January 30th, 2009 by Tim Moore

American Idol is back!  The craze has begun.  I must admit I enjoy watching like the rest of the world.  I don’t know what it is that draws us to the show.  Maybe it’s seeing people who will do just about anything to become an American Idol.  Perhaps its the people who sound like a cat being drug behind a truck that brings a smile to our face.  I personally enjoy the performances later into the show.

Watching the show this year has made me realize that far too many people will do anything to become an Idol.  You see the heartache in the people who get rejected.  You’d think their life was over.  I think many of them need a little perspective.  Here’s some.

This life is short.

You can’t take anything with you.

No one will remember how great you were in 25 years.

How often do we lose sight of that perspective?  The only thing worth truly giving our lives to is serving Jesus Christ.  I will gladly give up fame and fortune in this life to achieve something that will last forever.  Enjoy the show…but keep some perspective.

January 28th, 2009 by Tim Moore

I believe that many people are turned off to church because of how people in the church act on Sunday.  I have some friends that I have been trying to get to come to church.  When I invited them to come they all basically said, “We aren’t good enough for church”.   Maybe you’ve heard someone tell you that lightning would hit the church if they stepped foot in it.

I’ve long wondered why people feel that way about coming to church.  Then it hit me.  It’s because of how we ACT.  Too many Christians act like they are perfect when they are in church.  They act pious and holy even though they aren’t.  Too many people in the church have given uncomfortable stares to people with piercings, tattoos or dress that they would consider inappropriate for church.  As a result we have made people who need Jesus the most feel unwanted, unwelcome and unworthy.

I’m ready for people in the church to simply be themselves at church.  I don’t dress up when I’m at church because I don’t dress up during the week.  I own one suit and it only comes out when I marry or bury someone.  I call it my “marry ‘em bury ‘em suit”.  I don’t talk like a monk in a monestery when I’m at church because I don’t talk like that during the week.  I am willing to admit my flaws so that others will know I’m not perfect… I’m just trying to follow Jesus.  Let’s face it, I’m not perfect and neither are you.  Let’s just be ourselves and maybe people who need Jesus will feel that they fit in with us.  Maybe if we don’t act churchy, the world will want to come to church to meet Jesus.

January 28th, 2009 by Tim Moore

Our 4th Wednesday service for tonight is canceled due to inclement weather.

January 27th, 2009 by Tim Moore

Yesterday, I defined churchy as an atmosphere that feels religious, pious and pretentious.  Another area that I believe the church has lagged behind our culture is with music.  The style of music our culture continues to change and yet the style of music in the church remains the same.  I believe that even our music can become a tradition that keeps us from reaching people with the Gospel.

When you read about people worshiping God with music in the Bible, you get the idea that they rocked it out for God.

2 Sameul 6:5

David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

I love it.  They celebrated before the Lord.  They weren’t boring and dull.  They played instruments of all kinds.  Stringed instruments and cymbals.  Sounds like guitars and drums!  I bet they would have used a keyboard if it existed then.  And yet somehow many people in the church today get offended if we want to rock out for God.  If people will go to a concert and get crazy for a band, why shouldn’t the church get crazy for Jesus?

Music helps us connect with God.  It helps us connect on an emotional level.  You can’t deny being moved by music.  I believe we should use any and all music to connect with God.  At our church we use original songs, songs from other Christian artists and even songs from secular artists to connect with God.  No one has the market on music (Christian or secular), because God created it.  We have sung U2, Bon Jovi, and even GNR to help people connect with God.   Anytime we can connect people and the music they know and love with God, we lead them to worship Him.  Church shouldn’t sound churchy!

January 26th, 2009 by Tim Moore

This week I am going to wrestle with some elements of church that can easily become “churchy”. I love our church. I think about it all the time, pray for it all the time and have given my life to serve it. I have always wanted to lead a church that didn’t look churchy. Of course that begs the question, what does “churchy” look like.

I have been part of several churches in my life and visited many more. To me any place that screams religion with the decor or design is churchy. Our new church facility felt churchy before we renovated it. It had blood red carpet, white pews, 2 pulpits (weird), stained glass windows and lights from the medieval times.  The first time I walked through it I could smell the religion (or the fact that it had been empty for several years).  It felt religious, pious and dead.

But when we were finished, we made it look warm in the foyer, modern in the sanctuary, and updated all over.  I say this because some people think that pews, stained glass and crosses are necessary for you to have church. I believe it is traditional icons in the church that make it feel churchy.  You might not give a lot of thought to the atmosphere or decor in a church, but I do.  I believe if we create an environment where those who don’t go to church feel comfortable (not like they stepped into the twilight zone), then they are more likely to relax and open themselves up to experiencing God in a real way.   Church just shouldn’t look churchy.  I pray that our church never does.

Before

After

January 24th, 2009 by Tim Moore

I am convinced that true leadership comes from within, not from around you. It is easy to develop a leadership style by looking around you and mimicking someone else. Don’t get me wrong, I believe very much in learning from other great leaders. I do it as much as possible. But true leadership must start from within us!

Mike Slaughter, pastor of Ginghamsburg Church, put it best when he said, “You can’t lead others until you first lead yourself.” That statement bothered me for several days. I realized that if I wanted to lead people spiritually, then I must be walking the talk. It was at that moment that I got very serious about consistently setting aside daily time with God. It changed me. I quickly learned that I will never be the leader I want to be until I can effectively lead myself.

If you desire to be a great leader, start with yourself. Lead yourself to purity. Lead yourself to devotion with God. Lead yourself to invite others to church. Lead yourself to financial freedom. Don’t worry about what other people aren’t doing until you are doing it. Lead yourself and then you will be qualified to lead others.

January 23rd, 2009 by Tim Moore

One of the dangers to living on the ledge is falling off. When you walk on a ledge that no one else will travel, your chances of falling off are high. Leaders who constantly live on the ledge are more prone to failing. Yet again, Peter was a great biblical example of this.

He was the only disciple who followed Jesus to see what would happen to him once he was arrested. The rest of Jesus’ disciples probably went into hiding thinking they were next. Peter got close enough to see what was going on. As a result, he ended up denying Jesus three times. He failed…but at least he was in a position to fail.

Leaders who live life on the ledge will position themselves to fail often. They will take risks that will flop and will probably take heat for it. They will often be criticized for trying something so “out there”. But when these leaders become successful, everyone will know it and they will want to follow. You can be a safe leader and stay away from the ledge. And people who like playing it safe will be right there with you. But if you want to do something significant as a leader, you must be willing to fall off the ledge many times.

Watch out below!

January 22nd, 2009 by Tim Moore

Today, I want to talk about another facet of leadership. Leading! What a novel idea. Some people think being in a position of power or authority makes them a leader. Not! Leading is when you take a step in a direction no one else is headed and people follow you. That means if we are going to be leaders, we must be willing to live on the ledge.

I believe Peter, one of Jesus’ followers, often gets a bum rap. Sure he had a big mouth and often could squeeze both feet into it. But he attempted things that many of the other disciples wouldn’t. When the disciples saw Jesus taking a stroll on the water, they all freaked…but Peter was the one willing to step over the side of the boat. When Jesus was about to be arrested, the Bible tells us that all of his disciples deserted him and fled. However, Peter at least followed Jesus to see what would happen. Peter was willing to take risks, to live on the ledge for Jesus.

I believe that because Peter was willing to walk where others wouldn’t go, that is why Jesus called Him to start the church. Jesus told Peter that he was the foundation/rock that Jesus would use to build his church. As a leader, the thought of living on the ledge drives me. I want to lead in a direction that hasn’t been done before. What about having church services on Friday evening? No one does that, right? But why not? We may some day. Who knows. Live on the ledge.

January 21st, 2009 by Tim Moore

I have never met a great leader who has it all figured out. If you ever meet someone who has it all figured out, be scared. A great leader constantly realizes how little he or she knows. Before I went to college, I thought I knew a lot. Once I got there, I realized how little I truly know. I have quickly learned that I must always be learning. I am like a sponge when it comes to pastoral leadership. I try to learn from many sources. Here are a few.

– Other Leaders. I love to watch other preachers online and watch other church services. I’m always watching for how they do things or how they operate. Some of my favorite leaders I learn from are: Perry Noble, Ed Young, Nelson Searcy, Craig Groeschel, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Steven Furtick (Just to name a few). Some of them are like mentors to me. I subscribe to some of their blogs and their insights have helped me grow in so many ways.

– Books. I’ve never been much of a reader, but my desire to learn has pushed me to reading. I am reading several great books right now. Check my books lists on the right side of my blog for my current reading.

– Bible. This is a no brainer and yet many people don’t read the Bible to learn from God. God teaches me things like forgiveness, love, sacrifice, faith and many other things when I read His Word with an open mind. One thing that I have learned the most from reading the Bible is that I am small and God is really big.

Always be willing to learn. Don’t even pretend that you have everything figured out…because you don’t. The more you learn from others the better leader you will become. Admitting that you don’t have all the answers is not a weakness, in fact it might be your greatest strength.

January 20th, 2009 by Tim Moore

Today is a big day for our country. We inaugurate our 44th President, Barack Obama, the first black president in the history of the United States. No matter what you think about Barack Obama and his policies, he is now our President. And we should treat him and the office of the President with respect.

It bothers me that so many people disrespected our last president, even if they didn’t agree with him. The Bible is clear that as followers of Christ we are to submit to every authority instituted among men for the Lord’s sake (1 Peter 2:13). Whether you agree with someone over you or not, you should still respect them and submit to them. We respect authority because it comes from God and it honors Him. That is part of understanding authority.

Join me today in praying for President Obama and that he will lead our country in a godly way.