The Lighthouse, Part II: “Sometimes… it IS what you know…”
As though I need any help getting myself in trouble these days, I stepped off into a very unintentional conversation last week. I believe all of you see my heart for ministry to the under-resourced and how that has been a tremendous part of my ministry for the past 15 years. I could have shared countless other stories about God working in other places that have meant so much to me over the years.
What I did not know was the wonderful, significant ministry being done by our own South Santa Rosa Interfaith Ministries. Providing housing assistance, a food pantry and clothes closet as well as unbelievable medical care and assistance through the Good Samaritan Clinic, their work for the under-resourced is invaluable. You can imagine how happy I was to learn that what I love and care about so deeply for the “least of these in our community” was already in effect in such a powerful way.
Now, I certainly would have liked to avoid the stinging array of emails I received passionately defending Interfaith Ministries but in the end not only did I become aware of this outstanding ministry, but the conversation served to raise the value and visibility of what is happening in this great place. I was also blessed with the opportunity to meet with Fred and Shirley Cornett, who are wonderful and passionate about the marginalized and forgotten as well.
With this newfound knowledge, first I would like to encourage each of you to get involved with Interfaith Ministries. What they are doing is so needed in the life of our community. Interfaith has between 120-150 volunteers who minister to those in need. Our congregation represents about 1/3 of those volunteers, which is great! But, we have over 2,000 people who attend worship here each week. Maybe over the next year we could double the number of volunteers? Maybe triple?
And, please also serve in our other opportunities for the under-resourced including the Angel Food Ministries and Loaves and Fishes. For more information on these great ministries, please check our website at www.gbumc.org
Second, I received new information that says the number of under-resourced in our community is rising. So, not only will Interfaith need your support, but also so will all of the relief and response agencies/ministries in our area.
Third, as we go forward in our discussions about serving, God is always unveiling new ways that we can minister to the needs of others. That is why I am so excited about the “Dream Session” on Thursday, August 27th at 5:30pm, where we can “dream” about how to increase our support of all existing ministries and think about the ways, unimaginable now, that God is expanding our vision.
Finally, allow me to personally apologize to the volunteers of Santa Rose Interfaith Ministries for not knowing all of this sooner. I look forward to being involved with you for years and years of service together in meeting the needs of those who sit “at the city gate” and who only require our “willingness” to make a true difference (Mark 1: 40-45).
Blessings, my friends.
Loving Jesus ... Loving Like Jesus
Beginning September 23rd, we will begin a time for Covenant Commitment Renewal in the life of our church. Together, we will learn both how to Love Jesus more and how to Love Like Jesus in our world.
On September 23rd we will begin our 40 Days of Serving Devotional Time. And, on September 27th, we will begin a five week teaching series at all of our campuses where we look at how we Love Jesus through the following five areas:
1. Studying our Bible
2. Living in Community
3. Sharing our Resources
4. Faithfully Serving and Using our Spiritual Gifts
5. Worshipping Joyfully in Christ
Then on October 25th, we will have a Covenant Commitment Response Time for each family to commit themselves in real ways back to the life of our congregation. I can’t wait for what God will do!
Be Salt and Light... You matter!
Shane
Friday, August 21, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The Lighthouse
In late 2004, the church I founded and served as Senior Pastor for nearly a decade dedicated a Family Missions Center called The Lighthouse. The name was chosen from a congregational survey and vote. I’ll admit it was not my favorite, but the congregation loved it.
The name meant to convey the purpose of the facility, built by the congregation to minister to the under-resourced of the community through a food pantry, clothes closet, life skills programs and various other ministries that meant to give dignity, hope, healing, and a new direction while navigating the jagged rocks of life.
Today, The Lighthouse literarily provides food and services to hundreds of families per week and has become a powerful standard for hope in the small community I served. With all we accomplished over that decade together, I am most proud of how the people loved each other and, especially, how they loved the least of these, their neighbors, brothers and sisters.
However, as with so many entities, with The Lighthouse, there was a story behind the story. The land where the Lighthouse sits was donated by a family who were new to the congregation. When we made the announcement that we were looking for a site to host our new “Serving Center”, this particular family approached me and offered to donate the little more than an acre lot, which happened to sit in one of the most under-resourced areas of the community. It was a perfect location for our mission.
The lot was not much to look at. Trees and brush had overgrown the front of the property, and at the back sat a concrete slab, long ago the family’s old home place.
It was also the site of a tragedy. The eldest daughter of the family, who was charged to make arrangements for transferring the property to the church, told me of the story of how their father, an abrupt, abusive man, had repeatedly beat and tortured their mother, until their mother had found the strength to leave, taking the children with her.
But, these were different times, and the father kept the house. Over the years, he would slip back and forth between drunken rages and short periods of lucid, sobriety. The children did their best to care for him, but he would ultimately hurt them and would, with words and actions, do everything in his power to push them away. But, days later, as the pattern unfolded, he would beg them back into his life.
This pattern continued until the children were in college, where they found their own lives apart from their father’s desperate, broken cycles.
The daughter remembered one morning receiving a call from her father asking her to come by after she got out of class. At first, she protested, but, after much pleading from her father, she eventually promised to be at the house around noon.
Little did she know that her father was asking her home for more than a visit but to witness an unspeakable horror. Standing in the doorway of the house, the father had soaked himself as well as the porch and rest of the home in gasoline. When his daughter arrived and she began walking from her car to the porch, she watched her father light a match and set himself on fire. The house exploded into flames and, in an instance, her father and the house were gone. The house was demolished days later.
Literally, for nearly two and a half decades, the family left the property alone, as it grew up in the debris of foliage, legend and bad memories. They refused to do ANYTHING with it, never agreeing to sale it or rebuild it. It simply sat their for nearly 25 years as a symbol of horror, pain, suffering and hopelessness.
Thus, it was all the more remarkable that the family, hearing our need for a site for our new Missions Center would discuss among themselves and agree that God was moving them to give the property to the church. As the eldest daughter signed over the deed to the church, she said, “We agree that the Devil has had this property long enough. It is now time for God to do something beautiful with it.”
Later that afternoon, several of us from the Missions Center Team gathered with the family and took a picture on the newly mowed property and held our shovels to break ground for a place that would ignite a new kind of fire, born from the heart and grace of God.
That evening, after the festivities, the mother of the family came by my house with a gift. It was a large square box that one could tell had been stored away for many years. She left it at the door with a note taped to the side.
It read: “In this box, is the only thing we were able to save from the rubble of the house after the fire. I have had it my attic all of these years waiting to see what God would do next. We have prayed that God would transform our pain into something that could be helpful for those whose lives have been battered and beaten by life. I hope you enjoy it.”
I took the box and placed it on the dining room table and opened it. What I pulled out was a worn, but beautiful oil painting, still in a gold leaf frame but with black soot marks along the edges. As I turned the painting around to look at the front, the image caused me to literally lose my breath. It was a picture of…. a lighthouse.
There are no coincidences in Christ or in God’s plan.
This week, a friend of mine and I met to dream about what God could do in our own Gulf Breeze community to meet the needs of the under-resourced and to consider what could be our “lighthouse” for the least of these, our brothers and sisters. The “dream time” had little to do with our campus facilities, thousands of people in worship, or even the many, wonderful programs that we faithfully lead.
No, our dream time focused on developing a place where people could come from all walks of life to have their needs met--- medical, physical, emotional, and spiritual.
What does this place look like? What programs do we offer? How is it organized? Well, we are not sure. We haven’t gotten to that part of the dream yet. We are waiting for others to join in with their versions and dreams, too.
But, we know that God is planting a seed for such a place in many of us. And, of course, who knows how long God has been working to push forward his grace that on THAT DAY to unveil His plan.
Personally, having witnessed His work in dreams like this before, and I can’t wait to see what He has in store next.
On that note, I would like to invite you to a Compassion “Dream Session” and Forum about reaching the needs of the under-resourced in our community. The “Dream Time” is scheduled for Thursday, August 27th at 5:30pm at GBUMC Fairpoint.
This is not a committee meeting, a strategy session, a planning meeting or even a task group… this is simply a conversation among likeminded folks who Love God, who love God’s people and who want to dream “out loud” about the next places we see God leading us.
Remember what we learned at the Leadership Summit. It is the creation of our “Red Hot Kingdom Visions” that mark our place in God’s season for making a difference in our world. I want to be there. I believe you do, too.
“You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world…” (Matthew 5: 13-16) You matter.
Our Vision and “Good Morning”
This past week, I received word from someone who was concerned that I had not said “Good Morning” when I first addressed the congregation this past Sunday morning. At first, my pride got in the way and I couldn’t believe that, with all that I had said on Sunday, that someone would be upset over those two words. I asked what others thought was behind the sentiment or concern and a friend said that it was symptomatic that folks want to know where my heart is in reference to the congregation, to Gulf Breeze and to the future.
In other words, as my friend put it, “they are looking for signs that ‘you love them’…
One of the first elements that drew me to GBUMC was our mission statement… A Place of Hospitality, Hope and Healing. Goodness knows each of these have meant a great deal to me personally and in the life of my ministry.
Hospitality in the Christian tradition means to “offer Christ” and to put a person “at ease” as though they were “home”. Hope in our tradition means to “offer Christ” and to provide a new way of looking at our world, our circumstances and our struggles. To know there is something better in store or around the corner. Healing in our faith means to “offer Christ” and to insist and claim the wholeness that only comes from Jesus and that can only manifest itself in our brokenness and pain. We do more than worship God… We NEED Him.
I love these elements of our mission statement. I love being on this journey with you. I love being your pastor. I love getting to know you and making new friends. I love the struggle of our misunderstandings because even they point to the joy of what it means to find God together. I love grace and forgiveness even when they are not offered because I know that God offers them for us. I love getting things right and making you proud. I love learning from our mistakes and claiming, together again, that we will not let them happen the same way twice. I love the moments when we sing in one voice. And, I love the moments when our voices catch different tunes in different seasons and places, because we still sing for the same God.
But, more than anything… I love you. You are my brothers and sisters in the faith. I don’t know you all. But, I love you. I don’t understand you all (as you don’t me), but I love you. I don’t always appreciate the ways we talk to one another and allow our anxieties to push us apart, but, even then, I love you. And, I hope you love me.
We are more than the sum of what we can say. Our story is bigger than that, and God has only finished the first paragraph. I look forward to what happens when the whole text comes together and when people see clearly, through glass that is dim no more. Praise God for our journey. Praise God for you.
We love you all.
Be Salt and Light… You Matter!
Shane
1 Corinthians 15: 58
In late 2004, the church I founded and served as Senior Pastor for nearly a decade dedicated a Family Missions Center called The Lighthouse. The name was chosen from a congregational survey and vote. I’ll admit it was not my favorite, but the congregation loved it.
The name meant to convey the purpose of the facility, built by the congregation to minister to the under-resourced of the community through a food pantry, clothes closet, life skills programs and various other ministries that meant to give dignity, hope, healing, and a new direction while navigating the jagged rocks of life.
Today, The Lighthouse literarily provides food and services to hundreds of families per week and has become a powerful standard for hope in the small community I served. With all we accomplished over that decade together, I am most proud of how the people loved each other and, especially, how they loved the least of these, their neighbors, brothers and sisters.
However, as with so many entities, with The Lighthouse, there was a story behind the story. The land where the Lighthouse sits was donated by a family who were new to the congregation. When we made the announcement that we were looking for a site to host our new “Serving Center”, this particular family approached me and offered to donate the little more than an acre lot, which happened to sit in one of the most under-resourced areas of the community. It was a perfect location for our mission.
The lot was not much to look at. Trees and brush had overgrown the front of the property, and at the back sat a concrete slab, long ago the family’s old home place.
It was also the site of a tragedy. The eldest daughter of the family, who was charged to make arrangements for transferring the property to the church, told me of the story of how their father, an abrupt, abusive man, had repeatedly beat and tortured their mother, until their mother had found the strength to leave, taking the children with her.
But, these were different times, and the father kept the house. Over the years, he would slip back and forth between drunken rages and short periods of lucid, sobriety. The children did their best to care for him, but he would ultimately hurt them and would, with words and actions, do everything in his power to push them away. But, days later, as the pattern unfolded, he would beg them back into his life.
This pattern continued until the children were in college, where they found their own lives apart from their father’s desperate, broken cycles.
The daughter remembered one morning receiving a call from her father asking her to come by after she got out of class. At first, she protested, but, after much pleading from her father, she eventually promised to be at the house around noon.
Little did she know that her father was asking her home for more than a visit but to witness an unspeakable horror. Standing in the doorway of the house, the father had soaked himself as well as the porch and rest of the home in gasoline. When his daughter arrived and she began walking from her car to the porch, she watched her father light a match and set himself on fire. The house exploded into flames and, in an instance, her father and the house were gone. The house was demolished days later.
Literally, for nearly two and a half decades, the family left the property alone, as it grew up in the debris of foliage, legend and bad memories. They refused to do ANYTHING with it, never agreeing to sale it or rebuild it. It simply sat their for nearly 25 years as a symbol of horror, pain, suffering and hopelessness.
Thus, it was all the more remarkable that the family, hearing our need for a site for our new Missions Center would discuss among themselves and agree that God was moving them to give the property to the church. As the eldest daughter signed over the deed to the church, she said, “We agree that the Devil has had this property long enough. It is now time for God to do something beautiful with it.”
Later that afternoon, several of us from the Missions Center Team gathered with the family and took a picture on the newly mowed property and held our shovels to break ground for a place that would ignite a new kind of fire, born from the heart and grace of God.
That evening, after the festivities, the mother of the family came by my house with a gift. It was a large square box that one could tell had been stored away for many years. She left it at the door with a note taped to the side.
It read: “In this box, is the only thing we were able to save from the rubble of the house after the fire. I have had it my attic all of these years waiting to see what God would do next. We have prayed that God would transform our pain into something that could be helpful for those whose lives have been battered and beaten by life. I hope you enjoy it.”
I took the box and placed it on the dining room table and opened it. What I pulled out was a worn, but beautiful oil painting, still in a gold leaf frame but with black soot marks along the edges. As I turned the painting around to look at the front, the image caused me to literally lose my breath. It was a picture of…. a lighthouse.
There are no coincidences in Christ or in God’s plan.
This week, a friend of mine and I met to dream about what God could do in our own Gulf Breeze community to meet the needs of the under-resourced and to consider what could be our “lighthouse” for the least of these, our brothers and sisters. The “dream time” had little to do with our campus facilities, thousands of people in worship, or even the many, wonderful programs that we faithfully lead.
No, our dream time focused on developing a place where people could come from all walks of life to have their needs met--- medical, physical, emotional, and spiritual.
What does this place look like? What programs do we offer? How is it organized? Well, we are not sure. We haven’t gotten to that part of the dream yet. We are waiting for others to join in with their versions and dreams, too.
But, we know that God is planting a seed for such a place in many of us. And, of course, who knows how long God has been working to push forward his grace that on THAT DAY to unveil His plan.
Personally, having witnessed His work in dreams like this before, and I can’t wait to see what He has in store next.
On that note, I would like to invite you to a Compassion “Dream Session” and Forum about reaching the needs of the under-resourced in our community. The “Dream Time” is scheduled for Thursday, August 27th at 5:30pm at GBUMC Fairpoint.
This is not a committee meeting, a strategy session, a planning meeting or even a task group… this is simply a conversation among likeminded folks who Love God, who love God’s people and who want to dream “out loud” about the next places we see God leading us.
Remember what we learned at the Leadership Summit. It is the creation of our “Red Hot Kingdom Visions” that mark our place in God’s season for making a difference in our world. I want to be there. I believe you do, too.
“You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world…” (Matthew 5: 13-16) You matter.
Our Vision and “Good Morning”
This past week, I received word from someone who was concerned that I had not said “Good Morning” when I first addressed the congregation this past Sunday morning. At first, my pride got in the way and I couldn’t believe that, with all that I had said on Sunday, that someone would be upset over those two words. I asked what others thought was behind the sentiment or concern and a friend said that it was symptomatic that folks want to know where my heart is in reference to the congregation, to Gulf Breeze and to the future.
In other words, as my friend put it, “they are looking for signs that ‘you love them’…
One of the first elements that drew me to GBUMC was our mission statement… A Place of Hospitality, Hope and Healing. Goodness knows each of these have meant a great deal to me personally and in the life of my ministry.
Hospitality in the Christian tradition means to “offer Christ” and to put a person “at ease” as though they were “home”. Hope in our tradition means to “offer Christ” and to provide a new way of looking at our world, our circumstances and our struggles. To know there is something better in store or around the corner. Healing in our faith means to “offer Christ” and to insist and claim the wholeness that only comes from Jesus and that can only manifest itself in our brokenness and pain. We do more than worship God… We NEED Him.
I love these elements of our mission statement. I love being on this journey with you. I love being your pastor. I love getting to know you and making new friends. I love the struggle of our misunderstandings because even they point to the joy of what it means to find God together. I love grace and forgiveness even when they are not offered because I know that God offers them for us. I love getting things right and making you proud. I love learning from our mistakes and claiming, together again, that we will not let them happen the same way twice. I love the moments when we sing in one voice. And, I love the moments when our voices catch different tunes in different seasons and places, because we still sing for the same God.
But, more than anything… I love you. You are my brothers and sisters in the faith. I don’t know you all. But, I love you. I don’t understand you all (as you don’t me), but I love you. I don’t always appreciate the ways we talk to one another and allow our anxieties to push us apart, but, even then, I love you. And, I hope you love me.
We are more than the sum of what we can say. Our story is bigger than that, and God has only finished the first paragraph. I look forward to what happens when the whole text comes together and when people see clearly, through glass that is dim no more. Praise God for our journey. Praise God for you.
We love you all.
Be Salt and Light… You Matter!
Shane
1 Corinthians 15: 58
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Questions for the Pastor
Over the last ten days, I have received several emails and handwritten questions concerning a variety of topics. Some of them have been very encouraging with offers of prayer and support. Others have been genuine questions about ministry programs and the direction of the church. And, finally, some of have been focused on particular concerns or issues related to a variety of topics.
Several years ago in my ministry, I started a “Questions with the Pastor” forum where by folks could ask any question and I would do my best to answer it. I liked the format so much that I decided to do it here, maybe once per quarter.
The following are just a few of the questions I have received and my attempt to answer them in an honest, Godly fashion.
Of course, my goal for us at GBUMC is transparency, openness and honesty. I want you to know the general course of our church and to work together to create in us what God has so carefully and beautifully planned.
Again, these are real questions I have received.
What is the most important book you have read in the past year and why? The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller. It not only changed the way I read the Parable of the Lost Son, but it reminded me of the incredible, “reckless” love God has for us. Everyone should read this wonderful, little book.
What is your vision for GBUMC over the next year, five years and 10 years? Well, this is a huge question that cannot be answered in just a few sentences, but here is my summary. I want us to live faithfully, first, in the Great Commission, “Going into the world and making disciples of Jesus Christ.” Second, I want us to live passionately for the Greatest Commandment, “to Love the Lord Our God with all our hearts, souls and minds, and then to love our neighbors as ourselves.” If we do these two things, then the whole of our church and our future will be very bright.
Why are you getting rid of the organ in the sanctuary? Well, this one came as a surprise because there has been NO talk of getting rid of the organ. In fact, the organ will continue to be used faithfully at the 8am and 11am worship services. I am sorry for this VERY inaccurate rumor that has caused a great deal of unrest.
What are your current writing projects and how do you see them impacting your role as Senior Pastor at GBUMC? Let me answer the last, first. My writing is an outflow of my sermon preparation. Thus, I believe my role as a Teaching Pastor will inform my writing and vice versa by allowing me to stay focused on topics that will touch people’s hearts and lead them into relationships with Christ. Now, for current projects… I am finishing edits on “A Positive Life,” a memoir of my story to be published and released by Zondervan in February 2010. Second, I am completing the manuscript for “You Can’t Do Everything… So Do Something” to be released by Abingdon Press (Cokesbury) in May 2010. Third, I am beginning work on “Aching for Answers: God’s CURE for the Chronic Life,” co-written with my dear friend Deanna Favre, to be released late fall 2010 or winter 2011. Along with this I have several articles I am working on including one to be printed in Charles Stanley’s “InTouch Magazine” this fall.
Is it true that you refused to take the appointment of Senior Pastor to GBUMC unless the church hired your friends from Mississippi? This one would be funny if I had not heard it several times. The answer is ASBOLUTELY NOT TRUE. First, I am appointed by the Bishop of the Alabama West Florida Conference, so I have little room to negotiate. Secondly, there were NO positions available when I accepted the appointment whereby my associates from Mississippi might be hired. I, at no time, made any statement, hint or stipulation of any sort or kind related to my job being tied to positions for other associates. However, when the positions became available, I was asked if I knew of someone to fill the position; to which I answered an enthusiastic “Yes.” These rumors are simply…. Rumors. Now, that said, it is not unusual in churches of our size for the Senior Pastor designee to bring his/her staff with them when they make a transition. I did not do that. But, I am also very happy that the Lord has worked out the details so that I might work with my associates from previous ministries. Over the last years, we have become family, and they mean a great deal to me.
Are you still traveling and speaking a great deal? If so, how will that affect your role at GBUMC? And, how does hosting The United Methodist Hour fit into your role at GBUMC? I have seriously reduced my speaking schedule for the next year in order to focus on GBUMC. I have two speaking engagements for the next year, one at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City and one at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. And, for those who have not heard, I have resigned as the host of The United Methodist Hour effective September 1, 2009 in order to focus more on GBUMC.
What is this talk about Gulf Breeze Global? Some folks think you are trying to turn us into “Saddleback: The Gulf Breeze Campus?” This email would also be funny if I had not received it in a couple of different forms. Gulf Breeze Global is simply a name given to our efforts to share the worship, programming and congregational care/guidance with folks who are “not present” with us in this community. We are trying to create a “Global Community” where friends around the country and world can worship via the web and be included in the life of the congregation whether they live here or in California. We already have folks living in various places like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania who consider GBUMC their home. As Thomas Friedman said, “The world is flat and we can be many places at one time.” But, don’t worry the focus for great pastoral care and love will only grow deeper for those of us in this community. As Jesus said, “As we learn to give ourselves away, we find Him.” Oh… and thanks for the compliment about trying to be like Saddleback. I have dear friends who work and go to church there. They are great folks who mobilize thousands of people every year to be the “hands and feet of Jesus.” We should be so blessed as to live out their model.
Many of our older members are afraid they are being pushed out for a “younger approach--- I believe Senior Adults are an integral part of our church--- do you!?” ABSOLUTELY. In fact, I want a vibrant, active senior adult ministry that is not just another “retirement experience” but a place where our fastest growing population can utilize the life skills and wisdom they have learned in service to Christ and to Christ’s people. I love Senior Adult ministry and have enjoyed the Sharing and Caring Program and the different Sunday school classes I have attended. Not only do Senior Adults represent a large number of our congregation, but they represent a vital heartbeat in the life of our church. I have found that age is more of a “mindset” than a “number.” What God wants from us is that we learn to serve and love and share until he has deemed it time to move on.
Now, I realize that change brings a lot of fear and uncertainty. But, as I shared with one of our older members the other day when I asked her to name what we had ACTUALLY changed in the last weeks and months that worried her so, she could not think of but a couple of adjustments. In fact, most of our changes have been to secure our traditional heritage in worship and to make sure that people feel comfortable. Most of the concerns folks are dealing with are either from rumors or perceptions, or both.
My prayer is that we will not hesitate to ask questions and talk to one another. God has great things in store for this congregation, but it certainly will not be in the same place or season as before. God is now moving into other areas for the people of GBUMC to shine.
Just know that I love you all and that we move forward in much prayer and deliberation, knowing that not everyone will like what we do, but confident that God goes before us.
And, friends, the joy of all of this is not that we accomplish new tasks or directions, but that we accomplish them together. I am very excited to be on the journey with you!
1. Worship Matters
This week at GBUMC, all three campuses continue our VACATION Series and will talk about the importance of not only finding rest in Christ but living in such a way as to have others “want the kind of relationship with God” that we have.
George Barna, the preeminent Christian statistician, recently shared that the greatest impediment Christianity has to its own growth, is what non-Christians perceive as a lack of enthusiasm and authenticity in our faith.
The Vacation Series addresses the need for each of us to find that central place in our faith journey that brings such joy, rest, purpose and peace that others want to be a part of it as well.
Making Life Matter Learning Series--- Fall 2009
I am very excited to be leading several Bible Study/Small Group Offerings this Fall Semester in our LiFE Journey program. The following are some of the classes I will be leading/teaching:
“When God Disappears: Finding Hope When Your Circumstances Seem Impossible.” Three-Week Series. Begins September 9th. 6:30-7:30pm. Study Curriculum: Book of same name. Available in The Bookplace.
"A Quck Guide to Learning How to Study Your Bible.” September 27th. 5:00-6:30pm. A study guide is available.
“A Quick Guide to Learning How to Pray.” September 30th. 6:00-7:00pm. A study guide is available. Free.
“Learning and Developing Your Spiritual Gift.” October 21st. 6:00-7:00pm. A study guide is available. Free.
“The Eight Blessings: Redisovering the Beattitudes.” Four-Week Series. Begins October 28th. 6:30-7:30pm. Study Curriculum: Book of same name. Available in The Bookplace.
“The Real Story of Christmas: The NOEL You Never Knew… or at least had forgotten.” Two-Week Series. Begins December 2nd. 6:30-7:30pm. A Study Guide is Available. Free.
For more information or to register, please contact Kathy Norberg, Asst. Exec. Director for Connections, at 850-932-3594 or email knorberg@gbumc.org.
We love you all.
Be Salt and Light... You matter!
Shane
Over the last ten days, I have received several emails and handwritten questions concerning a variety of topics. Some of them have been very encouraging with offers of prayer and support. Others have been genuine questions about ministry programs and the direction of the church. And, finally, some of have been focused on particular concerns or issues related to a variety of topics.
Several years ago in my ministry, I started a “Questions with the Pastor” forum where by folks could ask any question and I would do my best to answer it. I liked the format so much that I decided to do it here, maybe once per quarter.
The following are just a few of the questions I have received and my attempt to answer them in an honest, Godly fashion.
Of course, my goal for us at GBUMC is transparency, openness and honesty. I want you to know the general course of our church and to work together to create in us what God has so carefully and beautifully planned.
Again, these are real questions I have received.
What is the most important book you have read in the past year and why? The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller. It not only changed the way I read the Parable of the Lost Son, but it reminded me of the incredible, “reckless” love God has for us. Everyone should read this wonderful, little book.
What is your vision for GBUMC over the next year, five years and 10 years? Well, this is a huge question that cannot be answered in just a few sentences, but here is my summary. I want us to live faithfully, first, in the Great Commission, “Going into the world and making disciples of Jesus Christ.” Second, I want us to live passionately for the Greatest Commandment, “to Love the Lord Our God with all our hearts, souls and minds, and then to love our neighbors as ourselves.” If we do these two things, then the whole of our church and our future will be very bright.
Why are you getting rid of the organ in the sanctuary? Well, this one came as a surprise because there has been NO talk of getting rid of the organ. In fact, the organ will continue to be used faithfully at the 8am and 11am worship services. I am sorry for this VERY inaccurate rumor that has caused a great deal of unrest.
What are your current writing projects and how do you see them impacting your role as Senior Pastor at GBUMC? Let me answer the last, first. My writing is an outflow of my sermon preparation. Thus, I believe my role as a Teaching Pastor will inform my writing and vice versa by allowing me to stay focused on topics that will touch people’s hearts and lead them into relationships with Christ. Now, for current projects… I am finishing edits on “A Positive Life,” a memoir of my story to be published and released by Zondervan in February 2010. Second, I am completing the manuscript for “You Can’t Do Everything… So Do Something” to be released by Abingdon Press (Cokesbury) in May 2010. Third, I am beginning work on “Aching for Answers: God’s CURE for the Chronic Life,” co-written with my dear friend Deanna Favre, to be released late fall 2010 or winter 2011. Along with this I have several articles I am working on including one to be printed in Charles Stanley’s “InTouch Magazine” this fall.
Is it true that you refused to take the appointment of Senior Pastor to GBUMC unless the church hired your friends from Mississippi? This one would be funny if I had not heard it several times. The answer is ASBOLUTELY NOT TRUE. First, I am appointed by the Bishop of the Alabama West Florida Conference, so I have little room to negotiate. Secondly, there were NO positions available when I accepted the appointment whereby my associates from Mississippi might be hired. I, at no time, made any statement, hint or stipulation of any sort or kind related to my job being tied to positions for other associates. However, when the positions became available, I was asked if I knew of someone to fill the position; to which I answered an enthusiastic “Yes.” These rumors are simply…. Rumors. Now, that said, it is not unusual in churches of our size for the Senior Pastor designee to bring his/her staff with them when they make a transition. I did not do that. But, I am also very happy that the Lord has worked out the details so that I might work with my associates from previous ministries. Over the last years, we have become family, and they mean a great deal to me.
Are you still traveling and speaking a great deal? If so, how will that affect your role at GBUMC? And, how does hosting The United Methodist Hour fit into your role at GBUMC? I have seriously reduced my speaking schedule for the next year in order to focus on GBUMC. I have two speaking engagements for the next year, one at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City and one at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. And, for those who have not heard, I have resigned as the host of The United Methodist Hour effective September 1, 2009 in order to focus more on GBUMC.
What is this talk about Gulf Breeze Global? Some folks think you are trying to turn us into “Saddleback: The Gulf Breeze Campus?” This email would also be funny if I had not received it in a couple of different forms. Gulf Breeze Global is simply a name given to our efforts to share the worship, programming and congregational care/guidance with folks who are “not present” with us in this community. We are trying to create a “Global Community” where friends around the country and world can worship via the web and be included in the life of the congregation whether they live here or in California. We already have folks living in various places like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania who consider GBUMC their home. As Thomas Friedman said, “The world is flat and we can be many places at one time.” But, don’t worry the focus for great pastoral care and love will only grow deeper for those of us in this community. As Jesus said, “As we learn to give ourselves away, we find Him.” Oh… and thanks for the compliment about trying to be like Saddleback. I have dear friends who work and go to church there. They are great folks who mobilize thousands of people every year to be the “hands and feet of Jesus.” We should be so blessed as to live out their model.
Many of our older members are afraid they are being pushed out for a “younger approach--- I believe Senior Adults are an integral part of our church--- do you!?” ABSOLUTELY. In fact, I want a vibrant, active senior adult ministry that is not just another “retirement experience” but a place where our fastest growing population can utilize the life skills and wisdom they have learned in service to Christ and to Christ’s people. I love Senior Adult ministry and have enjoyed the Sharing and Caring Program and the different Sunday school classes I have attended. Not only do Senior Adults represent a large number of our congregation, but they represent a vital heartbeat in the life of our church. I have found that age is more of a “mindset” than a “number.” What God wants from us is that we learn to serve and love and share until he has deemed it time to move on.
Now, I realize that change brings a lot of fear and uncertainty. But, as I shared with one of our older members the other day when I asked her to name what we had ACTUALLY changed in the last weeks and months that worried her so, she could not think of but a couple of adjustments. In fact, most of our changes have been to secure our traditional heritage in worship and to make sure that people feel comfortable. Most of the concerns folks are dealing with are either from rumors or perceptions, or both.
My prayer is that we will not hesitate to ask questions and talk to one another. God has great things in store for this congregation, but it certainly will not be in the same place or season as before. God is now moving into other areas for the people of GBUMC to shine.
Just know that I love you all and that we move forward in much prayer and deliberation, knowing that not everyone will like what we do, but confident that God goes before us.
And, friends, the joy of all of this is not that we accomplish new tasks or directions, but that we accomplish them together. I am very excited to be on the journey with you!
1. Worship Matters
This week at GBUMC, all three campuses continue our VACATION Series and will talk about the importance of not only finding rest in Christ but living in such a way as to have others “want the kind of relationship with God” that we have.
George Barna, the preeminent Christian statistician, recently shared that the greatest impediment Christianity has to its own growth, is what non-Christians perceive as a lack of enthusiasm and authenticity in our faith.
The Vacation Series addresses the need for each of us to find that central place in our faith journey that brings such joy, rest, purpose and peace that others want to be a part of it as well.
Making Life Matter Learning Series--- Fall 2009
I am very excited to be leading several Bible Study/Small Group Offerings this Fall Semester in our LiFE Journey program. The following are some of the classes I will be leading/teaching:
“When God Disappears: Finding Hope When Your Circumstances Seem Impossible.” Three-Week Series. Begins September 9th. 6:30-7:30pm. Study Curriculum: Book of same name. Available in The Bookplace.
"A Quck Guide to Learning How to Study Your Bible.” September 27th. 5:00-6:30pm. A study guide is available.
“A Quick Guide to Learning How to Pray.” September 30th. 6:00-7:00pm. A study guide is available. Free.
“Learning and Developing Your Spiritual Gift.” October 21st. 6:00-7:00pm. A study guide is available. Free.
“The Eight Blessings: Redisovering the Beattitudes.” Four-Week Series. Begins October 28th. 6:30-7:30pm. Study Curriculum: Book of same name. Available in The Bookplace.
“The Real Story of Christmas: The NOEL You Never Knew… or at least had forgotten.” Two-Week Series. Begins December 2nd. 6:30-7:30pm. A Study Guide is Available. Free.
For more information or to register, please contact Kathy Norberg, Asst. Exec. Director for Connections, at 850-932-3594 or email knorberg@gbumc.org.
We love you all.
Be Salt and Light... You matter!
Shane
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Sermon Follow-up...
Someone suggested that I use a blog entry to follow-up my sermon for the day. I have long resisted adding a new task or job to the already full "to-do" list.
However, today, I felt a real calling to re-cap the sermon, not because of what I said, but because of what the Holy Spirit said so clearly this morning.
I preached at the Fairpoint Campus and had planned to start the Vacation Series by answering the question, "Where do you go for Rest?" I used the passage from Matthew 11: 28-30 where Jesus encourages "everyone who is weary and needs rest to take his Yoke upon Him." So, I wrote the sermon early in the week and turned in the outline for the bulletin.
However, last night God changed directions based on me reading Eugene Peterson's The Message translation of the passage. It was like a seismic shift in my thinking for the passage, so I scrambled to re-write the sermon.
Here was my short-take on this new direction...
Christ was talking to those of us who have spent most of our time trying to be our "own God". In fact, it is clear that Jesus is talking to the religiously settled and faithful, but who have become tired and weary of not being able to be everything for everyone.
After assuring the listener that God wants us to find rest (real rest) that begins in our souls and that is not just a "break from the day", Jesus provides three suggestions for making this happen.
Here they are:
1. Come to me: Change the patterns of your life and devote yourself to follow me. I particularly loved the phrase that said "I will not burden you more than your are able..."
2. Walk and Work With Me: After setting your eyes on Christ, you will get to know him and learn his ways which become a model for how we are to live, treat one another and make decisions in the world.
3. Keep Company with Me: By following me, you become like me and you are family. This changes everything including how we view ourselves, our world and the ways to make a difference in both.
It is powerful stuff. God wants us to have real rest that is meant for the deepest parts of us. All we need to do is follow Christ's example and live faithfully as He leads. Sound simple. God meant it that way.
Watch the sermon at www.gbumc.org
Love you all.
Shane
Matthew 5; 13-16
Someone suggested that I use a blog entry to follow-up my sermon for the day. I have long resisted adding a new task or job to the already full "to-do" list.
However, today, I felt a real calling to re-cap the sermon, not because of what I said, but because of what the Holy Spirit said so clearly this morning.
I preached at the Fairpoint Campus and had planned to start the Vacation Series by answering the question, "Where do you go for Rest?" I used the passage from Matthew 11: 28-30 where Jesus encourages "everyone who is weary and needs rest to take his Yoke upon Him." So, I wrote the sermon early in the week and turned in the outline for the bulletin.
However, last night God changed directions based on me reading Eugene Peterson's The Message translation of the passage. It was like a seismic shift in my thinking for the passage, so I scrambled to re-write the sermon.
Here was my short-take on this new direction...
Christ was talking to those of us who have spent most of our time trying to be our "own God". In fact, it is clear that Jesus is talking to the religiously settled and faithful, but who have become tired and weary of not being able to be everything for everyone.
After assuring the listener that God wants us to find rest (real rest) that begins in our souls and that is not just a "break from the day", Jesus provides three suggestions for making this happen.
Here they are:
1. Come to me: Change the patterns of your life and devote yourself to follow me. I particularly loved the phrase that said "I will not burden you more than your are able..."
2. Walk and Work With Me: After setting your eyes on Christ, you will get to know him and learn his ways which become a model for how we are to live, treat one another and make decisions in the world.
3. Keep Company with Me: By following me, you become like me and you are family. This changes everything including how we view ourselves, our world and the ways to make a difference in both.
It is powerful stuff. God wants us to have real rest that is meant for the deepest parts of us. All we need to do is follow Christ's example and live faithfully as He leads. Sound simple. God meant it that way.
Watch the sermon at www.gbumc.org
Love you all.
Shane
Matthew 5; 13-16
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