JOHN REDDY OnLine

A Splash of Forgiveness

2008-07-10T10:05:57-04:00

This past Monday evening, I was driving down the back lot of Ipswich River Park (IRP) to prepare with Coach Andy for our Annual SoccerMania at Trinity Evangelical Church.

As I pulled into this seldom-used lot, I noticed a large number of RVs parked alongside the treeline. I deduced that they must belong to "carnies" who had worked at the North Reading 4th of July Celebration at IRP. Apparently, they had been given permission to stay a day or two longer. Many of them were lounging in the bright sunlight on their lawn chairs and with a cold one to pass the time. It must have been a nice break because we had just finished a wet weekend with lots of rain. The dirt roadway leading to our unloading area was full of brown puddles rippling in the wind. All this I noticed as I drove by them on my way to drop off my equipment for soccer

After setting up, I headed back out to run another errand. As I approached a particularly large brown puddle in the dirt roadway, I noticed a bare-chested man with his arms folded defiantly across his chest. It's was a universal posture of extreme aggravation. I stopped the car, got off my cell phone, and walked up to him.

As I approached him, I must confess that he fulfilled every appearance and stereotype that you and I share about "carnies". I leave it at that... because you know what I mean. And... I thought he looked like he wanted to punch me.

"Hey man, is everything alright?", I asked him cautiously.

"No. You got water in my RV!", he replied with great disgust.

And then I had a choice to make... One that we all face... probably daily... most likely with those who are closest to us... One that I fail much too often... I had to admit guilt even when my intentions weren't evil.

So...

I sized up the situation. Truth is, I wasn't paying a lot of attention to the brown puddles. I certainly had no desire to splash anyone or anything. But... the evidence seemed pretty clear... and even if it wasn't, this man, accustomed to confrontation and protective of his property was convinced of my guilt...

So...

I asked him his

name and shared mine.
I expressed great remorse and concern.
I admitted my culpability - intended or not.

And...

I asked him to forgive me.

In that instant, I could literally see in his face him go from being my enemy to being my ally.

I suspect that he hasn't experienced a lot of respect in his life - just asking him his name gave him that...
I suspect that he hasn't seen a lot of humility in his life - just admitting a wrong gave him that...
I suspect that he hasn't witnessed a lot of forgiveness in his life - just giving him the power gave him that...

I like to conclude this story as so many expect... that he dropped to his knees overwhelmed that the life transforming act of a local Pastor who brought him to confess Jesus as LORD. Well... that's not this story... Truth is, our lives can often be much less dramatic... I choose to believe that his encounter with a fallible follower of Jesus will provide one more simple evidence to the truth of the Good News for all men. And when he's confronted with this truth again, he may be a little closer to receiving it.

Don't be afraid to admit guilt - regardless of intention. After all, if we're honest, there's lots of things we're guilty of... that will never come to light on this side of eternity. Admitting to some here and building a bridge of reconciliation to another shouldn't be too much to ask...

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PS - On a side note, my ability to even consider asking for forgiveness in this scenario was instructed by the Scriptures but modeled by my good friend, Henry Scarano. I hope you have someone in your life who encourages in this way also. If not, pray for one. Then, be one for someone else...

Youth Ministry Transition - 10 Priorities

2008-05-03T11:19:50-04:00

As many folks know, our Assistant Pastor Ryan Howell was called to serve as Senior Pastor at Curtis Lake Community Church in Sanford, ME beginning in January 2008. As part of that transition, our leadership team took the time to assess, reflect, and plan for the future of ministry to teenagers and their families. This assessment was a natural time to stop and reflect. It included lots of debriefing coffees with Pastor Ryan, multiple meetings with our Youth Ministry Team, a special night of parental feedback, and sessions with our Elders and other Ministerial leaders. There was great interest and participation. In fact, we gathered over 300 distinct comments - written and oral. And... we were really really proud of the passion, the thoughtfulness, and the clarity that folks brought to this endeavor.

From these discussions, we identified key strengths emerging from Pastor Ryan's and the Youth Ministry's efforts, opportunities to improve even more, and some fresh thoughts and ideas. This feedback provided a platform for articulating 10 key priorities over the next 3 years of ministry. Approved by the Body of Elders and shared with the church at a quarterly Church Life Update meeting on 4/20/08, these priorities are:

1) Integrate the Youth Ministry into the fuller life of the church:

a) Change the core values and culture

b) Synchronize with the rhythm of the church; including Sunday morning experiences, church calendar imperatives, and other leadership priorities.

c) Align with core church processes – administrative and logistical.

d) Coordinate across ministry lines – transition from Children’s Ministry; transition to Adult Ministry; co-sponsored ministry planning and efforts.

e) Leverage Youth Ministry strengths to the benefit of the rest of the church

2) Commit partnering efforts in the establishment of parents as primarily responsible for the discipling of their teenagers.

a) Improve communication channels and feedback

b) Calendar functions and activities with Family Life clearly in mind

c) Create and invite family-centric, Youth activities including Teen-friendly Family Service Projects or Local Mission initiatives

d) Institute a series of Parent Training Initiatives; Issue-specific (ie, How to speak to your Teen about Purity)

3) Create environments that understand and respect the developmental levels of teenagers

a) Segment Grade 6 to Elementary; Middle School as 7-8; + Senior High (9-10; 11-12)

b) Balance activities done best as:

i) Individuals – personal devotions

ii) Small Groups – Life Together

iii) Moderate Groups – Service Projects

iv) Large Groups – All-Nighters; Social events

v) Huge Groups – Congregational Worship

4) Develop a 6 year core curriculum Scope & Sequence that addresses:

a) Age-appropriateness

b) Biblical literacy

c) Discipleship training from Foundations through Leadership Development

d) Relevant life issues including relationships & purity, substance abuse, career planning

e) Integration with the church and family scope & sequences

5) Design a complementary series of achievements or “Rites of Passage” that are predictable and well understood by the teen, the family, the Youth Ministry, and the church as a whole.

6) Champion a commitment of service-to-others including:

a) Within their families as members of their household

b) Within the church through the Youth Ministry Program

c) Within the church as individuals expressing their S.H.A.P.E. in other ministries

d) Within the community through intentional work projects

e) Harnessing school-based community service requirements

7) Maintain an engaging calendar of Youth Activities while reducing the overall out-of-pocket annual expenses to the typical family.

8) Create a Leadership culture within the Youth Ministry through training, mentoring, and inviting mature leaders into commitment. Training emphasis to begin with:

a) The Life Development of Teens – emotionally, socially, physically, spiritually

b) The discipleship of teens through the family, the volunteer, and the church

c) The role of respect, authority, and friendship

d) Personal ministry & mentoring of teens (issue specific)

9) Identify and improve the barriers to effective service to teens within the organization, structure, and processes with particular emphasis on:

a) Planning – Calendar, Events, Curriculum, Budgeting, Evaluation

b) Volunteer Assimilation

c) Safety, Security, and Risk Management

10) Redesign the culture and ministry of TEC Youth Ministry while developing campus initiatives in fulfillment of The Imagine Campaign through a cooperative Children & Student Leadership Team effort.

Now I'm really excited about these priorities for two main reasons.

First, I really believe that they represent the heart of God of our preferred future here at Trinity Evangelical Church. I'm struck by the process by which God begins to reveal his will for a group of people. We gathered, we considered, we prayed, and we arrived at a consensus as a church.

Second, the Body of Elders invited me to lead us through this process. Beginning immediately, I have been asked to be responsible for students and their families, beginning at Birth and extending through the end of Grade 12. I am humbled by the offer, nervous about the workload, and excited about the challenge.

Over the next two months, I'll be sharing in detail about this transition.

In the meantime, please pray that all of us will use our God-given S.H.A.P.E. in cooperation with each other and in the power of the Holy Spirit to see His Kingdom advance in Greater North Reading.

Matt Drayton Gives Me a Push

2008-04-29T07:41:11-04:00

Yesterday, I had the chance to meet an interesting young man named Matt Drayton for the first time. (That's him and his wife Pam).

Formerly the Director of Life Skills for over 900 student athletes at the University of New Hampshire, Matt is moving to Massachusetts to earn his Master's of Divinity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. I met him at the cafeteria there and while sharing a sandwich with him, I realized that he must have taken a moment before our meeting and scouted the church's WebSite including this Blog.

That's good news and bad news simultaneously.

It was good news to hear that the time and effort in using the Blog paid off in someone getting to know me a little bit better.

The bad news is that I've been a slug recently and haven't kept it as current as I'd like. So....

It's time to repent....

God has privileged me to have a front row seat in so many stories occuring within the life of Trinity Evangelical Church as well as Eastern Massachusetts. With great privilege comes great responsibility...

I'm going to do a better job of telling those stories... Starting today...

PS - Note to Matt & Others: After meeting yesterday Matt yesterday and realizing he had used the Web to check out TEC, I took a few minutes to learn more about him. Here's three interesting factoids about Matt.

1. He served as the Director of Life Skills at the University of New Hampshire.

2. He likes connecting teens to college athletes.

3. He's leveraged the emerging internet technologies to promote one of his businesses.

Kinda neat isn't it?

Cruising On Christmas

2007-12-28T10:41:15-05:00

Well, I just finished experiencing my first cruise ever. I’ve actually never met a person who has done a vacation cruise and didn’t want to do it again. So, as a Christmas treat, Teresa and I arranged to take our sons, Alex and Joseph, for a trip through the Western Caribbean aboard the Navigator of the Seas sponsored by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Here’s my thoughts upon returning:

There is no escaping it…. Cruises are all about food, food, and more food… There is food when you wake up, room service constantly available, buffets open at all hours, special dining seating in plush restaurant halls, small cafes in concourses…. In fact, there is so much food that I started to feel guilty if I didn’t eat it. It felt like I had to or… I’d not get the maximum value of my fare or I’d disappoint the executive Chef. In the end, I just decided what and when I wanted to eat. Then I’d eat until I was satisfied and then called it “quits”. Cruising can easily lead to gluttony. (I already struggle with my weight so I also made it a point to exercise every day – there was a nice fitness center on board)

Port excursions were a nice diversion. When we were in Belize City, Belize (the former British Honduras), we purchased a side trip to the interior where we undertook an Aerial Trek aka zip-lining through the jungle canopy. After a brief lunch (more food), we then went tubing on a river that went underground through a cave system… really cool! My suggestion for excursions – do at least one that is unique. Something that you couldn’t do anytime or anywhere else. We also took a day in Cozumel, Mexico and just crashed at the beach on Christmas Day. Wintering in New England means that beaching on Christmas Day is a unique experience too!

On this cruise, there was so much to do on ship. In fact, there was so much to do that we had trouble, at times, deciding what to do. It was kinda like the pressure related to the overwhelming food. There were shows on stage, wine tastings, live music, rock wall climbing, multiple swimming pools and hot tubs, parades down the promenade, B-I-N-G-O, and so much more. You get the idea. My suggestion: just decide what’s important to you each day and mentally orient yourself towards attending. When the time comes, go if you’re inclined. Blow it off if you aren’t. Wander a little. Join in serendipitous moments as they occur. Just don’t feel pressured by the abundance of choices available. Sometimes too many choices can be a curse if you let the abundance become distractions to what you want or need.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL) expects new guests. As a result, they anticipate every step that might confuse a new guest and has designed easy pathways. Although, I often felt overwhelmed with the size of the ship, the diversity of activity, and the locations of areas, I was never anxious because they constantly engineered systems and placed personnel to guide me every step of the way. As a result, I felt totally relaxed and increased my potential enjoyment. This standard got me thinking… what would it be like if I invited RCCL to consider the needs of the new guest at my church. What suggestions would they give us? I suspect that most churches would do well to think about the needs of new guests more intentionally. Helping new guests to relax around our logistics would help our life-giving message to be received more easily. RCCL does what they do for financial profit; we do what we do for eternal profit.

Avoid tenders. A “tender” is when your cruise ship pulls into a port but can not dock directly at the pier but must instead shuttle passengers back and forth from the ship to the pier. We tendered in Belize City. I hated it. It just ate up my day. I spent too much time waiting to get on the smaller transport boat…. too much time traveling on the tender… too much time waiting to return. Fortunately, our time in Cozumelwas non-tendered. I know this sounds like an odd analogy but… Sometimes, I think our Christian ghetto language, you know – the vocabulary that tells other Christians that you are a Christian and have the “inside language” down pat – is like a tendered boat. In order to help someone seeking spiritual truth, we feel the need to take them through our Christian ghetto language. Some people will put up with this delay – they’ll get in line, take the tender, and arrive at the destination. But most people are put off by this delay. They’d rather skip the step. Some ultimately refuse to get on the tender. Some will even refuse to take any cruise that has tenders. Like I said, an odd analogy but it ran through my mind…

The staff on a cruise ship works H-A-R-D. They earn every penny of wage; every penny of tips. Our assigned waitress each evening was a wonderful Filipino woman named Fatima. As we got to know her better, we discovered that she was at the end of a six month contract that had her away from her 6 year old daughter over Christmas. She was delightful throughout our trip. Even though her job was to be our servant, there was a genuineness to her service and attitude that was very apparent. On our last evening, we customarily presented her with a tip envelope for her efforts. She received it graciously. As she turned to leave, I surprised her by presenting her with a second envelope with the instructions to bring something special home to her daughter when she returned home in January. Her response stunned us. She cried. All week long she had been smiling as she served but her heart and her mind was heavy with thoughts of her daughter over Christmas. Our remembrance of her daughter touched her deeply. That’s when she asked us, “Are you Christians?”. This really caught us off-guard because we had not done or said anything particularly “Christian” while in her presence. When we acknowledged our love for Jesus, she stated, “I knew it. I knew there was something about you that was different. I am a born again believer too!.” She took a few minutes to share with us the difficulty of meeting with other believer’s on board because of the unique work circumstances. She also testified about God’s faithfulness to her in the midst of a difficult lifestyle. We were humbled by her comments, happy to be united with a sister-in-Christ, and encouraged to feel God’s Providencein both of our lives.

These are just a few of my thoughts. If you ever think about going on a cruise, drop me a line and I’d be glad to share with you some more insights. Opinions… I’ve got them…. Whether they are good opinions or not… that’s up to you…

Cleaning Out the Junk Drawer of My Mind - 12/19/07

2007-12-19T13:20:00-05:00

Last night my mind was r-a-c-i-n-g. Here' s some of the thoughts that occupied my night:

Our annual Vacation Bible School curriculum from Group Publishing arrived. The Power Lab Theme looks terrific. I'm so excited to begin the planning for our June Outreach.
When my son Alex was younger, I regularly used to form the "I Love You" sign with my right hand, hold it up, and lock fingers with him as he did the same. It was our unique way of connecting before he went to bed. We haven't done it in a while. We did this morning as we passed in the hallway. I need to be more mindful to tell him how much I love him.
Cathy Lento recently gave my wife Teresa a simple set of Christmas earrings. They were "dangly". I really like dangly.
Mike Huckabee is getting my closer attention. (And not just because he is a professed follower of Jesus...)
My favorite Christmas song is an old recording of "Do You Hear What I Hear" by Ed Ames. Remember him? He was the Italian who played the Indian Mingo in the Daniel Boone TV show. He was born in Malden, MA. He formed a quartet creatively called "The Ames Brothers". Once of his pop culture highlights is when he threw a tomahawk on The Tonight Show at Johnny Carson that almost struck a very private spot. When I was a kid, my father's vinyl record collection of Christmas music came out after Thanksgiving. Ed Ames' Christmas album was my favorite. When he sang, "Do You Hear What I Hear", I'd actually think that I could hear some of the things he was singing about... (Does anyone still have this recording? I haven't been able to find it.) A child's imagination is wonderful. If you get a minute, drop me a line and tell me what your favorite Christmas song is... Dominic the Christmas Donkey, anyone?
I wish I would eat more fruit. Bananas? Yes. Tangerines? Too much peeling. Apples? Delicious. Pears? Only if hard and tart. Figs? Gross. Dates? Imported Majoule please.
I like getting Christmas cards but I let Teresa open them first. I enjoy the look on her face as she tears into them. Picture Christmas cards always end up on our tree. I gotta admit. I kinda selfish because I don't personally write too many Christmas cards myself.... Except for one - My friend Steve Alexander and I have been sending the SAME Christmas card back-and-forth for over 20 years now. In fact, we had to staple a second card to the original card because we ran out of space. This year it's his turn to send it to me. I'm still waiting, Steve....
Red Sox - World Series Champs; Celtics 20-2; Patriots 14-0; Bruins (who cares?).... All this winning is almost becoming boring. I can't believe that I'm saying this... I think a little adversity in achieving our goals makes the drama more interesting.... Remind me that I feel this way when these Boston teams eventually stink and we begin talking about "the Good Ole Days".
My favorite Christmas gift is tickets to an event or certificate to a restaurant. Both move me to spend time with others... Sometimes I can get neglectful about relationships... I always regret that... so these gifts help me to do what is important to me...
Electronic viruses and trojans, spread over the Internet, are strong evidences of the Doctrine of Original Sin.
My friend Bruce recently sent me a simple gift in the mail FOR NO REASON AT ALL... except that he was thinking about me and dropped me a line. It was a silly little book of crossword puzzles with a baseball theme. Well.... for about a month I've been seriously enjoying myself each night as I lie in bed and do about 15 minutes of this little book before going to sleep... a simple pleasure provided by a friend... thanks, Bruce.

Anything on your mind lately?

Baseball Fans - Who's the Greatest?

2007-11-17T13:20:30-05:00

My brother Jerry, Senior Pastor of Hillside United Baptist Church in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada is a huge Red Sox fan.

This picture is a candid of he and I on a road trip to Los Angeles on our way to Dodger Stadium. He's so passionate that he makes it a point to trek a 10 hour car ride south every summer to catch a game or two.

He recently sent me a thought that I want to share with you.

Four baseball fans - a Cubs fan, a Cardinals fan, a Red Sox fan, and a Yankees fan - went hiking and climbing in the White Mountains. Discussion gradually drifted to their passions for their home team. Each argued that they were the one who loved his team the most.

The Cubs fan insisted that he was the most loyal. "This is for the Cubs!", he yelled as he jumped off the side of the mountain to his death.

Not to be outdone, the Cardinals fan shouted, "This is for the Cardinals!" and he threw himself off the mountain as well.

Naturally, the Red Sox fan screamed, "This is for EVERYONE!" and he pushed the Yankees fan off.

If you've got a fun Red Sox story to share drop me a line and we'll laugh together.

PS - Tickets are hard to get... if you ever have any way to grab some for brother Jerry... he's a great guy and I know would be appreciative. NGNP.

2007-11-17T13:02:10-05:00

Redd Dogg

Testing... Testing... Testing...

2007-11-02T13:24:39-04:00

I'm doing some site testing...

It would really help me if you could respond to this email and let me know you got it.

I've had some problems lately....

john@trinityevangelical.org

Blessings,
Pastor John

Excellence Not Perfection

2007-10-26T10:41:04-04:00

I follow about 10 other Web Logs throughout the month.

It's my way of opening up my thought life beyond my normal comfort zone. One of those Web Logs is the founding pastor at Newspring Church in South Carolina.

I don't always agree with what Perry Noble shares

but....

I find that he gets me thinking about:

My walk with Christ
Life in my family
Experiences in the community
Ministry in the local church

On the Blog that I maintained for those serving directly with me in Children's Ministry at Trinity, I recently posted a self-confessation about a mess-up I had while leading a Small Group of Grade 3-5 students. In that spirit, I share with you the following Blog entry I read from Perry Noble.

[Isn't it neat when our real life intersects with some wisdom from God that others are thinking about too?]

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I Thought I Was Going To Pass Out…

Posted: 26 Oct 2007 07:00 AM CDT

One of our core values here at NewSpring Church is excellence. We feel that God has given us His very best…the least we can do is offer Him ours. (And, according to Malachi 1:6-14, blemished lambs pretty much tick Him off!)

BUT…please keep in mind that excellence is not perfection…it really is giving our best to God and then begging Him to make up the difference…holding to the fact that Zechariah 4:6 is true! We will always strive to go all out to create an incredible weekend experience while all the while acknowledging that if God does not show up then what we are doing is worthless.

People have asked us before, “Do you guys ever mess something up?” My answer is–ALL OF THE TIME! The thing I have discovered is that, in the pursuit of excellence, something is always going to go wrong and you just have to learn to laugh.

For example–several years ago we did a Christmas Eve service in which I literally thought I was going to pass out because we dropped the ball so bad! We had planned for me to give a short talk on our hope being in Christ and then, while I prayed, the band was supposed to come out and, as soon as I said “amen,” were going to begin the song, “My Hope Is You.”

Well, I gave the talk and asked the people to pray. As I began to pray I didn’t hear anyone in the band walking on stage. So…I opened my eyes and looked–and I was THE ONLY ONE on stage…no band!

SO…I did what any pastor would do–I made an announcement in my prayer that went something like, “And God, please bless our band as they come out to play…”

No band…nothing. Panic seriously was setting in…I began to sweat and actually thought, “Do I try to sing?” (THAT would have been awful!) I kept praying AND trying to figure out what the heck was going on.

Finally I said THE line all pastors say, “Every head bowed and every eye closed…and…uh…let’s just sit and reflect on Jesus being our hope as THE BAND that HAS TO BE SOMEWHERE in this building makes it way to the stage.”

I was just about to close the service when the band basically came SPRINTING on stage. My legs felt like Jello and I somehow brought the longest prayer in the history of NewSpring Church to a close and the service went along.

We still don’t know what actually happened…was it that I didn’t communicate clearly that the talk was going to be a little shorter or did I say it and it wasn’t heard–whatever, doesn’t matter–we chalked it up as a major learning experience and moved on.

We are not perfect, we never will be–but we understand that Colossians 3:23-24 says that when we work we should keep in mind that we are working for the Lord, not for men…and I truly believe that if we keep that in mind that we will offer Him nothing less than our absolute best. That means time spent preparing the message. That means time spent rehearsing the music. That means time spent training and equipping the volunteers on discovering their potential in Christ. IT JUST TAKES TIME!

AND…as I have already said–no matter how hard we try–something will always mess up, not because no one cares, but because human beings are involved and we have a tendency to make mistakes. AND when that happens I still believe that God is honored because He knows the heart…and as long as our best is offered then I believe He is pleased.

[To locate this Blog go to: www.perrynoble.com or look links side bar on www.JohnReddyOnline.com]

The Heart of Giving

2007-10-13T19:51:53-04:00

On Sunday, August 26, our church sponsored a community outreach event we called "Summer's End Fest". In addition to a free barbeque, lots of games, and several rented attractions, we conducted our usual worship service outdoors. It was a great time. As is our custom, we include the collection of our weekly tithes and offerings. I happened to be sitting on the periphery of the worship service when this little boy, Thomas Mayes, approached me with a quarter in his hand. Here's what he said. "I want you to give this to a poor person". Then he walked away before I could discover much more.

Eventually, I called his father, Brad, because I could tell that someone had been training him to think about his money and his responsibility for giving. His father told me that Thomas, like most of us, occasionally struggles at times with managing his money. He likes it alot. He likes to spend it alot. And he needs to recognize the blessing of sharing. And so, that day, his father encouraged him to give his quarter away. By giving his quarter to me, he was, in essence, trusting that I would handle it properly and get it where it was needed.

Here's what struck me....

Every Sunday, we are given the chance to offer to God the best that we have as an act of worship and obedience. We come together, as a community of faith, celebrate God's faithfulness to us, collect our responses through our gifts, and then disperse those offerings through those gifted to identify the needs and purposely direct it.

It reminds me of what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth:

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. [1 Corinthians 9:11]

Brad, thanks for training your son. All the Sunday School lessons in the world can't compete with the heart of a father patiently discipling his son.
Thomas, thanks for obeying your father and doing so in a gracious manner.
Heavenly Father, thanks for giving us what we need and freeing us to release our grips.
Trinity, let's follow their example in our generosity and honor their trust by managing wisely!