Next stop - Joplin!

I'm in the midst of a triple celebration of blessings from God!

For the last ten years I have experienced the uncommon gift of being a part of an amazing church experience at First United Methodist Church of Sikeston, Missouri.  This great assembly of Jesus-followers purely is an act of God.   God has worked through great staff and lay leadership and a deeply committed, brave congregation.  The ministry has grown in commitments to Jesus, in deepening discipleship, and in life-changing community impact like never before.  FUMC-Sikeston has become a movement which is obedient to Matthew 28:19 and wherein "the church has left the building!"   God's grace alone has allowed Elaine and me to be a part of this exciting chapter in this church's history.  I did not anticipate it and I did not earn it, but it was freely given.  Words fail to express our gratitude.  We will miss this, but we will always be grateful for the chance to be a part of it for a decade.

And the best is yet to come!   The Holy Spirit has moved through the discerning ministry of our bishop and district superintendents, and the leader for First UMC-Sikeston's next chapter is on his way.  The Reverend Mike Wondel is a man of deep faith in Christ who is totally sold out for the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  Mike has led his current congregation, Trinity United Methodist in Moberly, MO, in a complete turnaround that has led them to a whole new point of fruitfulness for the Kingdom of God.  Mike is a strong leader, a skilled communicator, and a great visionary.  He is deeply invested in community involvement, and knows how to get things done, even in the face of challenge.  Mike and his wife Jill will be moving to Sikeston in June.

When I told my bishop and district superintendent that I thought my days as a lead pastor of churches were done, I had no idea what they would do with that leaning.  I did not make their job easy.  But God is good, and, as I said above, our bishop and his Cabinet are Holy Spirit-driven.   Starting late in June I will have the great privilege of becoming the Executive Pastor at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Joplin, Missouri.   St. Paul's is the largest United Methodist Church in the Southwest District, averaging over 900 in weekly worship attendance.  It is a dynamic, mission-minded congregation, leading the way in disciple-making in the region.  Like First UMC in Sikeston, they are moving becoming a multi-site ministry.  St. Paul's was an anchor in disaster recovery, even as their own sanctuary was destroyed by the devastating tornado of 05.22.11.  Their lead pastor is Aaron Brown, one of the strongest leaders in Missouri United Methodism.  Aaron was the featured speaker at the national memorial service in Joplin, following the tornado.  He is a gifted communicator and faith leader, passionately committed to the disciple-making mission.  My job as executive pastor will be to coach, guide, supervise, equip, and evaluate the growing staff.  I am to enable them to most effectively contribute to the mission, as well as to identity, develop, and deploy leadership in their ministry areas.   I can't tell you how excited I am to work with a man of the caliber of my friend Aaron as St. Paul's moves into a future of even more Kingdom fruitfulness.

Change happens, but God is still God, and God is still good - all the time!   I'll see you around the next bend in the river...this time probably Shoal Creek near Joplin!

Fast 'Til 5 on Friday!

We live in a land of excess.  We can spin it any way we want to, we can excuse it any way we want to, we can sidestep it any way we want to.   Many of us live lives awash in "too much..."   Christian author Jen Hatmaker pinpoints seven key areas of excess in our culture:  food, clothing, possessions, media, waste, spending and stress.  We have too much of it all.  So much excess engulfs us that what we now define as "normal" most of the rest of the world regards as luxury.

We can address this reality in a variety of ways.  We can just ignore it and go on accumulating.  We can adjust our thinking to convince ourselves that we deserve our over-abundance.  (Some people of faith believe that excess is the way God "blesses" us or shows us God loves us.)  We can beat ourselves up about it and just feel bad.  Or we can do something to create when Jen Hatmaker calls a "mutiny against excess."

Here's what I'm going to do.  (It's not much, but it's a start.)  I'm going to observe FAST 'TIL 5 FRIDAYS.  On Friday (or whatever day works best in a week's time), I'm going to go without solid food for breakfast and lunch.  One day a week I'm not going to indulge in what is over-abundantly accessible to me.  I'm going to assume that going without those two meals means around $20 I would not be spending on food for me.  I am a follower of Jesus, committed to serving him in and through a local church.  That $20 each week will go to support life changing ministry in some way shape or form.  (Between now and May 8 it will go to FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN.  Google it and check it out.)  I don't plan to do this just for one worthy project nor just for the season of Lent.  (A 40+ day period leading up to Easter which many Jesus followers use as a time of repentance and sacrifice.)   I plan to make this a discipline for the rest of my life.  I invite all who are reading this to hold me accountable to this.

And I invite any who would do so to join me.   For those whose health and economics will allow, fast Friday until 5 p.m. or one day of the week, and give $20 to a charity or to a ministry of your place of worship, if you are a person of faith.  Do this ABOVE whatever you already give - that's important!  In a year's time that's over $1000 that will be withheld from feeding your own excess.  I believe it will be worth it for us all.

I'll see you around the next bend in the river - hopefully traveling lighter!