The tale of two brothers. (A journey through suffering)

Today in my devotional time I read Genesis chapter 37 - 41. As I was reading, I was reminded that years ago I spoke a message titled, “The tale of two brothers”

In Genesis chapters 37, 39, 40 and 41 we see the story of Joseph going through unbelievably tough times. We see him prevailing through adversity, staying faithful to God and God moving him to a place of promotion.

However, right in the middle of Joseph’s story, we see in Genesis chapter 38, the life of his brother Judah. During the same time frame that Joseph is going through his tough time, Judah has his own personal journey through suffering. One of his sons die. Not too long after that he loses another son to premature death. (On a side note - both of his sons were extremely wicked. They were so wicked in fact at the Bible says that God is the one who killed them.)  

After the death of two of his sons, Judah makes a promise to his daughter in law Tamar. Judah is not an honest man, so he does not keep his word. She is very bitter and wants to pay him back. A little while after his wife passes away, Judah is going into the city. He sees what he thinks is a prostitute and wants to pay her for her "services". Judah sleeps with the prostitute and gives her one of his rings as payment. 

Judah doesn't realize it but the prostitute is actually Tamar. She wanted to trick him and cause him to pay for breaking the promise he made to her. So, she dressed up like a prostitute with the hopes of becoming pregnant by Judah. This is not because she loves him, but because she hates him. Tamar, wants to embarrass Judah, forcing him to take care of her and the child. 

Tamar becomes pregnant with Judah's child. When Judah finds out Tamar is pregnant, (not knowing he is the father) he calls for her to come to him. He doesn't call for her because he cares for her. No, Judah wants to bring her in front of all of the people so they can judge her and kill her for sin.  

When Tamar arrives, and Judah begins to confront her in front of the people, she says it was you who got me pregnant and presents him with the ring that he gave her. 

Judah's life was an absolute mess. He loses two sons. He loses his wife. He was embarrassed in front of all of his friends because he got his daughter in law pregnant. Welcome to the Jerry Springer show! 

But you know what, Josephs life was a mess too. He was sold into slavery by his brothers. He was falsely accused of raping his masters wife. He was thrown into prison. He was forgotten and sat in the prison for several years. 

As I look at these two stories, I am reminded that in life no matter who you are, tough times are going to come your way. In fact, I would say the question is not, "will tough times come". The bigger question to ask is, "why are they coming".

Judah went through crazy tough times. But he went through them because he did not follow God and kept falling into holes that he had dug with his own bad decisions.  

Joseph went through tough times. But the tough times he went through were because he was following God. Being betrayed, sold into slavery, and put into prison, were steps God was taking Joseph through. God wanted to move Joseph from where he was, to where he needed to be. God wanted to help Joseph become what He had destined him to be. 

If tough times are going to come no matter how you and I live.  I think it would be much better to live like Joseph. Walk with God. Obey His word. Let him lead me through the hard times to get to His plan for my life. 

To discover more about why suffering comes and what to do when it hits, listen to a podcast we recently posted on our Lets Talk Life and Leadership Podcast. 

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN. 

"I pastor a small church". What does that really mean anyway?

Years ago I was speaking at a Regional Leadership Conference. After one of my sessions I opened it up for some Q and A. After about five questions I started to notice a theme. Every question started like this … “I’m a Pastor at a small church” or “We have some great things going even though we are a small congregation”. Everyone in the room all of churches of different sizes, were all saying “I’m at a small church ” or “I lead a small youth group”.

Small … Small .. Small. That is how they were defining themselves. As I stood there listening, I decided to ask them a question. “Small? Would you define that please?” I went on to say “What is a small church? What is a small youth group? What is small? 

When you think about it, a youth group with 10 feels small compared to a group of 50. But the Church of 50 people feels small compared to the church that reaches 100. And the ministry of 100 feels tiny compared to a huge church that ministers to 1,000. However, the church that reaches 5,000 remembers back in the day with they were small and only reached 1,000 people. So what is small? Is small 10 – 50 – 100 or 1,000. Each ministry is large to one group, but feels small when they compare themselves to another.

Here is something I really think we need to remember.
Large or Small is not defined by how many people sit in your seats as much as it is by where you are planning on taking them.

Topic and interview list of Lets Talk Podcast.

This past week, we launched our brand new podcast titled Lets Talk Life and Leadership.

Each month I have the honor of interviewing leaders from every walk of life. These conversations are designed to help you lead yourself, family, team, and organization better than ever before. 

Here is the short list of the topics and the leaders we will be talking with this coming year on Lets Talk.

Teaching and preaching more effective sermons. 

In this episode I will be interviewing Dan Lian and Brad Cooper from Newspring Church. They are incredible speakers and have practical insights for every type of communicator. 

Lessons learned from a first time Senior Pastor. 

I have the honor of sitting down with my good friend Whit George. Whit has stepped into the Senior Pastor position at Church on the Move. He talks about the ups and downs of his journey of being the Senior Leader for the very first time. 

How to make a father / son ministry team work. 

This is a very open conversation with my son Jordan Moore. We have worked side by side in ministry in some way for more than 7 years. We get into the good, bad, and ugly of making it work. 

Leading through tough times. 

Adam Starling is the Senior Pastor of Victory Family Church in Norman, Ok. His church body is growing rapidly, however, it has not always been easy. In this episode, Adam will talk about some of the things he has done to lead his organization through tough times. 

Leading life giving small groups. 

Growth happens best in a group. Dereck Olsen from the Small Group Network will be giving us helpful tips on how to be a part of a church that has an growing small group ministry. 

Getting off of "Leadership Island". 

Dan Ohlerking from the ARC church planting network works with Senior Pastors all over America that are not just feeling alone, they are alone. He shares invaluable tips on the dangers of isolation and the joys of community. 

Merging Marriage and Ministry. 

Veronica and I have been married for 28 years. We have served in one form of ministry or another for 26 of those years. This conversation is very real and raw, as we open up and talk about how to make a marriage work in the midst of leading in public ministry. 

Making a long term impact in a community. 

Brian Shepherd is the principle of Ligonier Elementary School. He has served in the Ligonier school system for more than 30 years. In this episode Brian talks about leadership, as well as the joys of digging deep and leaving an imprint in a community. 

Pastoring in a small town. 

Dave Engbrecht is one of the mentors in my life. He Pastors Nappanee Missionary Church. A large, vibrant, influential church, in a rural community of only 6,000 people. If you want to discover secrets on making a huge impact in a rural setting, you will want to download this conversation for sure! 

The good, the bad, and the ugly of transitions. 

Veronica and I have four children. Raging from the ages of 10 to 26. We have moved three times as a family and it has not always been easy. In this very special episode I have the opportunity to sit down with my wife and kids as they openly discuss the "how to's" and "hurts" of transitions. 

Getting to the Heart of Leadership. 

This is our very first podcast where I interviewed Todd Gongwer the author of Lead for Gods Sake, a book that is affecting teams, and coaches everywhere! One of the things that Todd unpacks in this episode is the importance of not striving to be the best. I know you will love this conversation. 

These are just a few of the topics we will be tackling and leaders we are sitting down with the year at Lets Talk Life and Leadership. To listen and subscribe to the podcast just click the link below. 

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE TO THE LETS TALK PODCAST

Everything is changing. What is your church doing about it?

The world we live in is changing. Whether we like it or not, how we shop, how we communicate, how we learn. Is totally different then even five years ago. 

Take shopping for instance. 

The days of having to go to a "brick and mortar" actual store to purchase things are gone. Amazon and online venues like it have changed the landscape of how people get the things they need and want. We no longer live in an analog world. Businesses that treat technology like an enemy to fight rather than a sword to fight with, will lose influence, lose customers, and eventually close their doors. 

The same is true for the Church. 

The days of church attendance being a weekly priority for the majority are gone. The way people think about church has changed. 

The days of getting in the car and driving to church "every Sunday" are gone. The average church attendee now attends a service 1 to 2 times per month at best. The way people worship has changed. 

Do I like this? No.

Do I think this is a good thing? No. 

Is this reality. Yes. 

So I (and all church leaders) have a choice. I can burry my head in the sand. I can act like everything is the same as it was 20 years ago and wait for people to come to my church. Or, I can become a student of the culture around me and leverage the tools I have at my disposal to take my church to the people. 

One of the greatest tools that we have at our disposal is the internet. Everyone will not come to me to hear the message. However, everyone does have a smart phone, tablet, and/or computer. So why not use the internet to take the message to them? 

Youtube Channel

We have set up TheCHURCH at Visalia Channel on Youtube. Each week we video our 9am message and post it on our page. If someone misses a service, they can watch it on youtube. If someone has a friend that needs to hear the message from our live gathering., they can send their friend who could not or would not attend, the link to view online. 

Watchthechurch.com

A few years ago we set up our online church page. We take the 9am video and post it on our site  offering online services at 7pm on Sunday and 4pm and 7pm on Tuesdays.  This was designed for people that missed a service, don't live close enough to attend physically, or don't go to church but want to check out the message. 

Just this past weekend we changed our online gathering to run every hour on the hour. So now we have a place where our church body can not only go themselves, but they can send their friends to twenty-four hours a day to hear the good news of Jesus! 

In just three days we have had 142 people view our message at watchthechurch.com 

I think we as church leaders have to decide what business are we in. Are we in the "get people to sit in our seats on the weekend" business. Or, are we in the "go into all the world and make disciples" business.

I know. I know. Watching a video message online is not discipleship. I totally agree. However, watching online is a way to get people far from God to take a step toward him. 

Closing Thoughts

We are just getting started with using "online" as a tool for the kingdom. In October we are making a few more changes that will help us be even more effective at getting the gospel to the people. 

Like it or not, we no longer live in an either or society. People don't either shop at Target or shop at Target.com. People shop at both. The reality is people don't either attend the weekend gathering or attend online. People attend both. 

The CEO of Home Depot has said, "The more we put time and money into our online store, the more increase we see at our local box stores". 

We have seen the same thing at TheCHURCH. The more we focus on creating online venues, the more our live gathering attracts people. in June, July, and August our online venues have exploded in growth, and at the same time we have grown by 20% in our 9am and 11am services. We have added to our volunteer teams, and seen more than 25 people come to Christ. 

Application Questions:

What trends have you seen in your church as far as weekly attendance?

What do you currently do online?

Do you have anyone at your church who could head up an online ministry? 

I admit it, I watch myself on video. Here are four reasons you need to watch yourself too.

Yesterday I posted a blog titled, "Maybe it's not about you?". Today I post a blog admitting that I watch videos of myself speaking. What is going on here? Well, the truth is, it's not about me. That is why I watch my messages every week. 

Every week I have the honor of standing in front of a group of people and delivering a message that is supposed to challenge and inspire change. The message is not about me. The message is not for me. The message is about them, and for their personal, emotional, and spiritual development. That's why I am standing on the stage and that's why I watch videos of myself teaching. I want to discover first hand, if I delivered the content effectively, free of distractions, and rabbit trails. 

What I do as a speaking pastor is so important that I watch myself every week. I think you should watch yourself too. When you do, here are four things to be looking for:

1. Content. 

The goal of the message is to get the point you are trying to make into the hearts and minds of the individuals you are speaking to. The goal is not to make them laugh, cry, or think you are a great speaker. The goal is to deliver the content. 

Here are some questions I ask myself when watching the message I just delivered. 

What was the point of the message

How did I explain the point?

Was it clear and easy to understand?

What action steps did I give the people? 

Where they easy to understand and applicable?

2. Delivery. 

The point of the message is not my voice, body language, or stories. However, in order to get the point across, I have to effectively use my voice, body language, and tell compelling stories. 

Here are questions I ask myself when looking at my delivery. 

Did I use my voice in such a way that it pulled the people listening into what I was saying? Moving my voice up, down, loud, or quiet at the appropriate times? 

Was my body language correct? Did I use the stage? Did I look at the crowd? Did I use my hands, face, and body as a tool to connect the people with what I was saying?

Did my stories move people toward the main point or divert them from it?

3. Distractions. 

Was there anything that happened technically in the room that distracted me or the people during the message that needs to be addressed?

Did I go off on rabbit trails?

Did I divert people from the journey we are on by going to far with humor or story telling?

Did I know the content well enough or did I have to rely on my notes?

4. Time Frame

When coaching leaders and working with people, I always get asked, "How long should I speak?" My answer is, "Only as long as it takes to get the point across". 

To be honest, I feel like I speak a little long. This is something I am constantly working on. 

Here are some questions I ask myself on time frame.

How long was my introduction? Did I need to go that long?

How many stories did I tell? Could I have told less or did I need all of them?

Did I prove the point ant then stop or did a get a bit repetitive? 

What could I do differently next week? 

Here are some application questions:

1 - Do you have the ability to video yourself every week?

2 - What day of the week could you break away and study your message delivery?

3 - Is there another person or two that could join you in watching the message?