Category: Difference Makers

Sit Still! No Talking!

 

 

 

 

 

school-bus

It was 1980. My family moved to the country. I thought I was going to love it, but I didn’t. In fact, it was an incredibly hard transition for me. I was in 6th grade, and for the first time in my life, I began to get in trouble on the school bus. Before long, I was assigned a seat and ordered not to speak to anyone.

For months, I rode the bus in silence, avoiding those around me by reading novels from the school and public library. Somehow, during those long bus rides, those stories became my companions. Often, I would continue reading during lunch, study hall and even at home. Before long, I forgot about my punishment and looked forward to my bus rides because it afforded me the opportunity to read.

I want to write a middle grade novel. Hopefully, the stories I include will help some young person out there develop a life long love of reading.

by Categories: Difference Makers, Discipline, UncategorizedTags: , 1 Comment

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.

 

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4 Things to Remember When Doing Hospital Visitation

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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.

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Why I Choose To Be Thin-Skinned

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King David was a king, a warrior, and a man after God’s own heart.  He was also an artist, a musician and a writer.  Who else but a sensitive person with an artistic heart could have written so many heart felt psalms?  Who else but a talented artist could have played so skillfully that demons fled from Saul as he listened?  The church needs artists today.  We need people who cry when listening to beautiful pieces of music.  We need people who stop running so frantically and see the beauty, hurt, and awe around us.  We need people who pay more attention to God’s creation than business plans.  We need people who feel deeply and have the ability to communicate those feelings to everyone else.

Rory Noland, in The Heart of the Artist, writes that “Everyone with an artistic temperament has been told at some point in his or her life to develop a thicker skin.  That’s nonsense!  The world doesn’t need more thick-skinned people.  It needs more people who are sensitive and tender.”  I agree with Rory’s sentiment for the most part.  I suggest that artists, in the church at least, need to be thin-skinned people when experiencing beauty and hearing from God but who also have the ability to put on full-body armor when experiencing evaluation and criticism.

I am a firm believer that God determines what He wants someone to do by who He made them to be.  I also believe that everyday, as we grow closer to Him, experience life’s victories and defeats, learn new skills, and tolerate pain and resistance, that we are in a constant state of becoming.  So, the two questions are, “Who did God create you to be?” and “How has God being creating you recently?” 

Did He create you to be an artist of some kind?  Then keep reading.

The world pushes artists of all kinds down from the time they are young.  Think about it.  Adults ignore or laugh at children’s artwork when presented to them, kids taking artistic lessons are often downplayed by those in sports leagues, Jr. High students are merciless in their teasing of anyone trying to express themselves in any way, high school and college standards weed out those who simply want to create art for enjoyment, and then adulthood comes along and presents us with the immediate priorities of financial obligations, thank you very much.  I know, I know.  Life happens and people have to grow up and find real jobs in order to stay alive.  That’s true, but what fun is life is there isn’t some kind of beauty that we can experience along the way?  What good is the money we make if we are numb to art and beauty?

I want to encourage artists, especially those in the church, to not be afraid of your own sensitivity.  Feel what’s going on around you.  Experience it.  Live it.  Make it a part of you.  Then communicate it to the world around you in beautiful, unique ways.  Write, sing, sculpt, paint, draw, play, act, compose, speak, direct, form, whatever…

Just don’t stop.  If you do, it’s not just you who loses.  It’s all of us.  

 

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Wind Farms

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Wind farms like these are on the rise around the world and are now used to produce almost 3% of the world’s energy usage.  You may have seen a similar farm in your travels.

Have you ever wondered how these windmills are able to capture the wind’s energy?  Here’s a brief explanation:  A wind turbine blade works like an airplane wing.  Blowing air passes around both sides of the uniquely shaped blade.  The uneven pressure around the blade then causes it to spin.  The blades are attached to a shaft, which turns about 18 revolutions per minute, which doesn’t seem like much at first.  However, the shaft is connected to a series of gears, which increases the movement to about 1800 revolutions per minute.  At that speed, a generator can produce a lot of electricity as long as the wind is consistent.

Recently, when I was thinking about wind farms, tithing came to mind.  This may seem strange so I’ll explain myself.  People often think that they can’t give much money, so why should they even bother tithing.  Like the large shaft that only turns 18 times a minute, they think that their gift is not making much of a difference.  Fortunately, God blesses the offerings given by individuals and allows the church to connect it with the gifts of others, multiplying it in various ways that is then able to produce amazing results.

The secret is faithful and consistent giving.

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Start – A Message For The Celebration Church Family

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Leonardo da Vinci once said, I have been impressed with the urgency of doing.  Knowing is not enough; we must apply.  Being willing is not enough, we must do.  His words make a lot of sense.  When the time is right, we must take action.  Doing so is more important than understanding while doing nothing.

With this in mind, how are we supposed to respond to atrocious problems that exist both around the world and across the street?  How do we respond to the thousands of people still living in tent cities in Port au Prince, Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake?  What can we do about the problem of modern day slavery and sex trafficking in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America?  How can we end hunger in the United States?  These problems are daunting and seem impossible.

I’m convinced that the only way to make a difference in this world is by starting.  It’s like the old saying:  How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time. 

In 1989, a group of people saw the need for a new type of church in the New Orleans region.  They felt led by the Lord to be a church that would not only change the lives of its members, but that would impact the city of New Orleans, Southeast Louisiana, and the rest of the world for Jesus Christ.  They weren’t sure how to start, but as a first step, they called a young man named Dennis Watson to be their pastor.  Celebration Church was born.

In 2005, just a few days after finalizing a merger with Crescent City Baptist Church, the members of Celebration Church were faced with the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.  With a loss of at 60% of the congregation, it was tempting for everyone to sit back and lick their wounds.  However, with a hurting city before them, the pastors, staff, and members of Celebration Church worked diligently to connect with other ministries and organizations around the world in order to minister to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.  Sitting still was not an option.  It was time to start doing something. 

Now, in 2013, through the Accomplish the Vision Campaign, the daunting task of beginning the first Celebration Church Life Transformation Center lies before us.  After much prayer, we believe that our work needs to be stationed in the New Orleans 9th Ward.  We also believe that God wants us to establish a presence in this area by the end of December.  Once again, we are at a crossroads.  Once again, it’s time for us to take a step of faith.  Once again, it’s time for us to start.

Won’t you join us in facing this challenge?  You can do so in three ways:

  1. Pray.  Ask God to give the leaders of our church wisdom in strategizing the development of the Life Transformation Center.  Also, pray that God would financially bless the Accomplish the Vision Campaign.
  2. Serve.  If God is leading you to be a part of our first Life Transformation Center, you are invited to our strategic planning meeting this Saturday morning at 10 AM at the Metairie Campus Club 56 Room.
  3. Give.  Continue to give faithfully to the Accomplish the Vision Campaign.  All money received from the campaign will go to further the work of Jesus through the projects set forth by the Accomplish the Vision Campaign.

John

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How Freddy Got Albert To Read

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His name was Albert.  He was 11 years old and lived with his mother in the New Orleans 9th Ward.  Freddy was 22 years old and had been married less than a month when he and his wife moved into a mission center down the street from Albert’s home.  When Freddy first met Albert, their conversation went something like this:

Freddy:  Hey, Albert.  I’m Freddy.

Albert:  Yeah.

Freddy:  Your mom asked me to tutor you in reading.

Albert:  I don’t want your help.

Freddy:  Okay.

Albert:  I’m serious.

Freddy:  All right.  What are we supposed to do with our time then?

Albert:  Not my problem.

Freddy:  Well, is it ok with you if we don’t do tutoring?

Albert:  Yeah.

Freddy:  Good.  Want to hear a story?

Albert:  No.

Freddy:  Great, let me tell you one.  It’s about eating worms.

Albert:  Worms?

Freddy:  Yeah, this boy made a bet that he could eat some worms with some friends, I think.  I can’t remember exactly.  Anyway, he cooked the worms so they wouldn’t taste so bad.

Albert:  How did he cook them?

Freddy:  He may have fried them.  Maybe, I can’t remember.

Albert:  You mean you started telling me a story that you don’t remember.

Freddy:  I guess so.  Sorry about that.  It’s in that book there on the shelf.

Albert:  Go get it.

Freddy got the book from the shelf and together they spent the next few weeks reading How To Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell.  In the first session, Freddy read everything to Albert.  On the second session, Freddy asked Albert to help him read because his voice was tired, but he could still help with the big words.  After four weeks, Albert and Freddy finished the book.  Over the course of the summer, they read three books together.

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Celebration Church in Hispaniola

This is the island of Hispaniola.

hispaniola

In 1492, Columbus landed here and named it La Isla Espinosa.  The name was later Anglicized to Hispaniola.  The island is made up of the French-speaking nation of Haiti and the Spanish-speaking nation of the Dominican Republic.  For the last two weeks, God has opened the doors for the pastors of Celebration Church to make a huge difference across this entire island.

Robert in HaitiIMG_0362

Early last week, Pastor Robert Storey and his wife Kathy spent several days in Haiti working with the Convoy of Hope Christian Relief Organization, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to the people of Port au Prince.  Then, this past week, Pastor Dennis Watson, our lead pastor and Pastor Manley Miller, our Metairie Campus co-pastor, teamed up with the Storeys to train pastors and teach leaders all across the Dominican Republic.  Over these past several days, God has not only used them to lead people to Jesus and minister to the hurting but also to train literally thousands of ministers across that island.  Every time they teach or preach, they receive more invitations to teach and preach.  It could be said that God is literally giving us the island of Hispaniola!

Dominican Republic mission

If you’re a part of Celebration, God is using you to reach Hispaniola?  You may be thinking, “Me?  What did I do?  I’ve never even heard of the place.”  It’s because of your faithful giving that our pastors can teach, preach, and minister on that island.  So, next time you see something about the Dominican Republic or Haiti, you can tell everyone, “Hey! God is using me to make a difference on that island.”

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