tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388670362023-11-15T06:54:35.337-08:00Making Life MatterThe Teaching Ministry of Shane StanfordShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-32396361197869859362011-04-17T13:15:00.000-07:002011-04-17T13:16:35.423-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Announcement from CUMC Memphis Website</span><br /><br />Bishop Dick Wills of the Memphis Annual Conference announces the appointment of Rev. Shane Stanford as the next Senior Pastor of Christ United Methodist Church. Rev. Stanford currently serves as Senior Pastor of Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church in Gulf Breeze, FL, one of the largest UMC congregations in the United States with an average weekly worship attendance of more than 2,400.<br /><br />“The Search Committee is delighted that Rev. Shane Stanford will be the sixth pastor in the 56 year history of Christ Church,” said Kirk Bailey, chairman of the Search Committee. “Shane is a gifted preacher/teacher, with a warm, engaging personality and a unique life story to share that will be an asset in the outreach ministries of Christ Church.” <br /><br />Dr. Maxie Dunnam shares Bailey’s excitement about this appointment. “Shane Stanford is an amazingly gifted person. He is a powerful preacher and a convincing writer,” said Maxie. “Knowing the significant place of Christ Church in United Methodism and in our city, I am delighted to have a leader of this quality assume the position as Senior Minister. Our congregation and the entire city will be well served by his leadership.”<br /><br />Rev. Stanford has served as Host of The United Methodist Hour, a television and radio ministry viewed in more than 30,000,000 homes weekly. He continues to host a radio blog titled LifeMatters, available nationwide.<br /><br />He is also the author of nine books including bestsellers, The CURE for the Chronic Life (co-authored with Deanna Favre and which held as the #1 Pastoral Care book in the country for seven weeks), The Seven NEXT Words of Christ and You Can’t Do Everything…So Do Something. He has published numerous articles in journals and magazines including The Upper Room, CNN Today and Christianity Today.<br /><br />Rev. Stanford travels extensively sharing his testimony and witness as an HIV+ Christian Minister who contracted the disease through a blood transfusion used to treat his Hemophilia. He has spoken in 36 states including an engagement as the keynote speaker for the 2006 Saddleback Global AIDS Summit, alongside other notables as Franklin Graham, John Ortberg and then-Senator Barack Obama.<br /><br />Rev. Stanford has appeared as an expert and contributor on spirituality, family health and issues related to HIV on numerous media outlets including Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, LifeToday and The Hour of Power.<br /><br />“I have been aware of the wonderful work and impact of Christ UMC Memphis for most of my ministry,” said Rev. Stanford. “To have the opportunity of working with such gifted, creative and passionate servants of Christ is a true honor. As the writer of Hebrews states, I look forward to being a part of this ‘great cloud of witnesses’ as we work together to Love Jesus…and Love Like Jesus in our community and beyond.”<br /><br />Rev. Stanford is married to Dr. Pokey Stanford, an Associate Professor of Education at the University of Southern Mississippi, and they are the parents of three daughters, Sarai Grace (14), Juli Anna (11) and Emma Leigh (7).<br /><br />To learn more about Rev. Stanford, he invites you to visit his website at www.shanestanford.org or his blog, www.shanestanford.blogspot.com. For those on Facebook, Rev. Stanford invites you to become a friend of Shane Stanford or follow him on twitter, stanfordshane@twitter.com.Shane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-25769718266113332972011-04-13T13:00:00.001-07:002011-04-13T13:00:32.001-07:00“The Blooming of Spring”<br /><br />Last week was Holy Week… It was The Masters Golf Tournament! Okay, maybe not the “holy week” you were thinking about! But, to golfers, there is nothing quite like the annual invitational at Augusta National.<br /><br />I had the privilege of attending a practice round of The Masters several years ago. From the moment I walked through the gates, I was overwhelmed by the aura of the place. Many times what we see or expect does not hold up in reality. That was not the case at Augusta. In fact, reality was even more beautiful. <br /><br />The course is awash in spring. The blooming of azaleas and a host of other foliage that makes the property a wonderland of nature. And, to top it off, the best golfers in the world gather to compete in arguably the most important tournament in golf. <br /><br />Again, if you play golf, The Masters is more than just a week of golf or even a tournament. It is an experience.<br /><br />Okay, Okay… so it is still JUST a golf tournament. And, it is certainly NOT the Holy Week we all know, expect and love. No, that week begins Sunday. <br /><br />As the Palm Branches begin to wave, we usher in the expectation of a new “blooming of spring”, and another powerful expression of life—we prepare ourselves for Easter—the true “wonderland” of God’s grace, forgiveness and new beginnings.<br /><br />That Holy Week is more than any human event or endeavor could design. The God of the Universe decided to reach down into our broken lives and journeys and do something about them. He gave His only Son.<br /><br />Oh… and all of Nature rejoices… as even the rocks, trees and flowers cry out that Christ is Risen, He is risen indeed!<br /><br />This true HOLY WEEK marks an exciting and meaningful time in the life of our church. We will begin with Services of Healing on Wednesday at both the Fairpoint (6pm) and Soundside (7:30pm) campuses.<br /><br />Also, on Wednesday, the “Journey to the Cross” begins as you are invited to view the Stations of the Cross and experience the final steps of Jesus in a remarkable and personal way. You can attend the Stations from 9am to 4pm Wednesday through Friday.<br /><br />On Thursday, from 2pm to 8pm, we will experience the power of the Upper Room in a very new, exciting way, as families and individuals will sit at the seat of a disciple and share Holy Communion as the first disciples would have experienced. This “come and go” gathering will take place in 15 minute shifts.<br /><br />On Saturday, the Church gathers for our annual Easter Egg Hunt at 10am at Shoreline Park. Families and neighbors are invited to share with hundreds of our church family in a day of fellowship, food and fun.<br /><br />Finally, we approach the empty tomb with our Second Annual Sunrise Service at Flounders, hosted by the folks at our Worship at the Water Campus. Join us at 6am as we see the sunrise and the SONrise.<br /><br />Yes, it will be a wonderful week. It will be a memorable week. It will be a powerful week. It will be a HOLY Week.<br /><br />The blooming of spring is wonderful. The blooming of a heart redeemed… priceless.<br /><br />Be salt and light, my friends… You Matter.<br /><br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-46701164727395382692011-02-08T18:56:00.000-08:002011-02-08T18:58:15.717-08:00Gulf Breeze UMC<br />Senior Pastor Note—February 3, 2011<br /><br />The Life Lived Well-- <br /><br />What is the life lived well?<br /><br />Several years ago, I read William Bennett's book, "The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories". It was a wonderful read that unveiled a set of commonly held principles for how civilized societies both approach and make decisions in regards to important issues. <br /><br />Many of Mr. Bennett's "virtues" come from the Judeo-Christian framework, and he is not afraid to link his moral conversation with faith.<br /><br />Recently, I read the book again. True to form, I was captured by the stories of moral challenge and courage. To think if we could-- if we would-- aspire to these principles. <br /><br />In particular, five virtues from Mr. Bennett’s book stood out as critical to the life lived well. Each virtue unveiled itself through stories of hope and perseverance, and served as a "destination" for our moral discourse—the intersection for both how and why we arrive where we are in life.<br /><br />These five principles are tools by which we find our voice, the song we are to sing, and the melody that makes it all so sweet.<br /><br />The virtues for a life lived well are: <br /><br />1. Honor<br /><br />Honor is how we act when relaying our beliefs. Jesus said that they will know you are mine by "how you love one another". Our actions bear on the outside what we believe on the inside.<br /><br />Thomas Carlyle says Show me the man you honor and I will know what kind of man you are.<br /><br />Focus Scripture: Deuteronomy 26: 16-19<br /><br />2. Purity<br /><br />The dictionary connects 'purity' with 'freedom'. In fact, purity is "freedom from anything that debases, contaminates, pollutes, or leads to inappropriate elements in our lives". Purity is not the absence of particular vices, but, rather, the presence of something deeper and richer—the freedom to “become” all that God intends.<br /><br />Focus Scripture: Proverbs 27: 21<br /><br />3. Loyalty<br /><br />I love the story of Babe Ruth and the later days of his career. For so many years, his bat had the power of a cannon, and his record of 714 home runs remained unbroken until Hank Aaron came along. The Babe was the idol of sports fans, but in time age took its toll, and his popularity began to wane. Finally the Yankees traded him to the Braves. In one of his last games in Cincinnati, Babe Ruth began to falter. He struck out and made several misplays that allowed the Reds to score five runs in one inning. As the Babe walked toward the dugout, chin down and dejected, there rose from the stands an enormous storm of boos and catcalls. Some fans actually shook their fists. Then a wonderful thing happened. A little boy jumped over the railing, and with tears streaming down his cheeks he ran out to the great athlete. Unashamedly, he flung his arms around the Babe's legs and held on tightly. Babe Ruth scooped him up, hugged him, and set him down again. Patting him gently on the head, he took his hand and the two of them walked off the field together.<br /><br />We are as good a friend as the distance we travel when the going gets tough—Unknown.<br /><br />Focus Scripture: Proverbs 3: 3-6<br /><br />4. Integrity<br /><br />James Patterson and Peter Kim, in The Day America Told the Truth, asked “What are you willing to do for $10,000,000?” In a shocking report, the authors revealed that 2/3 of Americans polled would agree to at least one, some to several of the following answers:<br /><br />Would abandon their entire family (25%)<br />Would abandon their church (25%)<br />Would become prostitutes for a week or more (23%)<br />Would give up their American citizenships (16%)<br />Would leave their spouses (16%)<br />Would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free (10%)<br />Would kill a stranger (7%)<br />Would put their children up for adoption (3%)<br /><br />Scripture Focus: 1 Timothy 4: 11-14<br /><br />5. Gratitude<br /><br />More than just “thank you” and a letter of appreciation, gratitude is the barometer of what we truly value in life. Nothing highlights what we consider most important than what we take the time to treasure and recognize.<br /><br />Scripture Focus: Luke 17: 16-17<br /><br />Scientists now say that a series of slits, not a giant gash, sank the Titanic. The opulent, 900-foot cruise ship sank in 1912 on its first voyage, from England to New York. Fifteen hundred people died in the worst maritime disaster of the time.<br /><br />The most widely held theory was that the ship hit an iceberg, which opened a huge gash in the side of the liner. But an international team of divers and scientists recently used sound waves to probe the wreckage, buried in the mud under two-and-a-half miles of water. Their discovery? The damage was surprisingly small. Instead of the huge gash, they found six relatively narrow slits across the six watertight holds.<br /><br />Small damage, invisible to most, can sink not only a great ship but also a great reputation. <br /><br />The materials with which we build our lives matter. They demonstrate our commitment to a life that makes the most of every moment, and seizes, not just the day, but also the reason for living it.<br /><br />My prayer for all of us is that we examine the markers for our journey, and reflect on those ways we might right our paths, celebrate the distance traveled so far, and look beyond the horizon to the promises where we have yet to arrive. <br /><br />Be Salt and Light… You Matter!<br /><br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-48081616577877528972011-01-23T12:59:00.000-08:002011-01-23T13:09:24.234-08:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">The ME I Need to BE, Part IV: REACHing our Potential</span><br /><br />We are wired to "win" the race. (Hebrews 12: 1-2) In fact, God has called us to be a part of His family, to know our value and to live as heirs to the Kingdom. But, many of us spend our lives "working for the world", held prisoner by our mistakes, miscues and mess-ups. We "work for the world" instead of sharing in the bounty of grace and hope.<br /><br />What must we do to REACH our potential in Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews suggests three principles:<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight:bold;">We must REACH Up</span>. Our relationship to God serves as the foundation for how we connect in Christ and become all that God intends for us.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight:bold;">We must REACH Out</span>. Our relationships with each other serve as the window for how our faith n God is viewed. The Bible is clear-- how we treat one another is what we really see God.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-weight:bold;">We must REACH Down</span>. Our relationship in serving the "least of these" provides a backdrop for how our faith "hits the ground" and makes real differences in real people's lives.<br /><br /><br />So, what about you? Are you ready to become all that God has in store? You are created to win the race. On your mark, get ready... GO!<br /><br />For more info, check out the web-view of this sermon at www.gbumc.org.<br /><br />Be Salt and Light... You Matter.<br /><br />Shane<br />Matthew 5: 13-16Shane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-48829745324238410202011-01-16T15:17:00.000-08:002011-01-16T15:21:10.800-08:00The ME I Need to BE, Part III<br />Resources-- BEcoming more Capable<br /><br />If we are to learn to become more capable in becoming the ME I Need to Be, we must remember three principles:<br /><br />I. We can't do EVERYthing.<br /><br />II. We Should do SOMEthing.<br /><br />III. And, when everyone is doing their SOMEthing, ANYthing is possible.<br /><br /><br />The Bible says that everyone has been given a spiritual gift that is to be used in accomplishing significant things for the Kingdom. <br /><br />If you would like to know more about this topic, check out my book "You Can't Do Everything... So Do Something" (Abingdon 2010).<br /><br />Love you all.<br /><br />Be Salt and Light... You Matter.<br /><br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-69107629393180890392011-01-02T22:43:00.000-08:002011-01-02T22:51:30.112-08:00The ME I Need to BE, Part I<br />Scripture: Philippians 3: 13-14<br /><br />What are your New Year's Resolutions? Why have you made them? Are they the same as the years before? Are they a reaction to what is wrong in your life, or a response of what you want to be right?<br /><br />These are the questions we ponder when deciding that new beginning is necessary. These are the questions for a New Year!<br /><br />In this series, we look not just at our resolutions for a new year, but also how God intends for our lives to look and work in the first place. We seek to Be the Me that God has intended all along.<br /><br />But, first, we must learn to BE more committed to God's Word, God's Plan and God's Purpose in our lives. <br /><br />The Scriptures are clear that "new beginnings" are part of God's work in our lives. He treasures the times when we decide to begin again and create something significant in His name.<br /><br />Three principles stand out in Scripture when considering "Healthy Biblical Resolutions"--<br /><br />1. Resolutions should Transform Us not Merely Change Us.<br /><br />2. Resolutions should Reflect What We Should Be Not Only React to What We Shouldn't Be.<br /><br />3. Resolutions should Build A Foundation for More Good Not Simply Set a Goal for A Principle Odds are We Can't Meet.<br /><br />So, again, what are you resolutions for this new year? Have you set them out of habit or because God is calling for something new in your journey? And, are they preparing you for success according to the world's standards, or real significance according to God's?<br /><br />Blessings in the New Year.<br /><br />Be Salt and Light, my friends... You Matter!<br /><br />Grace,<br />Shane<br />Matthew 5: 13-16Shane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-22358984724600576072010-12-31T17:06:00.000-08:002010-12-31T17:21:55.890-08:00A New Start...<br /><br />It is time to put 2010 to bed. What a year! It has been filled with its share of ups and downs, goods and bads. But, in the end, I wouldn't trade it for anything. During this year, I learned a great deal about humility, grace, patience, prayer, forgiveness, and love. I was also reminded of what really matters, and of those things that we take too seriously but shouldn't. 2010 was a learning year... and I can't wait to see how the lessons we share "hit the ground in 2011". God has so many wonderful things in store for us!<br /><br />We begin a new sermon series this Sunday entitled, "The Me I Need to Be for 2011". The next four weeks are:<br /> <br />2nd: Resolutions—BEcoming more committed<br />9th: Relationships—BEcoming more connected<br />16th: Resources—BEcoming more capable<br />23rd: Reach—BEcoming more compassionate<br /><br />Remember, Fairpoint Campus-- 8am, 9:30am or 11:00am. And, of course, we also have excellent worship and teaching at our Soundside campus -- 8am, 9:00am and 10:30am. Our Worship at the Water worship campus will not return for several weeks.<br /><br />Also, on another note, I make the following commitment to you-- I will update this blog on a regular basis. Like last year, I want us to make this journey together. So, I look forward to meeting you here each week, to share what God is doing and, especially, to learn how we each get to be a part of it. What a blessing!<br /><br />Be Salt and Light, my friends... You matter!<br /><br />Shane<br />Matthew 5: 13-16Shane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-27633307804421758042010-06-13T15:02:00.000-07:002010-06-13T15:10:07.357-07:00Proxy, Part I<br />1 Samuel 17: 26-50<br /><br />Today, we discussed what happens when we "proxy" our expectations, gifts and responsibilities that God has given us, using, instead, the standards of the world.<br /><br />We looked at the example of David and Goliath. When the shepherd boy, David, decided to meet the giant on the battlefield, King Saul tried to put his own armor on David. Of course, it didn't fit, and, so, David chose five smooth stones and a slingshot. Saul's armor worked for Saul, not David.<br /><br />Too many times, when we face our giants, we try all of the tools of the world. But, those tools are not for us. And, so, we face the struggle of our life with the wrong tools, having set a proxy for our fight.<br /><br />The Scripture offers three lessons for facing the giants in our lives:<br /><br />1. Distinguish between Fact and Fiction<br /><br />2. Use the Tools that God has Given YOU<br /><br />3. Use them Boldly, Consistently and Decisively<br /><br />In following these rules, we take the fight to the giant ourselves and don't wait for the world to save us. That belongs to God, whose has already provided more than we need in Christ Jesus.<br /><br />We love you.<br /><br />Be Salt and Light... You Matter!<br /><br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-47179663105786702572010-05-30T16:50:00.000-07:002010-05-30T17:01:19.964-07:00Dirty Laundry, Part II<br /><br />Today's sermon was surreal. I talked about sexual immorality with one of the widest audiences to which I ever spoken. However, one person after another shared how this topic impacted their lives-- whether for them or for someone they love.<br /><br />The stats are pretty incredible--<br /><br />--2/3 of all marriages will end in divorce<br />--the average age for a male to be exposed to pornography is 11<br />-- the average age for a girl's first sexual encounter is now 12<br />--9 out of 10 persons between the age of 8 and 16 have been exposed to pornography<br /><br />I could go on and on!<br /><br />In a recent survey, 57% of pastors reported that pornography is the most important, destructive issue in their church's life. I know in my own ministry how important this topic has become, not only because of its effects on the person in question, but also in how that person interacts and values others.<br /><br />But, THERE IS HOPE. <br /><br />God has a new normal in store for us. We were meant for more. And, no matter what the broken edge might be, God has established a set of rules that pull us from our brokenness and restores our life and our relationships.<br /><br />It is a simple formula-- <br /><br />1. Follow God's Rules for Our Intimate Life-- Celibacy outside of marriage; monogamy within marriage.<br />2. Give our bodies and our broken edges to God each day<br />3. Treat others as we would have them treat us<br />4. See each other through Christ's eyes<br /><br />1 Thessalonians 4: 1-8 talks about the power of sexual immorality, but also shares the incredible power of how following God's rules for living a holy life can change, almost overnight, our circumstances. Not that the details change overnight, but the trajectory certainly does.<br /><br />I am not sure where you are in your walk. Your marriage may be in trouble. You may be involved in inappropriate relationships or patterns that no one knows about. God HAS A NEW NORMAL AND WANTS BETTER FOR YOU. Don't turn your back on God's love for you. Reach for it. Cling to it. And, then, allow your brothers and sisters to step into the gap for you.<br /><br />I love you.<br /><br />Be Salt and Light... You matter!<br />Shane<br /><br />P.S. On this Memorial Day Sunday, we also shared a special service this afternoon to remember those who had given their lives in service to their country. It was a true blessing of a service. We didn't have a big crowd but God certainly was present and we were blessed.Shane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-82910807311339636432010-05-25T15:26:00.001-07:002010-05-25T15:30:29.716-07:00What an amazing Sunday at GBUMC! All three campuses reported a tremendous moving of God's spirit. Nearly 2,400 people attended one of seven worship services. What a blessing.<br /><br />At Fairpoint, we started our series entitled, "Dirty Laundry". We talked this past week about Gossip. The focus of the sermon was that gossip is one of the most dangerous acts in which a person participates. Its effects are far-reaching, not only for the situation at hand, but because of the ripple effect throughout the Body.<br /><br />I mentioned that Gossip is petty, a deliberate "mis-truth", and meant to tear down a person. <br /><br />Healthy conversation, on the other hand, is valuable, truth-full, and meant to build up the Body.<br /><br />I love the three filter test used by Socrates. He asked: Is it True? Is it Good? Is it Useful?<br /><br />This week, as we go about our many conversations, ask yourself that question. It will not only transform your personal conversations, but will bless the Body of Christ is both seen and unseen ways.<br /><br />I would love to hear you comments about the sermon. Or, send your questions. Nothing is off limits.<br /><br />Be Salt and Light... You Matter!<br /><br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-10229111909925898902010-05-02T19:06:00.000-07:002010-05-02T19:32:44.182-07:00Spills and... No... Thrills!<br /><br />As the floor of the Gulf of Mexico continues to spew oil, people from Louisiana to Florida brace for what could be one of the worst environmental catastrophes in history. No one knows for sure what the real impact will be, because so many factors remain variables. Needless to say, the potential impact for our community is profound, if, Heaven forbid, the worst case scenarios come to pass.<br /><br />But, let me tell you about another "catastrophe" that is getting much less news coverage, but might even affect our lives more substantially. <br /><br />Did you know that there are over 1,200 children who attend the Santa Rosa County School District who are also homeless. Yes, you heard me.... HOMELESS!<br /><br />These are not your usual suspects. For the most parts, their parents are doing everything they know to do. Most have jobs, most had goals and ambitions, most were living the American Dream until the housing market turned against them and they found themselves in the streets. <br /><br />In fact, one of our pastors at GBUMC found a homeless family with small children living in a park not far from our Fairpoint Campus. It was eye opening, not to mention humbling and indicting of who we, as the Body of Christ, claim to be.<br /><br />We talk about tsunamis, hurricanes, oil spills and are horrified by the implications of what these "acts of God" might mean for our community and livlihoods.<br /><br />But, I promise you that if tomorrow, every home in Plantation Hill subdivision (a large nice subdivision in Gulf Breeze, Florida) were to burn to the ground leaving each family homeless, there would be "drives" and relief efforts immediately. People would make it a point to respond and to come together as the Body of Christ.. But, there are more homeless families in Santa Rosa County to fill more than 10 subdivisions like Plantation Hill.<br /><br />What is our indictment here? Acts of God are one thing, but what about "Acts of Humanity" whereby the best of what we should be is drowned out by the worst of what we are.<br /><br />This week, please pray for all of the "catastrophes" in our lives--- natural and man made. We don't need an oil spill to talk about the fragile nature of humanity. We don't need a hurricane to remind us of how vulnerable we truly are. We only need look at a make shift campsite in Shoreline park and be reminded that a family slept there, not for a camping trip, but because they "had no place to lay their heads". <br /><br />Sound familiar... of course, it does. NO one likes the part of the story where happy endings are impossible to fathom much less find, and where hope becomes a commodity too rich for many to afford.<br /><br />We have much to pray about today. Begin from the ground up... from the hearts of young students attending our schools knowing they have no home... to the geologist who will move into our community, leaving his family for a year because of a hole in the ocean floor. In both cases, we are called to be the "hands and feet of Jesus". Nothing less will do.<br /><br />Be Salt and Light, my friends...<br /><br />You Matter!<br /><br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-21156780381676316802009-11-21T17:14:00.000-08:002009-11-21T17:15:31.946-08:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Transitions in Season…</span><br /><br />While watching a Ken Burns documentary on baseball, I picked up a phrase that is relatively new to professional sports. For decades, players remained pretty much with the primary team that had drafted them and brought them up through that team’s farm system.<br /><br />But, in the late 1960’s, player arbitration came on the scene when Sandy Kofax and Don Drysdale negotiated the first “out of system” contract. After that, baseball changed forever. It is now not unusual for a player to play for as many as 6 or 7 teams during their career because of what is known as “transitions in season”. This is the process by which, at the end of a particular season or “season of seasons”, the player would renegotiate their contract, usually leaving their previous team for a new one.<br /><br />The result was that once long-term relationships became “season to season” experiences where change became the mode of operation instead of identities that connected players to teams in infinity. Sure, you have a Derek Jeter who has played his entire career for the Yankees. But, for every Jeter, we now have hundreds of players who travel from team to team--- transition in season, depending on what the player asks for, what the team is willing to pay, what type of skills the player brings to the team, and what type of team the organization is wanting to build.<br /><br />Add to this the basic emotions and difficulties of any change and transition, and Major League Baseball no longer means a DiMaggio is synonymous with the Yankees, it means a player is sinuous… now… for this season… until the next transition.<br /><br />Unfortunately, churches are no better today, especially larger ones. In a previous generation of large, successful churches built by long term pastorates of exceptional men who intersected perfectly with the “Greatest Generation” and the Baby Boomers returning to church, the next generation of leaders, as well as the churches themselves, are finding the “transitions in season” difficult to navigate.<br /><br />Nowhere is this more evident than in the events of the past week at our sister church, Frazer Memorial UMC, in Montgomery. During the past several days, Frazer has experienced the resignation of their long-time Teaching pastor for their contemporary service, John Schmidt, the resignation of another teaching pastor who bridge between services, and most recently, the resignation of their Senior Pastor, Dr. Barry Carpenter. <br /><br />All of these resignations are effective immediately. Their transitions in season happened so quickly, that they did not even wait for the normal appointment process through July 1st of next year.<br /><br />There is much speculation as to the cause. But, as I have learned through my own recent transition, only those closest to the situation know all of the facts. Thus, it is our job not to “figure out why” but to pray and support our brothers and sisters in the faith. Transition is not fun, and their road ahead is long.<br /><br />However, given our own recent difficulties in transition, several of you have emailed to inquire of my state of mind in continuing to serve as the Senior Pastor of GBUMC. First, I appreciate your concern. But, second, I assure you that I am in the place I need to be and committed to our work together for several years to come.<br /><br />In fact, just last week, Bishop Leland and I had a long meeting in which he asked my intentions for the coming appointment season, and I stated my desire to remain as the Senior Pastor for our congregation.<br /><br />On that note, please pray for our bishop. He is a very kind, warm-hearted man with great responsibility on his shoulders right now. He needs our care and concern more than ever.<br /><br />My perception is that congregations, including our own, have become so distracted by the Adversary during transition that we forget to live, simply as the Church together. In the process, we miss the power and potential of what God is doing from one season to the next.<br /><br />That is why, for the next several weeks, I will focus us on the future of what I believe God is leading in my heart as I lead your hearts in ministry for the coming year.<br /><br />For instance, in 2010, God has consistently reminded me of our covenant to Love Jesus and Love Like Jesus by the image of a man “reaching”. The idea of reaching comes in many forms, and for our congregation it means several things.<br /><br />First, we will Reach Up in 2010. We will seek God’s guidance, Will, love and direction by growing deeper in our relationship with Him and by going in the direction He would have us go.<br /><br />Second, we will Reach Out in 2010 by continuing to invite those who are unchurched and dischurched into our fellowship. It is more than a church program; it is the Gospel (Matthew 28: 18-20).<br /><br />Third, we will Reach Around in 2010 by putting our arms around each other, to care for one another in fellowship and community. Needing one another in Christ does not mean agreeing with everything that the other stands for. But, it does mean respecting each other, as family should do.<br /><br />Finally, we will Reach Behind in 2010 to help bring forward those who are the most fragile, forgotten and marginalized in our community. The church is no better than how much of it we are willing to give away--- Bonhoeffer.<br /><br />Thus, my friends, please pray as we move forward in this season of our church’s life. God has great things in store for a great church in 2010, and WE WILL be faithful to live out our potential. God deserves our best in this, and we won’t disappoint him.<br /><br />And, again, pray for our brothers and sisters at Frazer Memorial and at other churches for whom the season has created such contention that it has broken more hearts than it has mended. How senseless… How sad!<br /><br />I love you. I look forward to working with you. <br /><br />Blessings.<br /><br />Be Salt and Light… oh… and Happy Thanksgiving!<br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-26271465636154321032009-11-08T18:00:00.000-08:002009-11-08T18:02:03.079-08:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Reigniting a Holy Brand!</span><br /><br />Several years ago, I wrote this article talking about the importance of “re-branding” the local church in our communities. At first, people did not know what to make of using such secular terms to discuss the more holy avenues of our lives. But, once they got past the terminology, they understood the point of the article--- the church must re-invent itself if it is to be successful in the future. <br /><br />A recent article in the magazine, Fast Company, said the same of business. If a business does not learn the language, the likes, the dislikes, the worries, fears, dreams, and habits of those they are trying to attract as customers, it cannot succeed. The consumer base is too fickle with a memory that is very short-term. <br /><br />So what about the Church? What distinguishes us from EVERYTHING ELSE THAT A PERSON COULD BE DOING ON SUNDAY MORNING? Or, what would make a person choose being involved in the life of the church versus being involved in any other social network or organization. <br /><br />After all, there is a web experience for almost every aspect of the traditional church life now. You can worship online, be in Bible study online, find serving opportunities on line and offer your prayers or receive counseling online. Christianity Today even highlighted a new website that allows you to make your confessions online. Talk about one stop shopping! <br /><br />And, the articles discussed what any organization in our modern world needs for energizing its core. The church is no different, though most of our congregations are stuck in old patterns that lead to little or no real change. To put it mildly, most churches are spiritually anemic and nothing saddens me more. <br /><br />The following are my takes on what these articles concluded were necessary to re-ignite the “holy brand” of our local church and to help us reach beyond the walls for the unchurched and dischurched of our community. They are only my “take” on a broader, tested Biblical concept that speaks volumes in how congregations can reignite their core passions and live faithfully into the future for their communities and world. <br /><br />Principle One: <span style="font-weight:bold;">Passion is Personal</span>. Nothing substitutes for people believing that what they do or who they are means something (John 2: 12-22). Passion inspires vision; vision inspires mission; mission inspires results. What are you passionate about today? What in the life of your church challenges you to get out of your comfort zone and reach those outside the walls of our congregation? <br /><br />Principle Two: <span style="font-weight:bold;">Word of Mouth Still Works Best. </span>In a culture that relies on more and more impersonal means of communication, the most effective forms are still personal and direct. One on one” interaction trumps mass communication when seeking to provide long term effects. The woman at the well knew the teachings, but it was Jesus knowing her that changed her life forever. In what ways are you providing positive “word of mouth” witness to your friends and relatives about the life of GBUMC? Or… goodness forbid… have your words done more to tear down the ministry of the church you love? <br /><br />Principle Three: <span style="font-weight:bold;">Follow Me Home. Plain and simple</span>--The closer an organization gets to those they serve, the better the organization serves. Remember, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet himself! In what ways are we “following people home” and becoming a part of their daily routines. Are we simply a visit on Sundays or another check on the “to do” list? If people were forced to narrow their lives to only three things to which they could give their time, would “church” be one of them? <br /><br />Principle Four: <span style="font-weight:bold;">All Success Begins Small.</span> Even great journeys begin with one small step. Churches want too much, too quickly. Dialog, planning and purpose must always begin with people agreeing to begin at the beginning. I know this is not very poetic, but it is nonetheless true! Even Jesus’ ministry began with simple steps from the Jordan River. What are the “simple steps” we take each week to live as the “hands and feet of Jesus” in our world? How do these simple steps inspire people to know our church better and to seek a connection? <br /><br />Principle Five: <span style="font-weight:bold;">No Connection, No Bother</span>. People must connect to the people and purpose of a church in order to “stick” around. No matter the excitement on the front end, people need substance not show. When we see a church with no connection, we see a church with a huge back door. Great crowds gather for meals along the shore, but the truly committed remain through the Cross. How large is the “backdoor” of our church? What can we do to close it? <br /><br />Each of these principles speaks to the heart of what it means for us to grow into this next generation. Please pray for our church that we will live faithfully in these new methods while proclaiming a message that NEVER changes.Shane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-7000446938841055762009-10-14T11:25:00.001-07:002009-10-14T11:25:41.102-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">An Unexpected Verdict<br /></span><br /> Dan was a successful attorney, but he was not as successful at life. He arrived at my office on a Monday and proceeded to ask for the best advice I could give him about why “faith should matter”. He wanted an answer immediately. But, I asked him to give me some time. And, so, I spent several days thinking of what I should say.<br /><br />The night before our next meeting, I awoke and wrote two phrases on the pad sitting on the nightstand. They were “Love Jesus” and “Love Like Jesus”. I couldn’t think of anything more important for those of us who call ourselves Christian. It is not enough that we know Jesus and say we want to live like him. We need to put our energies into loving him, knowing him, understanding him, becoming like him. And, then we live our energies in the world loving like he did for those who are the most forgotten and the least of these our brothers and sisters. <br /><br />After sharing these phrases with my friend, I watched as his life changed. It was not my words or wisdom, but the simplicity of God working in him that transformed his priorities and life. He began to read his Bible more, attended one Bible and life study after another. He became a regular in the church and volunteered to serve in multiple serving opportunities. He also joined a small, accountability group that provided a new approach to community.<br /><br />But, that was not enough for Dan. Several months went by until Dan resigned from his law firm to take the directorship of a community ministry association that ministers to the needs of the under-resourced. It was a huge life decision, but one that provided a new joy and direction for his life. Of course, it shocked everyone who had known the ‘old Dan’, but to those of us who had watched his life over the past months, we knew that he wanted more. <br /><br />Over the next years, his life flourished and his work made a difference. Dan not only did amazing things in helping those in need, but he changed the spirit of his own life. And, maybe most importantly, he changed the spirit of his family, friends, small group and church. People could not help but notice what had happened in his life. They saw the changes, certainly, where Dan seemed more at peace, more content, but they also saw the joy and presence of mind that gave life purpose. But, nothing compared to when they saw the results of what God would do in another person’s life through the work of Dan’s newfound career and motives. The more he gave his life away in service to others, the more he found the real meaning of his life. Dan’s life had been successful; now it was significant.<br /><br />So what about your life? Are you happy with the status quo, of getting by with the same routines that lead through lots of activity but with little results that you cling to. Have you felt the pressure to be everything to everyone, and you end up being nothing or, at least, very little to no one. And, when you do find something that gives you joy, excitement and a feeling of purpose, how does that translate into what God really needs for you to accomplish both for yourself but also within the Body of Christ.?<br /><br />The questions keep coming because this is more than getting our calendars in order, our ‘to-do’ lists straight, or deciding what our next “volunteer” ministry will be. This is how we are wired up. This is the way God has framed our being. Apart from experiencing His presence, this IS what relationship in Christ is all about. It is the lynchpin of the Good News--- that Christ has transformed our lives and wants us to live as that transformed presence in the world. <br /><br />My friend, this is not supposed to be complicated. You have much to offer in the Body of Christ. God has gifted you, yes, you, and I want to help you discover that passion area and the way he has wired you up to accomplish significant things for the kingdom. Yes, I said—You and significant things for the kingdom. It is the Gospel Imperative, but it is also part of your birthright as the Children of God.<br /><br />Faith in Christ is more than signing in the attendance books on Sunday morning or doing your round in the 5th grade Sunday School wing (though those are both very important). It is about awakening the very image of God inside of you, and then sharing that with the world. And… (and this is a big ‘And’) as you are doing that in your life, others are doing the same thing, and the Body of Christ awakens to accomplish something significant.<br /><br />Someone once asked a small, aging nun in one of the most depressed parts of the world why it was that, even with her failing health, she marched into the courtyard of the convent every morning to care for the countless sick and dying who lay on the makeshift stretchers. After all, she was far too aged and had paid her dues. After a moment, this wonderful woman of God (not unlike many we know with her love, doubts, fears and joys for Jesus) looked and said, “Because this is how they will see Christ… and how I will see Him, too.” Simple enough. Powerful… enough.<br /><br /> The convent in question was in Calcutta, India. The patients were AIDS victims, lepers and those dying of diseases with no names yet. The woman was Mother Theresa. She couldn’t do Everything…. So she did something. And, well, yes, the rest is history.<br /><br />So, over the next weeks, months and years—Love Jesus and, then, Love Like Jeus. Go make history, my friend. The world needs you… now. <br /><br />Be Salt and Light… You Matter!<br /><br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-15440988381257405642009-10-08T18:44:00.000-07:002009-10-08T18:45:32.638-07:00A Friend Named Greg<br /><br />Greg Jenks spent most of his life as the quintessential United Methodist pastor. Everyone you talk to, colleagues, friends, family, loves Greg. You see instantly his humility and love for God. But, you also see an incredible love for God’s people, born from a deep spiritual mission that, over the last few years, has changed thousands of lives.<br /><br /> In 2004, Greg heard the testimony of a 15-year-old girl that struck at the core of his heart. Her testimony about the unbelievable needs in sub-Saharan Africa created by pandemic poverty and disease haunted Greg. What could he do? Just a few years before, he had committed to plant a new church in his Annual Conference. God was certainly not calling him to leave that mission for another new start? Or was He? It did not make any sense. First, he thought of simply organizing trips and teams. But, God kept calling for more—there was always ‘one other thing’ in Greg’s conversations with God.<br /><br /> Finally, to the surprise of his congregation, family, and, most importantly, to Greg himself, he left pastoral ministry and founded ZOE as a means for organizing teams and groups to address the needs of orphans, particularly in Zimbabwe. Greg found that not only was the need great, but the skills by which God had gifted him came to life in this project. After only a year, over 1,000 orphans had found assistance and love and support through ZOE. But, God did not stop there. In the next five years, ZOE expanded to Rwanda, Kenya, and Zambia. Today, there are staff offices for ZOE in the United States and Africa. The programs now include more than basic, response supplies but programs that provide for long-term support and success for those affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa, especially the children. Today, through ZOE, a child, who only a few years ago would, along with his or her family, have struggled to meet the basic, daily needs, now has training and life opportunities that not only change their lives but can possibly change their communities. All because a man named Greg Jenks did ‘something’. <br /><br /> The first time I met Greg Jenks was at a meeting of the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund. Greg is a humble, incredibly focused, but yet, very normal man. His presence does not particularly overwhelm you--until he begins to share his passion for children and families who are hurting around the world. No, Greg Jenks in his very ordinary way has lived out an extraordinary plan for his life.<br /><br /> One of the first times I heard Greg speak, he told of those first days in his former life after hearing the testimony of that young girl. Greg said the first intuition was to “do something”, but that seemed so insignificant, so inconsequential. Therefore, he began to think in large, grand terms about what could be done. But, the more he thought, the more discouraged he became as he grew overwhelmed by what he had seen and learned about the pandemic and those affected. 40,000,000 AIDS orphans, 14,000 people dying daily from bad water and not enough food, intense discrimination against young girls and women, and incredibly unstable political structures made almost any plan risky and seemingly undoable. But, Greg was seriously disturbed by God’s call on his life, and He knew that God wanted him to do something. But, what could one person do? Why was God burdening his soul for such a seemingly unreachable task? <br /><br /> That is when Greg said the Holy Spirit intervened, and he heard God speak into his soul, “Just follow me, Greg… Just follow.” Greg DID follow, creating ZOE as his one small way to respond to the crisis, and the lives of thousands of children have not been the same since. Greg finished the presentation with these words, “I don’t know what God wants from you, but I know He wants something. It was planted like a seed inside of you from the beginning, and He expects and needs for it to grow and blossom. All you are asked to do is water and nurture it. Nothing more, nothing less. God will do the rest.”<br /><br /> Next Sunday, you will have the opportunity to let that seed that God planted in you take root. In the coming week, please pray about what it is God wants you to do and then on October 18th you will be able to choose from any of the many ways to serve inside the church, outside the church and around the world.<br /><br /> And then on November 22nd, Gulf Breeze UMC will have the privilege of hearing from Greg Jenks and representatives of ZOE Ministry. They will speak at worship services for all three campuses. Our goal over the next year is to build a partnership bridge between GBUMC’s heart for the hurting and under resourced and ZOE ministry. <br /><br /> I can’t wait to watch what God will do through this partnership as he broadens our scope to Africa and helps us to be the “hands and feet of Jesus” here and around the world. Please pray for Greg’s time with us, that God will unveil how GBUMC can make a difference in those dear, sweet lives who show such love but have so little.<br /><br /> More to come…Shane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-37641030673421462672009-09-27T20:26:00.000-07:002009-09-27T20:27:00.816-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Our Friends Under the Bridge</span><br /><br /> “Do they belong to us?” It sounds like an odd question, but not to a three year old trying to make sense of why the folks living under the bridge have no where to go. My youngest daughter, Emma Leigh, and I had taken a day trip to New Orleans, some 85 miles from where we were living at the time. It was a couple of years after Hurricane Katrina had ravaged the city. And, although many groups had made life a little more bearable for the masses of homeless who call New Orleans home, the underpasses of Interstate 10 are still filled with those who have no other place to go. One part, in particular, is prolific with those living in such conditions. It is the Canal Street exit, and as soon as you turn off of the interstate you stop at a traffic light and one either side, behind and in front of you are those living in a makeshift tent city. <br /><br /> I noticed the people and was surprised by the number. Emma Leigh saw them, too. Emma Leigh was three years old at the time and though she was still a baby in so many ways, she had the vocabulary of a child so much older, largely due to older sisters who included her in almost every make believe world they created. I adjusted my rear view mirror to watch her eyes. That is when she asked, “Daddy, who are they?” I explained that the men and women under the bridge didn’t have homes and that they were living the best way they knew. It was then that Emma Leigh stunned me. “Why don’t their mommies and daddies come get them?” she asked. In her little world, everyone has mommies and daddies who take care of their children. I wondered how many of them had wished the same thing. <br /><br /> I explained to Emma Leigh that many of them didn’t have family any more or that they couldn’t get in touch with their family or that their family was mad at them or them at their families. I could tell in her eyes that this did not make sense. All she knew was a family who loved her very much and who would go anywhere to take care of her and make sure that she was okay. In fact, only a few weeks prior to that trip, she had called me at the office and had been tired and upset. “Can you come get me, Daddy” she said. “Of course, I can” I replied. When she needed her daddy, he showed up. That is what daddies, and mommies, and families do. Of course, she had a whole host of folks who would respond. If, for some reason, she couldn’t have gotten me, she would have gotten her grandmothers or aunt. <br /><br /> But, to have no one did not compute and I could tell that she did not know what to do with it. After a few minutes, she replied. “That’s okay,” she said. “They can go live with their friends”. Once again, in her world, friends took care of each other. And, then, as though she was ready for what my answer might be there, she replied, “or call their church.” Now, it was getting personal, and painful, and I knew that at some point, this three year old would make too much sense even for this situation. <br /><br /> Again, I tried to explain, that their situations were difficult and that they may not have friends who could or would help. That didn’t seem to settle well with her either. She sat there for a second. I kept wondering why the traffic light was taking so long. Finally, I, feeling the need to say something, blurted out, “They just don’t belong to anyone, sweetheart.” <br /><br /> It was at that moment that my three-year-old daughter got the best of me. She was only three, but it was enough. Jesus’ direction to his disciples that they should approach the Father as a child, meant something in that moment, and I, for one, confronted it first hand. <br /><br /> “Don’t they belong to us, Daddy?” she finally responded. This was my 3 year old daughter's way of asking, aren’t we their friends? She didn’t say anything else. She didn’t need to. Her point hit home and reminded me that what unites us is so much deeper than what we allow to divide us… Allow being the key word. <br /><br /> And, my three year old, reminded me that all of us are yoked together by the sheer essence of being the children of God. It didn’t matter what our skin color was, where we were born, how much we had attended Church, or how much we knew about our Bibles. We are all yoked together, first, by the fact that we are all God’s children, and, second, by the fact that God’s children don’t get to pick their brothers and sisters. <br /><br />Be Salt and Light… You Matter… <br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-15741132143186556102009-09-18T20:58:00.001-07:002009-09-18T20:58:36.417-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">We Always Have A Choice, Part II</span><br /><br />Last week, I shared with you an excerpt that talked about choices—choices learned from conversations with my grandfather at our “special place” overlooking a golf course. One of those conversations set in motion how I assimilated some of the most difficult news of my life and how I committed myself to living everyday to make a difference for Christ.<br /><br />This week’s excerpt picks up where last week’s left off, except this time some twenty-give years later overlooking a different setting, but, also, with long term consequences for my life. This setting was Saddleback Community Church when I, at the invitation of Rick and Kay Warren, shared my story about those early choices.<br /><br />____________________<br /><br /><br />E<span style="font-weight:bold;">xcerpt from “A Positive Life” by Shane Stanford. Prologue, Section: “A Different Stage”</span><br /> Nearly twenty years after that moment with my grandfather, I shared my story at the Saddleback Global AIDS Summit, founded by Kay and Rick Warren. My grandfather had been right. The story itself made a difference for people, even when it was not particularly welcome and when people did not know what to do with it. <br />I was scheduled to speak in the first session in between remarks by Rick and Kay. I shared how HIV/AIDS had dominated my life, shaped my worldview, informed my faith, and redesigned my view of others. My story taught me valuable lessons for life. My illness is not a part of me, but rather it is me in so many positive ways—my marriage, my family, my vocation, my faith—and has taught me simple things about living, about how to love more and better, and about how to serve beyond my own interests. It has carved away my prejudices and fears and shaped my view of God and God’s people—the latter, unfortunately, often in a negative light. HIV/AIDS is my common story and my moral voice—the deepest place where God works his presence in me.<br /> From the doctor’s room where, as a sixteen-year-old kid, I learned my HIV status, to the conference room of the church that would not accept me as their pastor; and from the grieving rooms where I said goodbye to friends, to the hospital rooms where my wife buried her head in my chest and cried, HIV/AIDS has been my means of grace as much as my wound of sorrow. <br /> I feel more familiar with the disease now than angry. As much as the disease has pushed and torn at me, I know myself, the world, and God’s heart better because of it. Sure, I would prefer to be healthy and disease free, but I have become content with the struggle—maybe even, at times, not wishing to trade it away. Illness has refined my soul, and life, people, and goals mean different things because of its presence. <br />As Rick finished his opening remarks, I remember my heart was about to pound out of my chest. He concluded his remarks by saying, “And, now I would like to introduce you to a pastor who gets… please welcome Shane Stanford.” I walked to the podium. Rick hugged me and said, “Thanks for being here. You are a blessing.” But the real blessing was being anywhere, anytime at all. I couldn’t help but thinking that my grandfather would like this moment. Of course, I couldn’t help but remember those who along the way had meant so much and, for one reason or another, could not be there. This had not just been my fight or my battle. I looked to my right and saw Pokey sitting in the audience. She smiled such a huge smile and I could see her wink at me. And looking forward, I saw the media, cameras and over two thousand Summit participants who had their own stories and war wounds.<br /> Standing at that podium in front of the world, I realized that, like so many others in that room, I had met the enemy over many years, and I had been fortunate enough to prosper. Yes, the disease attacked my body, but because of the disease, I attacked life with an understanding of the brokenness through which we, like Paul, can declare God’s grace to be sufficient. No, it wasn’t easy. There are still times I want to take off running or lay down and give up. Did all go as planned? I am afraid not. But the story showed that we had at least made the choice for something better and had, to our best, lived it faithfully, even when we would get it horribly wrong. Regardless, the story was real, and it was mine. With that, I began to speak and shared my story. The following is what I said…<br />Speech, Global AIDS Summit, 2006<br />As a person living with HIV and AIDS, my entire life has been a race. A race against illness and disease, against fear and uncertainty, against discrimination and prejudice. A race against time.<br />Sure, the race has been difficult with many twists and turns—from growing up a Hemophiliac to discovering my HIV status at sixteen to watching how the secrecy of my HIV status affected the emotional life of our family and relationships.<br />It is a journey with spiritual struggles and tension—from watching my denomination’s struggle over whether to ordain me to being rejected by the first church to which I was appointed as pastor.<br />And certainly, it is a race with great loss and disillusionment—from the loss of dear friends to the disease to the loss of others for the fear surrounding it.<br />No, it has not been easy, pushing me to trust beyond what I can see and understand even, at times, pressing the limits of my faith, not necessarily as much for God as for God’s people.<br />Certainly, this is not a path that I would have chosen. But oddly enough, so many miles into it now, I would also not trade it with anyone.<br />You see, HIV has also afforded me an incredible glimpse into the best of what God offers in this world and the best for what God’s people can become. This journey informs me in God’s call for each of us to respond faithfully as God’s children and teaches all of us who call ourselves “Christian” important lessons that, potentially, can change our world.<br />Lessons about time: Because of my illness I am reminded each day that time is a privilege given to us by God, a luxury afforded to us with the possibility that each of us can make a difference in this world.<br />Lessons about relationships: I am blessed with a beautiful wife, three wonderful daughters and countless family and friends who remind me that the most important things we do in this world are not done alone.<br />Lessons about simplicity: More, bigger, nicer, pale in comparison to simple things like sunsets with those you love and the laughter of children at play.<br />And most importantly, lessons about real faith: Personally, HIV reminds me every day that, with God’s grace, what I need I have, and what I have is sufficient. Sufficient to confront the struggles of my health and the uncertainties of tomorrow. Sufficient to meet the needs of others if we, the Body of Christ, might agree to meet them together. For still, more than anything I have ever known, the Body of Christ (when we truly live like it) with all of its imperfections, holds as the hope of the world, bearing witness to this amazing Gospel that says God passionately loves the unlovable, the marginalized and the forgotten. <br />No, HIV is not easy for any of us. But it is a journey with real lessons for real life, and if we listen carefully it can teach us much about loving God and each other.<br />Friends, we have a race to run. This world cannot afford to run it alone.<br /><br />__________________<br /><br />As the speech finished I made my way back to my seat and took a deep breath. I was glad it was over. But, I couldn’t help but think of my grandfather. It was a long way from our golf hillside to the hills of Orange County, California and the world’s most prominent church stage. But, the journey seemed almost expected, prophesied in part by a very proud, but worried grandfather whose belief in his God (though not by much he would later admit) was still enough to outpace his fear of the world. <br /><br />Somewhere, I knew my grandfather was smiling at that moment, whispering between his lips, “Good choice, Sport… Good choice, indeed.”<br /><br />Be Salt and Light… You Matter… <br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-88944232559346955652009-09-10T05:47:00.000-07:002009-09-10T05:50:03.865-07:00<strong>We Always Have A Choice, Part I</strong><br /><br />My grandfather was my hero. He was also my best friend, until he passed away in 1997.<br /> <br />There was nothing I couldn’t tell him. His quiet spirit and wisdom always knew the right thing to say or the right moment not to say anything at all.<br />My grandfather shared a special time and place from the time I was a young boy, just after my parents’ divorce. First, we went to an orchard just across the road from the family farm. Later, we went to a hill overlooking a golf course. These were our moments. <br /><br />The following is an excerpt from A Positive Life, a memoir of my life until now. Over the next two weeks, I talk about choices. The section is taken from the Prologue of the book entitled, “More than the Sum of What We Can Say”. I hope you enjoy it.<br />_____________________<br /><br /><strong>(Excerpt from A Positive Life, Zondervan 2010, Prologue section: “More than Sum of What We Can Say”) </strong> <br /> <br />The first weekend I spent with my grandparents after the diagnosis was awkward. My disease was not discussed. No one wanted to be the first to mention the situation. After Sunday breakfast, my grandfather asked me to take a ride with him. We drove the familiar road to the hill overlooking the golf course and sat together for a few moments in silence. <br /><br />It was always my grandfather’s habit when we would arrive to say an “open eye” prayer. He liked to say that no one else would want him to say a prayer with your eyes open because “prayer was supposed to be with our eyes closed and our heads bowed”. But sitting here or in the orchard, my grandfather would ask, “How can we pray to God and be thankful for all we have and see and be afraid to look up and actually take it all in?” <br /> <br />It always made sense to me when were sitting there, though I dared not try the open-eye prayer anywhere else. My grandfather also said that looking up meant making the prayer about God more than about ourselves, which so many prayers seemed to be. So we would pray, looking up, around, and at each other. It was always a great moment, filled with some laughter, smiles, and the occasional loving, quiet stare from a grandfather to his grandson. <br /><br />On this particular day, my grandfather finished the prayer and then took my hand. He had looked over at me several times, and we knew there was more in the air than just the breeze and much more to discuss. <br /><br />Finally, my grandfather broke the silence: “So, what are you going to do with this thing?” He never used the letters HIV or AIDS and he never talked about sickness or disease. But I knew exactly what he was talking about.<br /><br />“I don’t know. There’s no cure,” I said, looking down messing with a blade of grass or some loose rock. “There is not much of a choice.”<br /><br /> “You always have a choice,” my grandfather said, his voice steady. He was straightforward in his words but not gruff or difficult in his tone. But he wanted me to hear and pay attention.<br /><br /> “What choice do I have?” I asked. There didn’t seem to be many choices on my end. The doctors had not given any and most, if not everyone in my life, were walking around as though resigned to something else … to no choices available. “Sometimes,” I finally added, “I just feel like running as fast as I could. I am not sure where I would go, but just to see if I could outrun this feeling of loneliness and dread in my life.” My grandfather was listening.<br /><br /> “And then there are times, I just want to lay down and let it be over. Some days, it is hard to find the reason to feel joyful again. That scares me more than the disease.” <br /><br /> My grandfather had looked back at the horizon. I could tell he was thinking.<br /> <br /> “I know there is a lot to consider over the next weeks. The doctor is telling me a lot about what I need to think about in terms of my treatment. So I am trying to get the right info and make good decisions. But choices?” I asked. “About life … really, about life? I don’t know about that.” <br /><br /> My grandfather and I sat there for a few moments. I was trying to be honest with him about where my heart was in this news and in this whole fight. I had faced a lot in my life, but this was different. The face of this disease was bigger than all of us put together. And the impact was not just about my life, but about so many others in my family. Lest we forget, this was all being done in secret, since most people could not at that point in the disease’s timeline get their brains around the idea of what me being HIV positive would mean for them, our family, or our community.<br /><br /> My grandfather shifted his body language to turn more toward me. He leaned against the ground with his left arm so that he could look me in the eye. “If anybody has a right to get in the corner and have a pity party about this, it’s you. It’s very raw deal, and I can’t tell you that I understand it or have even begun to confront my anger over it. But as bad as this seems—and I know it’s bad—you have a choice to make. You can get in that corner, and if you want me to, I will get in there with you.” My grandfather paused. I had never heard him talk about giving up or giving in to anything. But here he was with tears in his eyes, saying that he would crawl into that pity party hole with me, if that is where I went and he needed to go. <br /><br /> “But I know you, maybe better than anyone, and I know what is in your heart and deep in your soul, and I think you are going to make a choice other than pity, retreat, or surrender. I think you are going to live each day to the fullest with everything you have. I think you are going to take each day, no matter how many you have, and make something of them. No one can ask any more of you.” <br />He stopped and looked into my eyes. “And son, I think you making that choice will mean something someday.” <br />____________________<br /><br />My grandfather understood the power of our choices. I learned their power, too. And, it is not always the “decision” we make as much the process we use that ultimately sets the stage for God’s most profound lessons and displays of grace and wisdom. The ability for the Creation to have “free will” and the ability to make “choices” that define our present and future is the most significant gift the Creator could give us. And, we make use and worth of that gift everyday, in large and small ways alike.<br /><br /> Over the next couple of weeks, I pray you will think diligently about the choices you make and about the prayer, thought and consideration you take in making them. What is God wanting you to learn from your choices? What does the process tell us about how God has already worked a miracle in us before we ever make them? <br /><br /> Next week, I will share another conversation from another vantage point about everyday wisdom and the choices we make. A different “stage” than the hillside from when I was 16 years old and newly diagnosed, but nonetheless the important into whose I would become and for what God would do in and through me across the journey.<br />Until then… You ALWAYS Have A Choice.<br /><br />Be Salt and Light… You Matter… <br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-87067257891609606232009-09-03T16:52:00.000-07:002009-09-03T16:53:33.923-07:00<strong>"Re-Newing Our Minds"</strong><br /><br />This week, Pokey and I attended a gathering of Senior Pastors and Spouses of the 100 largest United Methodist Churches in the United States according to average worship attendance. GBUMC is ranked 23rd, in case you were wondering. <br /><br />The meeting was informative, challenging and reassuring as we met new friends, shared with older ones, and learned that we have much in common with those at similar places of similar size. <br /><br />One of our responsibilities at this gathering was to discuss how the 100 largest congregations can assist the denomination as a whole in the next century’s new reality of ministry. According to the data shared by Adam Hamilton, Pastor of Church of the Resurrection UMC (the largest UMC church in the country) and the convener of the meeting, if nothing is done to change the prevailing trends, the United Methodist Church will cease to exist in 44 years. <br /><br />In the past six years, The United Methodist Church has lost 22% of our membership. During this same period, the number of Professions of Faith has declined by 18%. The number of children in confirmation declined by 21%. Membership in the United Methodist Women across the denomination has declined so rapidly that the organization will lose over 95% of its membership in the next 14 years. <br /><br />Worship attendance in the United Methodist Church declined by over 70,000 last year alone. That is the same as all of the United Methodists who attend church in the Kansas East and West Annual Conferences combined. <br /><br />The stats and conversation are difficult to assimilate. <br /><br />But, as sobering as the data may be, the opportunities and potential discussed for how the local church remains as the "hope of the world" and the center for renewal in our denomination are even more significant. <br /><br />Adam Hamilton reminded us that John Wesley faced a similar crisis in his own denomination, the Church of England. He would look out and see the empty churches, but even more important, empty spirits, and decided that something must be done. And, the “something” began with him--with his own mindset and thinking. He took to heart several of Paul's sermons where he said that we must become what God needs us to be by, first, "re-newing" our minds. In Wesley’s day, that was more than an intellectual exercise, but it symbolized the "way we saw the world, God, and God in the world." <br /><br />Wesley took on a life philosophy that is well documented and that became his mantra for how he would conduct his ministry. His philosophy had two principles: 1) No matter how much you love something, if it doesn’t work, throw it out, and 2) No matter how much you hate something, if it works, use it. <br /><br />Wesley believed that the two primary purposes of the Church were to 1) Save Souls, and 2) Build Up the Body. Wesley, himself, was an intellectual who loved preaching in his staid, safe parish church. But, no matter his personal feelings, he traveled 250,000 miles to preach 40,000 sermons in the countryside because that is where the people were and where God needed him to go. Even though he detested both (travel and open air preaching), he did them because that is where God sent him. <br /><br />And, Wesley and his brother, Charles, took recognizable tunes from the local taverns, wrote religious words to them, and used those songs for preaching to those who would have been outside the bounds of the church. Many of those songs are considered some of our most sacred hymns today. He never really liked this process, but it worked, and that is what mattered to him, and he believed mattered also to God. <br /><br />Wesley not only renewed his preaching techniques, his music, and his goals/objectives, but he first had to make new his thinking about why and how he carried out his ministry. <br /><br />As I thought about the idea of Wesley "Re-Newing His Mind" to become all that Christ intends, I came to four conclusions. <br /><br />1. Wesley believed we must STOP thinking about OURSELVES. There are numerous Biblical references to this principle. Too numerous, in fact, to mention. The Adversary wants and needs for us to think about ourselves—our wants, needs, desires, and goals—because it turns us away from God. It was the trick he used on Eve in the Garden and it has been successful ever since. <br /><br />2. He concluded we must START thinking like CHRIST. More than a bracelet, this must be a real effort to take the principles, motives and intentions of Jesus into our hearts and to live them. It is not enough to simply say we Love Jesus… we must Love Like Jesus as well. <br /><br />3. Wesley understood that we must START thinking about OTHERS. Again, the Biblical principles are too numerous to reference, but the gist is like this. If we want to be first—we must be last. If we want to win--- we must learn to lose. If we want to fulfill the full nature of our own lives and experience wholeness in Christ—we must be willing to give ourselves away for our brothers, in heart, soul, mind and body. Not very complicated but very difficult. <br /><br />4. Finally, Wesley believed we must START thinking of TOMORROW like it is TODAY. Jesus says we only control what we do right now. So, we can’t wait until tomorrow to make things better in our relationships, to be better at our spiritual walks or to serve more. NO, tomorrow begins today. All that the Bible says we can and must become in Christ is within our grasps now. We must be willing to make it so, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us. <br /><br />Adam Hamilton said that Wesley’s great contribution to the cause of evangelical Christianity was more practical than theological. I would agree. Certainly, he was a wonderful thinker—and the re-newing of his mind gave birth to a new way of doing church. But, more than anything Wesley reminds us that the best of who we are in Christ is found in our acts of charity, our proclamation of the Good News, and in our strength for justice and righteousness. <br /><br />As the Scripture states, in giving our lives away in service to Christ…. We find real life, and it makes all the difference. <br /><br />We love you all. <br /><br />Be Salt and Light... You matter! <br /><br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-87973818292923323412009-08-21T18:47:00.000-07:002009-08-21T18:48:39.732-07:00T<span style="font-weight:bold;">he Lighthouse, Part II: “Sometimes… it IS what you know…”</span><br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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? <br /><br />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<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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). <br /><br />Blessings, my friends. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Loving Jesus ... Loving Like Jesus<br /></span><br />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. <br /><br />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: <br /><br />1. Studying our Bible <br />2. Living in Community<br />3. Sharing our Resources<br />4. Faithfully Serving and Using our Spiritual Gifts<br />5. Worshipping Joyfully in Christ<br /><br />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!<br /><br />Be Salt and Light... You matter! <br /><br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-23760345248520804452009-08-12T18:30:00.000-07:002009-08-12T18:32:47.897-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">The Lighthouse</span><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />This pattern continued until the children were in college, where they found their own lives apart from their father’s desperate, broken cycles.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.”<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.”<br /><br />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.<br /><br />There are no coincidences in Christ or in God’s plan. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Personally, having witnessed His work in dreams like this before, and I can’t wait to see what He has in store next.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />“You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world…” (Matthew 5: 13-16) You matter. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Our Vision and “Good Morning”</span><br /><br />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. <br /><br />In other words, as my friend put it, “they are looking for signs that ‘you love them’…<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />We love you all.<br /><br />Be Salt and Light… You Matter!<br /><br />Shane<br />1 Corinthians 15: 58Shane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-27586244990306516872009-08-06T22:19:00.000-07:002009-08-06T22:23:57.315-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Questions for the Pastor</span><br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />The following are just a few of the questions I have received and my attempt to answer them in an honest, Godly fashion. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />Again, these are real questions I have received. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What is the most important book you have read in the past year and why? </span>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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What is your vision for GBUMC over the next year, five years and 10 years? </span>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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Why are you getting rid of the organ in the sanctuary? </span>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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What are your current writing projects and how do you see them impacting your role as Senior Pastor at GBUMC? </span>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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Is it true that you refused to take the appointment of Senior Pastor to GBUMC unless the church hired your friends from Mississippi?</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">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?</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What is this talk about Gulf Breeze Global? Some folks think you are trying to turn us into “Saddleback: The Gulf Breeze Campus?”</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">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!?” </span>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.<br /> <br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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! <br /><br />1. Worship Matters<br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Making Life Matter Learning Series--- Fall 2009</span><br /><br />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: <br /><br />“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. <br /><br />"A Quck Guide to Learning How to Study Your Bible.” September 27th. 5:00-6:30pm. A study guide is available.<br /><br />“A Quick Guide to Learning How to Pray.” September 30th. 6:00-7:00pm. A study guide is available. Free.<br /><br />“Learning and Developing Your Spiritual Gift.” October 21st. 6:00-7:00pm. A study guide is available. Free.<br /><br />“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.<br /><br />“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.<br /><br />For more information or to register, please contact Kathy Norberg, Asst. Exec. Director for Connections, at 850-932-3594 or email knorberg@gbumc.org.<br /><br />We love you all. <br /><br />Be Salt and Light... You matter! <br /><br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-73218141380083535322009-08-02T14:45:00.000-07:002009-08-02T14:59:50.327-07:00Sermon Follow-up... <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />Here was my short-take on this new direction...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Here they are:<br /><br />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..."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Watch the sermon at www.gbumc.org<br /><br />Love you all.<br />Shane<br />Matthew 5; 13-16Shane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-63902514694655586582009-07-29T18:28:00.000-07:002009-07-29T18:31:45.433-07:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">A Life Well Lived</span><br /><br /> Bill was born in 1919 in Birmingham, Alabama. He passed away in Gulf Breeze in 2009. During those 89 years, Bill, as his family and friends called him, raised himself from a poor, broken home to live an outstanding life.<br /><br /> He was married to the same woman for over 60 years and was the father of four, three daughters and a son. For a time, Bill served as the State’s Chief Marine Biologist, but eventually resigned to work for the EPA because it would keep him closer to his family. He pioneered “clean air and water standards” long before “going green” was hip or cool. And, he championed procedures for protecting the environment long before such processes rooted themselves in our daily lives.<br /><br /> And, Bill loved his family and his God—to love one was to love and be committed to the other he liked to say. Bill spent lots of time with his family long before “the family table” became the next catch phrase, and he learned the importance of serving and caring for the under-resourced at a time when “person salvation” was the prominent theological conversation. Not only did loving “his family” matter, but caring for the family of God was just as important.<br /><br /> Alzheimer’s finally took Bill’s life, but nothing could steal the impressive legacy his left behind. Even during the final days of his life, he would encourage folks to say the Lord’s Prayer with him, even if he was unable to remember their names, and he always, always wished people a “good day”, even if, as his family said, he was having trouble remember “which day” it actually was.<br /><br /> Some things are so ingrained in us, so deep into our souls that even Alzheimer’s can’t take them away. A person’s life is more than the sum of what we can say, or do, or put on a resume. Our character should ooze from us, even when we are unable to define it, proclaim it or even understand it ourselves. Such was the case with Bill.<br /><br /> This week, I had the privilege of officiating at Bill’s funeral. Listening to friends and family describe this now small, frail man, and knowing how we loved life and cared for those people and places that mattered most to him, reminded me that much of what we do in this world outlives even the fragile shell of this body.<br /><br /> I was reminded that what we say and do and care about in this world matters for more than the ways they will measure our fame, place or standing, but for how people, many whom we do not even know, will be watching, and for how this witness we bear, even with those we don’t see looking, will far outpace our titles, positions or accomplishments.<br /><br /> It reminds me of when Jesus, in Matthew 5: 13-16, says to the disciples that they are the “Salt of the earth…” and the “Light of the world”. Neither is meant to set the disciples apart from the world, but, on the contrary, places them “smack dab in the middle of it”. And, best of all, we represent the One who has loved us first and most and best. That is a line on the resume worth having, a title that can’t ever be taken away.<br /><br /> So, over the next days, we would do well to assess our place in this world, but not according to the standards the world so often considers important, but according to the life of the One to whom we witness or at least should. I believe we will find a ‘real legacy” for real life that will outpace and outlive even our years on this planet.<br /><br /> Bill did, and it made all the difference. He lived as “Salt and Light” and it mattered.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Worship Matters</span><br /><br />Last week, Ruth Knights took us to the river in the close to our Blockbuster Series with “O’ Brother Where Art Thou” and Scott negotiated the danger of the Pirates of the Caribbean. And, of course, Jack provided a wonderful interpretation through the series “How Great Thou Art” with a live artist working as the sermon unfolded.<br /><br />This week, all three campuses began a new sermon series entitled, “Vacation”. At GBUMC Soundside, Scott addresses the basics of “vacation” and our need for rest. While Jack will discuss the items “we leave behind” when we go on vacation at GBUMC W@W. <br /><br />And, at GBUMC Fairpoint, I will ask the question “Where do you go to rest?” and will use the wonderful scripture from Matthew 11: 28-30 to discuss Jesus’ desire that all of us find rest and peace in Him. I am very happy to be back you at Fairpoint and look forward to Sunday! <br /><br />I love you.<br /><br />Be Salt and Light... You Matter!<br />Shane<br />Matthew 5: 13-16Shane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38867036.post-73499626884651666942009-07-25T12:52:00.000-07:002009-07-25T13:29:10.190-07:00Changes...<br /><br />Many have written to offer their prayers, support and encouragement in my recent decision to step down as host of The United Methodist Hour. I appreciate your concerns, and, especially, the way you have shared your heart with me and my family.<br /><br />But, several of you have asked for the "real story". "Why are you really leaving the Hour?" and "I heard this..." and "I heard that..."<br /><br />Well... the whole story, though not nearly as tantalizing as the rumors, is a bit long and complicated.<br /><br />When I was appointed as Senior Pastor of Gulf Breeze UMC this past March, I offered and The Hour accepted that I remain as the host of The United Methodist Hour for free for as long as necessary or until the Board decided to go in another direction.<br /><br />Over the past weeks since taking on the position with GBUMC full time, I have kept my taping schedule active, though never taking away from what GBUMC needed. And, I believe The Hour was served well, too, mainly because Anthony Thaxton and Mike Boucher made sure the new taping schedule would work. And, it did work.<br /><br />But, there were and are other issues at play. Three years ago, I took the Hour in a new direction in both terms of programming and also the long range vision for the ministry-- a vision that has led us into podcasting and on to FamilyNet. Some on the Board of Directors and within the Mississippi Annual Conference liked the new direction; others did not. We have moved forward, but not without our share of disagreements over what would work and what needed to be the core of our ministry. <br /><br />NEITHER SIDE of this discussion is WRONG; we simply disagree as to where the ministry goes from here.<br /><br />The Hour deserves an opportunity to move forward continuing the vision it has lived out for the past 40 years. And, I must remain faithful to what God has placed on my heart for my teaching ministry.<br /><br />I truly respect and cherish the past three years. It has taught me a great deal about media ministry, introduced me to great people (some who have become my dearest friends) and provided a new frame for ministry through technology that most people never have the chance to experience.<br /><br />Yes, God has other things in store for both of us--- The Hour and me.<br /><br />Over the next weeks, you will be hearing more about "Making Life Matter" and "Gulf Breeze Global", two approaches to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ that I look forward to.<br /><br />And, I know The Hour will also have new chapters and places that God will lead it as well.<br /><br />I recently finished Timothy Keller's "The Prodigal God". It is an amazing book about a story that many of us "think" we know, but ultimately have only a passing knowledge-- The Parable of the Lost Son.<br /><br />In essence, it is a story about two sons from two very different places. What both miss is the gracious abandon by which the Father loves them and encourages both of them to live within the light and "freedom" of His grace. The reckless nature of the younger son and the rules of the older son keep both from living the real wealth and treasure of their inheritance-- within the Father's hope that they may both reach their potential. Neither are right... both miss the mark. One just misses it with more flare. I have been and continue to be both "sons" in my life. How about you?<br /><br />We have much to share and live out over the next years. God has given me the privilege to share and love and follow Him. I don't want to miss one single moment. I don't want you to either.<br /><br />Whatever our struggles and disagreements have been about style, direction and future for the ministry; what has not changed is the love for sharing the Good News, resourcing the local church and providing hope as the "hands and feet of Jesus" in the world. The Hour has a long history of faithful service in this, and it has been a joy to be a part of it.<br /><br />I want to take a moment to thank folks like Jim Golden, Carolyn Hood, Ann Pace, Mike Boucher and Anthony Thaxton for carrying so many of the details of the ministry. It has been a privilege to work with you.<br /><br />And, my sincere hope is that The Hour will be ALL that God needs her to be in the future.<br /><br />So, now we turn back to the horizon and what God has in store for us over the next hill. There is much to do.. <br /><br />Be Salt and Light... You Matter!<br />ShaneShane Stanfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368214548854764221noreply@blogger.com0