audience of one

This past week has caused me to look deep inside my heart and soul. We’ve worked so hard to get where we are, fought against the odds, and there’s this gnawing thing inside me screaming to leap out called pride. I can’t stand it and it drives me to my knees in humility. After Sunday the emails, face book messages, texts began pouring in from friends, family, and fellow Pastors. Do you want to know the #1 question asked? It wasn’t how are you feeling now that you are completely depleted from this 14 month endeavor? It wasn’t how is your team doing – they’ve sacrificed so much? It wasn’t – did anyone meet Jesus? Did Jesus show up? It was the question I’ve been dreading…… how many showed up? Why? Why does this matter? Why do we guage success of anything not just church, by how many showed? How do you answer that question? Are people wanting to rejoice at the turn out or compare themselves to you? I’ve grown tired of numbers. Sure they represent people, sure they are souls. They matter everyone of them does. I just know me and I know that I get discouraged or distracted when I focus on this. As a fellow mentor of mine recently said, “It always leads to pride or jealousy”.

There’s a passage in Luke 9 where Jesus’ disciples ask him, “Who’s the Greatest?” These guys were misfits and were nobodies and Jesus comes along and makes them somebodies. One minute they are doing their father’s trade feeling like failures because no other Rabbi had picked them to be a disciple and now they are following the crowd hearing the chants of Jesus’ name. Jesus just told him his time would be coming and he would go to his death. It didn’t take them long at all to say, “So….. who will take his place? Sounds like Peter, but what about me?” These nobodies had turned into Rock Stars over night. They were the new kids in town and were getting attention.

Here’s my concern. Not only 6 months ago a small band of nobodies began meeting in a garage with a propane heater and this past Sunday met in a packed out theater. I can since it in the air and the human nature is crying out to think more of ourselves than what we should. Isn’t there a little bit of a Rock Star in everyone of us? I once heard someone say, “Humility is like a vapor, right when you think you have it – it is gone”. The dirty little secret is that everyone’s wants to be the best don’t they? How did it start with these once humbled disciples? They started hearing their name called and forgot about making Jesus name famous. I think the moment we take our eyes off of Jesus and our attention and focus goes from an audience of one to an audience of many – that’s when pride creeps its ugly face in. Jesus told his prideful disciples, you really want to be great? Than get a towel and put it around your waist and serve someone. Get your eyes off the crowd and focus on one person at a time. He told them get out of the front of the line and go to the back. When you have the chance to get all credit for something you give credit to Jesus Christ. We become great when we serve so that Jesus’ name is made famous.

So……. I’m not worried about how many we have this coming Sunday. I’ve said it from the start we will not be about nickels and noses. Here’s how many I’m concerned about…..

1. How many people that came this past Sunday actually felt Jesus at a theater and want to sacrifice all to live for him?

2. How many of our team is getting prideful that I need to pop their balloon heads?

3. Now that we have a crowd, how many of my team is going to still have pure motives and serve in the community?  We are so young and pride will kill us so fast.  That’s why I’m so guarded right now and protective of this infant called The Well.

4. How many of the 5 that gave their hearts to Jesus are we going to share our lives with and personally help in this journey?

5. How many people that came were actually unchurched people that we built relationships with or were they just churched people that are dissatisfied where they are looking for the new thing in town?

6. How many of my unchurched friends came?

7. How many are going to not come back and just sit in a comfortable seat but grab a towel and serve? So how many did we have?

It doesn’t matter, what brings far greater joy to my heart is reading this yesterday from someone that recently attended:

“I’m happy I found The Well, maybe I can now find God.” Then someone responded I can’t find a church but know Christ. The response was, “Come to Claremore this Sunday and come to a place where you fit in…… everyone fits in”.

The Well’s so called success is determined by us meeting needs in the community and serving. The Well’s success is how loudly we can lift up the name of Jesus. The Well’s success is hearing comments like above. It’s determined by our obedience and faithfulness to remain laser-sharp focus on our mission to serve one person at a time with the authentic love of Christ, not how many we can attract to a theater on a Sunday.

It felt good after Sunday to get back in my little pick up with my wind pants on and be an insurance inspector again. I knock on doors and measure houses and people time and time again treat me like a nobody. I love it…. Because I am. Jesus is the somebody and as long as we remember that we are nothing without Jesus he causes us to be far more than we can ever imagine! So bring on Sunday and let us worship an audience of one.

drink and pour

Our vision at The Well is to see community transformation.  We believe that will happen as we serve one person at a time with the authentic love of Christ.  If we as followers of Christ can apply 5 G’s we think it just might be attainable.  We are doing all we can to challenge each other to live by the following concept: Drink and Pour.

DRINK IN THROUGH:

Gatherings: coming together to celebrate the name of Christ together

Groups: doing life together so that no one stands alone in this journey

Growths: growing personally by applying spiritual practices such as prayer & fasting

 

POUR OUT THROUGH:

Giftings: by serving in The Well or out in the community

Givings: using our finances to keep The Well afloat, as well as give to special causes

This past Sunday I poured out everything I had and left my heart at the front of that theater with no hesitation and held nothing back.  As a result it found me wanting desperately to refill and drink back in what was given.  I had a great day yesterday unplugging and withdrawing with my family.  Today was back on the road doing inspections.  The first hour was spent in drinking in through worship, prayer, and listening to the heart of God.  I have nothing to give unless I give him a chance to pour into me.  In my bible reading time this morning I wrote in my journal:

S – John 8 “the father who sent me is with me”

O – Jesus is attempting to convince these unbelievers about his deity.  He uses amazing examples of metaphors of light.

A – He reminds me that if I remain desperate for him, walk with him, listen for him – I will stay in the light

P – Father I know you are with me tonight.  I pray for refreshment to my soul as my glass was poured out entirely this past Sunday.  Today is a new day so I pray that I would drink from you so I’ll have something to pour out to others.

Do you find yourself thirsty?  Are you pouring out way too much and not drinking in enough to sustain what’s going out?  What do you do to drink in?  What are you doing to pour out?  Questions I pondered today while driving in the presence of God.

the well launch

Almost exactly 36 hours ago a band of imperfect brothers and sisters launched The Well publicly to our community of Claremore Oklahoma.  I’m thrilled that we can fulfill our mission by serving our community by providing a non-threatening environment where people that don’t like church can have perceptions stripped.  Where do I begin?  What words can possibly express what is going on in my inner world?  There’s so many mixed emotions.  For the past day and a half text messages, emails, and my face book wall has been cluttered with friends wanting to get the scoop.  

It was so much like the day I got married or when my boys were born.  It happened in a flash and felt like a dream moving in slow motion.  There were so many snap shot moments that will stick with me for life.  

Here’s a snippet of my top 10 moments:

1.  A band of men showed up at 6am to begin setting up.  One of our guys I watched run across the theater parking lot with two trash bags and expressed to me, “Today this is not a theater, it is God’s house and we are going to represent!”

2.  A friend that I’ve left over 30 phone messages to over the past 6 months shows up announced but very very invited.  He’s been going through a really tough time but expressed so much appreciation for never giving up on him.  Seeing friend by friend by friend walk in that I knew hated church, but came because of our friendship

3.  My parents driving in from San Antonio and sitting on the 2nd row teary-eyed, along with so many of Amy’s family

4.  A high school kid showed that has been involved with Leadership Rogers County with me and is highly interested in learning more about a relationship with Christ

5.  Walking into the back of the theater at 1015 watching people scrambling to find an open seat and to walk in hearing the voice of an angel leading worship.  To walk toward the front and look over my shoulder to see a theater packed out for an early 10am morning encounter with Jesus

6.  Hearing two moms as we peek into the kids auditorium say, “She’s so awesome leading our kids, they are going to have a blast in there”

7.  Hearing from our parking volunteer cars passing in asking him what movie was playing so early that the parking lot was so full for, not knowing a church was meeting there

8.  A friend telling me that her agnostic friend came on a dare to find herself in tears after the gathering and watching others perception of church stripped as they entered into an authentic welcoming environment yesterday

9.  Being able to give away an IPOD to a young couple that heard our band playing, got curious and looked at our website, and gave their hearts to Christ

10.  Hearing about a 5 year old little boy break down in tears to a Well Kids volunteer screaming for love and appreciation, in which he got 10x over

There’s so many other things that occurred I’m just humbled to be apart of this endeavor.  Our team bonded together and made it happen.  I’m so proud of them and love them like my own family.  So many friends and family came in support and many others left jazzed up to send out word to a community about a different kind of church meeting at the Cinema 8 theater.  Here’s some other comments from yesterday’s launch.  Our team came together last night to eat wings, pizza, and have some root beer floats as we affirmed each other and celebrated all of what God did.  As far as we know 5 people are heaven-bound and I pray that we can love them and help shepherd the flock Jesus has drawn our way.

I guess I’ll call it a night.  My boys don’t care so much their Daddy’s a Pastor and the day we had.  Tonight they just wanted Daddy to be Daddy so we played “42, 42″ and hide and go seek.  I’m worn out and will sleep smiling.  I hope you can join us for the 2nd part of our series Stripped next Sunday as we hit on “Of Legalism”.