upward & inward

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I did not coin that phrase. I got it from Kathy Guy, Director of Community at Granger Community Church . Nearly all who attend church are Steppers - that is, they are taking steps toward Christ. However, there can be, regrettably, those who stalk the Steppers. Church security has become a big deal. Look no further than the recent headlines in Tennessee and Colorado Springs for tragedies among the trusting. Difficult decisions need to be made as we seek to balance Christ's mandate to be innocent and shrewd with regard to the ungodly. I am meeting with a very experienced volunteer who continues to help the staff, me, and the rest of the church understand what we need to do to encourage as much "stepping" toward Christ while repelling those with ill intent toward the Steppers. There will be more postings on this as we learn more. Until then, we pray for God's continuous protection and guidance so that we enable the steppers as we protect them too.

sig·nif·i·cant ADJECTIVE: 1. Having or expressing a meaning; meaningful. 2. Having or expressing a covert meaning; suggestive: a significant glance. 3. Having or likely to have a major effect; What makes you and I significant? It's so easy to "feel" insignificant. Perhaps, you're suddenly alone. There is no one present to encourage you. Or, if you've just made an unwise decision that affects those you love - and you're dealing with the shame and guilt of that decision. Or, no matter God's blessing or how good things really are, you just "feel" that way - insignificant . Please recognize that even a cursory read of the Bible reveals that our "feelings", although important, take a backseat to the truth of who God is and what He has done (and still does) with regard to how He feels about you and me. There are so many stories in the Bible where people endure hurt, shame, persecution, and even death - yet recognize their significance to God....

This weekend, we are announcing the arrival of Dr. Jonathan Grubbs to our staff here at Central. Effective August 10, Rev. Jonathan Grubbs joins our team as the Pastor of Spiritual Growth. In this part-time position, Pastor Jonathan will focus on the godly success of leaders and participants of adult Sunday school and small groups in fostering spiritual growth – becoming fully devoted followers of Christ. After serving as Senior Pastor of the Springfield (IL) First Church of God, Pastor Jonathan, his wife Mindy, and their four daughters Gabrielle, Rachel, Hannah, and Charis moved to Wichita last October when Jonathan accepted the position of Program Director of Christian Ministry with Tabor College School of Adult and Graduate Studies. Jonathan has also served pastorates in Ohio and Indiana, and was ordained in the Church of God in 1992. He is a graduate of Anderson University, completed a master of Religious education and master of Divinity from Anderson School of Theology, and a doct...

“He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32. The Bible continues to tell us, in story after story, that God wants to give us what we need. Yet, in practice, even His most faithful followers find themselves in fear – anxious about what they don’t know or understand about others, about themselves, about the future and, even about the church. We use words in casual conversation like: “I’m afraid…”, “that worries me…”, or “that scares me…”. Worse, we can demonstrate our distrust of what God is doing in our lives (note the “we” – I’m in the list, too) by even allowing worry to rob us of sleep. If the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (and it is), when will we wisen up and fear Him alone? If we are supposed to be like Jesus, when will we be able to sleep like He did in the midst of the storms? How do you struggle with fear and worry? How can we glorify God when we can't sleep?

In the movie "City Slickers", Jack Palance plays a ranch hand that gives a city slicker played by Billy Crystal some odd advice. Basically, the advice is to pick your most important priority and stick with it. Well, readers, this is hard for me. It's real easy to get distracted and lose focus and, well, just lose - time, energy, opportunities... Distractions can even cause us to lose much more - our relationships, health, jobs, reputation. By the way, distractions come in all shapes and sizes, both good and evil. They remain, however, distractions from that "one thing"... I spoke with someone recently who reminded me to take seriously my priorities as I reminded him of the same thing. So, with hat in hand, I come to the Lord and tell Him what He already knows about me... Lord, I give You my life, such that it is. It's really not much to speak of without You. You have made it wonderful, so it's not even mine to give, but I give it nonetheless. This is a f...

Got this blog from Bryson Butts who was quoting an article by Gerald Harris discussing 5 things that can cripple a church. Wow. Here it is. The Lord Jesus loves the church and has given Himself for it, and he obviously wants the church to be healthy and vibrant. The devil hates the church and since its inception has been hurling all the weapons in his diabolical arsenal in an effort to cripple its witness and its effectiveness. Here are five things that weaken the church and minimize its effectiveness. Scandalous Leadership. When immorality bred by lust or greed is found among the leadership of the church the results are devastating. That is precisely why pastors, church staff and lay leaders such as deacons must have lives marked by physical chastity, moral purity and spiritual integrity. I have pastored a church that was marked by a staff member who was guilty of immorality of the worst sort and the results of his sin had a devastating impact, not only upon him, but also upon his fa...

Actually, this quote was from a few weeks ago: "I didn't know you were a pastor. I just thought you were someone being nice." The woman who said it is genuinely kind - and I know she meant it in the very best way. The situation to which she referred concerned a pastor who helped her on her first Sunday get her kids to their Sunday School Classes. However, it got me thinking. Expectations of a pastor can be low. We're too busy to care. Or, in a more fair fashion, we have a lot on our plates and can't be bothered with something that the volunteers should be doing. Especially, on Sunday morning. Being nice - even in church - is an anomaly to some. Lord, help us (all of us) to never be too busy to act in mercy and grace. Fill us with a desire - indeed, a passion - to help. What do you think?

It's been a busy week. We interviewed two candidates, planned for Student Ministry interim activities, attended an HR conference, and had numerous conversations with passionate servants of the Most High God. He is truly amazing. Here are some my observations: The candidates we interviewed are zealous for the Lord and His work for them. They know that the Lord has wired them to work for Him. They have encouraged the leadership who were interviewing them. The leadership (Council and Staff) did a great job keeping on task and giving each candidate an opportunity to discuss his experiences with and for the Lord with regard to his suitability for the position he pursues. Details of employment, leadership, and management remain important enough to track consistently, diligently, and with excellence. When we look at God through our circumstances (or beyond them), our focus shines with clarity and the Lord looms larger (and more sovereign) as a result.

I have received a few "anonymous" comments to this blog since starting it over 6 months ago. Usually, they are read and ignored because I feel that if someone isn't willing to own up to what they have to say, then it must not be very important. However, I received one today and decided to answer one of his/her questions. When I worked at Hewlett Packard, we would have occasional "coffee talks". These were large meetings of an organization where some planned topics would be discussed before the leader of the meeting would often ask, "what rumors have you heard that I can refute or validate?" So, in that spirit of openness, I will attempt to answer one of these questions. "Is the Church in Trouble? " This depends. I capitalized the word, Church, as the question was written. So, I will give two answers: one for the global Church and the other for the local church (Central Community). The global Church. If being "in trouble" means that ...

There is yet one more staffing change that we announced this weekend. Pastor German Portillo has resigned from Central Community Church, effective July 27th, to accept the position of Worship Director at Kaw Prairie Community Church in Lenexa, KS. German leaves Central with experience and knowledge in both student and worship ministry that I’m sure God will use to further His Kingdom in Lenexa. Although German leaves behind students (and adults) who love him and will miss him, we know that as God has done through him here at Central, He will continue to do mighty things through German and his family in this new adventure. While I’m saddened in his leaving, I rejoice with German as God empowers him to lead this new congregation in worship to the Most High God. As a word of encouragement, while we are sad to see these precious pastors move on to other callings, we also know that God is in the midst of all of this. Having just gone through a similar experience of transition myself, I pers...

We are in change. Big change. We see it and will see it again, this weekend. And, as I speak with those around me, I see a mixture of weariness and fear in response. How does one respond to change? It is a personal deal, definitely, that depends on the context and perspective with which one finds himself. My perspective will likely be different than one who has worked for years with these folks who are leaving (I have worked with them a relatively short 8 months). In the world in which I've been working for over two decades before coming on staff here at Central, change happens. People move on. We all continually assess where we're at and compare it with where we want to go or remain and make the tough choices on whether to stay or to go. Unfortunately, we don't understand the impact and import of those tough choices made every day that we just don't know about. The other day, a volunteer confessed that she was ready to stop volunteering because the problems she was enc...