for it?
Read MoreMy World Online
My World in Photos
