Tent City USA

Check out this video....

Tent City, USA from Mob Logic on Vimeo.

Most of us would say, 'man I'm glad we don't live close to there'. Here is the truth though....We have a version of Tent City right Here in Howard county MD. We cant let this happen anymore. Its time we help people. At the RT 1 Day center many of Howard County's homeless come 3 times a week for shelter and a meal. I challenge those of us who live here in Howard County to stop by and visit with these people. The stories you will hear will blow you away, their level of humanity will amaze you and maybe like me you will realize that we are not that far off from being them because many of them were not there a year ago.

If statistics are true and most of us are 60-90 days from being homeless then we must recognize that even though our lives are cushy now...they may not always be...and while we can we need to help someone else out.

Are pastors being incomplete?

I just got done listening to Francis Chan at the Saddleback Worship Conference and man he rocked me. As a pastor we are charged to teach God's word, I dont think any of us are confused about that. Most pastors pray fervently that God order and direct our words and actions and we do this because we have a great love for God and often a love to see people have life altering transformational change.

Let me ask you this though....

Jesus said to Love God with all your heart and love thy neighbor as thyself...right?

Have you ever thought about that before you preach? Have you ever before you preach asked God to cause you to fall deeper in love with the people in the audience, to truly love them? I have not. I usually spend my quiet moments with God before I take stage telling Him how much I love Him and want to do His will. I may pray that people receive His message and that their lives are changed...but if we are honest...truly honest...I think most of us will have to admit that we want to see transformational change in others for selfish reasons. We want to represent God well for selfish reasons. Now I'm not condemning us for our reasons but I am saying we are being incomplete.

Let me explain....

What if we were to truly love each and every person in the audience as ourselves as we spoke to them. What if our love for them ran so deep and was so profound that when they experienced change it was almost like we experienced it all over again for the first time. Let me put it to you this way...I love my son, I love that he loves football, when he scores his first touchdown it will be like I scored...I will be through the roof excited. At the same time...I love my wife...when I do the dishes its because I love her...there is no exuberance that the kitchen is clean. There is exuberance because my wife is happy.

We are excited when we see transformation because God is happy and rarely because we know we will be seeing this person for eternity. That's the selfishness...we want to hear 'Well done my good and faithful servant', we want God to be happy. Rarely are we pumped because now we know we can live out our earthly days with this person and then also live with them in Heaven forever. It requires love to plan to spend your life and eternity with someone...Ask anyone married they will attest to that.

See, what if we could treat those who listen to us Sunday after Sunday like our child that when they experience transformation we experience it, when they experience defeat we experience it. I truly believe this was part of the Acts 2 model...they bore with one another.

I think if we can do this, have that type of love, then God will say...'Well done..'. Because at this point we would have loved God and loved our neighbors as ourselves.

So...I hope you will join me on Sundays in asking God...To allow us to truly Love, with a crazy over the top, awe inspiring, radical love those He has asked me to communicate to.

A little worry is good...right?

Can worrying be a good thing? We are no longer kids that have no cares in the world. We have jobs, homes, cars, responsibility. Should we not worry about the things we are responsible for? Is it not the adult thing to be concerned about those things? After all if we are not concerned about our income and our future then who will? So, maybe a little worry can go a long way…maybe? What are your thoughts?


This Sunday we will examine what Jesus says to us about worry and if He agrees that a little worry can be good for us.


Sunday 10-11 am
United Artists Movie Theater
9161 Commerce Center Drive
Columbia MD
www.VisionRunners.org

Pastors Sin.

In the last 7 days I've been confronted with the truth that 2 men that I respect have resigned as pastors of the churches they helped plant because of secret sin.

One is a closest enough friend that he called me so he could share the reality with me. What I'm not going to do is rehash the particulars of either of their situations, honestly I don't care and you should not either.

What we do need to learn from are the realities of their situations because there are some principles that are easy for us to ignore or take for granted.

Here they are:

1. As pastors we need accountability. Not just the is our church growing are people getting saved are we teaching the Word accountability. We need personal, moral, and ethical accountability. We need best friends, other pastors who we can let our guard down around and say my stuff stinks. Someone who can see through our hiding and call us out.
2. As pastors we need to dig up those deep dark places that we try to hide and ignore. We need to pull up those habits and desires that we try to hide and DEAL with them. We cant hide them because the devil will eventually figure out how to tempt you with them.
3. We can't ever forget that the only person to 'survive' being tempted was Jesus. We can't think we are above or better than falling to temptation.
   
4. We must continually teach the churches God has allowed us to lead that the vision of the church is GOD's not ours. We cannot let ego get the better of us. Remember who we serve and that we are servants. As a servant ego is not an admired quality. Servants make their master look good.
5. We each need to realize that we are 1 stupid decision from failure. That's right 1 stupid decision. You dont need to steal $1 million or have a year long affair. Its the first dollar stolen or the first fleeting thought that gets us in trouble.
6. We can NEVER EVER put ministry before our wives and children. Are you spending more time doing church than with your wife? Does your wife get your seconds and your kids get yesterday's leftovers of your time. God First, WIFE next, then kids then Church.
   

Biblicaly we are to restore our brothers after they sin. We can't judge. As my Bishop says...'we dont have a heaven or hell to put them in.' So there is no judgement from me for Gary Lamb or my other pastor friend. Honestly, we need to pray for God's healing for their familiy. I truly believe these men were anointed by God and even though they strayed I believe God will restore them to continue His work.

For each of us now we need to examine our relationships with our wives and our relationship with GOD. Has ego, work-a-holicism, greed, or selfishness creeped in. Are our spouses yearning for our attention.? Is God begging you to be real with Him again, transparent with Him again?

A couple other guys wrote about this topic and specifically Gary Lamb and their posts are awesome:

An open letter to pastors
Thoughts on Pastor Gary Lamb
He got caught, you did not


One of my best pastor friends, Dre Burgs, and I are going to start a Pastors Accountability Network. If you are interested in partaking or learning about what we will be doing...drop me a line on facebook or Twitter. This network is open to male and female pastors (senior, youth, worship, community, etc). All pastors.


Continue being a blessing.