New beginnings

Some thoughts from last Sunday night:

The beginning of any life change can be a make or break time.

Babies are most vulnerable during the first few hours of life; airplanes are more likely to crash on take-off than at any other time; marriages can be ruined for good in the first weeks or months of the relationship; and the vast majority of new businesses fail within their first year.

A good start is crucial.

How can we as pastor and church begin well?

Let's first of all face up to our past.

We all have things in our past that we are not proud of. Things we regret, things we cannot go back and change.

I know I do - and so do you. What's true individually is true corporately as well. Churches have events that have taken place in their past that they are not aware of.

We are at the end of a year long celebration of the history of Stone Church. We remember the 100 years not only to celebrate the good of what has happened but to remember and to learn from the negative events so that we won't repeat what has occurred in the past.

We must learn from the past - but we must not live in the past.

We must use failure to push us forward. Failure is never final unless we let it be.

I am not perfect. No church is perfect. We must all relax and instead of bringing one another down because of our imperfections, we must strive to build one another up in the realization that only a perfect God can keep us in complete unity.

Also, beginning well means developing trust. Trust is earned. Trust takes time. Forgiveness and love are given freely and daily. Trust must be earned. For those of you in the Stone Church reading this; take your time and watch me, let me earn your trust.

But what is true of me is true of you as well. I am watching you and seeing whom I can trust. There is no such thing as immediate trust. We need a few positive experiences to base a budding trust upon.

Some have been burned by a pastor in the past. Others are just the opposite, they were connected with a pastor in the past in a close and sometimes life-changing way and they wonder if anyone will ever live up to them and the relationship they had with them.

Thirdly, beginning well means being willing to sacrifice.

If we are going to see Stone Church "turn around" we must reinvest ourselves in the idea of sacrifice. When are we going to learn that God is not so much concerned about our happiness as he is our holiness and helping in the kingdom of God.

Beginning well means staying focused on the goal. What is our goal? Our mission? Ultimately to connect people to God. You and I were put on this planet to connect with God and connect other people to God.

We are not ultimately in the "maintaining a building" business, nor are we ultimately in the "building a building" business, but we are in the "people" business.

Just some thoughts on a Thursday.