God Our Provider

My Pastor, Bernard Fuller (Sr. Pastor of New Song Bible Fellowship Church), always told me, "Where God guides, He also provides." That has been a mantra for me, my family, and my ministry for many years... and God has never proven us wrong.

12 years ago, my family and I relocated to Atlanta, GA where I took a position at a Bible College... as well as being a full-time student there so I could finish my degree. The first 18 months were rough, to say the least... promises had been broken, and we were trying to make do on $500 a month ($350 was our car note... $150 was car insurance... you do the math). CRAZY!!!! But God was ALWAYS faithful!! Through speaking engagements, music engagements, and gifts from friends, we were able to make it until God brought in steadier income for us. We learned to trust Him... and stay up under the adversity until He moved. Hard lessons were learned... but they were also GOOD lessons, because they taught us more about Him.

Recently, the church that sponsored Mosaic's startup suffered a church split. We hadn't come out of that church, but they believed in the vision God gave us and were more than willing to partner with us. But not only would the split cause the church problems, it was going to take a toll on us... they were covering roughly 25% of our salary! But there was no worry, no anxiety, no discouragement on our part... because where God guides, He also provides... He'd done it before, He'd do it again! So, after praying, we sent out support letters to a handful of churches and just a couple of individuals... all whom had already been praying for us and encouraging us along this journey. And the response has been awesome! In just a little over 2 weeks, we've received commitments to almost cover that shortage... with more commitments to come! YAY, GOD!!!

Praise God, who ALWAYS shows Himself strong on behalf of those who trust Him (2 Chron. 16:9)... WHERE GOD GUIDES, HE ALSO PROVIDES!!

Be Kind!

On Sunday, I challenged our people to be intentional and creative in finding someone to show a random act of God's kindness to. "What's God's kindness," you ask?" Well, that's the kindness that attaches itself to a person for no good reason... it's unconditional, undeserving, and the person is totally unable to pay back what is given.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to give a stranger a ride (not saying I recommend you doing the same)... and, at first, I really didn't want to do it. I was sorta in a rush... places to go, things to do, you know the deal... but I said, "Aw, what the heck! Besides, I'm supposed to be trying to be nice!" (Unfortunately, I didn't have a smile on my face).

Well, Phillip (the dude's name) began to tell me his story... how he'd lost his apartment, job, and car recently, and is just trying to find a job to keep his head above water. He told me about how he'd gotten away from the Lord... not fully trusting Him, especially in the present during this huge crunch. Then, in the 5 minutes that he rode with me, he listened as I shared Scripture (and some food) with him and just tried to minister to him in the power of the Spirit. Phillip went away SUPER EXCITED, with some food in his stomach, and some information about some church in College Park that he's interested in checking out!

Okay... I know someone out there has a "Kindness Story" to share... come on wit it! ;-)

Hat Tricks

Recently, I've had to take over some of the worship leading responsibilities at Mosaic... in addition to, of course, leading the church/preaching every week. At first, I thought it would be WAY too much, but it hasn't really been overwhelming... at least, not consistently so. In fact, it's been a rather pleasant and enjoyable experience!

This is somewhat surprising to me, simply because once I "hung up" my Worship Pastor hat, I thought that was pretty much a thing of the past... I really didn't like both leading worship/preaching in the same service. So, it's been mildly surprising that I've been actually looking forward to the times when I would lead at church. Some factors are: 1) I'm actually doing a style I love: a sort of "urban/rock", more or less (maybe more rock than urban, lol) and, 2) I haven't really had to be at the keyboard... having a band has been awesome. In my prior worship leading days, I always led from the piano.

So, for me - and for the church, as well - my taking over some of the responsibilities has been good. If nothing else, it's helping to reinforce the direction/flavor of our worship style, and preparing us for whoever the next Worship Leader will be. I just recently noticed that Gary Lamb has just taken over the teaching in the Student Ministry for Revolution Church... and he's enjoying it. I think maybe God is stretching us Lead Pastors to allow our churches... at least temporarily... to maximize our gifts for the greater good of the church and the Kingdom. My buddy Daniel Floyd encouraged me yesterday by reminding me that Steven Furtick led worship for Elevation Church until they were running around 700 in attendance!

Lead Pastors: Don't be afraid to oversee another crucial area of your ministry that might need YOU to breathe some fresh air into it! Definitely weigh the odds and don't neglect your fam... but if you see an area of the ministry that simply isn't where it needs to be... or there suddenly arises a hole that needs to be filled... God might be saying, "Right now, this hole is so big that it can only be filled by you!" Don't get me wrong... wearing two or more MAJOR hats for a Lead Pastor should be only a temporary thing; do it only until you can get that hole filled. And any hat you wear should fall under your strengths (not just something you feel you can do). It's time-consuming... and can only be done in God's strength... but, as long as He's holding us up, it can push the ministry - and God's Kingdom - forward in a major way!

One Thing

I was going over some of my posts from a couple of years ago, and came across one that I think is timeless in it message. I can use the challenge again, and I'm sure you probably can, as well... so enjoy! :-)

What is Your One Thing?

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been meditating and studying this passage about Jesus' story of "the talents." One thing that stands out to me is that the master gave his servants one thing to do. He gave them, each according to their own ability, money to invest.

He didn't give them sheep to shepherd...
He didn't give them buildings to build...
He didn't give them other servants to oversee...
He didn't give them soldiers to train...
He didn't give...

You get the picture.

He gave them one thing. They were to be focused, centered, and concentrated on that one thing.

The problem is with many of us that we either 1) try to do so many things that our "one thing" gets diluted, or 2) we don't even know what our "one thing" is!

No wonder we're often ineffective...

Steven said it well: "You won't be judged on what you did, but on what you were called to do."

God is not looking for us to be a jack-of-all-trades. Find your one thing... be faithful in that one thing...

And watch God bless others - and you - through it.

One thing. That's it.

New Message Series: INFLUENCE!!

We start a new message series this weekend at Mosaic... INFLUENCE! This is going to be an incredibly life-changing series for people, and I'm really looking forward to it!

God has given each one of us the power of influence... and we influence people all the time, for good or for bad. My desire is to see our people grow to be passionate followers of Christ, who use their influence - no matter where they are - to spread the fame of Jesus' name! Our influence can have a domino effect on the lives of people everywhere, as we seek Kingdom opportunities wherever we go!

We all influence someone... Who are you influencing?

And how? ;-)

On the Dock of the Bay...

I was talking to a pastor friend of mine last night about the loneliness that often accompanies ministry that Bible College or Seminary doesn't prepare you for... especially in the early days of ministry. Some guys who aspire to be church planters think it's SMOOTH SAILING... they can make their own hours, do whatever they want, study as much as they want, but they don't realize the HARD WORK and SACRIFICE that it takes to make a "successful" church start... and they fail to understand the sometimes extreme loneliness that sets in... the feeling that you're sometimes on an island by yourself. The task of faithfully and continually imparting the vision... the burden of the responsibility of the day-to-day operations that falls squarely on your shoulders... the weight of it all can be intense.

Not only is this sometimes an unrecognized reality by new church planters, but also by those who are around them: leaders, spouses, friends... in an attempt to be "encouraging and upbeat", the planter will often internalize the pressure and frustration from feeling alone... there are few he can "vent" to (Lord knows, his wife hears about the ministry way too much anyway), and he doesn't like to "complain"...

Those are the times he needs God the most...
Those are the times he needs your prayers...

Of course, he probably won't let you know, so just pray for him anyway. Chances are, when you pray, he could use it right then. ;-)

We'll Keep Crawling For Now...

I have to be honest - sometimes the "slow growth" of our church drives me crazy. In this day and age of "the faster, the better," I've been so conditioned to see meteoric growth as "successful" that anything less than that, for me, sometimes can be less than satisfactory.

But, in reality, most church plants grow slowly. The Elevations, Mars Hills, and New Hopes - who all grew to THOUSANDS in a very short period of time - aren't the norm. They're the exceptions to the rule (very good exceptions, though, they are). Most church plants don't grow that way... and some don't even make it.

Really, though... our growth has been somewhat (as compared to the above rockets) slow, but very steady. The excitement's high (always has been), friends are inviting friends, and we're seeing lives change. And we know we won't always be at a "crawl"...

... one day, we'll hit a major growth spurt and begin walking. But that's in God's time. Don't get me wrong, we're not content to crawl... but we know that it's ultimately God's responsibility to get us to the walking stage. And then, soon after that, we'll fly. For right now, though, if He says crawl... we'll keep crawling.

After all, you have to crawl well before you can walk. It's all a part of growing. While you're crawling, you're developing muscles, and coordination... and you're discovering new things.

So, if you're crawling right now, that's okay. Don't settle for that... keep pressing forward... do what you do well... keep developing... keep growing. You'll be walking soon enough.

And then, after that, you'll FLY. ;-)

There's Always Room...

I recently got a couple of messages on Facebook from friends who thought our church had moved to another area of Maryland... not too terribly far away..., in Anne Arundel county (we're in Prince George's county, close to DC). But apparently, they were referring to this church... and, we're not that church. :-) But that's okay! I've found that sometimes pastors get a little touchy about ministries (particularly those with the same name) that "move in" on their territories (okay... so, they're 20 minutes away from us); but the bottom line is - there is room enough for all of us. There are so many people to reach, ONE CHURCH cannot possibly reach everybody!

So, I... for one... am excited to hear about Mosaic Christian Church. They launch on September 14 at the Egyptian Muvico Theaters at Arundel Mills Mall. If you live in that area, be sure to check them out!

I look forward to seeing God reach many people far from Christ through their ministry!

***EDIT***
I had the wrong link to Mosaic Christian above, but it's fixed now... thanks for bringing that to my attention, guys! ;-)

A Sage's Wisdom

The longer I pastor, the more I realize the need for wisdom from older pastors... sages, as I like to call them. They've been through the fire, and have often made the same mistakes I do... but they learned from them, and God has used them.

I had a very awesome opportunity to meet with an old friend today at Washington Bible College. It was a relatively impromptu meeting, but it was extremely powerful. It was with Pastor Lynwood Davis, 63-yr old pastor of the Northeast Baptist Temple in Clinton, MD, who also serves as WBC's Facilities Director (the students affectionately call him "Rev"). We've known each other for a very long time (he said to a friend of mine, "I remember when Darren was the Choir Director at New Song! NOW look at him!"). He sat me down and gave me some really practical and pastoral advice..., and it was so rich. I'm extremely indebted for these sages who've paved the way, who understand that ministry is not the same as it was 20-30 years ago, and who are excited about the young men that God is raising up to lead His Church! Here are a few "snippets from a wise sage":

1) "Remember when you first got married... how excited you were? The honeymoon stage? ?Well, you're in the honeymoon stage of church planting right now!"

2) "I should've changed some things alot sooner than I did. I had good theology, but my methodology was horrible! Don't be afraid to change when change is needed. "

3) "As church planters, we have a way of... after awhile... beginning to maintain our ministries. Then we plateau... because we stop doing the things that caused the church to grow. So, take a little of what you're doing now... put it in a bottle... then, 5-10 years from now, when you start to plateau... take that bottle and sprinkle what's in it on your church!"

4) "When you learn who you are... you'll do that best!"

Doc, I've always appreciated your ministry and insight into the Scriptures... that appreciation has grown TEN-FOLD! Thanks so much for pouring into a young pastor. I'll never forget today.

Confession: I'm Not a Super-Pastor!

Don't even get it twisted: I'm not a superhuman, super-spiritual, got-all-the-answers pastor. I'm just not. Sometimes I argue with my wife... I yell at my kids... I don't feel like studying... I snore... I fart... my feet stink... I'm sorry... I'm keeping it real. I'm not your Super Pastor. I'm just not.

If that scares you, join the crowd... sometimes I scare myself! But I do love Jesus... with all my heart... and I want to be all that He wants me to be. Truth is, though... I need all the prayer I can get! Church planting isn't for punks and sissies... there's more spiritual warfare to deal with in starting churches than you'd ever imagine. So, I don't fool myself into thinking that Satan can care less about what I'm doing. He hates it... and he wants to take me out, as well as anybody who is believing God for the impossible... and who wants to see the fame of God's name proclaimed everywhere!

I just found out that the pastor of Revolution Church in California recently left his wife and 2 kids for another woman in his church... and I'm not dumb enough to believe that something like that couldn't happen to me. I have to constantly stay on-guard to protect my heart from those kinds of traps. It's not easy... but God promises us strength, if we'll trust in Him (Ps. 24:14). I love Jesus... with all my heart. Following Him is not easy, but He gives us the grace to do it. Still, the sobering thought is that I'm capable of committing the most grievous, heinous sins... because I'm not some super-spiritual, always-do-the-right-thing person.

I love Jesus with all my heart, and I'm fulfilling the mission He's called me to... but I do it without a big "S" on my chest.

***EDIT***
Mark Beeson, one of my "pastors from afar", has a great post on how comparing the stealth of a bobcat and how our enemy stalks us... read it here.

Do We Have It Backwards?

"One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers - Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew - throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them 'Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!' And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with ther father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind" (Matt. 4:18-22).

It's very interesting to me that Jesus concentrated his efforts on a "few good men," preparing them and entrusting them to reach others. Although he did go to the synagogues to teach, and he did go around "announcing the Good News of the Kingdom of God" and healing people (4:23), his priority was on pouring Himself into his disciples. Even his most well-known message, known as the Sermon on the Mount, was directed toward them (5:1-2) - the crowds simply benefited from being around. Three years later, after Jesus had physically gone off the scene, these disciples were prepared to keep Jesus' ministry going (see Acts 1:1)... and launch a new entity that took the world by storm -- the Church (Acts 2).

Yet today... it seems as though our emphasis is in expending the best of our energy in attracting the crowds and growing our churches... and, as a result, we have neither the time nor the energy to develop quality leaders. But it seems to me that if we put our focus on where Jesus put his... on developing young, up-and-coming leaders... that maybe we'll more often see the "explosive" results that some of us are looking for. That doesn't mean we don't try to have the best environments, systems, and strategies as possible... it simply means that we make developing leaders - especially in the early going of a new church - a priority.

Some people just need to be given a chance. One of the key phrases in the passage above is "... for they fished for a living." Why is that so significant? Because every Jewish boy growing up wanted to be a rabbi... that was the goal of every kid. But if they weren't the top-notch, cream-of-the-crop, way-above-average kids in their rabbinical pursuits, they could hang it up. They'd be labeled as "not cutting the mustard", "couldn't make the cut"... and they'd have to "settle for" making a living in their family's trade. So, Jesus comes along and essentially says to these four young adult men, "It doesn't matter what everybody else says about you... follow me, and your lives will never be the same... I'll give you something worthin living for!" And these same men... who evidently couldn't make the mark years before... went on to "turn the world upside down."

Some people just need to be given a chance.

Who's around you, that may simply need a nudge in the right direction... who - rather than settle for fishing for perch - would jump at the chance to give their existence to fishing for people?

As you walk along in your ministry, in your neighborhood, on your job... who do you see?

Busting Through Barriers, Pt. 2

"But Moses protested, 'If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, "The God of your ancesters has sent me to you," they will ask me, "What is his name?" Then what should I tell them?' God replied to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.'"

Moses first barrier to embracing the "crazy call" of God was the identity barrier... but God busted that right up. Now, he faces another barrier: the INTELLECT BARRIER. The intellect barrier says, "If I go for you, what will I say? I'm new at this... I don't know enough." What ol' Mo was essentially saying was, "Hold up, hold up... now, I just saw the bush! I don't know enough about this whole thing to speak on it, God... I mean, I don't even know you like that!"

This is a struggle that we all go through. There's so much to know about God, His Word, and the Christian life, isn't there? And we never know enough! Yet, we can't allow the fear of what we don't know hold us back in being on mission for God. He already knows we don't know it all... and He doesn't expect us to. He simply expects us to depend on Him, because He alone is our sufficiency. In fact, God's response to Moses is, "Tell them I AM WHO I AM has sent you." Can you imagine what that scenario would look like??

Moses: "The time of your slavery is over... I'm here to help you get out of Dodge!"
Chief Elder of Israel: "Really. And how do we know that? You've got an army or something? Who's with you?"
Moses: "I AM."
Elder: "Come again?"
Moses: "I AM."
Elder: "Okay, funny man! This isn't joke time... who sent you down here???"
Moses: "I AM!!"
Elder: "You are what?!?!"

You get the picture. :-) It may sound funny, but what God was telling Moses was that HE is our suffiency. Whatever we need, HE IS! He told Moses to relay that to the people of Israel... but it was meant to be a barrier-buster for Moses, as well. Fear of the unknown can paralyze us and keep us from being all that God's called us to be... but when we realize that He is our everything... all that we need Him to be... the intellect barrier comes crashing down. We don't fear stepping out because we don't have all the answers... HE is the answer!

So far, Moses has thrown up two barriers to responding to the call of God... and both have been obliterated by God. Moses can't hear it... but somewhere someone is singing... "And another one's gone, another one's gone... another one bites the dust!" ;-)

Busting Through Barriers, Pt. 1

"But Moses said to God, 'Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?'" (Exod. 3:11)

We started a new message series on Sunday, called "CRAZY!" and we talked about how God calls us to do SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE (and sometimes illogical) things. Well, of course, the first thing we usually do is panic, and say, "No way, Jose... I didn't even submit a job application for that!" The task is huge, and it overwhelms us... and creates barriers that must be busted through in order to fully embrace God's call on our lives. And the first barrier we must make it through is the IDENTITY barrier.

What is the Identity barrier? It is simply thinking - FOR GOOD OR FOR BAD - that doing what God calls me to do is dependent on who I am.

But if we're going to embrace the "crazy impossible", our perspective must be right. Moses' perspective was all wrong... God never put the onus of responsibility on him to deliver Israel. In fact, He had already said (vs. 7-8), "I have seen... I have heard... I am concerned... So, I have come down to rescue My people." It's GOD that does the fighting; we simply roll with Him! Moses' problem was that he thought God was calling him to be the deliverer, when God was only saying, "You go... be my representative... and I'll be with you as you go!"

See, many of us can't bust through the identity barrier, because we haven't accepted the fact that - although God calls us - the call is an invitation to join Him. So, it's not about who I am, but about who He is! And I don't know about you, but that's freeing to me... to know that accomplishing this humongous task - the crazy impossible - that God has called us to, is not dependent on who we are...

Not our strengths...
Not our weaknesses...
Not our past...
Not our present...

He USES us to accomplish His purpose... but don't get it twisted - we are simply the instrument... the tool... in His hand.

Finding Your Strengths

Much of my life, I focused on improving upon my weaknesses... probably so much so, that - other than the very obvious - I didn't really know what alot of my strengths were. After awhile, I realized that unless I stopped focusing on my weaknesses and began to capitalize on my strengths, not only would I ended up really frustrated... but there would also be areas of my life in which my talent would not have been significantly expanded upon. There were some strengths I just happened to stumble upon. Back in college, I had a fear of speaking in front of people... so I took an Intro to Public Speaking class... and ended up being one of the top presenters! And so, what started out as being a way to overcome a fear, turned into one of my strongest passions. But, for many of us, that doesn't always happen... and we spend the majority of our time spinning our wheels and wasting our energy on "improving" our weaknesses.

Well, just recently, I started learning more about StrengthsFinder - an assessment tool designed to help people discover what their strengths are (no mystery in that, huh?). I am so excited about this thing... we'll definitely start implementing this with our people at Mosaic! Here are my Top Five Strengths, along with a "shared theme description" of each (for those of you who know me well, you'll be like, "Yup... that's definitely D-PLUM!"):

1. Positivity: People who are especially talented in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.

2. Learner: People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.

3. Woo: People who are especially talented in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.

4. Futuristic: People who are especially talented in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.

5. Communication: People who are especially talented in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.

Okay, I'd love to hear from any of you who've taken this assessment, especially church planters or leaders... what are the strength-themes of your life?

All in a Day's Work

Quiet time... sermon prep... errands... counseling... ... building spiritual friendships with unbelievers... ministry planning... meetings... a very normal ministry day in the life of a church-planting pastor. :-)

Lessons Learned

I had a majorly huge meeting today... of which I was really nervous. It was an "informational" meeting of sorts... where I needed to get a person's perspective on a situation involving them. I had heard the other side, and had begun to pass judgment... and the Lord showed me that I needed to sit down and have a face-to-face talk with this person.

Fortunately, the meeting went really well... and I learned some valuable lessons when dealing with a meeting that stems from a tense situation:

* ALWAYS get both sides before passing judgment. Always.

* Motives are of the utmost importance. Check yours before the meeting.

* Reconciliation and honoring Christ are always to be the goal... even if the subject matter is tricky.

* Head into the meeting with the intention of LISTENING and establishing unity... not just having your point heard.

* SO IMPORTANT to be prayed up and have your heart right.

*Don't go into the meeting "already knowing" the outcome. Give the Holy Spirit room to work.

* The person needs to know AND HEAR that you have their best interest at heart... even if what you have to say is hard to hear.

I left the meeting really glad that I had obeyed God in setting up this meeting. His presence during it was unmistakable... His promise is true that He'll never leave us nor forsake us!

Hit Me Like a Brick!

I started feeling a little better tonight, and tried to get some studying done... but just didn't have the strength to read (unusual though it may sound). So, I decided to watch a video from Ed Young's Creative Church Conference 2006. I was watching the session with Bishop T.D. Jakes, and he said something so simple.. yet so profound ... that it hit me like a brick. This is what He said:

"God never called you to love His bride... He called you to love your bride, and to feed His. But if you get that backwards, you'll literally stop loving your own wife and start loving the church... and she will gradually begin to feel like the church is the other woman."

Like I said... hit me like a brick.

Ouch. Now I'm feeling sick again...

Making An Impact!

Had a chance to speak to about 150 students this afternoon at HOWARD UNIVERSITY, for their IMPACT Fall Retreat. The Impact Movement is a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, geared toward reaching and developing young African-American students. As a young man, my life was tremendoulsy changed at the Impact Conference in 1991 in Atlanta, GA... so, the movement is close to my heart.

There were, I think, 4 colleges represented there today(including Univ. of MD), and the students were really excited. My very good friend JUMAINE JONES was one of the speakers, as well. Prayerfully, lives were changed and the students challenged to go deeper in their walk and relationship with God.

You Just Can't Quit!!

Sometimes things happen...
The ball doesn't bounce your way.
You're off you're "A-game."
You stumble...
and stumble...
and stumble again...
and stumble some more...
and - believe it or not - you STUMBLE AGAIN!
And then you FUMBLE!! :-)

What do you do?

You do what TONY ROMO did... you hang in there! You keep fighting... and fighting...and never give up! No matter what happens... YOU JUST CAN'T QUIT!

Because maybe... just maybe... you will find yourself in a position to win. It might only be with TWO SECONDS ON THE CLOCK... but when that ball sails through the uprights, you will say to yourself, "We did it...the long, hard struggle was worth it!" You just can't quit.

That's football.
That's leadership.
That's life.

Somebody reading this is about to throw in the towel...
But remember: It's not over!
The final gun hasn't sounded...
The last chapter has NOT been written...
there's still time to win...

YOU JUST CAN'T QUIT!

This is Ministry

Man... it's Wednesday, and I'm swamped! Trying to:

1) Prepare my message for Sunday...
2) Finish the notes for our first Mosaic Partnership (membership) class on Saturday...
3) Work on messages (4 of 'em!!) for a men's retreat I'm doing next weekend...
4) Amongst a host of other things!

Like Boy George once said, "Time, oh give me time..."

Alas... this is ministry! ;-)