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september 06.archive

Die with your Boots On

There are churches that would pay millions of dollars for momentum. Momentum keeps energy and excitement alive. It makes everyone feel good about what’s happening, no matter what’s happening. Momentum is great, and right now, we have it.

I love the momentum we have right now. New people are volunteering, people are going deeper in their relationships with Christ, addictions are being broken, hope is being restored, new friendships are being sparked, people are even sharing their faith with others, and the list goes on! God is working!

Andy Stanley (a pastor in Atlanta) says that momentum is not something that just happens. It doesn’t stick around unless you feed it. It takes thought, improvement, stretching. Momentum doesn’t stick around unless you are willing keep stretching, to keep pushing, to move out of your comfort zone and advance the kingdom of God.

I realized something. We have momentum, because we are being stretched. We had nothing to lose, so we made plans and stuck with them even though it seemed like a risk. It’s exciting when you’re living on the edge. It’s like being a maverick cowboy living by the seat of his pants with nothing but a six-shooter and a horse, shooting bad guys and riding fast. He knows that love and fortune are just on the western horizon if he just keeps fighting for it! What an adventure!

So, I’ve been thinking. What happens when a cowboy finds his fortune? What happens when he doesn’t have to go west anymore? What does this mean for us? What happens when we get safe? What happens when tithing is up and numbers are high? What happens when we’re “there” (as people say)?

It makes me think of a friend I had in college who wrote a song called “Good Cowboys.” The lyric said, “I will die with my boots on like all good cowboys do..." The song was about spreading the gospel for your entire life. Good cowboys never stop being cowboys. They die with their boots on. When I think about our ministry getting “there,” wherever “there” is, I think about that song. I don’t want to be safe. I don’t want us to get to the point where we don’t have to trust God. I don’t want Frequency to get so big that all we think about is keeping people there. I want to risk. I want to stretch. I want us to live out the kingdom of God in every area of life until we die or the Lord comes back.

So, I don’t know about you, but this cowboy’s going to die with his boots on. Anybody want to join me?


Roller Coaster

Riding on the front of a roller coaster has got to be one of the most exciting things there is. Christy and I decided to run away from the world for a day and visit Cedar Point. Since it was a weekday, attendance was low and we capitalized on the short lines by riding the front of ever rollercoaster we could. It was amazing. On every ride, I stuck my arms out in front in a superman-like pose and pretended that I was in control as I flew through the air. I felt as though I were flying. In fact, I have to admit that’s what I was pretending. In my mind, I was superman, swooping around diving close to the ground and pulling up ad the last second just for the thrill of it all. It was great!

As I flew through the air with my new super powers, I began to think back to the last time I felt this way. It was a little over a week ago at our baptism service. Wow! When I was on that beach, it felt like we were all on top of the world…like we were all our own superheroes flying on the wind of excitement.

Just as that thought was running through my head, the coaster took a deep dive into one of those g-force corkscrew things that shoves your stomach into the seat and makes you feel so sick that in that moment you swear off roller coasters forever. It was horrible. I could have hurled right there. Soon, the coaster came to a stop and the ride was over. I made it. As we coasted into the bay to exit the ride, I turned to Christy and said, “I almost lost it on that one.” The rider behind us thanked me for holding down my cherry flavored Icee, which I had sucked down only 30 minutes before.

Do you know what that ride taught me? It taught me that I’m not superman. Sure, I can throw my hands out and pretend I’m flying as the ride crests the first big hill, but in reality, I’m just an imaginative guy strapped to a big steel ride. And to be truthful, I find that very comforting.

When I’m at the top of the mountain, when everything seems to be doing great and God is making amazing things happen, our tendency is to think, “Praise God! What did we do to make God want to bless this ministry? Whatever it is, let’s keep doing it!” Then, when everything dives into a corkscrew, when things start to go wrong, and we just feel sick, we wonder what we did to mess everything up.

The reality is most likely “nothing”. We’re just strapped to the coaster. God has laid out a track for us, a plan to accomplish His will. He takes us through mountain top experiences that feel great and make us glad we jumped on this ride! Other times, (usually right after the mountain top experience) He takes us through the valley, and our stomachs sink to the floor. But, every time, He brings us safely back to the bay ready to ride again.

Last Sunday was a mountain top experience. I forgot to warn you that the valley always comes next. I’m hearing from a lot of people about some pretty heavy stuff that hit them the day after baptisms. Satan always fights the hardest right after God does something great. He wants us to forget the great things God has done. He wants us to forget that 6 of our people stepped out in boldness and declared Christ as their King. He wants us to forget that people are being lead in the adventure of becoming like Christ. He wants us to dwell on our current struggles. He wants us to beat ourselves up for screwing up so much.

But, that’s not what God wants. God is the one who build the roller-coaster. He laid the track piece by piece. Each turn, each hill, each spiraling corkscrew has a very specific purpose. We just have to trust Him and obey whether we are on the highest peak or the lowest valley. We’re no superheroes. We’re just his obedient servants on the greatest ride of all time, and I know He’s going to bring us in just fine.

Keep on fighting the good fight. God has a lot more great things in store. This ride’s just started. Hold on!