Change

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Listened to a sermon on CD this morning (thanks JR Kish!) from a Pastor preaching his farewell sermon after 15 years at the same church. It was moving! One of the things that he talked about was change. He handled the topic so eloquently as he paved the way for the next Pastor. Here are a few of the things that he shared that I thought were great (with my twist):

  • There will always be change! 2 Corinthians 3:18 reminds of it and that it is God's will! The one constant in all of our lives is change.
  • People react to change most often in one of these 3 ways; resist, resent or run!
  • I mean, just think of small things like what aisle you find items in the grocery store, how you log into your computer, what time a show comes on TV...when those things change, we react. Now imagine the things that really matter....
  • Here is why most people resist change...because our value and/or security are placed on those temporal things that will always change! We react because either our value or security are being threatened.
  • Now, I would add this observation....feel free to disagree. But, I think that for young folks, they find their value in stuff (position, job, church, health, looks, money). For older folks, they find their security (because this is a greater need the older you get) in Stuff (house, family, church, health, position, etc.).

So, what's the point?

  • We need to embrace and accept change! Things will change! At home, at work, at church.....things will be ever changing!
  • If we refuse change, we refuse growth!
  • So...I would suggest that our value and security needs to be placed on our God, the one constant that never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). He is stable and solid and is the ONLY answer to true value, meaning and security!
  • If we place our value and security on the things of this world, we will spend our lives feeling threatened. If we place our value and security in the Lord Jesus Christ, we will spend our days feeling rooted and protected!

Easier said than done, huh? Well, that is my encouragement for us today!

--Noah

We Dream...

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At the end of my Momentum Video Message in April, I shared 20 statements of vision for CCF. "I dream" statements. They have been developing in my heart over the last 4 years. They are a fuller and more specific explanation of my heart for our future. In the spirit of keeping the vision in front of us, I wanted to share them with you today. I intentionally waited 2 months to post this. Will you continue to pray with us and labor with us toward this vision? I feel it is more appropriate to write these as "we dream" statements. These are the heart of our staff and leaders at CCF!

  1. We dream of a haven where hurting broken and confused people come and find healing and hope for their lives and relationships.
  2. We dream of a place where people covered in guilt come and are bathed in forgiveness.
  3. We dream of a community where authentic love and relationship is felt through the entire church experience and throughout the entire week.
  4. We dream of Weekly worship services that are anointed with the presence of the Holy Spirit and guiding people to new places with Jesus.
  5. We envision expressions of worship among us as various as our names!
  6. We dream of realizing ways that we can embrace the foundations of our faith tradition and begin bringing hope, peace and reconciliation to the hurting people of PG County and beyond.
  7. We dream of seeing children discipled and trained to know that God wants a life with them!
  8. We see youth coming out of our children’s ministry and local schools to enter into a discipleship journey that prepares them for colleges, careers, and a life with Jesus!
  9. We dream of continuing growth in numbers and discipleship!
  10. We see tens of thousands of people being impacted by the ministry of Capital Christian Fellowship every week!
  11. We dream of the day when our Worship Center and building are way too small to accommodate us!
  12. We dream of purchasing and zoning together several more pieces of adjoining property around us, building on this building or building new ones on our lot to accommodate what God is doing. We see us needing 25-40 acres to do what God is calling us to do!!!
  13. We see CCF becoming a powerful force of love, peace and discipleship in the MD suburbs of the DC AREA!
  14. We dream of this being the place in which an uncountable amount of people discover or rediscover Jesus Christ as their savior and friend
  15. We dream of Small Groups meeting inside and outside of our church walls…from coffee houses, to restaurants, to chat rooms, to living rooms, to class rooms to board rooms, to parks….We dream of these small groups being the primary means of discipling people! These groups will be life-giving and life-changing and people connect more intimately to each other and to God than they ever have before!
  16. We dream of becoming a church where every person that attends large group worship services also attends a small group and partners with us in ministry for the goal of accomplishing our purpose as a church!
  17. We dream of us opening up many more locations of CCF stateside (multi-siting) and planting new congregations overseas! We will be one church with many locations and a one purpose.
  18. We dream of a church that breathes missions! We will fund, pray, go and send...reaching thousands of people all over the world!
  19. We dream of maintaining our uniqueness and diversity as we gather as a church where all people belong! We dream of being the most culturally, denominationally, economically and generationally diverse church in the state of Maryland.
  20. We dream of the day when we can see many realizations of our purpose being lived out…where at every turn we see people Loving God, Loving People and Living as Disciples!

Making Vision Stick

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Just read the book "Making Vision Stick" by Andy Stanley while I was on vacation. Now, I need to put more of his advice into practice. Basically the book says this...state your vision in elementary terms, repeat it annoyingly often, and plaster it everywhere so that it becomes a part of all that you do. In addition to that, we MUST celebrate it. What gets rewarded gets repeated. If we celebrate it, we will keep living in it. Wanna execute more of this advice. If you are a part of the CCF community and you are reading this, I extend a reminder to you today of our purpose...

"Loving God, Loving People and Living as Disciples!" What are you doing today to live that purpose? Seriously. Answer the question...every day!

--Noah

Planning the Church Retreat

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The Church Retreat is in October, but tomorrow night there are a few of us gathering at the church to put some thought into planning the weekend. We are looking for people who might be willing to come tomorrow evening at 7pm to help out. We will need creative ideas and “doers” that will help implement stuff and make it happen. Do you have any interest in coming? If you do, just come! We could use your help and…it will be fun!

--Noah

I miss Davis

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I have not seen my son since Sunday night at 7pm...and I have not been out of town! I just worked a 15 hour day yesterday and was gone before he was up and back after he was in bed. This morning I stalled leaving the house praying he would wake up. I just wanted to hug him!! Well, the little rascal kept snoozing and I had to leave. By the time I get home today it will be almost 48 hours away from my little buddy. I miss him. I better stop complaining, though. There are people in the armed services and other scenarios that do not see their children for months. Lord, give those people strength today!

--Noah

Wisdom of the Board

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I am thankful tonight for the wisdom of our CCF Executive Board. We had a meeting tonight and we discussed several issues. They bring wisdom and honesty to the table that is so necessary to our success as a church. I was appreciative of the angle that each of them brought to our conversation. I really saw that tonight. Ultimately, they almost always take good ideas and make them great. I am thankful to them for that. Even in the times that we have tough conversations, their love for the church speaks louder than anything else! I thank the Lord for them tonight.

Patience

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Hold on....wait a second.....just a minute.....

....preached on patience this morning. Then, before we even got in the house, Davis tested my obedience to my own sermon by running away from me toward the street....I caught myself when I was about to jump on him. Wow....talk about practicing what you preach (and fast application)!!

A few nuggets from the message this morning for church skippers, missers and non-locals....

  • Here was my prayer for the church today....."that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need." Colossians 1:11
  • Patience is: waiting until later for what you want now!
  • Patience is not: gained by the push of a button or with the wave of a wand, but it is developed in a disciple BY the Holy Spirit and over TIME.
  • In the fast track, fast food, high speed, digital camera, instant pudding, and hands free culture we live in.....we can begin to become programmed for FAST, when God sometime needs us to take it SLOW so that we get all that he intended us to get.

May great patience be yours this week...in your home, on your job, in your relationships and in your faith journey. Remember, God has been patient with you....he has been waiting for you to respond to him since before the earth was formed (Jer. 1:5)!

--Noah

Birthday

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Just finishing up my Birthday....first down time I have had all day. It was a great day, though. I am really blessed with a great family and some great friends. I enjoyed my evening with each of them. I like to just be with them and sometimes one of the things that I appreciate the most is sitting quiet and listening to others laugh. Even though it was my birthday (and a great one), it just felt like another day. I thank the Lord for another year and dedicate this next one into his hands.

Edna Custis

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My Friend and former Colleague, TC is a great guy. His Dad Dwight still comes to CCF regularly. His Dad is actually in our Small Group and we were with him just last night. While we were in Small Group, Dwight shared about his mother (Edna Custis) and his need to move her to a different care facility. Within the context of that conversation, I affirmed Dwight for the marvelous job that he does caring for his Mom and told him that I have been wanting to go see her. I got the info to where she is and scheduled to go see here just last night.

In the middle of the night, I got a call that Edna went home to be with the Lord. She went into Cardiac Arrest in the middle of the night. Edna was already suffering from Dementia. Please pray for Dwight, Saundra, Ebony, TC and all of the Custis family during their time of loss. Edna was a woman of great faith. I will never forget the time that I had her in Discovery 101...she could pray the house down!!

--Noah

Obvious Realities

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In a writing groove today....only posting SOME of it. Bear with me.

I want to list a few obvious realities that are on my mind right now. Warning: They are obvious. Second Warning: If we pay attention to them, they could lead us to a transformational discovery. See if you can track with me here:

(Disclaimer: The following statements apply to most people, not all! If you are retired or single or have a really organized world, this may not apply to you. Think with me about the majority.)

Obvious Realities:

  • People are busy!
  • Many of the people in our congregation work jobs that have them away from the home 10-12 hours a day (including the commute).
  • For most, they have about 3-4 good hours a night to cook, eat, shop, run errands, spend time with kids, bond with spouse, get on computer, watch a show, clean, and whatever else they have to do! There is NO extra time.
  • Most people in our church WANT to grow in Christ!
  • Most people in our church WANT to form meaningful relationships with other believers.
  • Most people in our church WANT to support and live according to the vision of the church.
  • It is not an issue of desire. The demands are just too great.
  • Saturdays are like GOLD!! Everything under the sun has to get shoved into Saturday because you know you cannot get in done during the week or on Sunday.
  • But, Sunday! Sunday! Sunday, MOST people get dressed, leave their home, travel to 10411 Greenbelt Road and "go to church." 300-400 people vote with their feet every Sunday morning that they ARE able to dedicate that time. The demands are low enough on Sunday morning OR they ARE willing to say no to everything else on Sunday morning and BE AT CHURCH!
  • But, we want people to come to large group AND small group, right?

Questions that follow these realities:

  • Then why...when they have already traveled to the church on a Sunday morning, why don't we provide space for both? Why can't people go to Small Group and Large Group back to back? They are already there!
  • Why is Walmart so successful? Maybe because it is a one stop shop? You can get everything that you need in one space and time. Is that appealing BECAUSE we are busy?
  • Why did the old "Sunday School Hour" work? Would attendance have been anywhere near the same if Sunday School was on Tuesday night at 7pm at someone's house? I think not! Why? Because we were already at church anyway. Sunday School was a natural part of the Sunday morning experience.
  • Now, let's think in business terms for a minute. Imagine that you have 2 products that you want to sell. Now imagine that ONE time per week, several hundred people were coming to your place of business to purchase just ONE of your products. Would you not want to market and sell the other one while you had the hundreds of customers there? Wouldn't you want them to buy both of your products instead of just one? Why would you miss the opportunity to sell the other half of your enterprise while hundreds of customers stand in front of you? It doesn't even start to make sense to me.
  • Now apply to church...we want people in Large Group and Small Group gatherings, right? Why aren't we intentionally creating the environment for that to happen on Sundays when the largest amount of people already come?

What would happen if we dedicated 9:00am-10:30am as Small Group Time at CCF and had one Main Worship Service at 10:30am? Actually, people could do Small Group before or after the Large Gathering as well. Weeknights groups could continue at their normal time if they want. Other existing and new groups could begin meeting Sunday mornings at the church or in local coffee houses or breakfast shops. Then, we would all combine for worship at 10:30.

This is hounding me all week! I don't see other churches doing this....and that makes me like the idea even more.

I would LOVE to hear from you on this. In the thinking phase.

--Noah

Greatest Leadership Challenge

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I was recently asked to answer the question -- "what is the greatest leadership challenge you face?" Here is my answer, without a doubt:

Knowing when to step out and provide point leadership for people VS. when to poll people, get opinions and let their feelings and feedback lead me. Undoubtedly, the single greatest leadership challenge is knowing when it is time to just say...."this is what I sense the Lord is saying, so here is where we are headed!" I struggle with doing this....ever! Every single decision that I make goes through the filter of everyone's opinions and feelings. And that's ok! I have to care about what people think and feel. But how far do I take that and how can I know those instances from the ones where I just need to LEAD and not ASK! God, help me with this one. I am struggling with this right now. There is a sense/idea/inspiration that I have had all week that I feel has awesome potential to take us to new heights as a church. I want so badly for God to write on the wall...."this is from me....DO IT....don't ask 75 people permission first!!" This is where I struggle. I lean toward wanting to go the safe route of making sure I sell the idea and please everyone first....simultaneously knowing that will never work.

Wow, I was just more open in this post than I set out to be. Just kinda happened. Oh, well. There you go. Just plain ole' me! I so badly want to be the leader God needs me to be at such a time as this!!

Praying about tomorrow

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Tomorrow is my sermon day. I prefer Wednesdays, but in light of being out of town recently, I had too many meetings and too much catch up to feel like I could be out of the office any earlier. Will prepare my message tomorrow off site.

Been praying about the message. I feel like the Lord has really helped me
frame and develop my series for the month of July. It will be called "One Heart". There are several creative elements that we will be including. My prayer for this series is that it will bring us to a place of even greater unity as a church. Will you pray with me to that end?

As for this Sunday, been sensing a leading to preach on one of the fruits of the spirit....a particular one! If you wait a while, you might just find out which one....Sunday! Be patient. :-)

--Noah

One Prayer

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If you have a minute, check out this website and the endeavor and vision it represents. I am fascinated by it and would have totally involved CCF in it formally if I had heard about it in time. It is called One Prayer!

Thinking and praying about using some of it for a July series that I am working on centered on unity and one heart! This kind of stuff really excites me. I dream of seeing denominational walls break down and churches working together as the BODY that they are. This type of thing is a step in that direction!

--Noah

I want you to come on the Church Retreat!

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I am really looking forward to the CCF Church Retreat in October. It is always a VERY worthwhile time if for no other reason than relationships! We always leave feeling closer. There are many reasons that you should come. Sunday, we will give you 12 reasons you should come!! Be looking for them.

We currently have just under 60 people signed up. There is still room for 50-75 more! I just want to take every chance I can to encourage you to come. Here is my theory. Almost all of us WANT to go, but many of us are unsure we can afford it! It is not an issue of desire, it is an issue of money. (It is $175.oo per adult, after all....which is a lot and not a lot at the same time.)

Hey, if you REALLY want to come but are choosing not to come because of money, email me! You need not feel embarrassed. I want to talk to you. I want to see what possibilities there are.

--Pastor Noah

My Role is Changing

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Well, I think I am ready to go public and say that my role at the church has officially changed over the last year (for the real good). I am finally backing out of lots of the details and doing way less administrative stuff than I used to do. Honestly, I used to log over 25 hours a week of administrative work...much of which was system development and getting things operating with the building and structure and such. Now, much of that is done and on auto-pilot. In addition, the staff are finding their groove in new ways. They are really a big blessing to work with. Now, I probably log 5-10 hours a week of administrative stuff. Some of the biggest changes that I have noticed in my role have been:

  • I am almost never in my church office. I meet with people on their turf, I am all over the building connecting with people and such. (and I like people to much to be in my office for very long)
  • I spend a LOT MORE of my time leading leaders. My philosophy is that staff and key church leaders will disciple others to the level that I am discipling them. A day spent investing in staff and key leaders is a day well spent!
  • I pray, write, read and study more! I dedicate a minimum of 8 hours to every message I preach. I aim to one day be spending 2 days a week preparing to communicate with increased excellence. I see this as one of the most vital contributions that I make to the organization.
  • I delegate more. I am not where I want to be on this, but I am getting better. I still struggle with the pride of thinking that it is better and easier if i just do it! But, i am getting better, I promise! I see improvements often. I did today. I delegated a list of things to Tricia (who is home for the summer), a list of things to my Mom who is helping lots with the upcoming church retreat and of course numerous things to Jaye. Jaye told me again today that "this is how it is supposed to be and I need to just get used to it". I know that she is right, but I am not fully comfortable in it yet. Getting there.

I love what I do! I seriously have to pinch myself sometimes to think that I get to do what I was made to do full-time and get paid to do it! Thank you, Jesus!