Lifted Up -- So Others Could Be Lifted Up

It was a busy day in heaven as folks waited in line at the pearly gates. Peter stood as gatekeeper checking each newcomer’s name in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

But there was some confusion, as the numbers were not adding up. Heaven was a little overcrowded, and a bunch of folks were unaccounted for.

So some of the angels were sent on a mission to investigate things. And it was not long before two of them returned, “We found the problem,” they said.

“Jesus is out back, lifting people up over the gate.”

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."--John 3:14, 15

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (This he said, signifying what death he should die.)"--John 12:32, 33

The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus came to save people and lift them out of their miserable conditions and bring them to the Father. The Father is not willing that any perish. I appreciate the depths that He went to to secure our deliverance from sin and our ability to have a fresh, dynamic, daily relationship with Him.

As Pastors we need to keep a fresh perspective that we too are here to help lift people out of their misery, shame, defeat, despair, disillusionment, depressions, etc., to an exciting new and abundant life in Christ.

I am one of the lifted up ones therefore I can help others!

Pastor David admits, "I Am Addicted..."

That's right, I am hopelessly addicted to....the TV show '24.'

One of the tensest, most intriguing television shows airing today, the critically acclaimed 24 has captured my attention and that of millions of viewers. Created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, 24 has become one of FOX's leading TV shows. It centers around its main protagonist, Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), as well as a plethora of supporting characters. Bauer, a skilled government agent, works in the Counter Terrorist Unit, located in Los Angeles. Over the course of five thrilling seasons, Jack Bauer has evaded terrorists, nuclear weapons, assassins, and many other sinister figures, all with equally sinister goals in mind. 24 is highly unique in the fact that each season takes place over 24 hours in real time, with each episode spanning one hour of the day.

And now 'Jack is back' with the 6th season thrilling 4 hour opener spreading over last night and tonight. However, because of a friend who loaned me the pre-release DVD of the 4 episodes plus first 10 minutes of the 5th installment, we were able to watch it all last night at a friend's home on a big screen TV.

WOW, how do these writers keep coming up with these almost true to life scenarios? They do awesome writing, there is superb acting and great film work!

I am addicted to it... I admit it... I don't want help though until the season is over!

Fatherly Chat

A young woman brings home her fiance to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother tells her father to find out about the young man.

The father invites the fiancee to his study for a chat. "So what are your plans?" the father asks the young man.

"I am a Bible college student." he replies.

"A Bible college student. Hmmm," the father says. "admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in, as she's accustomed to?"

"I will study," the young man replies, "and God will provide for us."

"And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring, such as she deserves?" asks the father.

"I will concentrate on my studies," the young man replies, "God will provide for us."

"And children?" asks the father. "How will you support children?"

"Don't worry, sir, God will provide," replies the fiance. The conversation proceeds like this, and each time the father questions, the young idealist insists that God will provide.

Later, the mother asks, "How did it go, Honey?"

The father answers, "He has no job and no plans, but the good news is he thinks I'm God."

Blessed are those who mourn...

Matt 5:4

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. NIV

I am starting a series on Jesus teaching what we call the Beatitudes. The Bible says that we are to have the same attitude as Jesus! I pray that these will be life and mind changing messages.

The pic above of the President crying reminds me of why I like him. He is real and genuine, not like his detractors in Washington. They have to feign mourning, it is not genuine!

But a President who crys for the dead, wounded, sins of a nation, etc., is someone I can follow!

And Pastor friends, if you haven't cried recently, you need to get in touch with your God given emotions. I would rather follow a crying preacher that a 'strutting your stuff' preacher. Where has all the humility gone in the pulpit?

People are crying all around us! Jesus is touched by that and we should be also.

Matt 5:4
"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you." from THE MESSAGE

Jesus wept, President Bush wept.... can that be said of you?

Lock Cup

The Lock Cup is an ingenious way to keep pesky cup-stealing coworkers at bay. Removing a small key from the side of the cup leaves a gaping hole and renders it useless until the key is returned.



I say, leave the cup's hole facing your cubicle wall and let the little thief figure it out after he's started pouring his coffee.

Somebody's listening!

My prayer over the tithes and offerings each Sunday is as follows:

Lord, bless our great city of Arlington with industry and businesses. We have people who want to work and live here. As they are faithful to You in their jobs, please give them raises, bonuses and increases. Bless those in our church with an entrepreneur spirit to start businesses and bless our business owners and prosper them. Give us clever and witty inventions that we too might make wealth. Now we are not greedy, nor covetous, and we do not want to consume it upon ourselves, but having our own needs met we are able to give to others and into the Kingdom of God. Amen.

That is how I pray each and every Sunday. I received an email last night from a Dad that attends the church:

I was praying with my children tonight, and Lyric, who's 10, prayed "Lord give daddy more work so we can get more money, not to consume it upon ourselves, but to give it to other people after our expenses. Amen."

lol! At least somebody's listening!

"Dream Team" Staff Retreat

We had our annual Staff Retreat this past weekend. We arrived at the Riverbend Retreat Center in Glen Rose, TX, around 5PM, settled in, ate, and then began our meetings at 6PM. We worshipped, prayed, talked, discussed, did inventories, and discussed some more. Around 10PM we started praying for each other with words of encouragement, prophetic words, and words of affirmation. That lasted until about 12am. Then, we started playing a few games. Late Night!

We were back after it after our breakfast. We discussed 2006; what were our strengths (did right), what were our weaknesses (did wrong), and what we will and won't do again this year. We made plans for 2007, discussed our goals, and then prayed some more. We finished our time with a great meal at noon at Hammonds BBQ in Glen Rose. Great BBQ and desserts, i.e. the cobblers with Blue Bell ice cream and Peanut Butter Cream Pie, all homemade!

I have a great staff and they truly are the 'Dream Team.' I love them and thank them for being here at the Vine!

Some funny cartoons--

Amazing thing is I relate to all of these!!!! Yikes......

What did you do over Christmas?

I always get 1001 questions about what I did over Christmas break. We shut down the office for the week after Christmas. Some of the staff travel to be with family. We stayed here and I did what is now a tradition here at the Vine and that is serve communion to and pray over each family on Christmas eve. Been doing that for 16 years!

Ryan and Charity came here. So we had a great time of visiting, eating, and shopping. I am blessed with a great wife and tremendous kids!

After Ryan and Charity left I began a project that we needed to do and that was change out our master bathroom shower. These are some work in progress pics and some near completion pics.

So all I need to do is finish out the sheet rock and it will be completed. I will probably do that Monday on my day off.

We used it for the first time today- NO leaks!

Well, have to go get ready for our Staff Retreat this weekend. The staff at the Vine are a "Dream Team." I love them....

"Et tu, Brute?"

Did you stay up until midnight to welcome the New Year? Or did you stay up to make sure the old year leaves! None of us can afford to let our past poison our present or sabotage our future. We have to overcome and let go of things!

“One should rather die than be betrayed. There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though ... betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope.” Steven Deitz

Probably one of the most difficult and gut wrenching trial and test that a Pastor (or anyone for that matter) might experience in life is the betrayal by someone close to you. It can be at the hands of family members, husband or wife, church members, friends, business associates, etc. I have had a few relationships that have ended in betrayal. I tend to be very loyal, forgiving, and ‘giving the benefit of the doubt’ in my relationships with people. I don’t live life as a rule with the idea ‘people are going to disappoint you.’ Yet it does happen and nothing is more sinister than betrayal.

Ps 55:12-14
It is not an enemy who taunts me — I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me — I could have hidden from them. Instead, it is you — my equal, my companion and close friend. What good fellowship we enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God. NLT

This scripture is one of betrayal. The Bible gives us repeated instances of it. The religious community and one of His closest friends betrayed Jesus. Those who were closest to David betrayed him. Joseph's own family betrayed him. Betrayal is a fact of life!

Os Hillman calls loving those that betray you ‘graduate level Christianity.’ A Godly response to betrayal goes against everything in us. We want to protect, retaliate, and retain unforgiveness and bitterness. Therein lies Satan’s tool against us walking free of betrayal. We have to seek and appropriate God’s grace for these difficult situations. Loving our enemies cannot be accomplished by mustering it up. We need to die to ourselves so that God’s nature of true forgiveness and love can flow to us and through us to those that have betrayed us.

If you have experienced betrayal, may God give you the victory over it in 2007!

The Emotional Deficit of a Pastor - pt 4

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!!! May God bless you and keep you!

Mark 5:30 At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?" from THE MESSAGE

Most Pastors live off the spiritual energy of ministry and preaching the Word Of God. When one stands to preach there is a life flow from God to the Pastor that gives a spiritual energy high. It is the most vital energy that any of us have – what we live off of. It gives confidence and courage to do everything else that may come our way. However, we can quickly deplete that spiritual energy and hit the proverbial wall. Jesus knew when someone touched Him and energy left him. There are people constantly ‘touching’ the pastor and with each touch energy is drained!

When a Pastor’s emotional deficit is extremely low, you just can’t stop and fill it quickly. Just as it took time to diminish and get to where it is, it will take time to replenish it. Usually more time than it took to drain it.

What are some steps to replenishing our emotional deficit?
1. Jesus showed us that in order to meet the demands of ministry- one had to get away and alone with God on a continual basis. Time with God is like attaching jumper cables to a depleted battery and giving it a new boost of energy.

2. One needs to relax and read non Christian Books to refresh the mind and soul. Read not for ‘sermon illustrations’ but for the effect that it will have on your psyche!

3. A Pastor needs to spend time in the company of his cheerleaders. Those are people, your wife and others, who are there to cheer you on and encourage you. They are there to ‘breathe a fresh breath’ on you! Play games with them, eat out with them, go to movies, etc. These are people who can accept you as a real person with legitimate needs and not ‘always as a pastor’ but a friend!

4. Personal downtime- this means take a day off. And as your mother used to say, “Get out of the house and do something, you’re driving me crazy!” We need to do the same or our home will become a ‘nut house.’

5. Take travel vacations. By travel, I mean vacations taken at another location other than your city or even state. I get replenish the best by lying on a beach beside an ocean absorbing those life threatening sun rays! My leaders and church recognize that I am much better after a travel vacation!

6. And as Bill Hybels said: I'm convinced God wants us to live so as to finish the race we've started. That's the challenge of every Christian leader. And monitoring all three gauges—spiritual, physical, and emotional—plays an important part in our longevity.

So dear friends, keep a constant watch on your emotional gauge now that you realize its importance to your overall well being and the work of the ministry.

Best Part of Waking Up!

A sweet little boy surprised his grandmother one morning and brought her a cup of coffee. He made it himself and was so proud. He anxiously waited to hear the verdict on the quality of the coffee.


His grandmother had never in her life had such a bad cup of coffee, and as she forced down the last sip she noticed three of those little green army guys in the bottom of the cup.


She asked, "Honey, why would three little green army guys be in the bottom of my cup?"

Her grandson replied, "You know grandma, it's like on TV, 'The best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup.'"

The Emotional Deficit of a Pastor - pt 3

Trust all had a very Merry Christmas- we did at the Kerr household- had Jason, Ryan and Charity, Harry and Arleen, Jeremy and Jennifer Huff and 2 children, Brianna and Bradley, over for Christmas dinner. We ate, watched the kids, gave up on Dallas football game, and played games. Great Day!

Continuing on with my post on Emotional Deficit...

A number of years ago I read an article by Bill Hybels that revealed his struggles with emotional deficit.

The spiritual and physical aspects of life were important, but I had failed to consider another area essential to healthy ministry—emotional strength (deficit). I needed a third gauge on the dashboard of my life. —Bill Hybels

He essentially said that he was keeping himself built up in the spiritual and physical areas of his life but one day found himself depleted emotionally. He had failed to gauge himself in that area.

He found as myself and others have that signs of emotional deficit are:
(1) One begins to feel vulnerable morally,
(2) One becomes short and testy with people (esp. your family and staff),
(3) One feels an overwhelming tiredness even though you are sleeping,
(4) One questions whether they are really a Christian at all,
(5) One feels a desire to get out of God's work.

The results of dysfunctional pastors is surfacing with newspapers reporting about spiritual icons that are failing plus the numerous things that we hear about others that yet have been made public. It is not so much the lack of any value system by those individuals but the fact that the emotional deficit trap has not been addressed to Pastors nor them being taught to be aware of it and how to overcome it.

We all in ministry have to be aware of this emotional deficit. We need to have a gauge that we can read to see how we are doing in this aspect. Just like a fuel gauge on a car we can not afford this one to run on empty either.

Running on empty or running out will have the same debilitating effect of running out of gas- you will be stopped eventually. I guarantee this is a tool the enemy uses to destroy many servants of the Lord.

Next time, steps to replenishing the emotional tank…

Merry Christmas-

click to enlarge pic

It is all about God come in the flesh for our salvation!

Merry Christmas to my readers. You are greatly appreciated!

The Emotional Deficit of a Pastor - pt 2

I preached a 6 part series on Desperate Households this year (2006). These are desperate times in our churches and homes. We've heard a lot about dysfunctional families with family members blaming each other for their ills and poor choices in life. It is true that many are living with an emotional deficit in their lives. They are being overwhelmed.

But I probably should also go one step further and teach on Desperate Pastors. I think that we are witnessing a generation of dysfunctional pastors. They too are living in an emotional deficit. What I mean by that is that what is surrounding them is more demanding and commanding on them than what is being put into them. They are having trouble handling the emotional volume in their lives. Ministry is demanding and draining regardless of the size of the church- big or small.

Size of the church in no way equates to faithfulness before God. Jesus had only 12 disciples and did quite well. In fact, He only had one leave him- I have had a lot more. Church size does not equate with being more effective but really is more about what you do with what God has given you. The width of a church does not speak to the spirituality of the church.

But having said that, we find the difference in a big and small church is the emotional weight of the church on the pastor. Every day of every year with every person that is added the emotional weight of the congregation becomes greater. Consider Paul:

2 Cor 11:23-28
23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.
24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,
26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.
27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.
28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. (NIV)

He was talking about the emotional content for/of the people he loved, prayed for, cared for, cried with, rejoiced with, etc. It was as tough if not tougher on him than all the other things he had experienced in the flesh. It was emotional, caused him to lose sleep, and weighed heavily on him.

The pastor needs to learn how to handle the emotional content or he will become a casualty of the very ministry he loves.

more to follow...

The Emotional Deficit of a Pastor

Col 3:12-15
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
13 You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
14 And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.
15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful. NLT

This verse reminds me that God does not ignore the emotional content of life. The emotional needs of our lives are more a part of us than we often acknowledge, they are real, and need to be met.

Pastor’s have feelings and emotions too. I am reminded of the time when a couple was in my office and she especially was chewing on me. (Why is it choleric women do this while their passive husbands sit by? ‘Yes, dear,’) Anyway, I had had enough of the debilitating attack and told her she was hurting my feelings. She responded that I could not have hurt feelings because I was a Pastor. (Memo to self, Pastors must relinquish their feelings upon entering the ministry.) When I told her I did, she went off on me again. (Talk about a Roman candle igniting and right there in my office!)

Here is a principle I want to discuss in a few blogs:
Pastors are in danger in living on an emotional deficit. That means what is surrounding them is more demanding than what is being put in them.

The result- a generation of dysfunctional pastors!

A dysfunctional pastor is one who has not learned to handle the emotional volume of his life.

They are pastoring dysfunctional people and when you get dysfunctional leadership ministering to dysfunctional people in the same way leadership is always a multiplying equation, instead of multiplying strengths, they end up multiplying weaknesses!

Is it no wonder that Pastors isolate themselves, ignore the emotional deficit or better yet turn to something (meth) or someone (sexual relationship) to mask the hurts?

More to come on this...

Christmas at The Vine

December is a busy month of activities at Vine Fellowship. Below are pics from some of those activities. Click pics to view larger image.

This was our annual Church Christmas party- A Night Under the Stars. Plenty of great food, karaoke, dancing, and fun fellowship.

Debi and I hosted our church Leadership Team, 30 guests, at our home for our annual party. Again some great food, fun games, and great fellowship. 'His banner over us is love' continues to be the motto our our leadership at the Vine.

We also had a dynamic Children's Christmas Program last night. They did skits, sang, danced, and had a great time entertaining the guests.

A big thank you to all that made these events possible. You are the greatest!

Pastor David's blooper for the day- I was waxing eloquent about the nativity scene and all those congregated around it- I said, "There were Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus, the shepherds, and the three white men."

The three white men???- that is not something you say in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-racial church setting! Where did that come from? Help me Lord!

Top 10 Signs You are Broke This Christmas

Oooops...............
A kindly 90-year-old grandmother found buying presents for family and friends a bit much one Christmas, so she wrote out checks for all of them to put in their Christmas cards.

In each card she wrote, "Buy your own present" and then sent them off.

After the Christmas festivities were over, she found the checks in her desk!

Everyone had gotten a Christmas card from her with "Buy your own present" written inside, but without the checks!



With just 10 days til Christmas here are top 10 signs you are broke---
10. American Express calls and says: "Leave home without it."
09. You’re formulating a plan to rob the local food bank.
08. Long distance companies don’t call you to switch.
07. You rob Peter… and then rob Paul.
06. You finally clean your house, hoping to find change.
05. You think of a lottery ticket as an investment
04. Salvation Army sets a kettle outside your door complete with bell ringer.
03. Compassion International sends you food and asks to sponsor you.
02. McDonald's supplies you with all your condiments.
01. At communion you go back for seconds.

The Nativity- I was brought to tears!

We had a staff outing today that included an early movie, The Nativity, and then a late lunch. I had an enjoyable time as my staff is a delight to be with. They truly are the Dream Team!

But the movie! It brought me to tears a number of times. I was able to control an all out burst of crying, the kind with snorting and snot, etc. But it wasn't easy. Points where I was obviously touched:
1. When Elizabeth heard Mary's voice and the child in her womb, John the Baptist, leaped.
2. Mary and Elizabeth in a field gleaning and Mary feels the baby Jesus move and runs to Elizabeth with excitement.
3. When Joseph goes to Mary after having the dream of the angel and knows that he is to take her as his wife.
4. Seeing Mary and Joseph ostracized by the village people.
5. Seeing Joseph sacrificing food, etc., for Mary.
6. Mary and Joseph talking about what the child was going to be like, Joseph says, "Will I be able to teach him anything?"
7. The tension and joy of the birth of Jesus.
8. The wise men laying their gifts before the couple and Jesus.

Well, you are right! That was almost the entire movie! I highly recommend that families see this movie this Christmas season.

You can also check out my sermons on the Nativity at the Vine Fellowship website.

The Church's All-time Biggest Blunders

I wonder if the boater saw this coming? Did he read the signs? Did he learn anything from this blunder? I hope so.

Jesus said, "I will build My church." (Matthew 16:18) However The Church has made some pretty big blunders and it isn't the Lord's fault. Here is a list of 8 from my perspective (you can add more in the comments).

(1) We've made unbelief a doctrine. While third-world nations believe God for New Testament results, we teach our seminary students that God doesn't do miracles anymore.

(2) We've tolerated division. Who needs the devil when we're so adept at hating one another in the name of denominational loyalty?

(3) We've cultivated a religious spirit. We've taught that Christianity is about avoiding things like smoking and drinking. As a result we've lost our joy, because intimacy with God cannot be achieved through performance.

(4) We've encouraged "super stars." Consequently, some of our preachers have stopped modeling servant hood, and forgotten that Jesus washed feet and rode on a donkey.

(5) We've equated money with success. We've found a way to 'theologize' greed, instead of using our God-given prosperity to feed the poor and reach the world with the Gospel.

(6) We've stayed in the pews and become irrelevant. We freak out when somebody uses rap or rock music to reach the younger generation. Instead of engaging the culture we're hiding from it.

(7) We've taught people to be escape-artists. Instead of "occupying till He comes," we'd rather be astronauts and fly away. We read rapture novels when we should be praying for those living on the verge of martyrdom. Why can't we have their kind of faith? We can - if we're willing to pay the price and commit ourselves fully to God!

(8) We've made 'size matters!' We employ Madison Avenue marketing techniques to attract attention. The guy with the most money wins.

It's never too late to learn from our blunders.