Evangelism Conference - Lesson #1

Morning friends. Well, I've had some time to process last Monday's conference. Oddly enough, I think I received the most insight from arguably, the least engaging speaker of the lot. In his defense. Dr. Roy Fish is now in his eighties. However, in Dr. Fish's case, age has obviously brought great wisdom. To be completely honest, he really just hit me where I am right now in my journey to Christ-likeness. 

He began by quoting 1 Corinthians 9:19-27. Click on the scripture to read it at Biblegateway.com. For me, I knew I was in trouble, with the very beginning of that passage:

"Though I am free and belong to no man, 

I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible."

God has really been teaching me a lot through the birth of our new recovery ministry, "The Well". You know how I know that "The Well" is absolutely a God thing? Because it couldn't be more out of my comfort zone. Don't get me wrong, I have my own issues, but for the most part, I thank God daily that he has kept me from falling too hard. Lately, God has really been opening me up to a new outlook on life & even more, his children. ALL OF THEM, not just those who look...well...good. By the way, in many cases, it is just that, a look. Just because someone looks like they have it all together on the outside, they may very well be falling apart on the inside. 

Along this same line, Dr. Fish smacked me with this statement:

"you have to do away with prejudice. 

Everyone should be welcome into the kingdom of God."

Prejudice! I'm not prejudice! Actually...I am. We all are. How many times do you catch yourself judging someone simply because they're not like you? I'm not talking about extreme examples such as racism. It could be as simple as looking down on someone because they wear jeans & a t-shirt, instead of a suit & tie. Be careful. Prejudice is very sneaky. We have to constantly be aware of it & head it off before it takes root in our minds & hearts. For those of you that know me, I've always been a bit strange. Isn't that a prerequisite for being a musician? Even as odd as I am, I still find myself judging those stranger than me. IT HAS TO STOP! I am so thankful that, through "The Well", I have made new friends that I can honestly say, I love being around. Never forget that God is healing all of us from something.

Another stiff statement from Dr. Fish was this. As evangelizing Christians (which we should all be):

"We want the good guys to come to Christ...not the Lee Harvey Oswalds of this world."

What can be said about that? It's incredibly convicting to me. I'll let you process it on your own. No need to flesh out the obvious. 

Lastly, Dr. Fish basically made the cry that we have to strive to be students of our culture. "Cultural relevance is a fact in building God's great church". I don't think this means that you have to change who God made you to be. For that matter, I don't think that's what Paul was saying in 1 Corinthians. We just have to allow God to help us relate to those that may not be where you are in your journey, but nonetheless, we are all on the same journey. Being prejudice towards someone is absolutely not going to bring them to the cross. Sitting with them & listening (even though you don't have a clue about what they're going through), could very well move them one step closer.

For me, Dr. Fish's message simply cemented that I am headed in the right direction. God help me to stay on that path. I hope some of this was able to help you along. I'll be back next with lessons from the fiery preacher Robert Smith.

Blessings!

Pray Without Ceasing!!

As many of you know, every year I take a team from our Creative Arts department to the International Worship Institute in Dallas. Only 11 more days until this year's event! This will be my fifth year to attend. We have grown from taking two, to this year a group of ten of us are attending. I'm really excited that my wife is going this year...without the kids. I love 'em, but they'll be just fine with Grandmama & Papa. Besides, we're going to Colorado together the following week! There...my conscience feels much better. Anyway, it truly is one of the best weeks of my year. It rejuvenates my soul & gets me refreshed & energized for the next year in ministry.

Contrary to what people may think, working in the church carries a lot of baggage. Don't get me wrong, at this point in my life, I can't imagine doing anything else..."For such a time as this". It's just that this calling is a lot more stressful than one might think. The bottom line is simply this, PEOPLE ARE MESSY! As it says in Romans..."We've all sinned & fallen short of the glory of God". Church is just the one place that all those messy folks come together. You gotta love it!!

Forgive me, as I feel like I'm rambling or going to ramble a bit. Let me get to my point. This morning I received an e-mail, as I often do, from the good people at IWI. It started much like they all do with a greeting not unlike that of Paul in his letters to Timothy. However, as I read on, the tone became quite different. As I'm reading, I'm thinking to myself, Lord please let this not be happening. But, as I read on, sure enough, Lamar Boschman, the founder of IWI (21 years ago) is stepping down. Why?...moral transgressions. Only God knows what that means, & frankly I'd like to keep it that way. Here we have yet another Godly leader knocked down. What is going on? The reality is, as stated earlier, we are all sinners & could at any moment be knocked down by any number of temptations.

So, what happens now? The way I see it, the only thing that I know can be done is...PRAY. We must do as the word says & "Pray without ceasing". Pray for Lamar...Pray for his family...Pray for the faculty of IWI...Pray for those attending IWI...PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!! The last thing we need to do is judge as if this couldn't happen to any one of us. Will we still be going to IWI? Of course!! I believe with all my heart that God has ordained this group of ten people to connect with Him as never before. In fact, I will be going now with an even more expectant heart than before. Through our weakness, He shows himself STRONG!

One more thing. This just solidifies in my heart the need for more ministries seeking to bring freedom to the addicted. Starting sometime in the Fall or the beginning of the new year, we will be starting a new ministry called "The Well".


Honesty is crucial! We are all either addicted to something, know someone that is, or prone to have one. Right now, I'm sure some of you are even offended by that statement. I stand by it though. We MUST get honest with ourselves. More to come down the pike with this ministry. If your heart stirs, let me know. We need leaders that have been there & done that.

Until then...

"PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!"