A Working Team is the Basis for Teamwork!

The following is from my recent post on the Highlands Christian Academy blog to brag on our 100+ Grace/Highlands employees:

As many of you know, I graduated from Hollywood Christian High School. Hollywood Christian School and Highlands Christian Academy were strong rivals when it came to athletics. Not only did I play against HCA, but I also later coached against HCA when I was the varsity baseball coach at Berean Christian School in West Palm Beach. You can’t even imagine the amount of ribbing that I have taken from fellow classmates/teammates and also former players since I started serving here at Grace and Highlands. It is all in fun, but also funny how life really does come full circle!

Athletics have always played a very important role in my life. I’ve had the privilege of playing in Little League and at the college level. I’ve had the privilege of coaching and playing on championship teams. I’ve also been on the other side of the wins. I cannot say enough about the lessons I learned regarding the value of teamwork and the vital role it plays in the success of any organization.

Listen to these famous quotes about teams and teamwork:
• “Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships.” – Michael Jordan
• “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
• “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” – Phil Jackson
• “Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved." --Mattie Stepanek

I wanted to share these thoughts about teamwork; because during Hurricane Irma, I got to see our GBC/HCA team in action. I watched as 70+ employees, church families and school families came out to prepare our campus before the storm. People removed doormats, carried trashcans, removed the shade canopies, removed the high jump mats, installed hurricane panels, cleared playgrounds, and so much more! After the storm, I watched our team gather together and work on restoring our campus, while some didn’t even have electricity in their own homes. Our team members were here joyfully serving and helping to cut and haul fallen trees, to reattach fencing, to remove the shutters, and to reset all of the classrooms and playgrounds for school. It was a daunting task and initially looked slightly overwhelming; but it only took our TEAM about 5 hours to complete the majority of the cleanup and we were able to reopen school on Thursday. Together, we did in a few hours what would have taken one or two individuals weeks to do!

I want everyone to know what a great team of people we have in our church and school ministries. Our team consists of pastors, administrators, staff, faculty, housekeepers, maintenance personnel, cafeteria staff, support personnel, church families, school families, and more. I’ve had the privilege of leading and working with several teams through the years; but truly, this is one of the finest teams I’ve ever worked with!

I close by extending a simple, but deeply heart-felt THANK YOU to each of you! Your commitment to Christ and your commitment to His work were obvious to all who watched and worked with you. Even in the midst of a storm, you were a beacon of hope and joy to others. Again, thank you!

Missions Hypocrisy in the Local Church

Ask people in the community, and they will tell you that they don't go to church, because "the church is full of hypocrites." My response is always that "I would rather be in church with a few hypocrites than to be in hell with all of them." In this post, I'm going to take a position of agreement with those outside the church in an effort to point out a familiar and prominent form of hypocritical behavior as it relates to missions and evangelism in the local church.

I have always been part of local churches that are very evangelistic and have a heart for world missions. Several years ago, while pastoring in the Deep South, I was deeply bothered by a trend that I noticed... churches were giving money to support world missions; but those same congregations did not want to share Christ with their neighbors or build relationships with people of a different skin color. Since first noticing that issue, I've come to discover this practice occurs frequently. How hypocritical for white people to say they love black people in Africa, while refusing to love the dark-skinned people in their local communities (and vice versa).

Recently, I heard of a church that removed community outreach from its annual budget, but collected a special offering to assist the Hurricane Harvey flood victims in Texas. While that is definitely a noble cause, I suggest it is hypocritical to raise money to send to TX, when you refuse to reach those in your own back yard. In addition, how sad that churches are willing to raise money to meet social needs after a flood; but are not willing to spend money to share Christ with their communities.

I believe God places churches in strategic locations, with the purpose of reaching local communities. That said, the local church body should look like a cross representation of its local community! To preach that "God is love" and then refuse to love all people... to sing "Red, yellow, black & white they are precious in His sight" and then to build a church catering to people of only one ethnicity... to send money overseas to reach people, while ignoring those in our own backyard... to go on missions trips, but refuse to share Christ with our neighbor... THESE ARE ALL EXAMPLES OF HYPOCRISY!

So, I challenge pastors, parishioners, and anyone who says that evangelism is important to you; will you begin to share Christ with the people in your neighborhood? Will you include funds for community outreach in your church's annual budget? Will you strive to make your church look like a mirror of the races represented in your community? Will you strive to expand evangelism to a way of life, rather than a single, once per year event! When a congregation claims to be missions-minded, while letting those in their own community go to hell; it fans the flames for those who say the church is full of hypocrites. Let's make the changes necessary to refute that statement, rather than to represent it.

Does God Ever Lead People Wrong?

Does God lead people wrong? It may seem like a strange question, but people often imply it. Some say “God led us to relocate,” but that move resulted in my family falling apart. Others say, “God led me to change jobs,” but then I got laid off. For others, it was “God led me to break fellowship with a person,” but God commands us to love one another and to reconcile our differences. So why do so many insist on blaming God for their poor life’s choices by saying that He "led them" to make those choices?

This type of stinkin'-thinkin' carries over into the church, too. I recently heard of two different churches and pulpit committees that experienced the same calamity. In both situations, the pulpit committees said, “God led us" to call a particular pastor, but the pastors felt God had led them somewhere else. In both cases, it is obvious that someone was not listening to God; but used the phrase “God led” in an effort to spiritualize and "sell" their personal agenda. If God were leading, there would have been a perfect peace for both the church and the pastor. As it pertains to a specific issue, God will NOT tell one person one thing and tell another something different.

God’s leading will never contradict His Word and God never gets confused. 1 Corinthians 14:33 states that “God is not the author of confusion…” By default, we know that Satan is the one who causes confusion. So, let's give credit where credit is due! Those pulpit committees that went the wrong direction immediately lost credibility with the church and the next pastoral candidate will realize that he was the second choice--the “Plan B.” Pushing a personal agenda always wreaks havoc! The best advice is found in Isaiah 40:31, “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” It is imperative that we wait on God’s true leading, because He will never lead us wrong!

So, I pose this question, “Are you following God’s leading or sleeping with the enemy?” Godly people, seeking God’s direction, can count on God’s perfect guidance, and will experience God’s perfect peace in knowing that He will NEVER lead them wrong! On the other hand, carnally-minded people will run with the devil, seek their own desires, push their own agendas, and disrupt God’s plan as they follow the way that seems right unto a man. If you choose to follow God, you can expect His blessings. If you choose not to follow God and you decide to chart your own course; at least stop blaming Him for the self-made mistakes, messes and the mayhem you cause.