It’s Wednesday afternoon, 5:02, and I’ve been kind of depressed all day long. Now, before any of you fire off an e-mail telling me not to feel that way, I need to tell you why. Sandy and I just got back from a few days in Dallas where we were able to spend some time with our son and daughter-in-law. We did all the things we like to do except play golf (unseasonably cold weather in Dallas). We ate Mexican food, Blue Bell ice cream, and we caught up on all that’s been happening in their lives. That was Saturday through Monday. Then, we got up very early on Tuesday morning, drove to the airport to catch a 7:50 flight that got delayed and got home much later on Tuesday then we had originally planned. So I’m feeling a little depressed today because I’m tired, but mostly because I really miss my son.

According to MapQuest, it’s exactly 926.04 miles from my driveway to his. But it feels a lot farther. It will feel even farther on the 18^th when he celebrates his 25^th birthday and farther still on the 25^th when Kara and he celebrate Christmas because Sandy, Tricia, and I will be here, and he will be there.

When Sandy got pregnant, I just knew we were having a boy. In fact, I was so confident that I went out and found a small Rawlings Signature Series baseball glove with the autograph of Reggie Jackson (my favorite baseball player) and stuck it on the corner of his crib. Andrew grew up to be a baseball player and gave me more thrills than I can even describe. When he was 14 and playing in his last baseball season before high school ball, he got hit in the face with a pitch and broke his jaw. For six weeks his jaw was wired shut. When the wires were finally removed, there were a few games left in the summer season, and he wanted to play. I was worried, not knowing what it would be like his first time up to bat. But in the first at bat of his first game back, he hit a two-run home run over the right field fence (the ball completely smashed the windshield of a car parked in the wrong spot). That’s just one example. Earlier this year he got the opportunity to preach in the Sunday morning services of the church he serves in Grand Prairie (Crossroads Christian Church). It was their back-to-school Sunday, and there were over 4,300 people there. Sandy and I listened to the message online, and it was awesome! It was even better than a two-run home run. Some days it just hurts to be so far away—to be separated from someone you love so much.

I wonder what it was like for God the Father when His Son Jesus chose to give up His heavenly position and authority and come to Earth to identify with people like you and me.” I mean, I know that He is the Sovereign God of the Universe. I know He is not limited by, or subject to, the frailty of flesh and blood like we are, but I wonder how it felt. We know there was a deep love between Father and Son. Matthew 3:17 says, “And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’" If I can feel the heartache of separation from my son, just imagine how God felt when Jesus became a man. Just imagine what it was like for God the Father to see His Son lying in a manger in Bethlehem knowing full well that one day that baby in the manger would be nailed to a cross.

I hope this Christmas gives you the opportunity to be close to the people you love—to family and friends. But more than that, I hope this Christmas gives you the opportunity to understand, maybe for the first time—maybe like it’s the first time all over again—the great love that God has for you. A love so strong that He was willing to send His Son and experience the pain of separation so that you could experience the joy of togetherness with Him.

Merry Christmas,

Pastor Chris

P.S. I hope you will be at our annual Christmas service this weekend, and I hope you will invite a friend to join you. We have designed this service to be very “guest friendly.” That doesn’t mean it will be “watered down.” That just means it will draw people in and then confront them with the gospel. Don’t let anything keep you from being a part of what God is going to do this weekend.

It’s been a couple of weeks now since the conclusion of our very special “What’s Your Story” campaign, and yet I continue to hear and receive comments about how meaningful it was to so many of you. I can honestly say that I have never been a part of a series that was so genuine and real in its impact. God always moves in powerful ways when we talk about things like dealing with trials or the importance of forgiveness. There are just some topics that will always evoke a lot of emotion. But this series was different. This series seemed to touch everyone on some level. Whether it was taking the time to think about and share your story or listening to the courageous testimonies that were given each week or taking a closer look at the lives that Jesus touched in the gospels, or watching people that you worship with every week stand up on the platform and show how Jesus has changed the story of their life, this series found a way to touch everyone.

One of the biggest challenges that those of us in full-time ministry face is the fact that as soon as one weekend (one sermon or one series) is over, there is a new one just days away. That doesn’t afford us much opportunity to think about the past. I’m currently involved in preparing for a new four-week series called, “The Wise Family” that will look at what the book of Proverbs has to say about family life and living. But I’ll be honest; I really needed a couple of weekends out of the pulpit to recover from where we have been. That might sound odd but “What’s Your Story” just took a lot out of me. But beyond that, I’m glad I’ve had a couple of weeks to simply reflect on everything that happened—everything that God did. I can’t seem to stop thinking about it. Just this morning I watched the cardboard testimonies one more time. And here’s something that I know for sure. While our “What’s Your Story” campaign may be over, the fact that everyone has a story is still true. And I know that God can work both in and through your story to do great things in your life and the lives of the people you know and love.

So, here’s my encouragement. Embrace your story no matter what it is, give it to God, and just watch what He will do. Perhaps the best thing that came from this entire campaign is we all learned that we’re not alone; we’re not the only one with struggles; we’re not the only one with a past; we’re not the only one with ________. I’m praying that God will use that realization to build a stronger church than we’ve ever known before. You can help that happen if you’re willing to answer this one simple question, “What’s your story?”

Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris

Next Steps

This past week Sandy and I traveled to Savannah, Georgia, to visit my brother and his family. My brother moved to Savannah about six months ago to serve in their global and local outreach ministry. But after being there for just a brief time, they gave him a new position, and he is now the pastor of what they call their east campus (Savannah Christian Church is one of the largest Christian Churches in the country with a main campus and three different satellite campuses). He’s very excited about this new opportunity. Not only am I excited for him, but I’m very proud of him.

Normally everything at the satellite campus is “live” except for the message which is a video from the main campus. But this last weekend my brother brought the message. He preached from Psalm 51 and talked about how important it is, if we’re ever going to changed into the person God wants us to be, to be honest about our sin.

I’m eight years older than my brother. He and my younger sister were still at home when my parents divorced, and life for them got pretty difficult. Everyone deals with difficulty in different ways, and, for a time, my brother made some really bad choices. But one day when he realized things needed to change, he called me. We talked for a little while, and then I said, “I want you to come and go with me to church camp.” I was scheduled to be the dean of a senior high week at Tanglewood Christian Camp in Lexington, TX. So he went. While he was there, God dealt with his heart, and he made a commitment to turn away from his sin (the Bible calls that repentance). He also made a commitment to enroll at Dallas Christian College (he had already been to two different colleges where he spent most of his time…well he doesn’t really remember much about that time). So my brother enrolled in and graduated from Dallas Christian College. While he was there he met his wife Jolene, and they have been serving the local church together now for almost twenty years. And it all started with a moment of recognition followed by a phone call.

I imagine there are many moments of recognition in all of our lives. The problem is we don’t always take that next step. For my brother Kenneth, it was a phone call to someone he could trust…someone he knew loved him. What would it be for you? One of the great examples of that next step is found in the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. After this son had demanded an early inheritance from his father and wasted it all on wine, women, and song (loose translation), he found himself with nothing but a job feeding pigs. Luke 15:17 says, When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ (NIV) You know how the story ends. The father was actually waiting for him to come home. And when he did, the celebration was incredible.

Is there some next step you need to take? Is there something you need to do? Don’t let anything stand in your way. Somewhere there’s a celebration waiting to happen.

Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris

P.S. The weather in Savannah and Hilton Head was perfect every single day. I ate a lot of Blue Bell ice cream and played a lot of golf. How cool is that!

The Evolution of a Blog (one pastor’s experience)

Monday, October 12, 2009 (10:15 a.m.)

Wow! That’s all I can say about this past weekend’s worship experience. I could feel the power of the Holy Spirit in each service, and I know that everyone who was present was blessed and challenged. But I have to be honest and tell you that I was really disappointed (It has always been hard for me to hide my disappointment) in the number of empty chairs…especially at our 9:00 service. Several months ago when I first began to imagine this series, I actually checked the Colts schedule and the school calendar so that I could schedule this particular weekend at a time when there were no obvious conflicts. That’s because I knew how powerful it would be. That’s why I took the time to encourage everyone a couple of weeks ago to make sure they didn’t miss the last two weeks of this series. The end result was our lowest “What’s Your Story” weekend attendance…almost 500 fewer people than previous weeks. Someone told me they believed the low attendance was due to the temporary seating in the Worship Center. I suppose that could be a possibility, but I just can’t bring myself to believe that something like that would really keep someone out of church, not unless they had some genuine physical disability. Someone might read this and think that I’m overly concerned with numbers. That’s really not the case. I just know how much time and effort went into last week’s service, as well as how important the message was. (Whoa. There’s no way I can publish this. It’s way too negative/honest. I should know better than to try and write a blog on a Monday.)

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 (8:45 a.m.)

Wow! That’s all I can say about this past weekend’s worship experience. I could feel the power of the Holy Spirit in each service, and I know that everyone who was present was blessed and challenged. But I have to be honest and tell you that I was really disappointed (It has always been hard for me to hide my disappointment) in the number of empty chairs…especially at our 9:00 service. Several months ago when I first bean to imagine this series, I actually checked the Colts schedule and the school calendar so that I could schedule this particular weekend at a time when there were no obvious conflicts. That’s because I knew how powerful it would be. That’s why I took the time to encourage everyone a couple of weeks ago to make sure they didn’t miss the last two weeks of this series. The end result was our lowest “What’s Your Story” weekend attendance…almost 500 fewer people than previous weeks. (Apparently Tuesdays are not much better)

Wednesday, October 14, 2009 (2:37 p.m.)

(Nope)

Thursday, October 15, 2009 (5:14 p.m.)

This weekend marks the conclusion of our special “What’s Your Story” campaign. I hope you’ve been blessed by what God has done each and every week. I have been particularly thankful to those who have had the courage to share their story whether it’s been in the main service, on our web site, or in a small group setting. One of my main goals for this series was to try and communicate that we are not a church filled with “stained-glass saints” but real people with real lives in real need of God’s grace. We have a very special element planned for this final weekend that I believe is something we will all remember for the rest of our lives. I hope that you are planning to be present at one of our four services so that you can be a part of what God is going to do. I have to tell you that we will once again be sitting in temporary chairs. It’s painful for me to have to write that. We tried to synchronize our re-model schedule to only have to do this for a couple of weeks, and this will be the sixth straight week with the folding chairs. It’s not our fault. The only thing we’ve been guilty of is believing the people who sold us the new seats when they gave us our delivery date(s). I apologize for that. Please don’t let it keep you from worship this weekend. Thanks for your patience.

Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris

My brother, who recently moved to Savannah, Georgia, to work on the staff at the Savannah Christian Church, called me recently to ask me about some details related to the spiritual heritage of our family. He’s writing a sermon about “change” and wanted to tell the story of my grandmother’s conversion. Because he’s eight years younger than I am, he doesn’t know or remember the story as well as I do.

I’ve told you before about my grandparents who owned a bar on the west side of Tulsa, Oklahoma. That was the life they lived for several years. That was the life that my mother was raised in and influenced by. That was the life that led her to make some of the choices she made as a young woman. But a little over fifty years ago, my grandmother was in a serious car wreck that crushed her pelvis. She ended up in a hospital, flat on her back with a long recovery ahead of her. It was during that hospital stay that some men from the Osage Hills Christian Church visited her and told her that God loved her and explained to her how she could have her sin forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life. That visit was the beginning of an incredible transformation. Once she was out of the hospital, she had to wear heavy metal and leather braces. But she was so anxious to obey the command to be baptized that she wouldn’t wait until she was free of the braces. So she went to church, answered the invitation, made a confession of faith, and two men carried her into the baptistery on a metal folding chair and baptized her into Christ. Not long after that, my grandparents sold their bar, and my grandmother became the secretary at Osage Hills. She spent the next sixteen years of her life in that position until she was diagnosed with breast cancer. One weekend they had a special service where the people were asked to bring or wear a pair of shoes that had a significant meaning for their spiritual life (I know this because the preacher told this story at my grandmother’s funeral). My grandmother brought those leg braces. I can still remember, as a boy, seeing them hanging on a nail in her garage. I’m sure that every time she looked at them she was reminded ofhow God stepped in and re-wrote the story of her life.

But God didn’t just re-write the story of my grandmother’s life that day in that hospital room…that Sunday in that baptistery. He re-wrote the story of my mother’s life and my uncle’s life. He re-wrote the story of all of their children’s life, including me. And he re-wrote the story of my children’s lives. And the story goes on and on and on.

That’s one of the things that makes this What’s Your Story campaign so special, and one of the reasons why it’s important for all of us to take the time to recognize and tell our story. My life has not been perfect. I’ve made and make a lot of mistakes. But because of the faithfulness of ordinary men who were making a hospital call on a woman they had never met, my story is covered by grace. And if I were ever asked to wear or bring a pair of shoes that had a significant meaning for my spiritual life, I’d have to find those braces.
What’s your story?

Pastor Chris

I’m very pleased with the way our What’s Your Story campaign has begun. The past two weeks we have had great services, great crowds, and great responses from many of you. Thank you for being willing to look past a worship center in the midst of a massive “face-lift” and focus on what the Holy Spirit is doing as He moves in us and among us.

This past week we talked about Nicodemus and the dangers of legalism. While researching that message I ran across the following story:

One afternoon a man named John, dressed in blue jeans, walked into a bank to finalize a business transaction. The teller told him that the officer he needed to see wasn’t in, and he would have to come back the next day. John said that would be fine and asked the teller to validate his parking ticket. The teller informed him that, according to bank policy, she couldn’t validate his parking ticket because he had not completed a financial transaction. John asked for an exception, since he had come to the bank intending to do business, but was unable to because the appropriate officer wasn’t in. The teller didn’t budge. She said, “I’m sorry, that’s our policy. Rules are rules.”

So John decided to make a business transaction. He decided to close his account. John’s last name was Akers. He was the chairman of IBM, and the account he closed had a balance of one-and-a-half million dollars. This qualified as a financial transaction, and the teller was required to validate the parking ticket.

One of the signs of legalism is when rules and regulations become more important than people. Now I’m not saying that there’s no place for rules and regulations because that would be foolish. But one of the things Jesus taught us with the example of his life is that people come first…people are a priority. My prayer is that we would always be a church that models the ministry strategy that people come first!

On another note, our new video venue has gotten off the ground. On Sunday, September 13, we began a new video simulcast service in the Student Ministries Center at 10:45am. Each week there is a Host Pastor, Worship Team, Greeters, and Guest Gathering folks to make you feel welcome and to help with the overall worship experience. The worship, special, and message, along with any special elements, are seen from a live feed to the Worship Center while the decision time as well as the communion and offering are handled live by the Host Pastor. During the service the SMC is set up with tables and chairs and those attending are able to enjoy some morning refreshments as they worship. Our hope and prayer for this service is two-fold. First, that we might reach some folks who would feel more comfortable in a setting like this. And, second, that this would help free up some space in the main service. If you’ve ever attended our 10:45 service, then you know that it can sometimes get pretty crowded.

So pray for this new service. Pray for God’s blessing on all of the technical details. And pray that God might use it to reach even more folks in our community and on the south side of Indianapolis. You might even want to give it a try. Who knows, you might like it.
Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris

This weekend begins a very special new sermon series called, “What’s Your Story.” I can honestly say I am more excited about this sermon series than any other I have preached in the past. Over the course of the next six weeks, we will look at six people who had personal encounters with Jesus (A Samaritan woman – Nicodemus – A blind man – A paralytic – John the Baptist – Peter), and we’ll see how Jesus changed their lives/stories in powerful and dramatic ways. At the same time, we’ll be hearing from some very special people in our church family who have stories that are very similar to each of these characters. I can’t tell you how much respect and appreciation I have for these people who have been willing to open up their lives in ways that are rarely seen in church. Along with all of this, we will be experiencing Spirit-led worship, heart-stirring specials, and a very powerful element on the final week that you will remember for the rest of your life. I hope you won’t miss a single week and that you will be inviting your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors to come and experience church the way it’s supposed to be…honest and real.

While I’m on the subject of church, I read a very thought-provoking article in the Christian Standard written by a man named Paul Williams. He wrote about a recent evening when he was flipping through the television channels and happened upon five comedians (O’ Brien, David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Craig Ferguson) all with one thing in common – every one of them was wearing a suit and tie. He went on to say that the next week he traveled to Louisville to attend the North American Christian Convention. While he was there, he attended five of the main sessions where the speakers/preachers all wore polo shirts or, as he called them, “hide the fat Hawaiian shirts.” Williams went on to talk about the progression he’s experienced in his own ministry of shifting from preaching in a suit and tie to blue jeans. Then he wrote these words:

Some day archeologists will discover evidence dating back to the early 21st century. They will gather behind closed doors and puzzle together about the early days of the third millennium. What fascinating conclusions will they reach? I can see the headline: “Clothing Unlocks Secrets – Ancient Civilization Worshiped Comedy – Laughed at Religion.”I am not a curmudgeon. Really. I’m not. You can ask my kids. I am pretty sure there is no right or wrong here. But you have to admit, it is fascinating. How did we get here? How did David Letterman end up doing his monologue in a suit, while I quote Scripture in a pair of Levi’s?

It’s something to think about.

Finally, this weekend when you come to church, you’ll find the Worship Center in the midst of a pretty extensive facelift. That means for about three weeks we’ll have to sit on folding chairs and deal with floors in various stages of stain and carpet as well as walls that are going through their own transformations. I hope it won’t be a distraction to you and that you’ll remember to focus on the end result. I guarantee it will be well worth the inconvenience. But in the meantime, you might want to bring your own seat and/or back cushion if you think folding chairs will be difficult to endure. Please join with me in praying that the setting will in no way detract from what God is doing in the service.


Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris

Boomer Sooner

This past week while Sandy and I were vacationing in Boca Raton, my cell phone rang just as we were getting ready to head to the first tee. The caller on the other line didn’t know I was on vacation and wanted to talk to me about how Mount Pleasant could be involved in the local arrangements for next year’s North American Christian Convention when it returns to Indianapolis. He did know that I have always been a big Oklahoma Sooner fan so he asked me if I was ready for another season of college football. I wasn’t quite sure how to answer.

As a boy growing up in Oklahoma, I loved sports—all sports. I have a brother who is seventeen months older than I am, and he was a natural athlete who was always bigger and faster and stronger than everyone else. I was not. So for many years, I lived in the shadow of his touchdowns, his rebounds, his homeruns, etc. But I had one thing my older brother didn’t have and that was desire. Since everything came easy to him, he really never worked at it. He just showed up. It wasn’t that way for me. But by the time I was a sophomore in high school, things had changed. He was still a football star who had opportunities to play in college, but I wasn’t in his shadow any longer. In fact, when it was all said and done, I achieved more success than he did even though my family forced me to move from Oklahoma to Texas, and I didn’t play any sports as a senior. NOTE: Just so you know I’m talking about achieving a small measure of success in a 2A school with about five hundred students—not really that big a deal when you look at the big picture.

I spent a lot of my growing up days playing, practicing, and loving sports. I passed that on to my own son who played both basketball and baseball as a boy and settled on baseball in high school. I have a lot of great memories that revolve around sports. But to be completely honest with you, for the first time in my life, I feel a genuine sense of disinterest in sports. See, I believe that sports have gotten out of control in America. And I’m talking about every level, from youth sports to professional sports. When my son played t-ball for the first time back in the spring of 1990, the baseball league we played in had rules concerning the number of practices you could have in a week and how long they could last. By the time he was playing what we called “competitive” ball in Oklahoma, there were teams that played well over a hundred games a year. I’m talking about teams of nine-year old and ten-year old boys. And it just kept getting worse the older they got. When my son played American Legion ball the summer before his sophomore year in high school, I remember being at a game where some of the parents began to talk about how their boys had decided not to go to church camps and church mission trips so they wouldn’t miss any games and jeopardize their place on the team. That same summer Andrew went to a Christ In Youth Conference in Colorado and missed two games. Now all the boys on that team were good baseball players, but by the time they were seniors, there were only two of them who were on the varsity and only one of them ended up playing college baseball at a Division III school, but it was so important that it took precedent over church and church activities.

And what about professional sports? When I moved to Indianapolis, I decided to become a Colts fan. But I’ve got to tell you that it’s really disappointing to me when some people can’t make it to a Saturday night or Sunday morning church service because the Colts have a home game.

So, am I looking forward to another season of college football? The answer, honestly, is I don’t really care. I’ll still pull for the Sooners, and they’ll still be my favorite team, but, honestly, I don’t really care. Even the team that I have loved since I was a boy represents in one way or another everything that’s gone wrong with sports today.

On a more positive note, I do care about the sports and recreation ministry we have at Mount Pleasant because it’s built on and around Christ. And I love the fact that we give families in our community the opportunity to participate in sports without it taking over their lives. I understand that recreational sports simply don’t meet the needs of every child or family and that there needs to be a place for higher levels of competition and achievement. I wouldn’t have been satisfied with recreational sports when I was young. But here’s my question. At what cost? In America we have a history of being a people who dive headlong into opportunity without taking the time to examine the cost—without asking any questions about the long term results (Anyone remember subprime mortgages?).

In Ephesians 5:15-17, Paul writes, Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. (NIV) Just what is the Lord’s will for you and your family when it comes to sports? That’s a great question. Your answer or conclusion might not be the same as mine and that’s okay (I’m not writing this to offend anyone.). But what’s really important is that you at least take the time to ask the question. What is the Lord’s will for you and your family when it comes to sports?

No doubt we’ve all heard the story of Eric Liddell (Remember the movie Chariots of Fire.) who refused to run in the 100-meter race at the 1924 summer Olympic games in Paris because it was scheduled on Sunday. Instead he ran in the 400-meter race where he not only won a gold medal but also broke the world record. Just before the race, an American masseur slipped a note into Liddell’s hand with a portion of I Samuel 2:30, Those who honor me, I will honor. Following the Olympics, Liddell became a missionary to China where he died in 1945 as a prisoner in a Chinese Internment camp. In 2008 in a poll taken by The Scotsman newspaper, Eric Liddell was voted the most popular athlete Scotland has ever produced. And that, friends, is a big deal when you look at the big picture.

Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris

Being A Parent

I’m writing this blog entry while my son and daughter-in-law are in town. That means I’ve got both of my children at home at the same time. That’s something that just doesn’t happen very often. In addition, my younger sister is here with her three children that I’m very close to. The whole experience has got me thinking about the great joy and the great responsibility that comes with being a parent.

I’ve never known any parent who didn’t want the best for their children. I’ve heard and read stories about neglectful parents and absentee parents but I’ve never known any personally. The parents I know love and nurture their children. And that’s where parenting can sometimes get difficult. I write that because in our efforts to give our children the life they (we) always wanted it’s sometimes hard to recognize the things that are best for them.

That point was driven home to me in an on-line article I read in Leadership journal. It was written by John Ortberg, one of my favorite authors. He wrote: Psychologist Jonathon Haidt had a hypothetical exercise: Imagine that you have a child, and for five minutes you're given a script of what will be that child's life. You get an eraser. You can edit it. You can take out whatever you want.

You read that your child will have a learning disability in grade school. Reading, which comes easily for some kids, will be laborious for yours.
In high school, your kid will make a great circle of friends; then one of them will die of cancer.
After high school this child will actually get into the college they wanted to attend. While there, there will be a car crash, and your child will lose a leg and go through a difficult depression.
A few years later, your child will get a great job—then lose that job in an economic downturn.
Your child will get married, but then go through the grief of separation.
You get this script for your child's life and have five minutes to edit it.
What would you erase?
Wouldn't you want to take out all the stuff that would cause them pain?

I am part of a generation of adults called "helicopter parents," because we're constantly trying to swoop into our kid's educational life, relational life, sports life, etc., to make sure no one is mistreating them, no one is disappointing them. We want them to experience one unobstructed success after another.

What should be the goal of our parenting…to give our children happy lives free from anything difficult or unpleasant; or to do our best to see that our children grow up to be the men and women that God wants them to be knowing that God uses difficulty and adversity to shape and mold? Is it better for our children to never learn the meaning of sacrifice or the benefit of doing something that they, at least initially, don’t want to do? Or is it in their best interest to experience what life is really like by learning that life is not perfect, no one gets their way all the time, and children don’t always know what’s best for them?

Sometimes I fear that in our efforts to give our children everything they/we want we fail to give them what they need. One of the most troubling statistics that I have read in recent years is the high percentage of young people who drop out of the church between the ages of 18-22. Thom Rainer writes a lot about this in his book Essential Church. He writes that more than two-thirds of church going young adults between the ages of 18-22 drop out of church. He then gives a “Top Ten Reasons” list for the dropout.

1. Simply wanted a break from church.
2. Church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical.
3. Moved to college and stopped attending church.
4. Work responsibilities prevented me from attending.
5. Moved too far away from the church to continue attending.
6. Became too busy though still wanted to attend.
7. Didn’t feel connected to the people in my church.
8. Disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social issues.
9. Chose to spend more time with friends outside the church.
10. Was only going to please others.

I’m a big fan of Thom Rainer and I’m sure that he did a lot of research in compiling his “top ten” list. I wonder though, if there’s not something missing. If it were me, I would add one more thing. We’ll just call it number 11.

11. Never really taught the importance.

Proverbs 3:1-6 says, My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. (NIV)

Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris

Praying for America

I’m not an alarmist, and I don’t ever want to be guilty of trying to frighten anyone unnecessarily, but sometimes I look around at the reality of how far our country has gone from her Christian roots, and it troubles me. It troubles me, in part, because it makes me wonder what the future holds.

If you take the time to do the research you find that the average lifespan of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about two hundred years. During that span, each of these nations progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; and from dependence back into bondage. 1

It’s hard not to read that and ask, “At what point is America in this cycle?” Here’s what popular blogger La Shawn Barber wrote in an article titled “America on the Decline.”

“In The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, author Edward Gibbon discusses several reasons for the great civilizations demise, including the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home and the decay of religion. America compares to the Roman Empire in secular and religious ways. Regardless of its ultimate legacy, America is a civilization on the decline. A couple of centuries from now (or sooner) someone will lament the loss of a once-great civilization that brought prosperity to the world and tried to make it safe for democracy. The glory that was the United States will lay in ruins, brought down not by terrorists but its own debauchery and complacency.” 2

Now, I don’t know if Barber is correct in her assertions, but I do fear she’s on the right track. In 1947 forward-looking sociologist Dr. Carle Zimmerman wrote a text called Family and Civilization. He identified eleven “symptoms of final decay,” observable in the fall of both the Greek and Roman civilizations. Here’s the list…see if any are identifiable in America today.

1. No fault divorce
2. Increased disrespect for parenthood and parents
3. Meaningless marriage rites/ceremonies
4. Defamation of past national heroes
5. Acceptance of alternative marriage forms
6. Widespread attitudes of feminism, narcissism, hedonism
7. Propagation of antifamily sentiment
8. Acceptance of most forms of adultery
9. Rebellious children
10. Increased juvenile delinquency
11. Common acceptance of all forms of sexual perversion 3

It’s hard to read that list and not see that, if history is correct, America is in a precarious place. What will it take for us to return to faith and faithfulness? I don’t know that I have all the answers to that question but I have one answer that we can all embrace: we need to pray. Second Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (NIV)

1. What in the World is Going On (David Jeremiah)
2. America on the Decline (La Shawn Barber)
3. Family and Civilization (Carle C. Zimmerman)

Church Camp

This past Tuesday Sandy and I drove out to Camp Allendale to visit our kids and volunteers who are enjoying a week of church camp. Chris Franklin, our Children’s Pastor, has done a tremendous job creating enthusiasm and support for Allendale. When he first came to Mount Pleasant we had around 20 kids going to camp. This week we’ve got 120 campers and the enthusiasm continues to grow.

I know one of the reasons why Chris is such a big supporter of church camp is because he went to camp when he was a kid. I can appreciate that because I had the same experience. Every summer I would get on the old church bus at Osage Hills Christian Church and head off to Sunset Bible Camp at Greenleaf State Park. Now Sunset Bible Camp was nothing like Camp Allendale. In fact, if you’ve never been to Allendale I’d recommend you find a way to visit. I’ve never seen a church camp with better facilities. But Sunset Bible Camp will always be important to me because I can still remember the day my Youth Minister sat on the side of my bunk during rest period and explained the gospel to me. Later that week I went forward and made a confession of faith and the following Sunday I was baptized in my home church.

One of the sad things I have noticed over the years is that the interest and emphasis in church camp has declined as so many other options have become available to our kids. There are sports camps, cheerleading camps, band camps, choir camps, art camps, academic camps, and on and on. And while I don’t want to be misunderstood…I certainly don’t think there’s anything wrong these kinds of camps…I do sometimes wonder if we’ve lost a sense of priority when it comes to our children’s schedules. The only kind of camp my kids ever attended was church camp. And Sandy and I both talked about the memories we have of being at camp with them. Those are precious memories to us.

Sometimes in our desire to see that our children get to have every benefit available to them we can lose sight of the most important benefits. I’m talking about eternal benefits. I can’t write this from personal experience but I really doubt that a sports camp or a band camp can change someone’s life for all eternity. But church camp can. It did for me. And even though I’m 51 years old I still remember memorizing all the books of the Bible when I was at camp.

Proverbs 22:6 is a Bible verse that gets used a lot when it comes to our children. It says, Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. (NIV) There’s a lot involved in that word “train.” We seem to understand that when it comes to school and sports and all other kinds of extra-curricular activities but sometimes fall short when it comes to spiritual things. My hope and prayer is that God would help us to continue to build the kind of Children’s Ministry that will help all of our parents make the right choices when it comes to their children…the kind of choices that have eternal consequences.

Jesus cares
Pastor Chris

Video Blog from DC

Multigenerational Worship

I’ve been thinking lately about what it means to have a multi-generational church. And please understand that when I use the term “multi-generational church” I’m talking about having a variety of ages worshipping together in our weekend services. Right now, we offer programming for children through the 4th grade for all of our services, and we include programming for 5th and 6th graders on Sunday mornings at 9:00. Children who are in the 7th grade and above worship together with their families.

From time-to-time I have conversations with people who wonder why we don’t offer programming for 7th and 8th graders or even a separate worship service geared specifically for teenagers like in times past. At the same time, we have parents with children for whom we provide programming who choose to bring them into the main services for a variety of reasons. So what’s the right answer?

I don’t claim to have all the answers or to always be right on every issue, but let me just tell you what I believe about all of this: I believe in the value of multi-generational worship. I believe that there needs to be a place for families to worship together, and I believe that someone who is in the 7th grade and up is not too young to come to the main service. (I actually believe 5th and 6th grade is not too young to come into the main service, either). What happens when families worship together? I can think of a number of things. First, worshipping together creates a living legacy of faith and faithfulness. What impact do you think it has on your children to see you sing, and pray, and study God’s Word? What impact will it have on your children to take the Lord’s Supper alongside you and see how meaningful it is in your life? What kind of memories do you think this will create? Worshipping together as a family can create a living legacy of faith and faithfulness. Second, worshipping together provides opportunities to talk about matters of faith. In Deuteronomy 6, God instructs His people to take His commands and place them upon their hearts. He goes on to tell them to impress them on their children by talking about them when they are sitting at home, walking down the road, when they lie down and when they get up. Worshipping together as a family can provide the specific subject matter for these kinds of conversations. I’m not foolish or arrogant enough to believe that someone who is 12 or 13 is going to listen to and understand every single thing that I say from the pulpit, but I know that they will listen to and understand at least some of the things I say. And let’s not forget that the communication of God’s Word to anyone is more about the Holy Spirit than it is the preacher. Third, worshipping together creates unity in the church. I have serious concerns about what the long-term results are of developing age specific worship venues for every age in the church. Where will end? Today’s teens are tomorrow’s young adult; today’s young adults are tomorrow’s young parents; today’s young parents are tomorrow’s empty-nesters, etc. My concern is that making it your goal to program for every age has the potential to fracture the church and breed spiritual selfishness and immaturity. That might sound like an overreaction, but I’ve seen it happen. There are a lot of things that seem like a good idea in the moment but the long-term ramifications are not what we hoped for.

These are the things that I have been thinking about lately. I understand that not everyone will agree with me, and that’s okay. I don’t even mind if you share your disagreement with me (try to be kind…we all have the same ultimate goal).

Jesus cares,
Pastor Chris

One last thing…thanks for the positive way you responded to my offering appeal after the Memorial Day weekend. Our Memorial Day weekend offering was less than half of what it normally is. The next two weekend offerings were very strong. What a great church family!

Video Blog

Pastor Chris and Worship & Arts Pastor Brian Tabor introduce week 2 of "Change You Can Believe In."

Celebration

This past weekend we had a tremendous Easter celebration here at Mount Pleasant. I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make sure we were able to accommodate what turned out to be a record crowd of 4,398. We had five services—three live and two video simulcasts in the Student Ministries Center and still had to use overflow space in the YAC on Sunday morning at 9:00 and 10:45. I’m told that everything went well in the Student Ministries Center and that while the venue itself was a little more casual, those attending were able to engage in and enjoy the worship experience.

I know that I am a little biased, and I apologize if this sounds too boastful, but I don’t think you could have gone anywhere and heard better music than what we had in our services from start to finish. It was powerful! Not just because of the quality, but because it so perfectly captured the heart of everything connected to the Easter story—both the passion of the crucifixion and the celebration of the resurrection. And on a purely personal note, I was so moved each time my daughter Tricia sang that I had to work hard to compose myself for the message. The words of that song and the video images of the crucifixion were very compelling. I hope the entire service blessed you as much as it did me.

Normally we would take Monday as a day to recover from a big Easter weekend but not this year as we “hit the ground running” in preparation for this week’s 125th Anniversary Celebration. On Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. our local TBN affiliate [WCLJ-TV42] will air a special Praise the Lord program focused on Mount Pleasant (We taped the program on Wednesday). Later that evening we will host a sold-out concert featuring Christian recording artists Philips, Craig, and Dean. I hope you won’t let anything keep you from being a part of this special weekend service where we honor the past, celebrate the present, and dream about the future of Mount Pleasant.

Finally, I’m very excited about the new sermon series that will begin April 25-26. A Searching Heart, a sermon series answering life’s toughest questions, will take us verse-by-verse through the Old Testament book of Habakkuk and give us a biblical foundation for dealing with difficult questions that often become stumbling blocks to our faith.

I’m very excited about the many good things God is doing in and through the ministry of Mount Pleasant Christian Church!


Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris

3-31-2009

It’s Sunday night and after a great day of worship and a frustrating afternoon of watching my team get pummeled in the NCAA tournament, I find myself reflecting about the previous week. I flew to Tulsa on Tuesday of this past week to meet with both of my brothers and one of my sisters about what the future looks like for my mother now that my younger brother is moving to Savannah, Georgia. The meeting was originally scheduled for Thursday but got postponed until Friday. I left on Tuesday so that I could be at my old church on Wednesday night when they had a “going away” celebration for my brother and so he and I could drive to Springfield, Missouri and play golf with our dad and one of our uncles. It ended up being a very full and emotional four days.

When we met with the woman who runs Regency House, the place where my mother currently lives, she told us that she was convinced my mother has Alzheimer’s. This isn’t a medical diagnosis, but she has spent her entire professional life caring for older people. The woman who comes in a few times a week to help my mother out was also at the meeting, and she agreed with the conclusion. We learned at the meeting that my mother’s situation is worse than we thought and that her actions and inability to live beyond the moment have jeopardized her ability to stay in her current home. I can’t tell you right now what we will be doing about this, but we all understand that some big decisions need to be made in a relatively short period of time. Please keep my brothers, sisters, and me in your prayers.

The thing that I am most thankful for with regard to my mother is that she always took me to church. My mother wasn’t raised in the greatest family environment and made some really poor choices early in her adult life. I never knew my biological father because they divorced when I was very young. When my mother remarried, her second husband adopted my older brother and sister and me, and he is the only father I’ve ever known. They were married for eighteen years and divorced twenty-seven years ago at the exact same time Sandy and I were getting married. In those twenty-seven years, I have probably seen my father less than ten times, but thankfully, that number is on the increase. While I was growing up, my mother never really seemed to have the time or maybe even the inclination to be what I would call a nurturing mother (not the way Sandy has always been with our children). But she took me to church and that church became the nurturing family that I needed and longed for. Maybe you have heard me say it before, but I have long believed that local church saved my life. It was in that church I gave my heart to Christ and discovered God had a plan and purpose for me that was greater than anything I had ever thought or dreamed of before. And it all happened because my mother took me to church. There were plenty of times I didn’t want to go, but that was never an option for me. My mother took me to church.

I’m going to be honest and tell you that I don’t understand why some parents today allow their children to make their own choice about whether or not they attend church, not just weekend services but various children and student ministry activities as well. Those were never an option for my children just like they were never an option for me. I could have looked at my kids and said, “You know they’re good kids, they’re spiritually mature, they get what they need from me,” and then let them make their own choice. But here’s something I always understood about my children. Even though they both were really good kids and had a certain level of spiritual maturity, they were still kids. Over the years I made them do several things they didn’t want to do because I knew it was good for them. I don’t have any regrets about those things today.

I don’t have a perfect mother, but I have one who took me to church. She doesn’t remember today that I was just home for a visit with her, but forty years ago she was able to see past my complaints and excuses and keep me focused on what she knew was best for me. Maybe that was because she didn’t have those opportunities growing up, and she didn’t want me to make the same mistakes she did. All I know for sure is that it was the right thing to do. I’m not a perfect father, but today my children are very active in church. My son is a middle school youth pastor in Grand Prairie, Texas, and my daughter is actively involved as a youth coach and worship leader in our student ministry. I can’t help but believe that one of the reasons why is because I took them to church. Not going was never an option. They didn’t always have dynamic youth pastors, and there were times when the churches I served didn’t even have any other kids their same age. But I always took them to church. Thankfully for Sandy and me, they always wanted to go. But even if they didn’t, I still took them.

There’s no such thing as a perfect church. Mount Pleasant isn’t a perfect church. But we serve a perfect God who accomplishes His purposes through imperfect people. And after all, that’s what the church is, people. So, as I reflect on my mother, my strong admonition to any parent who might take the time to read this incredibly long post is take your children to church. Don’t leave it up to them, don’t make it optional, and don’t let other things get in the way. One day, I promise you, you won’t regret it.

Pastor Chris

Family

Recently Sandy and I traveled to Phoenix where I attended a conference and then spent a few extra days together celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary. While we were there, we spent an evening with some friends from Oklahoma. About six months before I moved to Greenwood, I hired Danny Hughes to be my Worship and Arts Pastor. I was very excited to add Danny to my staff and felt bad that I only got a few months with him. After faithfully serving the church in Oklahoma for the past eight years, Danny and his wife Kristi moved to Chandler, Arizona, where he is now the Worship Programming Pastor at the Chandler Christian Church.

As Sandy and I were driving back to our hotel after our dinner together, we talked about how one of the most difficult aspects of ministry is it often takes you so far away from family, friends, and familiarity. Danny and Kristi and their two boys are now living hundreds of miles away from their families, their home towns, and everything that’s familiar. And while they are very excited about being in their new home and church because they know that it’s God’s plan for their lives, that doesn’t mean they don’t feel the emotional pangs of being away.

I know that there are many people right here at Mount Pleasant whose work has taken them away from their families and their homes, but I want to ask you to think for a minute about those on our staff who are a long way from home. I say that because when you are in vocational ministry, your opportunities for travel and vacation can be pretty limited. Think about it. Most people have the freedom each week to take the weekend or even a long weekend and use it to visit family to “go home.” That’s not the case when your every weekend revolves around church services. I’m not saying that as a complaint, just a matter of fact. In a couple of weeks I’ll be traveling to Tulsa to meet with my brothers and sisters to talk about my mom and her living situation. I don’t know what the exact days will be yet, but I do know that it will be easier for my brother and sisters who aren’t in full-time ministry to do this on the weekend. Some people say, “Just take time off during the week.” That sounds good but unless you take the weekend off as well, you don’t really have time off because you’ve still got to do whatever your individual ministry requires you to do to be ready for the weekend.

Why am I writing this? I’m not writing it to whine or complain. I’m writing it to ask you for a favor. In Mark 10:29-30, Jesus said these words to his disciples, I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age. (NIV) What does that mean? It means that God rewards the sacrifices we make for the kingdom. I don’t really think that Sandy and I and our children have had to sacrifice anything significant for the sake of the kingdom…certainly not in comparison to other believers. But I realized a long time ago that when it came to serving Christ, my life did not belong to me. And I have tried to be faithful to follow him wherever he was leading. That led me from Texas to Oklahoma to Indiana. And while this is our home, there is a sense in which it’s not (I hope you don’t misunderstand that). This is not where we grew up. This is not where our family is, etc. And there have been many times when we have missed and longed for our family and friends. There are moments, still, when I wish my children could have grown up around our family and our oldest friends. But I will tell you this that over the years God has given us thousands of people to be our family and friends. Because that’s what God does. I have two earthly brothers, but I have hundreds of spiritual brothers. I have two earthly sisters, but I have hundreds of spiritual sisters. I have many people who have been like a mother and father to me. And it’s made my life rich. It’s made our lives rich.

Here’s what I’m asking you to do. Be a brother or a sister—a father or a mother—maybe even a grandparent to those folks on our staff who are far away from family and home. Be the blessing or reward that God promises to those who are faithful. We’ve got some folks on our staff who have come a long way to be a part of the Mount Pleasant family. What I’m asking you to do is make it your plan to be a family to them.


Jesus cares,
Pastor Chris

Random Thoughts

Alright, I’m just going to say it (write it). I’m not good at blogging. At least that’s the way I feel since I haven’t written anything in quite awhile. I know it’s the hip thing to do and that almost everyone does it, whether it’s Facebook or My Space or whatever, but I’m just not good at it. I read a few blogs from time to time, and it seems to me that they fall into one of two categories. First, there are the blogs that are updates on “what I did or what I thought today,” and then there are blogs that are personal commentaries on various current events. The truth is my days aren’t all that exciting, I don’t have that many profound thoughts, and I don’t keep up with current events as much as I should. I like to write, but I’m not always creative or witty or insightful. I want to be helpful and encouraging to the people who read my blog, but I don’t like just “grinding” something out. So what am I going to do?

Maybe I’ll take a stab at writing my random thoughts. I’m looking forward to doing a sermon series on Jesus’ seven statements from the cross. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time but never have been able to get the timing down (seven weeks leading up to Easter). What’s really crazy about that is that I have complete control over my preaching calendar. Go figure! I hate carrying 40 lb. bags of salt down to my basement to the water softener. The last time my son was home I went out and bought 10 bags and got him to carry them (I wish he came home more often). I’m so pleased with the direction of our worship and arts ministry under the leadership of Brian Tabor. I’ve never heard the church sing with more passion and enthusiasm. There’s a lot of pressure when your wife’s birthday is Valentine’s Day. Fortunately for me I’ve got the best wife ever (I hope you feel that way about your wife), and she doesn’t put any pressure on me. I’m working from my home while we re-model the church, and it’s very quiet. I love it. I think Jack Bauer is the greatest television character of all time. My younger brother just accepted a ministry position with the Savannah Christian Church in Savannah, Georgia. I hired my brother to work for me in my last church, and we were on staff together for about five years. He was one of the best staff members I ever had and played an integral role in the growth of the church. That was one of my favorite times in ministry. This was a good move by Savannah Christian, but when he leaves Tulsa, my older brother will be the only one left there to take care of my mom. My mom lives in a retirement community and has developed a lot of short-term memory problems. It seems to be getting worse, and I don’t know what the future holds for her. I’ll be traveling to Tulsa sometime in March to meet with my brothers and sisters and the woman that runs the retirement community. I hope you’ll keep that in your prayers.

I’m going to keep writing my blog. I’ll probably experiment from time to time with some different styles and options, but I’m going to keep writing. And I’m going to try and write more regularly. Despite my writing struggles, I’m so thankful to be in the position I’m in where I even have a blog. I love Mount Pleasant Christian Church and no matter how creative or insightful I was feeling, I could never find the right words to express how thankful I am for all of you. I believe the church is in the right place at the right time to live out the vision of changing the world one life, one family, and one opportunity at a time. I hope you feel the same.

Pastor Chris