Is it a Job or is it Ministry

I just received a newsletter from a Warwick UMC, the church I was a pastor of before starting LifeSpring Church. In it, the pastor, Rick Hamilton, quoted a devotional that was read on his recent mission trip to the Dominican Republic. As I read it, I thought, WOW! Whoever first wrote these words has given a great description of the difference between “doing a job at church” and “being involved in ministry”. Take a look and see for yourself:

If you’re doing it because no one else will, it’s a job.
If you’re doing it to serve the Lord, it’s a ministry.

If you’re doing it just well enough to get by, it’s a job.
If you’re doing it to the best of your ability, it’s a ministry.

If you’ll do it so long as it doesn’t interfere with other activities, it’s a job.
If you’re committed to staying with it, even when it means letting go of other things, it’s a ministry.

If you quit, because no one praised you or thanked you, it’s a job.
If you stay with it even when no one seems to notice, it’s a ministry.

If you do it because someone else said it needs to be done, it’s a job.
If you do it because you are convinced it needs to be done, it’s a ministry.

It’s hard to get excited about a job.
It’s almost impossible not to get excited about a ministry.

The average church is filled with people doing jobs. A great church is filled with people involved in a ministry. If God calls you to do a ministry, for heaven’s sake (Literally), don’t treat it like a job. If you have a job in the church, give it up and find a ministry! God doesn’t want us feeling stuck with a job, but excited, fulfilled and faithful in a specific ministry

• What is God calling you to do?
• Is God telling you to do a “Job” in the church or to do “Ministry”?
• Which would of the two would you invite a friend to come join you in doing…a Job or Ministry?
• Which of the two would a friend be more excited about getting involved in with you… a Job or Ministry?

For me, I’m called to lead and grow a GREAT CHURCH for Jesus Christ, expanding His Kingdom by involving people in MINISTRY not in jobs!

May I never loose or deny doing the ministry God has placed in my heart! ... Nor may you!

Let’s Do Ministry Together,
LET’S DO LIFE TOGETHER

LifeSpring Church

Attitude Reflects Leadership

Ok, so now I’m watching all my favorite clips from Remember the Titans and I am getting ALL FIRED UP!

Today I was watching the clip where Gerry Bertier (played by Ryan Hurst) and Julius Campbell (played by Wood Harris) have, well let’s say it’s a coming together of the minds.

Take a look at the clip here….

First of all, both Gerry and Julius are extremely exhausted, basically because they have not been working together as the leaders of the Titans team to get their teammates to perform to the best of their abilities.  So, the coach has the entire team doing 3 practices a day.  Being an ex-football player and coach, that makes me sweat just typing the words “3-a-day practices.”

Gerry is trying to blame it all on Julius who isn’t doing his assignment.  He is trying to “blow right past ‘em” and is taking the bait of the other team and when he does, he leaves Gerry and the rest of his teammates “hanging out to dry.”

Julius on the other hand is questioning Gerry’s leadership as he is allowing half-hearted effort from his teammates (including from Gerry himself) all because Gerry and some of the teammates don’t like or respect the other teammates. Then he says the crushing line that every leader of a team would hate to hear, “I’m suppose to wear myself out for the team?!   What team?”  Julius is saying that we may look like a team, but we certainly aren’t acting like one.

And finally, Julius delivers the knock out blow that actually stuns both the sender and the receiver…”Attitude reflects leadership.”

The attitude of the team reflects the leadership of the team.

As individual leaders serving on the Leadership Team of LifeSpring Church or as leaders of other ministries in our church, or as leaders in other churches who are also working to expand the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, what attitude are you INTENDING to project to others and what attitudes are being PERCEIVED by those who you are leading?

Are you stepping up to the tough challenges that exist within the church and that exist outside the church and face them head on with the ATTITUDE of EXCELLENCE that  “We are fighting to expand God’s Kingdom, what’s the problem here, have you lost focus of the importance of that!”  It should be more than the exhaustion of the “3-a-day practices” that is driving our ATTITUDE of EXCELLENCE in what we are doing as the leaders of the church.  It should be that people’s LIVES are hanging in the balance of our actions that drives our ATTITUDE of EXCELLENCE!

Remember what Julius said… “Attitude reflects leadership, Captain”

I love you guys.

Strive for Excellence, Leave No Doubt

This week I sent the following email to the Leadership Team for LifeSpring Church.  In it I was reminding them of the importance of striving for excellence in all areas of our ministry.  I told them I was not looking for perfection, and I encouraged them to keep improving because there are lives at stake.

Maybe as you read parts of the email, you will be encouraged to strive for excellence when serving as a follower of Jesus Christ…He did!

I want to tell you with all my heart that I believe THIS IS the Leadership Team that God is loving, guiding, & pressing into as individuals and as a team to PROPEL LifeSpring Church to the next level of EXCELLENCE.

YOU ARE NOT HERE BY MISTAKE, BUT BY DIVINE DESIGN!   GOD has SIFTED out those who aren't BOUGHT IN AND SOLD OUT to this VISION... YOU ARE THE 10 that will get it done!... I personally am TRUSTING in you! And I Believe that GOD is ENTRUSTING you! ENTRUSTING you with His CHURCH and His PEOPLE.

FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!

WE HAVE TO HELP PEOPLE REMEMBER!

WE HAVE TO "LEAVE NO DOUBT" WHO WE SERVE IN EXCELLENCE!

We are in a battle with Satan...a War that has costly casualties... but a war that GOD will win through those of us who are loving, obedient followers of Jesus Christ!

This is were we draw the line in the sand and say to Satan... NO MORE... We will stand in the gap for God's children!  We are the warriors Jesus has chosen to lead the way.  Yes, we don't have a lot of money, yes, we don't have a lot of people, yes, there are a lot of uncommitted people hanging around ...

BUT JESUS HAS CHOSEN US TO LEAD HIS TEAM TO VICTORY THROUGH LIFESPRING CHURCH....

With that said, I want you to watch this clip from Remember the Titans:

When I watch this clip, I can imagine Jesus as the Assistant Coach Bill Yoast (played by Will Patton), who finally takes all he can take of the evil represented in the corrupt referees, and the punishment from the Evil One (the coach of the opposing team) and the Evil One’s followers (the opposing team themselves).

He pulls his team around him, to prepare them for the upcoming battle, having to make some last minute changes to insure that together, the whole team about to step on the battlefield is BOUGHT IN and SOLD OUT to His Vision of what could be.  All this is happening under the watchful eye of God, His Father, as seen in the Head Coach Hermon Boone (played by Denzel Washington).

Listen for two memorable quotes Assistant Coach Yoast says to his players before they take the field.

The first quote: “Alright, now I don’t won’t them to gain another yard. You BLITZ ALL NIGHT!  If they cross the line of scrimmage I’m gonna take every last one of you out! You make sure that they remember forever the night they played the Titans!”

Listen to the second quote that Assistant Coach Yoast yells to the team as they run onto the field, and then later he repeats to the Head Coach after his defensive team has STOPPED THE ENEMY.

“Leave NO DOUBT!”

To the LifeSpring Leadership Team… I LOVE YOU!  I don’t want Satan to gain another soul! YOU BLITZ ALL NIGHT!! You make sure they remember forever …JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!!!!

LEAVE NO DOUBT!

I wonder how they will respond?  How would you respond?