Jehovah Jireh - Our Provider

This past week the news reported that our economy grew by more than 5% over the last quarter of 2009. If you're like me, you're wondering where the growth happened. Everywhere I look I still see my friends and family members still struggling. I pray the economic growth reaches us soon!

During these times of recession, it's important to remember the promises of God. The Bible tells us... Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:32-33 (NLT)

Sometimes we may doubt that promise, especially when we're living in a state of lack. We get ourselves tied up in a wad of worry and fear, wondering how we're going to make it. But the truth of the matter is that God has promised to meet all your needs - financially and otherwise. But there are conditions. There is a premise to the promise. God will provide if you (1) ask him for help; (2) learn to be content; (3) practice giving in faith; (4) maintain your integrity; and (5) trust him with your life --

Worry is really a form of atheism. Every time you worry, you're acting like an atheist. You're saying, "It all depends on me." But that's not the truth. That's not in the Bible.

Worry is a warning light that you doubt the love of God. The Bible tells us that God "provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever." (Psalm 111:5, NIV)

If God loves you enough to send his own son to die for you, don't you think he loves you enough to take care of your bills? Any other problem we may have is minor by comparison. He solved your biggest problem when He saved you. It all really boils down to this: Am I going to believe that God will do what he says he will do -- that he will provide for me? It's a choice you make. You must choose to do what God has clearly told you to do. He's laid it out. He said, "I will do this -- the promise -- if you will obey the premise." So, will you?

As I am writing this, I am faced with the fact that since today's services had to be cancelled, the church will be short on our finances this month. That shouldn't be the case, but it is. And as a result, the staff will be affected, the ministry will be affected, and all operations of the church will be affected unless we make up for our giving next week. Please trust God enough to give generously as we come together to worship next Sunday. Giving is an act of obedience and faith. Obey God's premise and receive the promise. Proverbs 3:9-10 says, "Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine." I am not worried.

Read More

Prayer

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to pray for the people of Haiti. Many times we underestimate the power of prayer. But I know a lot of you are prayer warriors. You are continually lifting up the concerns of the church, the issues of our government, the lost in our communities and the needs of God’s people. Prayer is critical to the life of a believer.

Many of you have asked me from time to time, “How can we pray for you and Lynn”? Sometimes it’s hard for me to come up with something right of the bat. At other times, if I really were to enumerate all that you could pray for, we’d be talking for a few hours. So, I thought I might offer some suggestions for prayer to those of you that keep our family lifted up. I hope this doesn’t come across as self-serving; that’s certainly not my intent. But I do covet your prayers. The first thing you can pray about is...

1. My Walk With God – Pray that my relationship with Jesus is not something that becomes dull or routine. Pray that He will remain my obsession and my walk with Him is fresh and passionate more than ever. Secondly...

2. My Integrity – Pray that I will keep my eyes on Jesus and OFF of anything that might lead me astray!!! Like you, I have doubts; I have fears; I have struggles. I need God’s power to stay strong.

3. Our Marriage – Pray that I do more than talk about a healthy marriage. Pray that I live what I preach. There is no doubt that one of the areas Satan tries to destroy in my life is mine and Lynn’s marriage. Also lift our children – Jessica and Hunter.

4. My Sanity – Every week – sometimes every day – I deal with critics. It’s amazing how people like to come after the pastor sometimes. I have to address unrealistic expectations, accusations, pressure and stress, just to mention a few. Pray that in the midst of the battle, I will keep my sanity and continue on. Only 10% of the men that become pastors will retire as pastors. That means 90% drop out or get run off.

5. My Health – Good health is critical for ministry…and I can promise you that physical, emotional and spiritual health do not just “happen!” I feel like I have aged 25 years in the past 9 years. I’ve had to deal with high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart palpitations, extreme stress, PTSD, and a whole host of other challenges. Do not assume that just because I look healthy that I am. Please keep my health in your prayers.

I ask you to pray for these things whenever you think about me. Even if you’re reading this and you don’t like me very much, please ask Christ to speak to me and thru me in ways He has never done before.

Read More

To Save A Life

I was overwhelmed this past Sunday to see the youth of MVC huddled in corners and hallways praying and crying with parents, youth leaders and each other. Some of them were saying that "their lives had been truly changed" and "they felt good about life for the first time". What happened? They went to see a film last weekend entitled "To Save a Life" and have began a small group curriculum that is truly touching their hearts. Many of us are out of touch when it comes to our kid's struggles. And I don't mean that in a mean way. It's just a fact of life. I know many times when I thought I knew exactly what my kids were facing and their fears and feelings, only to discover that I was way off. So what is this film? It's a production with no major actors, no real TV advertising, and little attention from the mainstream press. Yet it has caught the attention of literally hundreds of thousands of teenagers who came out opening weekend. As a matter of fact, it has the #1 fan rating on Fandango.com and Flixter.com. The church-made film To Save A Life debuted on an aggressive 441 screens and managed to break the overall top 15. The Los Angeles Times called the film an “absorbing redemption story” that “is a deftly acted, generally absorbing cautionary tale with wider allure than its faith-based label may imply.” The Miami Herald reported the film, “good acting, excellent production values and even a solidly eclectic musical score that ranges from rap to alternative.” Big Hollywood.com, on the making of the film, states, “To Save a Life is perhaps even more a miracle than the average feature film. Not only did it beat the odds, it did so with its soul still firmly attached." I don't normally recommend movies, however this one is a must for parents and teenagers. If you get the chance, go see this film and get a glimpse into the world of our teenagers. You will be surprised, amazed, encouraged and blessed. Praise God for using a movie to bring change to our world and glory to Christ.

Read More

About Sunday

Wow! What a great Sunday! Our attendance continues to grow and even grew while I was on sabbatical. As I said yesterday, "maybe I should go away more often!" And that's a good thing! I am incredibly blessed to be able to work with such a passionate and spirit-filled staff. Soon we're going to have to find a larger buillding! I wouldn't be surprised if that happens in this coming year. God wants to do something amazing in Black Mountain, and I believe it's going to be thru MVC. As I reflect on yesterday,

1. I was overwhelmed by the welcome Lynn and I received from so many of you. It's nice to know that we were missed.

2. So good to see all the new faces. We had a lot of first-time visitors. Keep inviting your friends and neighbors.

3. The youth meeting Sunday morning was amazing. The posts on our kid's FB pages tell the story of how their lives are being profoundly changed! I hope the excitment among them will bleed over to the adults of MVC.

4. Not only am I blown away by the youth, the children's ministry is growing in leaps and bounds! The kids are excited and eager to learn. They are building a foundation of faith that sets the example for all of us. God is preparing His leaders for tomorrow's church.

4. Yes we are building a bridge from the stage into the auditorium. Hopefully it won't stop there as we build bridges of love into our communities thru out Western North Carolina.

5. I'm excited about the ministry project we launched for Haiti. We haven't forgotten Swannanoa Valley either. We'll resume the drive for the valley in March.

6. We have a lot of folks hurting in our congregation, especially those of you whose businesses are struggling and those who have lost their jobs. Keep living by faith and refuse to succomb to fear. God has promised that He will provide our needs. Let's keep moving forward and not get caught up in despair. Fix your eyes on Jesus and trust Him. He will not let you down!

7. I'm really pumped about this new LifeGroup curriculum. I hope that you are involved! If not, get in touch with Foster and get plugged in somewhere.

As we look forward to the coming year, I almost tremble at what I believe God has in store. Get ready to be challenged, stretched, grown, used, blessed, and overwhelmed by the love and grace of Jesus. I'm so glad God has allowed me to experience it with you. Thru this sabbatical time, He has shown me some things about myself that need to be changed, fine-tuned and surrendered as He prepares me for what lies ahead. I'm ready Lord!!! Holy Spirit, rain down!

Read More

Teamwork

I have the most incredible team with which to work at MVC. The staff is made up of superstars! The Spiritual Leadership Team and Deacons are some of the most servant-hearted people I have ever known. And the volunteers that make ministry happen are incredible in their diligence and dedication. As I have been away for a few weeks, I have been able to read and reflect on many articles and books concerning leadership. I would like to share some of that with you in this blog.

Every person involved in ministry and leadership will benefit from understanding the key stages of team development (both paid and volunteer). Whether you're a member of a ministry team or a staff member, it's important to know how your team grows. The four Stages of team development were originally identified by educational psychologist Bruce W. Tuckman in the mid-1960's. Still valid today, they are:

• Forming
• Storming
• Norming
• Performing

Forming is what happens at your first leadership meeting. Everyone comes with their best manners and is nice to each other. You might do some bonding games or talk about all you will achieve together. Hopefully you leave pumped and feel almost like you've found a fresh love.
Back home and back in the trenches, reality hits. The turf wars begin. Team members may begin to jockey for acknowledged expertise in an area. Things get tense. You may wonder what you were thinking when you agreed to be a part of the team!

The storming phase has begun. Teammates are diligently working to identify who does and knows what. Pressure increases on how the team works together and challenges how the team deals with differing opinions around the table. Successfully working through this uncomfortable season will establish group norms. Just like after any storm, calm follows, relatively speaking that is.

Norming is building on the outcomes from the storm. This leads to growing trust within the team, and real forward progress begins.

With clear norms, performing becomes doable because the team is attuned to the same wavelength. It's almost as if you can read everyone's mind. The team delivers high-performance, and life is good.

Unfortunately, the process doesn't always work quite this smoothly. Many teams never get beyond storming. Not quite understanding what is going on, leaders risk allowing things to get personal. This can become a de-motivator, and team members may start jumping ship, stalling progress. Teaching your new team the four phases can help them knowingly and successfully move through the storming phase.

Since most teams will experience some turnover in their life span, it is vital to be aware that whenever a new member joins the team or someone drops from the team, the process will usually revert back to the storming phase. Be sure your team members are equipped to survive the storming process and work through to norming.

And the most important part of this process is the unifying power and presence of the Holy Spirit working in and thru each member of the team. As we move forward into 2010 and beyond, it is important that we keep this process in mind and always rely on the Spirit of God to lead us. I am excited at what lies ahead for MVC and the leadership teams God has put in place.

Read More

Sabbatical

Kevin was scheduled to go on sabbatical for three weeks on December 17^th, however things changed very quickly... Because of several things, to include the bad weather, the December 20th services could not be held. Sunday services on the 27th were held, but further bad news would follow. Our best friends' daughter was in a horrific automobile wreck and we didn’t think she would survive. At that same time, Jessica, our eldest child was to be married. And in addition to all that, another friend’s mother had died and Kevin was asked to help conduct the funeral services. Of course he said "yes" - as he always does. Then, on New Year’s Eve, another surprise hit us right between the eyes. We were stunned to get a frantic call from Lynn’s mom at 12:55 in the morning. She had fallen and couldn’t get up. We rushed over to her house to find the EMS personnel already there. After her admission to the hospital, we discovered that she had broken her hip and needed surgery ASAP. Thanks to God, she was assigned a WONDERFUL surgeon and an incredible nursing team. She came thru surgery like a champion. The crew also told us that she had clearly told the medical personnel – “I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! I’VE GOT TOO MUCH TO DO TODAY!”

Hopefully things will continue to improve for the rest of our year.... We covet your prayers. Love,

Lynn and Kevin

Read More