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Tribute to Jim Mason

This past week my friend and mentor Jim Mason turned 88 years old. I have gotten to know Jim over the past 10 years. I have had the privilege of serving with Jim in the Pastoral Care ministry at NewPointe Community Church. Jim is a retired pastor having served many Free Methodist churches over the past 40 plus years. Jim also served his country in WWII. He has shared some incredible stories with me about the war, pastoring a church, loving his family and his wife.

Jim is one of the most godly men I know. He is also the most humble man I know. I have had the honor of seeing him serve his family in times of crisis. I have gone to the hospital with him to call on sick people. I was amazed at his compassion and how he interacted with the nurses and staff. They loved him and many of them knew him.

He has been through some real hardships in his life, but through everything, he has kept a strong faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

He lost his wife last year and once again I was amazed at his level of compassion and faith. He served her through those hard days and never blamed God. He recently shared with me the final moments he had with her before she passed away. He has been an inspiration to me and has challenged me to be a better man, pastor, husband and child of God.

At 88 years old Jim continues to serve at church. He is in our prayer room every Sunday for all three services. He prays for every prayer request that comes in over the weekend. He writes letters and calls people that are struggling and hurting. He goes and visits people as much as possible. He stops in my office once or twice a week and always encourages me. He also encourages most of the other staff members as well. We pray together and talk about how we can help more people through the prayer/care ministry.

He also is passing on to his family a legacy that will out live him for decades. Jim I love you and appreciate your friendship, thanks for being a great example to me and others. Thanks for your obedience to Christ and your humble servant spirit. I know your rewards in heaven will be great.

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Character Matters

“What you do is not as important as how you do it.” That is a quote from Tony Dungy. Character is developed in the little everyday things we do. Those small decisions to do things the right way even if no one finds out. It is in those decisions to work hard, to stay focused, to forgive, to do your homework, to finish the book, to spend time with your family that our character is slowly being formed. When challenging times come, and they will, our character is tested and revealed.

Knowing what is right and choosing to do it is what character development is all about. Our character reflects our inner heart. If we are a mess on the inside, that comes out in the storms of life. Many times it’s the hard things that are the right things. Doing the hard thing of forgiving someone that hurt you or having that difficult conversation, or confronting bad behavior, or maybe admitting you hurt someone else or admitting you have an addiction or a habitual sin issue. Those are hard things that when done make us stronger. That brings peace into our lives. When we do the easy thing or the convenient thing is usually brings turmoil into our lives.

Many times we must choose between what is convenient and what is right. There are consequences for each choice we make. If you think about those consequences, you can make better decisions. Character really does matter! What are you doing when no one is looking? What hard thing do you need to do?

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Leader’s Leading

This week I got the privilege of sitting in a room with business leader’s from our community. We are talking about the idea of a leadership development program at NewPointe. We identified a problem, a lack of leader’s, and are working on changing that. Right now we are talking about the vision statement and mission statement.

This was a very interesting evening and I got a chance to see some quality leaders in action. We shared thoughts, ideas and even had some disagreement. I believe that for great things to happen you need to go through meetings like this. It can seem tedious and mundane at times, but until you can identify the problem and articulate the vision, which is a preferred future, you can’t make progress.

I am very excited about the potential of this leadership development program. This will not only help our local church, but also our community. Each leader that grows will have more influence in their families, communities, workplaces and schools.

Leadership is so important. Without great leadership things don’t happen. Things don’t change and people don’t grow. Leadership is about influence and relationships. It is about motivating people to do things they wouldn’t otherwise do and like it. I know that I need to continue to grow as a leader, and my desire is to help other leaders continue to grow as well. When you stop growing you won’t be leading very long.

I hope to be able to share some more soon about the NewPointe Leadership Academy.

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Sunday Rewind



What a great day at NewPointe. Three services, eleven baptism’s, six families dedicating their children to Christ. The entire reason we do what we do is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Today you got a chance to see people growing in that relationship. If you missed the stories checkout our website for baptism videos, coming soon.

Every month we are hearing stories about how God is moving and working in peoples lives. My prayer is that we stay focused on giving God the glory and making Jesus known in all the communities around us. We are getting some incredible opportunities to share the Good News and reach more and more people with the truth from God’s word.

One lady that was visiting today because of the baptism’s mentioned that someone was talking about NewPointe at a Curves location in Cambridge. We have a group of 70-80 people meeting every other Sunday night in Louisville. There are new small groups forming in Sugarcreek, Dover, Louisville and Strasburg. NewPointe Community Church has “it” right now. We need to make sure we don’t lose “it” by getting distracted and thinking we are better than we really are. As leader’s at NewPointe we need to stay Humble and Persistent; Focusing and Determined; Bold and Compassionate.

I love the idea that people are talking and excited about their church. That is good and I want to encourage everyone that calls NewPointe their home to invest in the people you know and invite them to church. We promise to do everything we can to make it an incredible experience and connect with them in a practical real way.

Introducing people to Jesus and then helping them grow in that relationship is what we are all about. NewPointe is outward focused and on mission to change the world.

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I Do

I had the privilege of officiating a private wedding today for Ron & Melinda. It was just them and their four children. They each have two children. It was so neat to see the excitement on every ones face as we gathered together outside at NewPointe in the gazebo. It was a beautiful evening and they all looked great. I had the opportunity to mentor this couple as they prepared for marriage. They wanted to do it right and put some work in on the front end to make sure they where ready for this step. We met several times and worked through the FOCCUS inventory they did online. They also did some homework and talked a lot about their future life together.

It is so refreshing to see a couple that is willing to be open, honest and real. They both bring unique life experiences to this relationship and they understand that this is a life-long commitment and process. Bringing children to the marriage also creates some potential conflict, but this couple has worked very hard to include the children and to be a great example to them.

I shared three things with them tonight. The first is to watch your words, they can bring healing or hurt. Second, settle your disagreements. Don’t allow conflict to carry over day after day and not deal with it. Third, practice forgiveness. I know of no relationship that lasts, that doesn’t have to give and receive forgiveness. Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. We choose to forgive or hold a grudge. Forgiveness is key to any marriage. I told them as Christians, we are forgiven by Jesus Christ, and so that should help us to forgive those who hurt us.

More weddings are coming up this Spring and Summer. I love meeting the families and interacting with them on their special days. This is the fun part of being a pastor.

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Mixed Messages

Why do we send mixed messages? I mean in our relationships, at work, in our marriages, with our children and yes even at church. Saying one thing and then doing another. Talking one way and then living or behaving another. Asking to have it one way and then you doing it the opposite. How about saying you love someone and then showing you don’t.

This is an area that has really been jumping out at me lately. People not walking the talk. I really think this is a problem in many relationships today. In our minds we know what is right and good, but somehow it doesn’t reach our heart. It is the heart that dictates our behaviors and our actions.

You see this in the church as well. We say we love all people and want everyone to come to know Jesus Christ. Then our behaviors, our words and our actions don’t line up with that. We speak a language of insiders, we expect everyone to look, dress, talk and act like we do. We put on a friendly outward appearance and then go out and do whatever we want to do. Every church struggles with this problem. The reason I know this, is because the church is made up of people. Imperfect people that send mixed messages. Outsiders see these messages and ask why they should become a part of all that. They don’t get a real good look at Jesus.

I don’t think Jesus ever sent any mixed messages. He spoke the truth and loved people. He attacked the religious people and reached out to the outsiders. He was authentic and real to everyone all the time. He did not pretend everything was great when it wasn’t. He faced temptations and overcame them every time, because of his heart. His heart was pure and full of truth.

A friend of mine told this story about a guy he has gotten to know. His friend was at a restaurant meeting with another friend. This friend was trying to share Jesus with him. He was trying to convince him that he needed Jesus in his life. When the waitress came up this guy ripped her because the last time he was in they got his eggs wrong. When he was done ripping her he turned to his friend and continued to talk about him needing Jesus. That is a mixed message and that small action turned off whatever light had begun to shine.

How about in your marriage or special relationships? Do you disrespect your husband and then expect him to show love to you? Do you demand respect from your wife and then do or say unloving things to her? Do you discipline your children for certain behaviors and then do them yourself? Do you ever catch yourself saying or thinking, “Do as I say, not as I do”?

Do your actions and behaviors line up with your words? Do you ever try to manipulate to get your own way? These are heart questions, is everything OK in your heart? Ask God to help change your heart and stop sending mixed messages.

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Faith

Faith is a mindset that expects God to act. When we can act on this expectation we can overcome our greatest fears. How is your faith these days? Are you expecting God to act in your life? When we face each day with the power and strength of Jesus our fears can’t hold us back.

When our focus and mindset is on Christ we can be bold, courageous and take risks. When our focus and mindset is on our situation, problems or even other people we become fearful, anxious and cautious. It is so easy to allow the things of this world to creep into our lives and edge God out. Small everyday things begin to consume us and take more and more of our attention. Soon we find ourselves not having spent any real quality time with God. As a result our faith has wavered and our outlook on life has shifted.

For me it is a constant struggle to stay mindful of Jesus instead of the world. Things like work, sports, television, Internet, family activities and even church activities can take over. Today I have been thinking about the things that are distracting me. Where has my focus been? Where has your focus been today? What things are distracting you from deepening your faith and believing God is going to act in your life?

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iPod in the hospital

I often meet with people that are facing difficult circumstances. Maybe they are going through a divorce, facing surgery, lost a job, struggling in a relationship, dealing with a rebellious child or facing an illness. My goal when I meet with people facing hard stuff, is to give them some hope. Listening and letting them know you care is a big part of that. Encouraging them to turn to God and draw close to him is also extremely important. After that I always try to give them some tools to use to help them work through whatever they are facing.

Often I will give them a book or a message CD or even a few Scriptures to focus on. As I think about this I may have been missing an important tool – music. I realized this when I was in the hospital last week. After everyone had left and I was in the room alone, I got my iPod out and started listening to some music and some pod casts from popular pastors. The music was soothing and helped me to relax. Listening to worship music helped me to focus on God and worship Him, even though I was uncomfortable and sore. I realized that when we worship God in the storms of life it builds our strength, our faith and our hope.

From now on I plan to incorporate worship music into the tools I give to people to help them reconnect and refocus on Jesus Christ. No matter what hardship you are facing, God knows all about it and wants to walk through it with you. It can be hard to have that perspective when you are in the midst of a struggle. To have someone listen to you, encourage you and help you worship the Almighty helps to gain a new perspective on your current reality. Are you feeling down? Are you in the midst of a hard struggle? If so get out a good worship CD or go to iTunes and download some good worship music and then crank it up.

Some of my favs on my pod include: David Crowder Band, Jeremy Camp, Plumb, RED, Decyfer Down, Steve Fee, Switchfoot, Tim Hughes, TobyMac, North Point Live, MercyMe and Casting Crowns. I am actually listening to Todd Fields from North Point “You Are” and “Everlasting God”right now.

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Monday Life Lessons

Here are some life lessons from Proverbs to start your week:

Proverbs 3:5-6: Depending on your own wisdom obstructs God’s better plans for your life.

Proverbs 4:23: Your hearts affections determine your life’s direction. God’s Word keeps your heart pure and safe.

Proverbs 5:1-23: Beware of pursuing a cheap alternative to the blessings a faithful marriage can bring. Evil always tempts us to settle for less than God’s best.

Proverbs13:7: Live by godly priorities. What seems worthless to fools is often valuable to the righteous; what fools pursue is often meaningless in God’s eyes.

Proverbs 16:16 – “How much better to get wisdom than gold!”

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Wild Week

This week was highly unusual for me. I crammed a bunch of hours in at work on Monday and Tuesday. Got a lot done in those two days, as I prepared to be off work for a while. Two great meetings on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday I had Cervical Disk Replacement surgery on my neck.

The day started very early, I was the first surgery of the day. Lot’s of waiting and then it was go time. It almost felt like I was on the assembly line as they transported me to the prep area.

The worst part for me is always the IV. My veins seem to disappear.

After surgery I woke in the same spot I had been waiting and was soon back in my room. My recovery has gone well, and each day I am feeling better. All the old symptoms are gone. I am amazed at what doctors are able to do with the human body. God is amazing in His design for the human body.

I must say I had three great nurses up at Aultman Hospital. They were kind, patient and very helpful. It really made it much easier. We actually knew my third nurse, her husband was in a wedding I did last year. Thanks for your help Emily.

Listened to several Podcasts from Andy Stanley in my room. In one he said that he has a one sentence job description for each of his direct reports. I plan on writing my one sentence job description soon.

Well that’s all for today. I hope to share some insights from some of the new books I am reading soon.