Leadership Development and Clarity

One of the most challenging things I have learned in church planting has been providing clarity clearly and accurately. In the beginning, there was a long season where I was doing a lot of the work from preaching, leading a missional community, and building the website. As time went on, the Lord was gracious and faithful to bring people into the fold where eventually I had a small staff team and was able to delegate a lot of responsibility thus freeing myself to focus on leadership development, church planting, and preaching and teaching.

In this short post, I wish to share how clarity has been a challenge for me and why I believe it’s a great skill for every leader to develop, especially when working with a staff team or volunteers.

OVERWHELMED

There are moments in ministry where emotional stress and operational oversight can be overwhelming because it’s falling on one person or a small group of leaders. I think it’s important to take a step back and evaluate what is going, identify a disconnect, and then respond appropriately. Sadly, I see many leaders approach these disconnects poorly.

In other words, they will evaluate, identify, and then that’s it. In my case, that’s exactly what I have done and assumed that other leaders would pick up the breadcrumbs that I’ve left behind to understand how to best care for a situation. All that does is create distortion in communication and frustrates individuals in their roles and functions.

So, if you find yourself overwhelmed in ministry, here’s what I would suggest:

1. Evaluate
When you are experiencing stress and tension within your ability or teams, there is a great chance that they are experiencing it too. In evaluating, you’re taking a step back to figure out what is going on by asking yourself questions like “what is overwhelming me?” or “what am I frustrated with?” Questions similar to these will help you process everything from your emotions to your structure.

2. Identify
Identifying a disconnect in your team or among other leaders can be difficult because, in this area, we are inviting others to speak into what they see. And sometimes, it’s a word of encouragement to you while other times it’s a word of loving rebuke. In identifying a disconnect, you may be taking responsibility for something you’re not doing, should be doing, or simply learning what is keeping you from addressing certain situations.

3. Respond
Responding appropriately is a great step and work in your personal sanctification because if there are frustrations and disconnects in your teams, then how you respond and begin creating a solution is incredibly important. When you respond appropriately, you begin by pursuing humility and within that humility, sometimes you need to apologize for not taking action or humility may require to listen more than you speak. Either way, responding appropriately is a work of sanctification and the pursuit of humility for the purpose of communicating clarity accurately.

WHY ARE YOU OVERWHELMED?

As I conclude this post, I would love to offer a question for you to chew on: why are you overwhelmed? I would encourage you to think through this well and give yourself some time to evaluate and identify what is going on. Are you overwhelmed because of fear? Or control?

Is your value and worth found in your work rather than the One who is faithful and at work within you? Whether it’s inviting a friend to speak into you or receiving a rebuke, this is a question I would spend a good amount of time thinking through.

In the end, developing clarity is crucial for the health of any team, church, or organization for the purpose of health and stability. When we neglect to develop or communicate clarity, for whatever reason, we exercise a pride that hinders growth and prevents health from forming.

What have you experienced in the area of clarity as a leader? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Preparing For Sunday

Every December, my staff and I set aside a day to pray, plan, and reflect. I tried thinking of another word that started with the letter “p,” but I’m not that creative and I feel as though it would come across as too baptistic. During our day of PPR, we discuss and share some of the things we have seen God do in and through our church and we also lay out some of our frustrations over the last year.

One of the frustrations that we all have in common was the commotion of Sunday mornings. And I’m sure we are not the only ones who share in this frustration. When it comes to Sunday, we realized that on paper we are placing a great emphasis on the gathering and communion of the saints while welcoming new visitors to our church, but practically it looks like we are governed and formed by our tasks and responsibilities rather than formed by the gospel itself.

To be clear, Sunday mornings have a lot of moving pieces, tasks, and involve a great deal of volunteers so we can’t just get rid of the tasks at hand and hope that organically things would simply come together; that would be a case of poor stewardship and a great misunderstanding of the word “organic.” So, how does we best approach the Sunday gathering, execute our tasks and responsibilities, and come alongside the saints in worship?

Here are three areas that I think would help address the Sunday morning commotion.

1. SATURDAY
One thing we have to get right before diving into anything else is that the preparation for Sunday begins on Saturday. Whether you’re a pastor, ministry leader, or volunteer it should not be a surprise that Sunday mornings can sometimes have its own surprises for you or that needs with immediate decisions are going to present themselves to you. Therefore, the Sunday morning prep begins on Saturday night.

One of the encouragements that I walked our staff through was setting aside intentional time for prayer on Saturday evening. It doesn’t have to be this entire coffee and the word moment, but it does have to matter. I think that part of the reason that our hearts are so frazzled by Sunday mornings is because of a lack of prayer on Saturday nights. And yes, this means that it may carve into your evening plans, but by setting aside a time of prayer and devotion, we are able to take stock of the condition of our hearts, pray for our ministry teams, pray for those who are attending, and remember that everything is geared toward pointing others to Jesus. Everything.

2. PEOPLE ARE NOT PROJECTS
I get it. On Sunday mornings, many of us who are task-oriented want to get the job done. To be fair, that’s a good thing because the work matters AND that isn’t a sufficient reason for neglecting or using people. Everything that we do on Sunday mornings aims at promoting and presenting Jesus—whether word or deed (Colossians 3:17). And when we use people for the benefit of finishing a task, we are preaching a sermon that says Jesus uses His church rather than faithfully discipling her.

I have heard it from many people who say “I’m a Martha more than I am a Mary.” And while that may be true, in my experience that’s a cop-out to neglect or use people in an effort to complete a task. This doesn’t mean that the job shouldn’t be done or left. Jesus worked as a carpenter which mean he had projects to finish, deadlines to meet, and work that needed to get done. This line of work transferred over into his ministry, but he didn’t neglect or use people, rather he gave them his attention.

3. PEOPLE MATTER
Whether it’s a person on your ministry team or a new visitor, people matter. For many, Sunday’s are going to be one of the best times to follow up with you because of hindered schedules during the week or other things that come up and if you can’t stop for a moment or set aside a few minutes to listen to someone who is seeking you, then you may want to consider serving elsewhere.

Sunday’s matter because it’s the communion of the saints and in addition to the gospel being heralded, it is a time of fellowship where we disciple and encourage one another. Don’t forget that.

PREPARE FOR SUNDAY

I’m sure there are other things that can be said; things that carry a greater influence. But as of now, that’s what I have for you. And personally, I think the most important principle for you to walk away with is how you prepare yourself on Saturday night. In my opinion, that’s the greatest indicator of how well or poorly you will execute Sunday morning.

When you lay it all out before the Lord on Saturday morning, you will have primed and prepped your heart for both the experience and preached word of the gospel so that when things don’t go exactly according to plan, it’s because they simply didn’t go accordingly to plan. Address it, make a decision, and follow-through. At the end of the day, all of this is for His glory and not yours.

Best Reads of 2019

We are two days into the New Year and I already feel behind and that’s primarily because I am behind. It’s been a number since I have posted on the blog and that’s because I have been busy with ministry and the start of a new podcast called The Confessional Taco. You should check it out as our first episode drops next week! I digress.

I think I have come to the conclusion that I write and post blogs seasonally and I’m beginning to be okay with that. I tend to place a lot of pressure on myself to write content—not because I have so many people visiting the site, but because I am a writer, therefore, I must write. And I do. I just don’t always write on here. And for the last week or so, I have been off from work which has been good for me, my soul, and my family. As the New Year kicks off, I thought I’d enter my season of writing with “easier” posts to gain some momentum so I decided to open up with the books that I read in 2019.

Do commentaries count?

Here you go, hope you enjoy:

BEST OF 2019

1. The Apostles’ Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity In An Age of Counterfeits by Al Mohler Jr.
This was a great read because it was both historic and biblical so that combination was of great help to me especially as I preached a sermon series on The Apostles’ Creed in the summer of 2019 (as if it was so long ago). Creeds and confessions are making a wild comeback and I think it’s because they point us back to the pages of Scripture in a way that connects us to the historic church and forces to examine what we say we believe.

2. A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories That Stretch and Stir by Hansen Woodbridge
This is another book that I read before starting a sermon series and it was very appropriate. We were about to end our series in 1 Peter and after meeting with several members in our church, I could sense that there was almost a spiritual dryness in the lives of many. This book was a great exhortation to the work of the Spirit in the people of God in the midst of the ordinary. So, if you’re experiencing a spiritually dry season then consider reading this book.

3. The Mestizo Augustine: A Theology Between Two Cultures by Justo L. Gonzalez
As I see it, Justo Gonzalez has been a trailblazer as a Hispanic writing about cultural identity within the church. The Mestizo Augustine is a helpful look into the life of St. Augustine as he, too, was of two cultures and how that helped, effected, and impacted his life and ministry.

4. Wretched Saints: Transformed By The Relentless Grace of God by Joel Heikkinen
This was one of my favorite reads of last year. Joel writes beautifully on God’s lavishing his grace upon wretched saints continually and abundantly for the purpose of transforming into the image of Jesus. I wrote a review on his book at some point. You can check it out here.

5. Gospel-Centered Discipleship by Jonathan Dodson
I read this book a long time ago and revisited in the early parts of last year and it was a great reminder into the theology and practice of making and maturing disciples of Jesus. This book also helped us launch what we call, at Storehouse McAllen, Discipleship Groups which are smaller gatherings of groups of 2-3 people meet to study Scripture, pray for one another, and confess sin to one another. An excellent resource on discipleship.

6. Small Church Essentials by Karl Vaters
If you’re a pastor, leader, or church member at a small church then this is a wonderful resource filled with rich theological truths, practical approaches to ministry, and overall encouragement. I think many pastors who lead a smaller church, such as myself, often compare themselves to larger congregations or leaders who have tremendous influence and almost walk away discouraged because you’re “not there yet.” But the truth is, leading a smaller church is such a sobering and rewarding call from the Lord because there’s a lot that the smaller church can do that the larger churches can’t. Additionally, it often feels like when walking away from a conference or workshop, you simply lack the resources. Karl Vaters helps you to realize that you have more resources than you think.

7. Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope by Matthew McCullough
I can’t remember if I read this book in 2019 or before. Either way, you should read it. It was surprisingly eye-opening, particularly the first chapter. McCullough sets you up with loads of information that makes you think about how you and I and the culture around us view death. He makes the point that 200 years ago death was a common conversational piece at the dinner table and sex was taboo. Today, it’s the other way around. Nevertheless, how we view death impacts how we view the redemptive work and return of Christ. This was a great read and study as we prepared for our Ash Wednesday service.

8. The Masculine Mandate: God’s Calling to Men by Richard Phillips
This is a wonderful read. One of the reasons I greatly appreciated this book is because Phillips’ tone was pastoral. I felt shepherded throughout the reading of this book and that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t convicted of sin or challenged in my life—especially among the leadership of my family—but I wasn’t being yelled at to “man up!” It’s been one of the best books of manhood that I’ve read and I encourage any and every man to pick up a copy.

9. Sticky Teams by Larry Osbourne
I’ve read this book about four times and it’s always a classic. I have walked or taught part of this book with my staff and currently, have been walking through it with one of our interns at Storehouse McAllen. Osbourne is great at combining biblical knowledge with practical insight on what it looks like to develop healthy teams. There isn’t great stress on “how,” but that’s okay because he stresses the “why” so much that it helps you formulate what may work for you in your context.

10. Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering The Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop
As I think about it, this may have been my favorite book from 2019. Vroegop does a phenomenal job of unpacking a theology of lament and it’s practice. It’s was deeply convicting, sobering, and comforting. I wrote a review of his book here.

11. On The Block: Developing A Biblical Picture For Missional Engagement by Doug Logan
Often, I have said that I am not an evangelist but I am capable of evangelizing and while that still rings true, I have used it as a cover-up to slack in the ministry of evangelism and outreach in the neighborhood we’re in. Logan’s book is an excellent resource for the theology and practice of “sentness.” It definitely convicted me but also gave me great insight on how to create further intentionality on some of the things I’m already doing and in some of the places I’m already at within central McAllen.

12. The Mingling of Souls: God’s Design for Love, Marriage, Sex, and Redemption by Matt Chandler
We did an eight-week sermon series on The Song of Solomon this past fall and this was a great resource for continued bible study and discussion. I wanted to walk through The Song of Songs sound theology, but contextualize it in a way that could be clearly understood and within our groups, I wanted to challenge singles, couples, men, and women on what the Song of Songs was pressing within our culture. This book helped accomplish that.

13. Throw: A Novel by Ruben Degollado
Ruben has been a great friend to me for almost a decade and I have always loved his writing and I was so proud of him when his first book, Throw, was published and released! Throw takes place in the Rio Grande Valley back in the day so if you're from the Valley, you will catch all of the references to the smaller towns. If you’re not from the Valley, you’ll still enjoy this book because it’s a beautiful collection of Mexican American literature. Get your hands on this book here or visit Ruben’s page.

ONWARD

I think those are all of the books that I read in 2019. I’m excluding commentaries and systematic theologies because I don’t necessarily read those cover to cover, but if you’d like I can walk through some of my favorite systematic theologies. In fact, I think I should as I have received a couple of questions on which are my favorite (hint: it’s not Grudem’s systematic theology).

I would love to hear about what you have read this past year or what you’re planning on reading for 2020. And if I could offer you any piece of literary advice, it would be the wise words of St. Augustine:

“Tolle Lege! Tolle Lege!”
(take up and read; take up and read!)
- St. Augustine

Whether it’s one book or several, be faithful with what’s in your hands; take up and read!

Summer Hobby: Cocktails

I have written a few articles on my enjoyment for coffee and cigars and I realized something about myself this summer, regarding hobbies. I really enjoy learning about and investing in hobbies that force me to slow down and think through a process; almost like a delayed gratification. Earlier this summer, I picked up making cocktails and they have been a lot of fun and have learned a great deal about them. I don’t know if I’m any good, but I’m certainly having fun and my wife is very gracious when she says that my gold rush is like the “nectar of the gods.”

If you have the time, you should definitely pick up a couple of hobbies and interests. I think they’re very healthy because they can provide you with an outlet or help you in processing a few things that are on your mind. I am pretty sure there are incredible physical and emotional benefits to hobbies that I am unaware of so if you want to do some research, tell me what you find. But I do know, at least, they’re a great tool and outlet.

So, how did I get into making cocktails? I think it’s a mix of realizing that I like something that slows me down and insecurity. For starters, and I’ve already mentioned this, when it comes to coffee, cigars, cooking, and weightlifting I find a great deal of myself invested in these areas because they provide me with delayed gratification, serve as outlets, they help me process a lot that’s on my mind, and they are interests that I can share with my friends and family. I think cocktails are similar. It takes a little bit of time getting everything together, takes some basic knowledge, and has some technique involved. The insecurity for me came from learning that I don’t generally like to drink whiskey or bourbon neat. Does that make me less of a man? It’s foolish, but it certainly did and still does come across my mind, but as I have been learning more about cocktails, I don’t care.

I think making cocktails is fun and I have been able to share some of my learned skills with my family and friends and either they really did enjoy what I made or they’re super gracious; hopefully a mix of both. Also, apart from buying liquor, cocktail making is fairly inexpensive. All of the ingredients are cheap and can be made at home which was very surprising to me. I think any skill or interest you want to invest in can have a level of intimidation because you (at least I am) can be exposed to the fancy video production, clever filters, and advanced experience and knowledge from others.

FAVORITE COCKTAILS SO FAR?

Here are my top five favorite cocktails that I really enjoy, but am still tinkering with:

1. Gordon’s Cup
A Gordon’s Cup, I think, can be enjoyed any time of the day. It’s a gin based drink with a hint of sweetness and plenty of citrus from lime, cucumbers, and salt. There are a few different versions out there, but this particular one is certainly my favorite. And I’m also not ashamed to say, I really like gin. It’s pretty legit. Further, here in Texas, it’s over 100 degrees almost every day so having something as refreshing as a Gordon’s Cup really helps.

2. Gold Rush
Another sweet drink. This is a whiskey based drink that is, as my wife say, the “nectar of the gods.” The honey syrup compliments the whiskey so well that mixing it is almost invigorating. There is some lemon which helps bring your soul to life on a hot day.

3. Irish Buck
Also, another whiskey based drink that’s really easy to make. It’s whiskey and ginger ale and it’s magical on a hot summer day.

4. Moscow Mule
I just learned how to make this one a few days ago and I have been tinkering with this one the most. The first time I made it, the ginger beer was almost too over powering for me and that was a little too much heat. I’ve messed with it a few times since then and I’m really digging this vodka based drink. The sweetness I use is a simple syrup, but I’m looking to make a ginger syrup to remove the simple syrup and ginger beer in the future.

5. Carreta (Ranch Water)
This is always going to be a favorite of mine because it was the first cocktail I learned how to make after my friend James introduced me. It’s tequila, lime, and mineral water; less is certainly more and this is the perfect drink on a hot summer day, after a long day, brunch, and everything in between. It’s certainly a staple for me and always will be.

I have learned how to make other drinks, but I’m either still tinkering with them for me to find full enjoyment or I simply didn’t like them afterward. For instance, I made my wife and I a Whiskey Sour and she loved it because she digs frothy drinks and this one requires using an egg white so it foams really nice, but I wasn’t feeling it. It wasn’t bad, but I’m not sure that I like my cocktails frothy.

Either way, if you’re looking to learn a thing or two and not interested in doing too much reading, then I recommend How To Drink on YouTube. Greg is an amateur bartender and does a great job in walking you through the making of cocktails; not to mention his video production quality is excellent.

What are some of your favorite hobbies and interests?

Resources on The Apostles' Creed

We started a sermon series on The Apostles’ Creed a few weeks ago (I’ve written a little about it) and I have been frequently asked about the resources I use for sermon prep or further reading. I thought I’d lay out the short list of books I have read or am using; hope you enjoy.

RESOURCES

1. The Apostles’ Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity in an Age of Counterfeits by Dr. Al Mohler

2. Affirming the Apostles’ Creed by J.I. Packer (great for devotion)

3. “I Believe”: Exploring The Apostles’ Creed by Alister McGrath

4. The Apostles’ Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism by Ben Myers

5. The Heidelberg Catechism (helpful resource)

That’s everything that I’m currently using. If you find something out there that you’re using and it’s shown itself to be really beneficial, hit me up.