Keeping the BIG stuff BIG and the small stuff small…

It’s always interesting to me to go through a paradigm shift on a topic, event, etc and what was big, becomes small and I look back at it and think, “I was stressed over that?”  I’m very grateful when the Lord helps me refocus on what’s BIG and what’s, well, not.

I guess naturally I tend to be a worrier, and that’s something I just have to deal with, but with proper perspective, comes proper priorities and proper stress levels.  Somethings are really, truly worth stressing over.  Things like, “What am I doing to touch those in my own neighborhood with the love of Christ,” or, “Am I leading the students entrusted to my care in the right direction?”  Those things are worth the stress.

Some things just aren’t worth it.  Fundraisers, the paint color of my office, whether I’ve lost or gained weight this week, and if I’ve blogged enough this month are examples of things that just need to know there place.

If the small things in your life are taking BIG roles, take a minute and remember what’s really BIG and what’s not.  When I look at the BIGNESS of our God and His ability and the things that are really worth making BIG, I very quickly re-order those small things to their proper place.  It’s not about not doing those things, or ignoring them, it’s about living w/ proper perspective!

It’s like being with Jesus…

I don’t know if this blog is ever read, and that’s OK.  I like having a place to get my thoughts out.  If you’re reading, maybe this thought will do to you what it is doing to me…

Yesterday Francis Chan spoke at the closing session of the Youth Pastor’s Summit in Orlando.  He had 1 thought to share, 1 thought that was tearing him up personally.  He shared it with us, and now I’m torn up, and I’m sure others are deep in thought on this topic.  It’s one of those redefining thoughts, something that when considered gives pretty much everything in your world a different tint.

He told the story about a guy in California named Vaughn.  He was a youth worker and Christ-follower.  Francis has never met Vaughn, but a friend of his said that to be with Vaughn made you feel like you were WITH Jesus.  This guy said that after spending a day with Vaughn, he though to himself, “this is probably the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to being with Jesus…”

Francis heard that statement from his friend a number of years ago, and it’s never left him.  Lately, he’s been redefining and re-examining all the things he does in his life in the light of the question… “do people say that being w/ Francis is the closest they’ve ever come to being with Jesus?”  He thinks not!

I can do lots of good things for students, I can minister to families, I can preach excellent and powerful sermons and never be in danger of resembling Jesus that much.  We can learn to do things, and accomplish things we set our minds to and never be Christ to someone.  Francis Chan said, “you can be a best-selling author and sought after conference speaker and not really be like Jesus…”  He would know.

All I know, is that I too want to be like Jesus.  I fear that all my hopes and aspirations and former definitions of “success” in ministry are now lying in the ditch on the side of the road and in their place I have one goal… BE LIKE JESUS!

That seems like a pretty obvious goal, shouldn’t we all want to be like Jesus?  Yes, we should, but I no longer want to “look” like I’m being like Jesus.  I want people to hang out with me and leave and say, “man, the love/peace/forgiveness/patience/hope I feel when I’m with Greenaway makes me feel like I’ve been w/ Jesus!”

I guess my real fear resides in how well I know myself, and how un-Christ-like I really am, everyday, all day long.  I’m not just sort of not like Christ, I’m really not like him.  Where there should be love, I have anger.  Where there should be patience, I have annoyance.  You get the idea.  I guess it shouldn’t really scare me that much, b/c no one has a shot at being like Jesus apart from His help.

I was raised, like many of you, to believe that if I did certain things and didn’t do other things, that was what it meant to be a Christian.  It’s more.  It has to be more.  Like Francis Chan, I have to read my Bible and then look at life and think, there has to be more to life.  Where are the miracles, where is my faith to see miracles, where are the dead rising, where is the church that so loves that NO ONE has need of anything?

Jesus, I want to be like you.  Not for my glory or fame, but for yours!

Small Groups… A Fresh Idea

2 nights ago, we began a new small group experiment in Alpha (our student ministry… iheartalpha.com)

Not all went smoothly, but hey, what ever goes great the first time!  We are attempting to break out into small groups every Wed. night DURING our service.  We’re certainly not the first to do this, but it’s our first time around the block w/ this idea.  In fact, all credit for the idea go to Al Force from Crave HS Ministry in Ormond Beach, FL (doyoucrave.com)

We’re breaking them down by age/gender, trying to keep the groups to 10 students or under.  The idea is that the “groups” portion of the night will be 10 minutes and cover attendance, prayer, event promotion and discussion questions…

The first night, small groups went about 25 minutes, they started slowly because the soda/chips line was backed up, and the guys finished like 8 minutes before any of the ladies groups were nearly finished… yeah, it could have been better.

I said all that to say this.  I think there is great value in small groups, and I’m hoping that we’ll be able to fine tune this idea into a model that will achieve the intimate student and leader time that I think many of them are missing.  I want to stop letting students come in, stand, clap, sit, listen and leave.  I want that middle or high school student to weekly have someone sit across a chair-circle from them and ask them how they are doing and talk and pray with them.

Check back for results…

New Year – New Energy!

The start of a new year is a great thing.  You can end the year depleted of energy, ideas, will to live (j/k), but when that new year starts, you just feel a surge of fresh energy!  I know it’s really the Lord, re-energizing and refreshing my spirit!  Thanks God, I really needed a “new year” and I think this one (2009) came at a great time.

If you’re new year didn’t come w/ a supply of new energy, take a few minutes and ask the Lord to give you a fresh round of strength, energy and excitement for what He’s doing and going to do in your New Year!

Get ready Alpha... it's gonna be a great year!

Awesome comic…

I think this is an awesome comic.  I found it @ www.toothpastefordinner.com  Not all of their stuff is totally family friendly, but it’s almost all funny!

It took me a minute, but I got it!

I’ve been forked!

 

My lawn after a good forking...

I’m proud of my students… I’ve been forked before, but this time, they’ve really outdone themselves.  This is part of the life of a student pastor.  I’m estimating 1,000 forks were placed in our yard sometime after midnight, Halloween night… My only regret is that I wasn’t awake.  The most fun part of being pranked is running out in the yard scaring the crap out of the kids!  Here’s a pic of the damage.

Church Staff Meeting

It’s amazing the myriad of things that come up in staff meeting.  Calendars, benevolence, scheduling, staffing, church discipline, background checks, events, holidays… wow, lots of stuff.

I read a friends blog this morning.  He’s stationed on the USS George Washington in the Pacific somewhere. Reading his blog makes my blog look like stale crackers.  I’m just kidding, I guess it’s OK that I work in an office that’s not floating in the Pacific… then again, I don’t have to deal w/ sea sickness or Navy food.

Reading about his travels and trials puts my staff meeting and office life into perspective.

- Charles

Campus Sounds…

I couple of minutes ago, I was standing in the courtyard of Vanguard High School, in Ocala, FL.  I was in a prayer circle with a dozen students before the morning bell.  We all had our eyes closed and were praying around the circle… if you didn’t want to pray out loud you just squeeze the hand of the next person in the circle to let them know you were going to pass on this one.

A beautiful thing happened while I was praying.  The sounds I had been hearing, but not registering, began to register in my brain.  The drumline was warming up somewhere in the parking lot near us and the brass instruments were playing, too.  Hip-Hop was coming through loud and clear from a car door propped open w/ a group of students hanging out by it.  Students and teachers were walking and talking all around us.  And I could also hear the voices of the students as they prayed about their day, their loved ones, their cross country meet this weekend, and all the things on their hearts.

In that moment, I had an overwhelming sense of joy that we could stand in the middle of all those noises and milling and rushing and just pray.  I was proud of the students that were shining for Jesus w/out showing any signs of distraction from the world around them.  It was a holy moment.  It’s a moment that happens every week at that same place and time, but this beautiful morning, it’s was really special.

Oh, to be 7 again…

It’s amazing the diference between technology today and when I was a kid.  I’m only 31, but the world has changed so much.

I’m sitting in our neighbor’s backyard watching a movie w/ a projector.  It’s a beautiful 60″ picture.  All we need was a projector, a laptop and a white sheet… instant movie theater experience!

All I’m saying is that kids have cool stuff now, and that’s cool!

 

- Charles

Hope Floats!

If you are a minister and you’re reading this, this is a post for you.

I’ve been going back and listening to some Bill Hybels’ Team Building stuff from a Willow Creek leadership conference, and he talked about something that jogged something in my mind.  He was talking about getting letters from volunteers in their church that thanked him for inviting them to serve at Willow.  They had found the joy of serving and were thanking him for it.  He said he gets those letters and puts them in a draw and occasionally pulls them out to look at them.

I’m a youth pastor, and the other day I had a student text me a thanks for working w/ her on something, and being patient, etc., and then she said, “it shows me that you really care…”  I was touched, truly touched.  If you are in student ministry, I don’t have to tell you that “Thank You’s” from students don’t come our way all that often.

My encouragement to you, is to make sure you take those moments of thanks, and tuck them away, b/c there will be another day later that week, or the week after or the month after, when nothing will go right, service will be a disaster, whatever, and you’ll be able to pull out that letter, or re-read that email and know that it’s all worth it.

- Charles