A Tribute To Shelton Kennedy

Shelton

My friend Shelton Kennedy went to be with Jesus one week ago today, a few hours after playing for two of our morning worship services.  He is one of the only people that I have ever written a devotion about.  I thought I would share it with you today.

Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

Shelton plays the synthesizer for one of our worship teams. When it is time for a rehearsal to begin, he is always in position ready to go. When we need for someone to play at another campus, Shelton is always willing to drive the extra distance to help out. When Hurricane Katrina destroyed our church sheet music library, Shelton produced a copy of every song that he had ever played with the band. He had saved them for years.

Last week, I noticed a crutch on the floor next to Shelton, so I asked him, “Shelton, is that yours?”

“Yes,” he answered. “I’m having some problems with my knee.”

“Are you o.k. to play?” I asked.

He smiled and said, “Yes, I’ll be fine as long as I’m not walking.”

Later, when asked asked again if he was sure that he could play. Shelton, smiled reassuringly and replied, “I’m on this team and a team’s a team.”

Whenever I think of Shelton, I will remember Psalm 133:1  “How good and pleasant it is when brothers can live together in unity!”

Lord, help us all be more like Shelton.

 

3 Simple Tips For Worship Leaders To Improve Their Leadership

mic

Here are 3 simple ways for worship leaders to improve their worship leadership, regardless of their style of worship music:

1.     Memorize the lyrics to the songs you are leading.  If you don’t have time to memorize lyrics, then you aren’t spending enough time in preparation.  The confidence monitor, lead sheet, hymnal, or cheat sheet might seem like your best friend, but it can also become your worst enemy.  Use it as a reference, not as a guide.  People want to see your eyes looking toward them during worship, not glued to the words.

2.     Smile.  People want to worship with a pleasant leader who enjoys the experience of leading them into God’s presence.  A frowning worship leader is a distraction because his/her demeanor puts the attention on himself/herself instead of on the Lord.  A smiling worship leader can point people to God simply through positive facial expressions.

3.     Worship privately.  If you aren’t regularly spending time in God’s presence, you aren’t going to be able to lead others into His presence.  People can tell if you don’t know the way.  They can tell if you’re faking it.  Spend so much time with the Lord that it’s evident to those around you that worship is an important part of your life.

Related Post – What We’ve Forgotten About Worship

Thine

praying-with-open-hands

I was seven years old.  As I sat in the hard pew, I held tight to the crinkled hymnal that seemed huge in my small hands.  And as the congregation stood to sing, I read these words for the first time:

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice, and it told Thy love to me;  But I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to Thee.*

I’m older now and I don’t often think of those lyrics, but the meaning is still true.  If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.  If we seek after Him with all of our heart, He will do everything He can to have strong relationship with us.

Think about it.

If God has already allowed His Son to die for us, why wouldn’t He embrace us when we reach out to Him?

He wants our worship.  He desires our friendship.  He wants us to draw near to Him.

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.  James 4:8a

*Fanny Crosby, I Am Thine, O Lord

 

 

Now

Now

Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father.  Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love.  John 13:1 NIV

If you knew that you only had a short time to live, wouldn’t you show your family and friends the full extent of your love?  Wouldn’t you say the words that you’ve needed to say for years?  Wouldn’t you forgive that friend or family member who hurt you?  Wouldn’t you share stories and advice with your children and relatives?

Why wait until you only have a short time to live?  Why not do those things now?

One lesson about everything that can help make anything better

reap_what_you_sow

I’ve learned lots of lessons.

Some of the best are:

  1. Trust God in everything.
  2. Don’t forget to pray.
  3. Take good care of your health.
  4. Family is very important
  5. Avoid the yellow snow.

In a recent round table discussion, I said, “The most important lesson I’ve learned in the past year is everything impacts everything.”

“What does that mean?” asked one of my colleagues.

Now I’ve never been accused of being the quickest with verbal responses, so I said, “Well, it means that everything…impacts…everything else.”  Everyone was overwhelmed with my dramatic pauses and word addition.

But now I’ve had time to think about what I should have said.

It all begins with seeds.

The Apostle Paul wrote Do not be deceived:  God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. (Galatians 6:7)

From thefreedictionary.com, I gleaned that sowing means to scatter seed over the ground for growing.  The same source defines reaping as harvesting a crop.  So, Paul was basically saying that the seed you spread determines the type of crop that you harvest.

In other words, whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

In the movie Second Hand Lions, young Walter is sent to live with his eccentric uncles Garth and Hub.  Deciding to plant a garden, they purchase a variety of seeds from a travelling salesman.  After preparing the soil, they plant the seeds in rows and wait patiently for their crops to produce.

One day, as they are hoeing the weeds from their garden, Garth comments, “Think about how good all these vegetables are going to taste.  Peas, beans, squash, tomatoes…”

Even as his uncle is speaking, Walter notices that every plant on every row is almost identical.  When he points it out to his uncles, they are dumbfounded.

“Hey,” said Walter, pointing to the row of corn.  “This one looks right.”

“Well,” said Garth, “All those seeds did look alike, come to think of it.”

Hub throws his hoe and shakes his head.  “Corn, corn, corn,” he says, “Nothing but corn.”

Whatever one sows, that he will also reap.

The older I get, the more I realize that the same is true in every area of our lives.  What we sow determines what we reap:

–       In Finances

–       In Friendships

–       In Business Ventures

–       In our Spiritual Lives

–       In our Families

–       In our Work

–       In our Homes

–       In our Bodies

–       In our Minds

–       In Everything

Everything that we do matters.  Every decision we make, every day we work late, every book we read, every cookie we sneak, every movie we watch, every sit-up we avoid, every dollar we spend, every prayer we pray (or don’t pray), every thought we have – they’re all connected.

They join together to form an enormous tapestry that identifies us to the world and to ourselves.

What do you want your tapestry to portray?  What decisions are making that will change it’s look forever?  Are you weaving something into your tapestry that you don’t want to be there?

Here’s the deal:

Everything Matters.  Everything.

Whatever one sows, that he will also reap.

What are you going to do about it?

The Away In A Manger Controversies

nativity

One of the most tender Christmas carols has to be Away In A Manger.  The song expresses simple, childlike love for and faith in Jesus.  It transports us beyond the glitz and glitter of the Christmas season and reminds us of true reason we celebrate Christmas.

Away In A Manger was once titled Luther’s Cradle Hymn.  It was widely thought to have been written by Martin Luther for his own children, but most scholars no longer believe this to be the case.  The first two stanzas were published in the Little Children’s Book in 1885.  The third was added in the early 1900’s by John T. McFarland, a Methodist minister who needed a third verse for a children’s day program at his church.

The second verse of the song is considered by some as heretical because of the line “but little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes.”  Proponents believe the song is claiming that Jesus was fully God but not fully man.  People are certainly entitled to their opinion, but I feel like they just need to get over it.  The song doesn’t claim that Baby Jesus never cried, only that the writer wasn’t envisioning Him crying for that moment in time as he (or she) pictured the scene of the nativity.

What’s more important is the love, affection, and childlike faith that is expressed in the song.  In 2002, the simple lyrics and message of Away In A Manger inspired me to write two more stanzas.  You can find them at the bottom of the song below:

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet Head;

The stars in the sky looked down where He lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.           

The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes;

I love Thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky, and stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay, close by me forever, and love me, I pray;

Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care, And fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there.

No longer a baby, He grew to a man, sent to us from Heaven to fulfill God’s plan;

He died on a cross to atone for our sin, and rose from the dead to be alive again.                                              

This precious Lord Jesus is all that we need if we make Him our Savior and our Lord indeed;

O please, wondrous Jesus, be with us today, fill us with Your spirit, we now humbly pray.

God bless you all (even if you don’t like Away In A Manger) and Merry Christmas.

How to get rid of the stench of sin

image_18119

I was at a gas station filling my tank when I pulled the pump out too fast and gasoline drenched my hands.  I ran into the station restroom and scrubbed my hands in white foamy soap.  But when I rinsed my hands, the smell was still there.  Frustrated, I drove to the hardware store where I learned about a hand cleaner called Goop.  Right there in the store, I rubbed it on my hands and was finally free of the stench.

In many ways, sin is like the smelly gasoline that spilled on my hands.  We don’t mean to get so involved with it, but somehow, we find ourselves soaked with its stench.  We try to cover it up with temporary fixes, but they don’t last.  The only sin cleaner that totally frees us from the stench of our own sin is the cleansing blood of Jesus.

The Psalmist once wrote, Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithful love; according to Your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion.  Wash away my guilt, and cleanse me from my sin.  (Psalm 51:1-2 HCSB)  He prayed to the only One who could rid him of the stench of his sin.  You can do the same if you choose.  You’ll be glad that you did.

 

4 Things to Remember When Doing Hospital Visitation

visit 

I’ve been doing hospital visitation on a regular basis for over 20 years.  One thing that I’ve learned is that I’m not very good at it.  Even though I’m a pretty compassionate person, I struggle when trying to minister to those in the hospital.  Something in me clams up and I struggle with my words.

However, Jesus did say I was sick and you visited me, so it’s important to press on with the visit, even when I feel uncomfortable.

I spent most of the last three days with my mother who was hospitalized.  During that time, I pondered my own hospital visitation situation and realized that there are 4 things to remember when doing hospital visitation.

#1  –  Pray.  The Holy Spirit is a much better Comforter than any of us, so pray and let Him do His work.  Thank Him for who He is in front of the people who need to remember it the most.  If for some reason you can’t pray with the hospitalized or their family, pray by yourself for them and for you as you visit them.

#2 – Bring a small gift.  After visiting my mother for the first day, my wife suggested that we bring her the shampoo and conditioner samples from our hotel room.  We weren’t using them anyway and it allowed my mother to wash her hair with real shampoo.  Whether it’s shampoo, facial tissue, a magazine, or a drawn picture from a child, it could make a huge difference in their hospital stay.

#3 – Know when to leave.  Unless you’re family or considered part of the family (sometimes even then), don’t overstay your welcome.  Understand that while you’re trying to bring someone encouragement, you may be wearing them out.  People are in the hospital for a reason and you might be stealing their sleep time. 

#4 -Use discernment when using anointing oil – Some people don’t understand the symbolism.  To some, it just seems like you’re putting grease on their heads.  Your prayers are more important than the oil.

Remembering these 4 things will help me.  Maybe they’ll help you as well.

By the way, my mother’s doing great.

Top Ten Things “To” Give Your Pastor for Pastor Appreciation Month

Breakthrough!

I was blown away by the response to Top Ten What “To Not” Give Your Pastor for Pastor Appreciation Month, that I did extensive research (just kidding) and came up with the following Top Ten Things “To” Give Your Pastor For Pastor Appreciation Month (better known as the month created by Christian bookstores).

Enjoy…

10.  Cash

9.  Amazon Gift Cards – I’m talking about the website, not the South American river, although that would be pretty cool too.

8.  An applause sound effect button installed in the floor near where he’s preaching.  Sometimes, the congregation needs a little help understanding when to applaud during a sermon.  (Warning!!!  Make sure there’s an sensor that turns the sound effects to standby mode during funerals and denominational meetings.)

7.  Restaurant Gift Cards – It doesn’t matter where.  (Although you should probably avoid all restaurants in the vein of Hooters)

6.  A t-shirt with the words Instant Pastor, Just Add Coffee on the front.

5.  Nah, just give him the coffee instead.

4.  Real Time-Off – This means time-off from you too.  If you’re with him, he’s still working, no matter what he says.

3.  Cruise Gift Cards – The best way for a pastor to get real time off from his phone, internet, and generally craziness.  (Although some cruises sponsor their own craziness).

2.  Pew-Sized Whoopee Cushion – This was originally in my “What Not To Give Your Pastor” list, but I had so many pastors (and pastor’s spouses) tell me that they really would like to own this super flatulence noise creator that I decided to put it at #2 on this list, no pun intended.

1.  Cash

P.S.  Most pastors would rather you tithe faithfully than give them gifts.  🙂

Top Ten Things Not To Give Your Pastor on Pastor Appreciation Month

frustrated

October is Pastor Appreciation Month.  But sometimes, pastors receive gifts that just don’t make sense.  In honor of Pastor Appreciation Month, here is the Top Ten List of Things Not To Give Your Pastor on Pastor Appreciation Month:

10.  The latest Miley Cyrus album

9.  A life-sized statue of the Abominable Snowman

8.  A gift card from Hooters

7.  A foul-mouthed parrot

6.  An electric nose-hair trimmer

5.  A pew-sized whoopee cushion

4.  A personalized urinal cake with a deacon’s picture emblazed upon it

3.  A membership to the Hair-Loss Club for Men

2.  A book titled How To Preach Better Sermons

1.  A ferret