Rumbling, Stumbling, Bumbling...

I've been incredibly introspective today! There are all sorts of thoughts and ideas rolling around in my head (none of which I can disclose or discuss at the moment), and I'm reminded for the umpteenth time that I've chosen to accept a calling that is noble, fulfilling, complex, difficult and often very, very lonely. I've discovered that everybody else can do this job better than those who are actually doing it (at least that's what they think), until they find themselves in a similar position. I was recently asked by a pastor why I didn't tell him how difficult this road was to navigate. Funny thing is, that really was all I did tell him. But the hapless pastor, adorned in his rose colored glasses, must have had too much ear wax that day to hear what I was saying.

The pastor's lifestyle is far from epicurean and so if you don't have a taste for the, shall we say, less than palatable, you might want to rethink your calling. I'm not certain if I have the mot juste to describe what I'm trying to say here, except to say that I applaud those who have thrown their hats in the ring and are 'slugging' it out toe to toe with everything that our eclectic culture throws at us as we attempt to carve a niche for our sometimes unpalatable message. I've used the following quote ad naseum, but since I'm yet to find anyone who can say it better than Teddy Roosevelt; here goes one more time to all you warriors:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belings to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; whoe errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never bee with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

100% = wasted effort???

I changed up my exercise routine today, and instead of going on my 20-mile bike ride I went walking with my wife, Sola, and our oldest daughter, Bimi. The reason was two-fold: first, so that I could spend a little extra quality time with them before I leave for London today, and second, so that I could shock my body out of its regular routine, thereby making it work harder and burn more calories. Exercise and endurance training are a really funny 'animal,' especially since, in order to maximize the benefits of exercise there are a few keys that you need to know about. The first key is to understand what it is you are trying to accomplish. To determine whether what you are trying to accomplish is realistic, you need to know your limits.

The best way to do this is to figure out your maximum heart rate. The formula is simply to subtract your age from the number 220 (or 226 for women). Once you've got this number then you need to determine whether you need to work in the healthy heart zone (Warm Up) which is 50 - 60% of your max, Fitness zone (Fat Burning) which is 60 - 70% of your max, Aerobic zone (Endurance Training) which is 70 - 80% of your max, Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) which is 80 - 90% of your max, or Red Line (Maximum Effort) which is 90 - 100% of your max. Why is this relevant? Because each work zone has a specific purpose. Fat burning is best accomplished in the first two zones (85% of calories burned in these zones are fat), so if you're trying to burn fat calories and you're pushing your heart rate into, lets say the Anaerobic zone, you're only burning 15% of calories from fat. If you want to win the Tour de France, on the other hand, you must learn to work in the Red Line zone where you develop a higher lactate tolerance ability, or in simpler terms, greater endurance.

I believe pastors and church planters can learn a lot from this principle by understanding where maximum effort will yield maximum fruit. Doing this efficiently and effectively, begins by defining your purpose though. If you are just generally hoping that good things will happen because you are pastoring a church, then you will probably reap the least amount of benefit from your labor. If, however, you settle once and for all what God has specifically called you to do, then you can divert maximum effort, burning the right amount and right kind of 'calories' towards accomplishing this goal. Who would have thought that you could learn so much about pastoring and leading, from exercising? Have you learned anything exciting in the last few days? Care to share?

One Prayer, two sermons...

Yesterday was somewhat of a low key day. I spent much of the day praying for Myanmar and preparing for my One Prayer message. In between that, I did some running around for our upcoming community outreach event called Overflow: Sanford. By the evening I was feeling pretty good about my readiness for the One Prayer recording. That is until I stared into the lens of the camera... then I froze. You see, I love to preach and teach the Scriptures but I hate being aware that there's a camera lens zoomed close-up to my face so that you can see every ridge and furrow (at least that's how I felt).

But I pushed through my misgivings and preached the message of my life, all the while thinking, "There may well be people from all over the world who will listen to this message." The more I thought that, the more inspired I became, and the less conscious of the camera. I hit it out of the park! It was a great message (even if I say so myself). I mean, I was inspiring, profound and motivational... I was on fire... I was... I'm sorry, I was getting carried away for a moment there. You see, everything went perfectly according to plan and when I was done the video guy tells me that I was right on the money as far as time goes. I was ecstatic. Until we had to play it back. Then we discovered that the audio didn't record. It was like watching an old Charlie Chaplin silent movie, all animated gestures and no words.

Nobody wanted to stay for a second taping, so I preached my heart out... for the second time in the space of an hour and a half... to a camera lens and the video guy, who was checking his messages on his blackberry while I preached up a storm. Wow. God really has perfected the art of humbling me as soon as I begin to think it's about me. It was a good recording and I'm pretty confident that the message will be a blessing to some church somewhere in the world during the month of June when we all join together in "One Prayer" for the Church. If it is, it won't be because I hit it out of the ball park, it will be because of God's sovereign grace. So, how was your day yesterday, anything exciting happen? I bet you didn't have to do two services on Tuesday evening.

If I'd known back then what I know now...

I'm pretty nostalgic these days. In case you're wondering why, it's because I'm currently reading my sister's manuscript for a book she is planning on having published. Her working title is 100 things I wish my mother had told me. I know, I know, there are a gazillion books out there with similar titles... but this one's special. This one speaks directly to my heritage and it brings back memories of my childhood that have shaped my worldview and my outlook on life.

I thinks it's a really amazing gift for her daughter (which is her professed reason for writing the book in the first place) who otherwise has little or no insight into her Nigerian heritage since she has lived all of her life in the UK. I must admit that the book has got me thinking about a few things I wish I'd learned earlier on. Apparently there are quite a few of us who wish we'd known back then what we know now. Perry Noble and Craig Groeschel have both posted blogs on things they wish they'd known earlier on in ministry, and I found both their blogs on the subject to be extremely eye opening.

Here are a few things I wish I'd known earlier on:

• Not everyone who starts out professing their commitment to you will stay with you during the tough times.
• If you define success in ministry exclusively by what happens each Sunday, you will quickly determine that you are a failure.
• God is much smarter than me! (Go figure, right?)
• Great preaching isn't the formula for a great church.
• You must commit yourself to doing what God called you to do no matter how many dissenting voices there are.
• God defines success by obedience and not by perceived results.
• God will do what He will do inspite of you and not because of you.
• Pastoral ministry can sometimes be thankless and painful yet incredibly rewarding.

What have you learned now that you wish you knew earlier in life or ministry?

Kids Can... what???

I know, I know, sometimes it gets really heavy around here doesn’t it? Well, like Randy Jackson always says on American Idol… “Just keeping it real dawg.” I sure hope you enjoyed Joey’s posts on Generation Me. Personally, I really enjoyed them, and they got me thinking (some of you think that’s a dangerous thing for me to be doing) about The Well and our passion for the lost, the hurting and the next generation. We have tried to create an atmosphere that lends itself to making sure that that passion isn’t just a mantra but a way of life. We love kids and have had some of the most amazing compliments about how incredibly well we take care of and serve our kids.

Sometimes, hanging with the kids seems so much more invigorating and exciting, that I wish I could be in with them and not with the sometimes “stuffy” adults who are still waiting for their morning caffeine drug to kick in before they crack a smile (you know who you are!) Our kids ministry is called Kids Can and the tagline is …worship, pray, know God. It’s true! At The Well we don’t think of kids as “Christians in waiting” but as legitimate “power tools” in God’s hands that can do as much damage to Satan’s kingdom as any one of the “coffee laden” adults.

So, with those thoughts rolling around in my head, I figured I’d give you something worthwhile to look at this weekend. Here’s a picture of Kayla taken last Sunday at church. It made me laugh so hard when I saw it, and then I realized… help, my job’s in jeopardy of being lost to little Kayla. So I decided. I made an executive decision (I can do that since I’m the Lead Pastor). Kayla can never be allowed near another microphone as long as she lives. No one is allowed near Kids Can unless they swear allegiance to me first. That’s how you do it! That’s how you take control of an otherwise testy situation. I’ll show them… Kids Can… mutter, mutter **7%@##!!! Before I forget… have an amazing weekend, and remember, kids really can worship, pray and know God.

Diaper dandies!

So, I really love my Lead Team! That is definetely not a glib remark, for all you skeptics out there. Yesterday after service we 'retired' to my house for our first Lead Team Retreat of the year. We started at 1.00pm and finally dragged ourselves away from the meeting at 8.00pm. The meeting rocked and we got so much done. All our team building and communication exercises went fabulously well, and we came up with so many great ideas on what we can do to better serve our community and the amazing people at The Well. We also came up with some great ideas about what we need to stop doing! As if just having a great meeting wasn't enough, there was great food too (what's a gathering of Christians without food worth?) which, sadly we couldn't do much justice to since we have only recently come off our 21-day Daniel fast and so our stomachs have shriveled quite a bit.

The thing I love most about my team is not the fact that they are godly, gifted people, which they most certainly are. Many of them are great speakers, and they all possess tremendous spiritual gifts. What I really admire though, is their servant hearts. Their gift of serving and hospitality is unparallelled. We are a mobile church that sets up and tears down a pretty elaborate set every weekend. They do it without complaining. They sweep floors, lug heavy equipment, make sure bathrooms and common areas we use are cleaner after we're done than they were when we came into the building... the list goes on and on.

Servant Leadership models Jesus. To look more like Jesus isn't only about preaching great messages, or demonstrating spiritual gifts. Sometimes, it's simply changing a dirty diaper, picking up the trash strewn all over the floor after service, or simply just leaving the facility in much better condition than we found it. My Team gets that! They can tell the difference between exercising their spiritual gifts and just plain servanthood, and they excel at both!

What are the things that strike you as being the difference between spiritual gifts and serving? Do you even think they are different?

But I digress...

Alright! This weekend is the precursor to Superbowl Sunday!! This weekend hosts the AFC and NFC conference championship games. This year, the games will be followed more closely than ever before because of the potential history-making, undefeated season of the New England Patriots. The Pats will be playing against their arch rivals, the Denver Broncos... calm down I just wanted to make sure you were awake. They'll be playing against the San Diego Chargers since the Broncos took the season off and decided to play in the CFL (Canadian Football League) instead. (Judging from the way the Broncos played this past season, they couldn't even have won the CFL Championship Game). But I digress...

The New England Patriots remind me of church planting (Now that's a stretch, you're probably thinking). Think about it though. They are sort of a journey man team, that get very little credit and recognition for their amazing efforts. They are not a "sexy" team like the Dallas Cowboys of the nineties, or the Los Angeles Lakers of the Ervin 'Magic' Johnson days. They just plod along, putting the wins behind them and looking on to the next task. Few people pay any attention to the herculean efforts that sorround each weeks win, and in fact, when they win 'ugly' they are villified as being not such a great team after all. Some pundits have even predicted that they won't win the Superbowl. I, on the other hand, know that they will, and I'm rooting for them.

Church planting is an unheralded, difficult and often thankless venture. The wins are not long-celebrated, and there are many (believe it or not) rooting for us to fail, so that their contentions that we were never meant to do this in the first place, are justified. Like the Pats though, "We will not falter, and we will not fail" (Credit to President Bush for the quote). Church planting might not be "sexy" but nothing is more fulfilling to see, than a transformed and refocused life. So with each life that is impacted by a church plant, we celebrate the win and then move on to the next "game" until all have heard, and the gospel is preached to every nation. The Patriots remind us that taking new territory is never easy for the pioneers, but they pave the way for an infinitely easier and better life for everyone that follows. How aptly named that team is, especially if they succeed in going undefeated in their last two games of the season. Go Broncos, I mean Pats!!! Oh, before I forget... have a great weekend.

You betray me with a kiss?

How do you deal with the sting of betrayal? What is the appropriate response when you have been "stabbed" in the back by people that were near and dear to your heart? I have pondered these questions and many more over the last few months, while attempting to convince myself that nobody has had it as tough as I have. Then I visited one of my favorite blogs only to have my "illusion" shattered by a revelation: This feeling of betrayal is ubiquitous among pastors.

Betrayal comes as part of the package for those who are privileged to serve others through the pastoral ministry. In fact, it is the pastor's burden. On the blog I'm talking about, the question was raised as to what you are willing to "give up" so that you can "go up." The issue of giving up reputation was raised, and to a man (and woman) every one of the respondents had a horror story to tell about relationships that had gone sour and turned on them as a result of ministry, and about slanderous things that had been said about them. No matter how hard you try to prepare yourself for the pain of these rejections, it is often harder in practice to walk through than anything you ever imagined. One of the respondents to another blog I read put it most succinctly when she stated that, as she drives by different churches, she can't help feeling a burden for the pastors of the local assemblies as she finds herself reflecting, "I wonder if they have a heart broken by God, longing for people; or if they have a heart broken by people and longing for God?"

Whichever the case may be, the sting of betrayal and the pain of rejection is not unique to you. Consider if you will, Paul's statement in 2 Corinthians 11: 23 - 28:

...I have worked harder, been put in jail more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jews gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled many weary miles. I have faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the stormy seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be Christians but are not. I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. Often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then besides all this, I have the daily burden of how the churches are getting along. (NLT)

As if all the aforementioned wasn't enough to deal with, he suggests in his final summation that, more importantly, besides all of these "light and momentary afflictions," he carries a burden for the churches he was responsible to oversee. I imagine it's safe to assume that he suffered his fair share of betrayal and rejection even from those who "claim to be Christians but are not."

Without a doubt though, the greatest example of how to deal with betrayal came from none other than our Savior Himself. In the Garden of Gethsemane, as He restlessly and prayerfully awaits His fate, Judas enters the garden at the head of a posse of temple guards out for blood. He walks directly up to Jesus and plants a kiss squarely on his cheek. Now Jesus was already prepared for Judas' betrayal. But to betray Him with a kiss! Even Jesus was astounded by this and couldn't help but express the sentiment. In case you wonder how close they were, I want you to know that the Scriptures tell us that Judas was the treasurer for the ministry of Jesus. You don't put people you don't trust in charge of your bank account. He was one of the 12 into whom Jesus tirelessly poured Himself out. Yet after three years of teaching them, weeping with them, laughing with them, eating with them, Judas betrays Him with a kiss. As if that wasn't bad enough, as Jesus traverses the via Dolorosa on the way to Golgotha (the place of His crucifixion), he is derided, spat upon and laughed at by the very people who had just a few weeks earlier thrown down their garments and waved palm fronds as he rode into Jerusalem sitting astride a donkey.

Amazingly, Jesus is on His way to die for the sins of these very people that are ridiculing Him. Is there a greater sting of betrayal than that? I think not. If you're a pastor struggling with betrayal, false allegations, slander and harsh judgment, then you're in great company. It is a burden that you are called to bear and one for which you have been amply eqquipped. betrayal and rejection is part of the pastor's burden.

Of Hands and Feet

As a christian leader how do you define success? I was recently asked this question by someone in our congregation, and it gave me pause to think. In our results-based culture, where success is generally measured by how big, how much, how often, amongst all the other "hows", it's easy to get busy "laboring and working for the Lord," trying to accomplish the vision we've been given. The inherent danger of that "busyness" is that we often forget to slow down and enjoy the "fruit" of our labor: savoring the relationships that have grown out of our effective ministry in the lives of people.

I call this the "Martha Syndrome". Martha was so in love with serving and helping others, that when Jesus came over for a visit she complained to Him that Mary, rather than sit at His feet as He talked to them, needed to be in the kitchen helping her prepare the meal. Surprisingly, rather than scold Mary and send her scurrying off to the kitchen to assist busy Martha, Jesus chided Martha saying, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10: 41 - 42). I guess the lesson is that sometimes we need to still our busy hands from all the serving and laboring and just sit at His feet.

Ministry can sometimes appear difficult and even thankless. Until you look a little deeper. If the "hows" are all that you look for, you might have a tendency to miss the real fruit of your ministry. I've often said that the journey is sometimes the objective, and not the destination. While this doesn't hold true for every circumstance, there are many instances in which it does. Taking a moment out of the 100-mile-an-hour dash to the destination, to stop and savor the fruit, might give you a whole new perspective on your effectiveness. As I have wrestled with my own definition of succes in ministry, I have continued to have my perspective reshaped by some of the incredible people I've met along the way. Consider the following letter I received from a couple that had attended our church for a season, found a personal relationship with the Lord, and then relocated out of state. While I have removed their names to protect their privacy, nothing else in the letter is changed.

It brings me great sorrow to think that I will no longer be able to participate actively in the growth of "The Well". I came to The Well initially, expecting that it wouldn't be long before I became disinterested. Little did I know that The Well would be my salvation. Not only have I discovered my inate love for God, but I have also been able to contribute for the better of humanity and our community. It is because of your devotion to show what God's love can do, that we can all live in harmony with ourselves. The promise of our life beyond is the prize that we can all look forward to. You have shown me that, and for that I am eternally grateful. It pains me that I will no longer be on the receiving end of pastor Joseph's meaningful sermons. They are truly inspiring and moving. I pray that you will continue doing what you do, knowing, I am sure that you will help to save countless souls.

...You both have been an inspiration and blessings in our lives. You brought a close family even closer, and in the faith. I can never thank you enough. You will always be in our thoughts and prayers.

Wow! This is why we do it. Like the quote for the day says, "Transformation gets people's attention. There's no better method of evangelism than a changed life... it takes a process of discipleship to fully transform lives from darkness into light." Anyone want to sit at the Master's feet with me today?

Sermons and Cookouts

Huh? What do sermons and cookouts have in common, I hear you ask? I've been recently reflecting on some great advice I got from a mentor of mine a while ago, and on how that advice is impacting the way I think about and approach ministry. As I met with my Lead Team yesterday (the guys and gals who help me think, so that I can do a better job of leading The Well), something stood out to me. We got a ton of stuff done but in the process we laughed and joked with one another a lot. We genuinely enjoyed being with one another and that point was borne out by the fact that we all hung around for a full hour after the meeting concluded.

Our lead team meetings are a little different now from how we started out. We used to meet around a large conference table over at the church offices, and in an attempt to create a warm and relaxed atmosphere (which really engenders creativity), I would make sure we had snacks and a bowl of candy in the center of the table. I don't know how much community we built, or how relaxed the atmosphere was, I'm not even sure how much we accomplished, but I do know we all got a lot of sugar.

We do it a little bit differently now (I call this, "progressive revelation" which is simply a more polite way of saying I'm learning and growing into my role), as we meet rotationally in the homes of the different members of the Lead Team and we do a potluck meal (If all else fails, make sure there's good food available). The relaxed atmosphere is definetely not contrived, and because of it, we are more open to throwing around ideas without the fear of getting them "shot down" since there is a lot more trust and cameraderie.

This brings me to what my old mentor once told me. In response to a discussion we were having about impacting people through ministry, he remarked that I was at my finest when I was behind a barbecue grill at a cookout. At first I was a little affronted by this as I supposed it to mean that I was better at barbecueing that at teaching the scriptures. With further clarifying conversations and the passage of time, I have come to realize that he was simply speaking about the relaxed, easygoing and comfortable style about me anytime I was hanging out with friends at a cookout. He insisted that my preaching and teaching skills were abundant, but that if I could just transfer the persona that was behind the grille to the pulpit, I would connect with and impact people significantly more.

In hindsight I'm truly thankful for men like my mentor who are willing to tell you the truth about you, even at the risk of offending you, so that you can become all that God has called you to be. As I've continued to "evolve" in my leadership and pastoral skills, I am learning to apply this idea consistently so that I am the same person on the platform as I am off it. Besides, people just seem to identify better with someone who seems more human and flawed, rather than hyper-holy and near-perfect. Sometimes though, I think I need a big old barbecue grill beside me on the platform to remind me to relax and enjoy the moment. Steaks anyone?

I'm thrilled to be here doing what I'm doing

I must admit that the last year has been a real eye opener and a real season of testing for my family and I. The Well is and has been our dream for the last two and a half years, and now that it is here it's turning out to be the hardest thing I've ever done. The most amazing thing is, I wouldn't trade where I am and what I'm doing now for anything else.

God has been so gracious to us as he has added some incredible people as part of our church family. I am constantly amazed that people consider me their pastor and are willing to entrust their lives to my counsel and insight. I have spent much of my time over the last few months praying, fasting and studying. I feel like a butterfly that is just about to emerge from the pupa stage or is it larva (it's been a while since I took biology in school), and I am ready to spread my wings in all their glorious color and fly.

The biggest thing I've learned over the year that our church has been in existence is that there are subtle cultural nuances about being a pastor in the USA that differ vastly from being a pastor in Nigeria or for that matter anywhere else. Part of the learning curve for me is staying true to the vision God gave me while adapting to these cultural nuances. I love what I do! I love the people I have been called to serve!! I love what God is doing in and through The Well!!!