Leading a Flock...a Flock of what?

As I first strum my guitar on Sunday morning, I pray that God will move in the people I see in front of my eyes. I pray that their hearts will be touched and set ablaze with God's Holy Spirit. I pray that love would continue to move after the service and spread throughout our small city and beyond. Sometimes, though...I just pray people will sing with me!

I don't understand why some people look to the leaders of our church as separated from the congregation. I don't understand how the worship leader became the sole soul performer. I don't understand why the preacher is the only one shouting praises!

God gives us examples of leaders in his illustrations of shepherds and their flocks. The Good Shepherd leads the flock. He tends to its needs and cares for it. He defends it from the wolves. He alone is the "Good Shepherd".

I would like to see us as a flock of another sort. I would like to see us as a flock of geese. (Hang with me, okay?) Geese fly in a V-shaped formation. They never fly alone, and they always fly with purpose.

(http://missionaljourney.blogspot.com/2009/06/missionallike-flock-of-geese.html)

Taking a look at a different flock, sparrows, we see a flock with no purpose. They fly this way and that way. Zig-zagging throughout the skies with no intent and are often hard to follow. They have no leader but instead fly in a swarm of sorts.

(http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.hawar-islands.com/blog/media/blogs/obs/2009/eid_nov/sparrows.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hawar-islands.com/blog/index.php/2009/&usg=__GX9Rr2l3vZH-lElEUZxztrbVtSE=&h=531&w=800&sz=36&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=sMK2Ain5SglkMM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=178&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dflock%2Bof%2Bsparrows%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D618%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=629&ei=rQYuTeGJOML38AaBr4y5Cg&oei=rQYuTeGJOML38AaBr4y5Cg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0&tx=103&ty=26)

Now back to the geese... The geese have purpose, direction, and a leader, all of which, sparrows do not have. This leader is no different from the rest. He/She may be stronger than most, but they all know where to go; they all look the same (to me); they all know why they are going where they are going, and they are all ready to lead. Here's what geese do in flight. The V-shape is for aerodynamics. As winds hit against the leader, the currents are dispersed across the rest of the flock. After a while of flying and battling the currents, the leader will drop back into the V, allowing the next one to come take the lead for a while. This continues throughout their flights. 

So, as a leader, I expect to have to be strong at times. I expect to work hard, get tired, and experience a little turbulence. What I also pray for is that when our leaders get a little worn out, others will take the lead in their place. I believe that happens all the time. I am confident in our body of believers and their willingness to serve. 

I pray for their confidence to lead. I pray that the body sees the leaders as one of the flock. I pray that worshippers no longer watch their leaders as an audience but that we worshippers would join in the praises of our God, that we would all have purpose, that we would all have direction, knowing to whom we are flying, knowing that at the end of our long, tiring journey, we are ready to embrace the warmth of paradise. 

Where to Start

It’s a brand new year. We’ve got resolutions for the new year. We’ve got plans, hopes, dreams, and desires. There’s so much that we want to do, not to mention everything that others would like us to do. We just don’t know where to start…

We have 12 months ahead of us. Which means that the clock is already ticking. Everything we had to get done last year is done with, or maybe it’s not because it’s carried over into this year because we didn’t have time last year. So not only do we have plans, but we’re already running behind. Even more overloaded, we just don’t know where to start…

Here’s some good news, something that should help give us a starting point. The prophet Jeremiah tells us this in his 29th chapter, verses 11 through 14.
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

So where to start? Start with God’s plans. Start by calling on Him and praying to Him. Seek Him with all your heart. That’s where we start! Our God who has plans for us, plans far greater than our own will show us what to do next. So toss your own plans out the door and look to God’s plans for direction. If we could all do this, I believe this could be the greatest year we’ve ever lived!

May you seek God wholeheartedly this year,

Brent

In Remembrance of Me

So I'm not a professional photographer and I'm hardly even a hobbyist yet. However, my wife and I just got our first DSLR camera and this was the first photo I took that really spoke of something impacting to me. Sure, I've taken a few that could tell a story if I made it up, but this one captures a moment of a story already told. In fact, it's the number one best selling story ever! Yes, the Bible!

If I were to title this pic, I would call it "In Remembrance of Me". Why? Well sure, I could be that mystifying artist who doesn't explain his photos but allows the imagination to explore it's deeper meaning, but I want people to know what I see in the picture because what I see is the greatest love story ever!

I see a hand made in God's image. I see the red wine, the fruit of the vine, the symbol of Jesus' blood represented in the holy sacrament of communion with our Lord and Savior. I see the ripple within the wine that flows outward from a dark point, the point in time and space at which the nail pierced our Savior's hand. The ripple of Jesus' blood, likewise, has spread to all corners of the world. I see that though the red lies within the hand, it doesn't stain, just as though we come to Christ with stained hands, he washes them away through his blood. I see my own hand in the reflection of the cup. A hand that Jesus saw when he poured out his blood. That's what I see.

What do you see? I hope that you see this and remember the cup of the new covenant. I hope and pray that you see the blood of Christ that takes away the sins of the world. I hope you remember your Lord and Savior that gave his life for yours.

In His love,
Brent

The Little Drummer Boy

Out of all the overplayed and most-common Christmas songs, I think “The Little Drummer Boy” has got to be the closest to the heart of the season. Consider the idea that a boy who seemingly has nothing gives what he can for the newborn king. He has no money, no riches or wealth, no ability to buy Jesus a gift, much less wrap it with shiny paper and a bow. Still, the boy cannot let Jesus’ birthday go unnoticed! He must give something back to the One has given him life! The boy re-gifts! OMG! (This means “Oh My Gosh” in non-heretic peer-to-peer texting of the contemporary teenager.) How could someone re-gift to Jesus. The most amazing thing is not that the boy re-gifts but that he re-gifts to the original giver. It’s kind of like if Gracy Lou Freebush bought you a snuggy and you decided that you would re-gift it the next year back to Gracy Lou Freebush. This is considered a huge faux pas (meaning a sort of social mistake in upper class non-teenage language).

So what can we do if God is the giver of all things? How do we give something back to Him without making the mistake of re-gifting? The truth is we can’t!

God gives all things, from a nice house to each breath of air. There is nothing we can give that He didn’t give us first. I always thought that the greatest gifts were things that you always dreamed of having, whether you expressed it or not. Socks were never things I dreamt of, though useful. The goofy sweater that Grandma knitted you was sweet and thoughtful but not dreamt about (unless it was a nightmare). So what does God dream about?

Scripture tells us that “we must die. But that is not what God desires” (2 Samuel 14:14). God desires for us to be in community with Him now and eternally. So what better gift to give our Lord than what He desires most? This is what the Drummer Boy gave. He gave of his own God-given talents in order that he might please his Lord and be in community with him. Now, while I don’t remember scripture talking about the three wise men traveling with a little drummer boy, I still feel that the song portrays what we are to give our Lord in celebration of His coming. God’s desire from us is to be in community with us, to devote ourselves and the gifts He has given us to Him. As you give to others this Christmas season know that the Lord says, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:40).

What a Blessed Life I Have!

In all honesty, it is a rare thing that we truly take enough time to appreciate the blessings in our lives. In the last week and a half, I got to throw a Halloween Party and hang out with an amazing group of teenagers, where I was told the only imperfection with the party was that it was too short! What a blessing!

The next day, I got to spend about an hour with a couple of our Godly Guys. I am increasingly impressed with their spiritual growth and maturity. Not only are they learning about our Lord and Savior, but they are actually putting their knowledge into effect to change the world around them. What a blessing!

On Thursday, I met with about a dozen of my fellow youth ministers from around the Kerrville district. It is so wonderful to hear about the adventures of ministry. As I hear about some of the struggles that my peers face with their congregations, I am so grateful to have an uplifting and encouraging congregation, staff, and pastor. What a blessing!

On Saturday, I went with my lovely wife up to Spring Branch, TX to spend some time at our conferences first ever 24 hour “Tent Revival.” I watched and worshipped as about 150 other youth and adults spent time in the presence of our God! To spend even a moment in the Lord’s presence is a blessing in itself, but a whole day? What a blessing!

To finish the week (or maybe kick-start the next week) I played some music and lead a little worship with many of you from our church to wrap up Faith In Action. I heard the testimonies of those who were touched by the hands and feet of Christ. I got to see the effects of the holy body of Christ at work. What a blessing!

What blessed lives we have! How blessed are we who dwell in the presence of our Lord! What is more is that we have everlasting life to enjoy the blessings of the Almighty!

Blessed in Christ,

Brent Phillips

The Church of Old, Today, and Tomorrow…

I don’t read much. Reading has never been my passion. Moving pictures seem to engage my mind a little more than a book. However, words seem to captivate me. Not paragraphs, but each individual word. I feel that each word has the potential for so much. So much power lies within each word. For example, think of the magnitude within these words individually: God, Love, Church, Ecclesia, His. When used in context these words tend to lose their impact, but alone, they can be recognized for what they really are and can be.

I was skimming through a book the other day, which means a lot since I don’t like to read normally, and the book contained writings of the early church; we’re talking 170 A.D. early. The interesting thing is that when we look at what the church spoke about back then, we see so many similarities between the church of old and the church of today. I was reading the First Epistle of the Clement to the Corinthians. It was written shortly after the letters we know as 1 and 2 Corinthians and to the same church. The interesting thing about the letter was that they were facing the same issues that today’s church faces. Like it has always been, we, the church, the ecclesia, are being called to step up, to be an active voice in the world, to be a face of righteousness, to be constant and faithful.

God is calling our youth and adults, the church of today, to step up, to be the change in Uvalde, the change in Texas, the U.S.A., and the world. He is calling us to be constant and faithful, relentless in the pursuit of righteousness. Let us hear that call! No more can we sit idly by watching His creation suffer at the hands of the wicked. God has armed and equipped us to be lights in the darkness of our community and our world. Let us hear that call!

But we may say, “What is one little town on the map? Much less, who am I, one person? How can I do something of that magnitude?”

What is one word among many? It is lost in the multitude. But hear this, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) Now how can we say, “What is one word? How can one person change the world?” God is calling. “He who has ears, let him hear.”

What's the word?

As one of my youth says, “There’s a word… but I can only think of the first half. What’s the word?” That kid makes me laugh.

Today, as I was thinking of what to write, I came across an old hymn that I had put a new melody and chorus to. As a contemporary worship leader, I did what so many of my kind do; when we can’t think of any new songs to write, we just look through the old hymnals and put new music to old, but inspiring, lyrics. Needless to say, this particular hymn inspired me today.

“Let us turn in the hymnal to hymn number 195, number 1-9-5, ‘Send Your Word’.” The first line seems to ring true recently… “Send your Word, O Lord, like the rain.” While we have been in times of extreme heat, wondering when the merciless sun will cease for a moment of cool relaxation, the Lord sends the rain. God watches over the delicate balance of the weather, the careful science of sun, heat, rain, humidity, ozone, cold fronts, plant oxidation, etc. So often, we forget about the seemingly trivial responsibilities of God. So often, we go days, weeks, months, years, and near lifetimes without acknowledging the seemingly little things our God does for us. But what about the times of drought, heat exhaustion, flood, blizzard, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc? It is then that we realize the need for our Savior. Why wait so long? Why must we wait until the times of desperation to call upon God? As the last line of the first verse says, “We would all be lost in the dark without Your guiding light.” So, let us “seek [His] endless grace…seek [His] wondrous powers…seek [His] endless love.” Let us call upon the name of God at all times in all circumstances. For we know that when the heat is too much to bear, He sends the rain and sends the Word. Amen.