Jamie’s Blog to Shepherds

I love Max Lucado. I think he is a fabulous writer and encourager. I was reading this morning an excerpt from his book Traveling Light. He is talking about being a sheep. The Bible compares us to sheep in Isaiah 53:6. That is not flattering. Sheep are dumb. And sheep are defenseless. They have no fangs or claws and are unable to outrun anything. To be compared to sheep is just not very flattering. Some may argue that it is unfair to be compared to sheep. However, we too have difficulty controlling our moods and being at peace with everyone. We have fears and faults and have never made a mistake. He ends the excerpt by saying that since we can’t keep it all together, maybe we need a shepherd.

That is where you come in. I can’t thank you enough for your continued commitment. I recognize that it is a big job and you are handling many people who try to wander away. At the same time, you are seeing some tremendous transformation in your groups. I hope that you enjoy some down time this summer. We intentionally designed the summer schedule for you to rest and gain a fresh focus as we resume our normal schedule in August. We have four more times to meet (three for Wednesday night crowds). Let’s finish strong and continue as shepherds to challenge our sheep to follow the great shepherd. Thanks again for your hard work!! Each of you are making a tremendous difference.

Hey Guys! I want to encourage all of you and your sheep to join us Sunday evening March 25 for our second Waypoint conference called “Finding your PLACE.” It will be from 5-7 that Sunday evening. The format will be a little different. It will be in the FLC and it will be an interactive workshop with Jay McSwain the founder of PLACE Ministries. Some of you have gone through this process before and I would ask that you still make plans to attend so that you gain a deeper understanding of this powerful resource. I also ask that your C-Group make plans to sit together. Why is this event so important?

A couple reasons. 1) For the church. We believe that God has gifted and equipped each member to share a role in minstry. Many people over the years have served in roles out of guilt and obligation. Often times, people serve in a role that is outside of there giftedness and passion areas. There will be times that this must occur, but it should be on a much smaller scale instead of the norm. The reason? People become frustrated and ministries flounder. When you find your PLACE, people are fulfilled and ministries flourish. As we open the new building, there will be many vacancies that need to be filled. We are anticipating growth and we want to have the right people in the right place. This intentional process will help you to understand how to serve and where to serve.

2) For our members. I have often heard that from people that North Side is too big and that it is easy to get lost in the shuffle. I can’t think of a better way to debunk that myth by offering a process is solely about the individual. Not many churches inthje country large or small can say that. I think it is so neat that we can help our people understand that God has uniquely designed each of us for a reason. It doesn’t have to be just inside the walls of the church but often times outside. It is important to know if you are more of a “people” person or if you are more task oriented type of person. It is important to know what you captures your heart; to serve in areas of passion. It helps to understand the way you communicate and the way others do as well. Here is a biggie. It helps you to say yes where you should and no where you shouldn’t. I could on for a long time but I think you understand.

3) Personal – this is the tool that God used to open the doors for me to enter into to ministry. I struggled with a lot of different things but God allowed me to understand the way that I am wired and that helped me in more ways than I could explain. I understand my strengths, I know when I should say yes or when I should say no. I understand the way that God has gifted me and why it is so important.

For some, this will be an absolute light bulb moment, for others, a mere confirmation of what God is doing in their lives and what he wants to do. Each person will need to complete an assessment before they come. They are free of charge and are available electronically or in hard copy. I will be passing around a signup sheet in each C-Group folder. I will get the assessments to you as soon as I know how many for each group.

Many of you know that I work from home on Tuesdays while I keep Elliott and Jennifer is working here at the church. This can happen because I am not “Mama.” We co-exist quite well and actually, I am able to get a lot of things done. There is only one problem. My preoccupation with work. Yesterday, was a beautiful day and the spring fever started kicking in, so we decided to go to the park and hang out for a little while. My preoccupation went with me. I hate to admit this but I would have rather just stayed at home and finished my work, but I changed my mind once we started swinging. I was able to mentally leave work behind and started enjoying the moment at the park with Elliott and my nephews Thomas and Ryan. There is nothing like listening to a child laugh and play. Every time that the swing seemed to take their stomachs, they would just giggle and asked to go higher. I found myself no longer preoccupied, but enjoying the moment. Then I was reminded of this thought which leads me to my point. I can easily be replaced at work by someone else, but Elliott only has one Dad. I would in no way be considered a stereotypical “workaholic”; not even close. But I am guilty of being a “preoccupiedaholic.”

I don’t want that for me and I don’t want that for you. We are all busy, but we need to take a day. Take a day for ourselves and for the people that mean the most in our lives. God himself did so on Day number 7. With rest comes re-charging. I couldn’t wait to get to work this morning because I was refreshed. I also saw something else yesterday at the park. I saw people who were unchurched and it gave me a desire to strike up conversations. I will leave you with two quotes: “People don’t stop playing because they get old, they get old because they stop playing.” “Priorities. 100 years from now it won’t matter what kind of car I drove, how much money I had in the bank, or what my clothes looked like, but 100 years from now the world may be a little better because I was important in the life of a child.”