Simplicity

Simplicity has been a theme in my life as of late. Though the book has been out since 2011, I just recently read Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. I am also reading a book by Jacko Willink and Leif Babin entitled Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win. The title of chapter 6 in Extreme Ownership, you guessed it…Simple. All of these authors communicate the same idea, in order for people to achieve a goal, the goal must be simple and clear. Not simple in the sense that it is easy, but simple in the sense that you know exactly what you seeking to achieve.

I find it interesting that in all of my studies I have yet to find a genuine leadership principle that did not come straight from the Bible. The author may not know that it came from the Bible, but if you know your scriptures you will recognize it as a biblical principle. When it comes to clear and simple goals, Jesus was right on point. He left the church with one clear goal, MAKE DISCIPLES (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8). That’s it. He did not leave us long and convoluted list to accomplish, one clear simple goal. Now I will grant you that it is a multifaceted goal, but it is clear and direct none the less.

Northside Baptist Church must constantly remind herself of this goal. We must be careful not to get off track. We must make sure that all we do is in some way moving us toward the bigger goal of making disciples. If we allow ourselves to get distracted by lesser things, we will never be effective at the main thing. Let us work together to accomplish this mission. Let’s move past our personal preferences and agendas that might keep us from becoming all God has called us to be. If we will, I am sure of this; it will be one exciting and adventurous journey.

Honored to be your pastor,

Darrell

Missional Living

One of the things that I am often struck by when reading the New Testament is Paul’s missionary heart. It never ceases to amaze me the lengths to which Paul was willing to go in order to reach someone, or a lot of someones, with the gospel. One such instance is found in Romans 9:3. Paul says, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (ESV). In case you missed that let me put it in plain English, “If it were possible, I would wish that I would spend an eternity in hell if it meant that my fellow countrymen would come to know Christ.” Or as The Message puts it, “If there were any way I could be cursed by the Messiah so they could be blessed by him, I’d do it in a minute.”

I read such things and I think, “Now Paul, that’s just crazy talk. Why would you go to such extremes when they had every opportunity you did to respond to the gospel?” The truth of the matter is that Paul understood the reality of heaven and hell. He knew this was not simply the stuff of children’s Sunday School classes. He knew that hell is the reality of all realities and he did not want anyone to spend a second there.

Applying this truth to our lives causes us to ask ourselves a question: What extent are we willing to go to in order that others might come to know Christ? Are we willing to be uncomfortable? Are we willing to forego our own preferences when it comes to teaching styles, programming, or worship style if it means others will come to know Christ? Are we willing to step up and serve so that others might be saved? You see, to all of this Paul would say, “YES, YES, YES” if it meant people would come to know Christ.

I can only hope that over the course of my life that I might come to love with the passion and zeal that Paul had. The truth of the matter is too often I let my own comfort level, my own desires, and my own ambitions get in the way. May we journey together as we seek to become more for the cause of Christ and the sake of the gospel.

Transitions

I would like to tell you a story about two different moves that were made by a pastor. Move One…a pastor moves from Corpus Christi to Canyon Lake to begin a new ministry. The transition does not go so well. For starters, his house in Corpus Christi does not sell for a year. This causes quite the financial struggle. He is forced to make both a house note in Corpus and a lease payment at Canyon Lake. During this year all of his financial reserves are exhausted. To make matters worse, his wife, a school teacher, is unable to obtain a public school job and takes a huge pay cut to teach at a private school in San Marcos.

Move two…a pastor moves from Canyon Lake to Victoria. He puts his house on the market on a Monday and has receives an offer on it the following Sunday. Approximately 40 days after putting his house on the market, it has closed and turns out to be a rather profitable endeavor for the pastor. His wife has decided at their new ministry assignment that she will not work but be a stay at home mom which will allow her to be more involved in the ministry. In spite of her decision not to seek employment, a job falls in her lap that she cannot pass up. The transition from Canyon Lake to Victoria goes smoother than anyone could have imagined.

Question: which of these moves was of God? Answer: BOTH. Sometimes when God moves and works in our lives He takes care of all of the details up front leaving us very little to be concerned with. However, there are other times when God does not take care of all the details in advance, but asks us to depend on Him each step of the way. My point is simple, whether something is easy or difficult, challenges (or the lack there of) are no indication of God’s will. We must walk daily in His presence, leaning on Him and trusting Him for provision as we journey along.

Summer Is Here

Is it possible that summer is upon us already? Schools have just finished or will finish up soon and summer break will begin. We know that this time represents freedom. There are opportunities to travel, to go see family, or to just relax in general. All of these are good things and are needed in life. However, do not forget about your church family. We are still here and lots of ministry is still going on.

Take the time to get away with family and have fun, but when you are in town, continue to be a part of church life. Show your support to the various ministries by your presence. Make sure that church and ministry remain a priority. Do not get so busy that you disappear for the next three months.

We are looking forward to a great summer of ministry. The student, children, and mission ministries all have a full schedule. Do not miss an opportunity to minister to others or to be ministered to. God has big plans for you this summer…don’t let your plans trump His plans.

Honored to be your pastor,

Darrell

Looking Ahead

I was asked by a friend this week how things were going in my new role. I told him the best way I can describe it is to put your head in front of a fire hydrant and open it. All kidding aside, I am settling in and very excited about what God has in store for Northside. It is clear that we have a very strong, vision-driven team. The facilities that we have are truly a blessing and Northside’s name seems to be well known and well thought of in our community. All of these are aspects that are necessary for future growth and impact.

For the month of May, we have turned our attention toward four priorities that we want to be central to our church as we look forward. Certainly, some of these things have already been a priority, but we want to renew our commitment to them. These four things are: Prayer, Evangelism, Discipleship, and Missions. These four elements will allow us to fully embrace the Great Commission of our Lord. I would encourage you in these coming days to evaluate your own life. How are you doing in these areas? Do you have a commitment, at least at some level, to each of these aspects? If not, is this the time God is calling you to take an inventory and readjust priorities? Remember, we can never be corporately what we are not individually. A fully committed church is only the result of a membership that is fully committed.

So, we wait with great anticipation to see what God is going to do. I trust that He has big things for us in the days ahead. I once heard it asked, “If your church were to disappear tomorrow, would the community miss it?” Let’s make sure that we are a church that is focused on right things and that our community would truly miss us if we were gone.

Honored to be your pastor,

Darrell