Profound Thoughts on Prayer

From Deeping Your Conversation With God, "The less demanding and personal God is, the more boring he will be. One doesn’t pray to a God like that, one meditates; except for an elite few, one loses interest and falls asleep. An abstract, boring God is finally a shrunken God, too big and therefore too busy, we think, to get involved with people. But the God Jesus told us to pray to can both run the cosmos and knit a baby together in his mother’s womb. He can number both subatomic particles and the hairs on your head. Anything less, and he is shrunk to the size of the senator Julia Ward Howe invited to her home. She wanted him to meet the up-and-coming actor Edwin Booth, but he declined, explaining loftily, “The truth is, I have got beyond taking an interest in individuals.” She later commented sarcastically on his remark in her diary: “God Almighty has not got so far.” Indeed, George Buttrick was right when he said, “The field of second-rate religion is strewn with the corpses of abstract nouns.” A second-rate God will elicit a second-rate, boring prayer life."

A Tribute to Uncle Harris

Yesterday, I had the tremendous honor of speaking at the funeral of my Uncle Harris. I am one of the many nephews and nieces that experienced the blessing of having Uncle Harris in my life. As I walked into the funeral home in New Freedom Pennsylvania, I noticed a t.v. screen scrolling pictures of him with his family and I could hardly move because of the many memories that came rushing to my mind about my childhood with Uncle Harris and his first wife, my Aunt Betty, who died in an car accident when I was twenty-six.

As a young man, growing up without a dad, Uncle Harris, along with other uncles invested in my life like I was one of their sons, but I was not alone. The stories I shared at his funeral represented how he treated everyone: accepting, non-judgmental, uplifting, and fun.

It is no secret that Uncle Harris loved fishing – and not just a little, no, I mean he LOVED fishing; consequently, I loved fishing. One bright summer morning, after getting off work, I headed for Pretty Boy Damn to fish. This is where Uncle Harris’ fishing career began. I worked a night shift at a grocery store and often went fishing afterwards. That morning, I noticed his truck was parked at the boat loading dock. I figured if I made a dash down through the woods, I might just catch his attention. I did not want to assume he wanted a partner, so I reached the shoreline and cast out my line to act as if I just happened to be there. He did notice me and welcomed me into the boat. “Fishing has a lot to do with luck,” I reflected after not catching anything. He responded, “Luck favors a prepared mind.”  I have repeated that phrase more times than I can count. 

I recounted that story to Paul and he said, “yea, one time he asked me to get out of the boat and left me because I was talking too much.”

Which reminds me that he left me one time as well. He was driving my sisters and I on Mt Carmel Road one day and at a stop sign, we decide to do a Chinese Fire Drill, but he warned us not to. I jumped out of the car anyway and was running around to get in the other side when he drove off. I mean for real. He did come back, but not until I learned not to mess with him.

He loved cards, and my cousins and I spent many Friday evenings at his house playing cards. We started with Rook, but eventually learned Pinochle. It was during these late evenings that my uncle also taught me to enjoy the mature things of life, like drinking coffee without sugar.  “Son, real men don’t need sugar.”  He would say after watching me put the forth teaspoon in my cup.  Well, that did it for me; I wanted to be a real man like my uncle.

Uncle Harris lent me his single barrel 410 shotgun. Although he himself was not an avid hunter, he made sure I knew how to walk with a gun – finger off the trigger – pointed at the ground and not at a person – important things like that.

Uncle Harris invested in others. As an early teenager, he was the adult sponsor of our C.A. youth group (Christ Ambassadors). When I was twelve, he sponsored our singing group called The Salt and Pepper Plus. Brian, Alan, Mike, Donna and myself represented salt. Ronney was Pepper. The Plus of course, was Jesus. We traveled to a couple of small churches and sang songs like “I’ll Fly Away”, “The Healer”, “Oh Happy Day,” we even sang “Amazing Grace” to the tune of “House of the Rising Sun.”

Uncle Harris was our manager, which meant that he got 10% of whatever offering there was, and since we never got a real offering, we gave him 10% of the chicken we got at the church pot luck dinner. He didn’t care. He purchased sound equipment for us and proudly drove us around like we were the next Christian rock stars. 

My later memories involved pigeons – homing pigeons. He loved birds. He shared this love with his sons.

While in college, I would just show up at his home, as it was on the way to my mom’s home in Hereford, Maryland. We would sit and talk about fishing, pigeons or college and drink coffee. He would let me know he was proud of me and encourage me to keep going.

Most of life is simply showing up, and Uncle Harris did that for me and so many others. I was not the only kid he loved and invested in because there is a whole group of cousins who experienced his love. After the funeral, I met so many others who shared their stories similar to mine.  

His wife, Donna, and her son James experienced his warm embrace for his last twelve years. His charm never stopped.

He leaves a great legacy.

His last few years were not physically pleasant. He suffered with a disease that his body ultimately surrendered to.

Our family came together to celebrate a life well lived. We also grieve. We grieve the missed opportunities. We grieved the times we didn’t say “Thank you.” We grieve that he spent the last few years suffering in his body.

We grieve, but not as people without hope.

During the funeral I spoke about our earthly tents, our bodies, that eventually wear out and how we look forward to being with Jesus and our loved ones, without pain or suffering. 2 Corinthians 5, Hebrews 11, and John 14 help up understand a little about this hope and offers peace while we are still on earth.

I concluded the message with three simple lessons from Uncle Harris’ life:

1. Teach me to number my days. Uncle Harris lived just seventy-one years, but he made each day count. We all have just a few trips around the sun, let’s make them count for something.
2. Investing in the people around you makes a profound difference. The small, kind things we do for people are remembered and impacting.
3. Luck favors a prepared mind. Uncle Harris prepared to catch fish therefore he caught fish. If luck favors a prepared mind, eternity favors a prepared heart.

Psalms 46:1-3, 7, 10-11

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

“Fish On” Uncle Harris. This world will miss you.

Obituary

Harris E. “Ed” Almony, 71, died Saturday, April 16, 2016, at home. He was the husband of Donna (Lutz) Almony and they celebrated 12 years of marriage in May, 2015. His first wife, Betty Wirtz Almony, preceded him in death.

Born February 23, 1945, in Parkton, MD, Ed was the son of the late Victor Jenkins and Helen (Harris) Almony. He proudly served in the U.S. Navy from June of 1963 to June 1969. Ed was employed at Northrup Grumman, Baltimore, for over 36 years, retiring as a manager. Passionate about fishing, Ed also raised pigeons in his younger years.

Surviving in addition to his wife are four children: Holly L. Farmer, and her husband Chad; Michael W. G. Almony, and his wife Rebecca; James K. Gillispie, and his wife (Stacy); and Victor P. Almony, and his fiancée, Melanie Markline; three siblings, James V. Almony, and his wife Joyce; Linda M. Cummings, and her husband Mickey; and Vickie C. Almony; 7 grandchildren.

2016 State of the Church Report

Five years have passed since I accepted the invitation to become the pastor of Centerpointe Church. Each year has been filled with faith in God, patience, persistence and hope in our future. These were foundational years, each year building upon the previous one.

Each year began with a season of fasting and prayer, and God has led us and blessed us. We have seen people won to Christ, grow in Christ, and be sent out for Christ. 

As we review the last five years, we can see that God brought the right people, at just the right time, to give us wisdom, direction, and guidance.

In 2011, our theme was “Unstoppable.” The theme proclaimed that this church is God’s church and it will move forward. The leadership of the church made some structural changes that gave us a model for how we were going to work together. We also added a café in order for people to connect and nurture community.

In 2012, the theme was “Ready the House.” We raised the funds and remodeled 90% of the inside of the church with the intention of making the physical house as exciting as the people who attend.  

In 2013, we went through The Bible in a year. It was called “The Story.” For some, it was the first time they read through the whole Bible. We also gave a $100,000 offering to Instituto Biblico Rio de la Plata, a Bible School in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which at the time was 25% of our building fund.  

In 2014, our theme was “Greater.” We made a commitment at the March business meeting to make a decision about our property, and in December, we entered into a 99-year ground lease that would enable us to transition to a new facility by 2018. We also made adjustments in the youth leadership, rebuilt the stage, and repaired the parking lot.

In 2015, our theme was “Forward.” We took a major step toward our future by adding Pastors Brandon and Hannah Horst to our staff as children’s pastors. Because of this decision, we were able to provide more resources to families with children and add an additional worship service on Sunday mornings.

2016 looks to be another great year of life-changing impact as we further define our discipleship process to help more people grow in Christ. Furthermore, we will expand our outreach, media, and music ministries and continue to have an emphasis on missions. Finally, our plans are to identify a location in order to start the moving process.

Block buildings use a strong steel rod called rebar. The rebar runs through the block in order give support and strength to the wall. As I look at what is holding us together as a church, I can clearly see six areas:

• Fasting and Prayer – Each year we begin with a time of fasting and prayer, which guides us in our decisions for the year.
• Unified Leadership – We have an incredible staff and board that operate in faith and are not afraid to make courageous decisions.
• Word and Worship – Every Sunday, we gather as a family to spend time in worship and learn from His Word.
•  Missions Focus – Centerpointe Church has a long history of praying and supporting our home and world missionaries. In 2012, we supported 38 missionaries on a monthly basis. Today, we support over 60. 
• Church Unity – Every step made over the last five years was accomplished because our hearts remained connected in love and unity.
•  Focus on the Next Generation – We have made significant resource investments in our children and youth. We can see the benefits of those investments as our youth lead in worship, work and give to missions, lead small groups, and make a difference in their schools and families.

We are very blessed to have godly staff, leaders and workers, who have caught the vision and mission of Centerpointe Church. With God’s help, we will continue to be passionate followers of Jesus, inviting everyone we know to join us. We will continue to pray for a great spiritual awakening in Northern Virginia and we will continue to be a strong supporter of missions throughout the world.

I am blessed to pastor such an incredible group of people!

Serving Together,

Pastor Keith

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalms 90:17 NIV)

Your 2016 Assignment

Instead of making a New Years resolution, ask God what your assignment is for 2016.

New Year's resolutions are self-initiated but assignments are directed by someone else; in this case, God. Resolutions are easily dismissed but assignments carry heavier consequences. Resolutions are built upon self-willpower, determination and strength, but assignments from God are dependent on His strength and power.

Resolutions usually come from a place of self-want - "I want to lose weight" or "I want to be nicer to my neighbor" etc. Deficiency is the driving factor - "I want to be more, have more, give more, work more." Assignments by God start with a higher perspective, an eternal perspective. God says, "I want you serving here, because I have a plan with eternity in mind." God knows our weaknesses, but he also knows our strengths and gifts because he gave them to us.

Every assignment given to people in scripture went beyond human capacity, but when completed, changed lives and saved nations.

Not every assignment will be glamorous. People who promise miraculous breakthroughs and prosperity for everyone attract crowds who applaud and get excited, chanting, "Finally, this is MY year!!"

What if your assignment is sitting by the bed of your loved one as they go through physical suffering? What if your assignment involves sacrificing your wealth to serve the poor? What if your assignment means being in a room full of atheists with a professor curses the God you love? What if your assignment includes loving an undeserving spouse or parent? No one desires these things.

Abraham did not desire to leave his home in Ur. Joseph did not long for the years he spent in prison. Gideon did not choose to lead the Israelites into battle with only 300 men. Mary did not hope to be pregnant before marriage. John's final wish in life was not to be on the Isle of Patmos. However, each of them surrendered their preferred future to God's eternal plan.

Whatever your assignment is, there is one thing you can be sure of: if it comes from God, it will change you. There will be times where you don't feel great about your situation, but you will different in the end. You will look back and say, "God helped me," "God is faithful," and "God is good."

I Do This Every Year

For years I have taken time in December to reflect on the previous year and write personal and professional goals for the upcoming year. It started when I was in college, while home on the winter break. I sat down in front of our stone fireplace and reviewed the year’s accomplishments and heartaches. There were things I was proud of and things I wish I could undo. It was during these times I learned to be grateful to God for His provision and receive his grace for my failures. It gives me perspective and prepares my heart to move forward.

This year, I used Tim Elmore’s questions to guide me. I liked it so much I sent it to family members,  friends and colleagues. His blog is growingleaders. Although Tim can do this in half a day, It takes me several hours for several days to complete.

Here are his questions and some of my comments:

1. What are my fondest memories of 20__? Take time to celebrate and be grateful. 
2. What were the “big projects” I completed during the year?
3. What were the defining moments during the last year?
4. What did I procrastinate on and fail to get done? This question helps me refocus on what is really important. 
5. What books and mentors had the greatest impact on me? Why? I added movies and podcasts to my list. 
6. Am I closer to my friends and family from my activities this year?
7. What will be my biggest goals as I move forward into 20__? Make sure they are specific, measurable, attainable, and time specific. 
8. Where did I neglect to live up to the standards I set for myself? This question teaches me more about God's grace. It also allows my to press the "reset" button.
9. What am I committed to do this next year, to fulfill my “Life Sentence”?

Tim concludes, “Answering these questions allows me to accomplish two objectives. First, it forces me to focus on the important things in my life and not get lost in the trivial. Second, it furnishes me a platform to set goals for the new year.”

Thanks Tim for the help this year.

- For more of Tim Elmore, go to http://growingleaders.com/blog

Launching a New Sermon Series and Service Times

On October 18th, Centerpointe Church launches a new sermon series called "Pursuit." This series is based in the Book of Proverbs. It seems that everyone is pursuing something: wealth, power, influence, happiness, etc. The Book of Proverbs tells us that the greatest pursuit is that of wisdom.

My particular favorite Proverb is chapter two:

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.” (Proverbs 2:1–10 NIV)

Pastor Keith

Fight for What's Worth Fighting For

I'm reading Ephesians 6:10-20 about spiritual warfare and remembering that every fight is about control. This is true in our personal life, our family life, and this is also true in church life. Every church problem, every church fight and every church split is about control. When Jesus is not allowed to lead the church, there will be division.

This is why so many have been disillusioned by the church and wondered away from the faith. We have not always represented our leader, Jesus, very well.

We are in a battle. The battle is over who is in control of our minds, our hearts, our families, our church, etc.

Lord, help us to come together and surrender our hearts and our personal agendas to you. Let the church come together and fight for the things worth fighting for: healing of broken hearts, unity, peace, lost souls, families and our community.

So let it be.

I Saw Bold

Over the last couple of weeks, I saw what bold looks like.

I visited a single young lady (my daughter) living in a gospel-restricted area of the world. She fell in love with a people and country that threatens those who do not believe the same way they do. This young lady's calling led her to live among the people and demonstrate the love of God. She is living with others who are called to make a difference by reaching out to the broken and hurting of that country and bringing the hope and deliverance that only Jesus brings.

In the same country there is a community of believers that live bold for Jesus. They sing loudly of God's grace and preach God's Word, even though every day, their way of life is threatened, yet they stand firm in their faith.

Shortly after that, I saw the Fairfax County School Board look directly into the face of hundreds of frustrated parents and dismiss their voice. The arrogance of that board was unbelievable as they gave into political correctness and a governmental ungodly agenda. However, there was one who stood up to her peers and spoke with passion and reason, her name is Elizabeth Schultz. At the end of the meeting, the majority voted to move forward with their agenda, but Elizabeth stood her ground and demonstrated a strength of heart like few others.

In the same week, I saw bold again. This time it was found in the students of Freedom High School along with some friends from other schools. Early in the year, the students of Edge Club and The Fellowship of Christian Athletes joined together to pray for their schools. In prayer, God put it on their hearts to hold an event where they could invite their friends and share the message of Jesus' love. They called it "Culture Shift". Their prayer is to see their culture shift to loving God and loving each other. With only a little guidance from pastors and leaders, they used the Freedom High School auditorium and almost two hundred of their friends attended. They boldly worshiped God, shared stories about God, prayed for those who were sick and hurting and invited their friends to receive Jesus. They held nothing back. At the end of the night, many students were drawn to the love of God and proclaimed Jesus as Lord of their lives. There are no words to describe how proud I am as a parent and a pastor of these young people.

Recently we have heard how Christians are losing their influence in this culture. However, if what I have seen over the last three weeks is any indication, signs of a great spiritual awakening are all around us.

Many years ago God said to Joshua, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
 
May the Lord help us. We need more BOLD. 

If I Had The Guts...

Last night I spoke to our Pulse youth group and asked them to complete this sentence: "If I had the guts, I would...." Here are some responses:

- cliff jumping into water
- sacrifice my life for others (3x)
- talk to a girl I like
- run for political office
- hold a snake
- jump off a moving train
- send the songs I have written to a Christian recording company
- touch a spider
- ask a girl out who is out of my league
- ride a roller-coaster
- tell people how I feel
- apologize to a friend who hurt me
- talk to a guy I like without being awkward
- swim with sharks
- sky diving (3x)
- stand up to a teacher I hate
- go bungee jumping
- kiss the girl I like
- travel around the world
- tell everyone about Jesus

We spoke on what it means to live boldly and read Acts 4 together. Afterwards, we had a great time of prayer together. Please join me in praying for our students as they take a stand for Jesus in their schools. May God raise up a generation that is not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.

The Path of Change

Let’s face it, change is difficult, even when we know we need to change, because it asks us to alter our habits. We are wired to resist change. We are wired to survive, and doing new things brings uncertainty and uncertainty is never a good feeling. As Rob Ketterling, in his book, Change Before You Have To points out, “A known bondage is more comfortable than an unknown freedom. The longer we avoid change, the more comfortable we grow with struggles.”

We have a persistent desire to travel along old, familiar and successful paths of the past. They are well-worn paths of behavior.

We have a tendency to drive in ruts and our brains have a tendency to think and behave in ruts. Just change your route to work or change a piece of furniture in your house and try and walk around in the dark. Stewart Black calls these powerful mental maps that tell us how to act and make choices (Leading Strategic Change: Breaking Through the Brain Barrier).

Rob Ketterling remembers his doctor telling him was how difficult it is for people to change even when they are suffering from the effects of what they need to change. “For example, my doctor told me that he would take smokers around the hospital and show them the horrible things that might happen to them if they continued to smoke. The experience would be an eye opening one, for sure. But the doctor admitted that it rarely created true, lasting change.” (16)

But change is possible. As the Apostle Paul writes, If the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead, dwells in us, he will quicken our mortal bodies as well. We can be new creations in Christ. We can live differently and experience His abundance here as well as having hope for eternity.

You see, God wants us to live in health: spiritually, physically, relationally and yes, financially, but in order to do that, some of us need to make serious lifestyle choices that involve change.

This is our basic premise: God has in incredible plan for our lives, and in order to experience it, we are going to have to make significant changes. We have to stop doing some things that are hindering our progress and start doing the things that lead to the incredible future God has for us.

There is a path that people who change will follow. It is helpful for us to be aware of that path as it gives us insight into some of the challenges we face in our quest for change.

1. Recognize the need for change. 

We read in the Hebrew Scriptures that one of the Kings of Judah was Josiah. He was eight years old when he became king. Under his leadership, the nation experienced one of the greatest spiritual reforms in history. He recognized that the nation had fallen into great apostasy and he systematically cleansed the land of idolatry and restored the worship of the one true God – Jehovah.

In the same way, we need a holy discontentment. We have to let go of our position of pride and take a posture of humility and the willingness to acknowledge that the path we are currently on will not lead us to a better life. Pride does not have a happy ending.

2. Define reality. 

We must do the base-line assessments in order to make adjustments. To do this we need to get a check up physically, take our spiritual temperature, review our relationships, and look at our budget. We can’t go to where we want to go if we don’t know where we are now. This is quite often the most difficult part of leadership because it forces us to look not only to the long term future, but set purposeful next steps. We did this as we looked at our present situation in kid’s ministry. We have wonderful volunteers, but we were limited in our capacity. If we were going to make the difference we believe God wants us to make, we had to step it up in this area. Defining that reality helped us make the choice to hire a children’s pastor.

3. See a different future. 

We have to see it before we see it. I had the opportunity to visit a church I pastored in West Virginia years ago. When I arrived that morning, I drove to the place on top of a hill where I envisioned the future over twenty years ago. I saw the buildings, the ball fields, and the parking lots long before they became a reality. I saw how God would use this property to make a difference in the community.

When we see a different future, we will have new hope, new and fresh ideas, new attitudes, new relationships, new convictions and we will create new environments and experience new adventures.

I am always reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when talking about seeing a different future. It was his dream for equality that drove him to leading the change that we celebrate today.

Ketterling said, “Change occurs at the intersection of hope and opportunity”

4. Believe that change is possible. 

We have to believe that in Christ all things are possible. This is not self-help but Holy Spirit empowered. We have to believe that God has a great plan in store for us. Let’s camp at a letter written thousands of years ago to a nation that was living in captivity. It is a promise written by “the weeping prophet.” This is the message from God:

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." (Jeremiah 29:1-14)

This is an incredible promise, and they were instructed to live their lives based on the promise and God is saying to you the same thing: “I have a plan for you. Stop listening to the enemy in your head, the voices of discouragement and lies. There is hope for your future. Keep seeking me. It’s going to take a while, but I am in control.” We may have been waiting forever for something to happen but God knows the future.

We have a belief system that assumes a particular outcome. It is made up of experience, culture and what we have been taught. Stewart Black gives us insight into this. We don’t try new things because we believe we will be bad at it. That’s why we have a hard time believing we can learn a new language, or build new relationships, or witness to our neighbor, or play an instrument, or speak in public. We see ourselves as making a fool of ourselves. A salesman might not sell a new product because he might be asked a question he can’t answer. For some, it is not changing the amount of time they spend with our kids because we imagine a negative outcome.

Which leads us to the next step in our path to change.

5. Replace the lies with truth

Sola scriptura" is a phrase from the Latin: sola having the idea of “alone,” “ground,” “base,” and the word scriptura meaning “writings”—referring to the Scriptures. Sola scriptura means that Scripture alone is authoritative for the faith and practice of the Christian. The Bible is complete, authoritative, and true. Sola scriptura was the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation. For centuries the Roman Catholic Church had made its traditions superior in authority to the Bible. This resulted in many practices that were in fact contradictory to the Bible. Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran Church and father of the Protestant Reformation, was publicly rebuking the Catholic Church for its unbiblical teachings. The Catholic Church threatened Martin Luther with excommunication (and death) if he did not recant. Martin Luther's reply was, “Unless therefore I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture, or by the clearest reasoning, unless I am persuaded by means of the passages I have quoted, and unless they thus render my conscience bound by the Word of God, I cannot and will not retract, for it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand, I can do no other; may God help me! Amen!”
[http://www.gotquestions.org/sola-scriptura.html]

The lie was that we can only have a relationship with God through a relationship with the Catholic Church. The truth is that salvation is found in Christ alone.

We also have internal lies that keep us from change and what we tell ourselves is critical. We are consumed with our own past, which will either trap us, or it will propel us forward. We tell ourselves we can’t change. We will never be smart enough, never get out of debt, never repair our marriage, get that promotion, lose those extra pounds, not good enough, or disciplined, etc. But that is not the truth. The truth is that if God is for us, no one can be against us.

6. Map out the change. 

Stewart Blake tells the story of a time when auto executives went to Japan to see one of their manufacturing plants. They noticed that the workers did not take a hammer and tap around the edges of the doors to make sure they fit properly. When asked about it, the Japanese responded, “We make sure it fits when we design it.” They engineered the outcome before they started.

It is certain that things will not go specifically as we planned, but a failure to plan the next step is a failure to believe in the vision. God may give you a picture of the future, but he rarely supplies the blueprints – except if you are building a tabernacle.

7. Confront the challenges head on. 

We will have internal challenges such as pride and insecurity, which in my opinion are closely related dysfunctional cousins. We also have the external voices that resist us. Not everyone will jump on your bandwagon of change. Some people like the old you. Our friend King Josiah was met with a whole nation that wasn’t happy about the spiritual reforms.

When Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five thesis to the door of Wittenberg Castle Church condemning the selling of indulgences and calling into question the popes authority, he lost most of his friends.

He was declared to be a heretic and an outlaw. His literature was to be banned, and he was to be arrested. It also became a crime for anyone within the empire to give Luther safe haven. Further, the assembly sanctioned the death of Martin Luther with no legal consequences under the law. It was in exile that Martin Luther was able to translate the New Testament into German.

Most of us will not be called to go up against the Pope, but we will all face resistance, challenges and setbacks. The path will not always be smooth. There is never the perfect time and there are never enough resources. All the pieces will not be in place. Just remember who you are serving and keep moving.

8. Align your actions with your beliefs. 

I can hear Bishop T.D. Jakes preaching now,  “Get Ready. Get Ready. Get Ready!” I actually never heard him say it, but I can imagine it. I’m not talking about getting hyped up, I’m talking about actually preparing yourself. If you are going to continue your education, you should learn how to type, or speed read, or study. If you are going to be a missionary, you will have to learn the language of the country you are going to. Take a course so when you arrive at the place of change, you will be equipped to live there. For this, you have to create space in your calendar in order to learn.

9. Engage with some and disengage with others. 

Most business books talk about getting the right people on the bus and getting other off the bus. The idea is that we need the right people on our team in order to accomplish what we are trying to achieve. Nehemiah might have built the Jerusalem wall in fifty-two days, but he did not do it alone. He engaged others for resources, encouragement and support.

At the same time, we have to regrettably disengage with others. We don’t have to be obnoxious about it, but there are some people that will keep you from moving forward. They are ones that breed discouragement or distraction or disunity. My caution, beware of the one who brings you gossip, at some point, you will be the target of their gossip.

10. Be accountable. 

I hate to floss, but makes me do it is I know that every six months I sit in a dentist chair and the hygienist will ask one question, “Are you flossing?” This is before she looks in my mouth. I know this is silly, but I don’t want to disappoint her and I don’t even have the same one every time, and as soon as the dentist walks in, she says, “Mr. Edwards is taking care of his teeth and flosses.” I want the lollypop now. Knowing that we are with someone on the journey that will ask us from time to time how things are going is so important in our lives. Whatever change we are making, we have a greater chance of success when we tell someone that we will see again.

10. Stick with it. 

Be persistent. When you are making a change of behavior, you have to be determined and relentless. For one a season of my life I was a church planting director for our network of 320 churches called The Potomac District. I’ll never forget when an eighty year old man, named Claude Qualls, whom we called “Pappa Qualls” showed up in my office saying he wanted to plant another church. He was not ready to quit. Unfortunately, his health could not sustain his passion and he passed away shortly thereafter, but he was not going to quit. He was determined to see a church in a community that had no church.

Far too many of us give up before we get a chance to see the fulfillment of what God is asking us to do.

12. Monitor the change and make adjustments.

A wonderful book on change is Who Moved My Cheese? by Spenser Johnson This is a simple parable that reveals profound truths about change. It is an amusing and enlightening story of four characters who live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. Two are mice named Sniff and Scurry. And two are “little people” – beings the size of mice who look and act a lot like people. Their names are Hem and Haw. Cheese is a metaphor for what you want to have in life – whether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money, a possession, health, or spiritual peace of mind. The maze is where you look for what you want – the organization you work in, or the family or community you live in.

In the story, the characters are faced with unexpected change. Eventually, one of them deals with it successfully, and writes what he has learned from his experience on the maze walls. The third handwriting on the wall is “monitor the change.” He writes, “smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old.” While we are going through change, we have to continually ask if what we are doing is actually working.

Sometimes this is a painful process because you made a decision you thought would work, but you find it was not a good fit, but the quicker we can change the sooner you can enjoy new cheese.

This leads us to the next stage:

13. Celebrate the change to make it stick. 

We have to savor the new adventure and enjoy the journey. King Josiah sealed the spiritual reforms by reinstituting the Passover which hadn’t been celebrated as a country nearly 400 years. It was to remind them of what God had done in their lives and it sealed their commitment.

For the Christian church, we celebrate communion. It reminds us that God loves us so much that he sent his son to die on a cross and rise from the dead so that we can experience abundant life now and eternal life with God.

As we wrap this up, here are a few questions to reflect on:

1. What are the things God is asking you to change?
2. What change do you see and what is the benefit of that change?
3. What has delayed you in making a change in your life?
4. Who are the people you need around you in order to make that change?

A great prayer for us is called the serenity prayer: “Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.