Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

Mobile, AL (BP)
Decemeber 9, 2005

A New Orleans Baptist Theolgical Seminary Student has caused such an uproar in SBC circles that the SBC Police have put out an A.P.B. on him. His name is Joe Kennedy. Joe recently faked his own death to avoid the church police and helped fellow fugitive Kevin Bussey a.k.a. K-dawg escape from Fred Phelps.

Kennedy has been in the middle of the SBC International Mission Board controversy over Baptism and private prayer language. Joe has had the audacity to question the IMB trustee’s policies. This has resulted in “Christian” name-calling by those who oppose Kennedy’s views. Tollerance has never been a strength among the Church police! Anyone who knows Kennedy’s wherebabouts is urged to call 1-800-pharise!

I love creativity! God has blessed me with it! I have learned that creativity breeds creativity. When we started our church in Atlanta I was looking for a worship leader. I had contacts at Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta. I have never seen so many creative people in one place. From Kidstuff to their drama to music and communication. I found out that creative people flock to each other.

I think we saw that here in our student ministry. As I used my creative energy, creative people began to get involved. Angela and Whitney are so talented in drama. Greg, JMO, Mike, Spots, Betti, and now Jessi are creative in music. Soupie has a creative way of teaching and Neil has his own creativity. Creativity breeds creativity.

One of our deacons stopped me Wednesday night and did his best to appologize to me for stuff here @ FBTC. I told him I was fine. But he said something that took a while for me to digest. He said:

Wow! That was an interesting statement. I have had people rattle off fondly some of the creative things I had done here. I couldn’t believe they remembered. That goes to show you that creativity is effective in teaching and communicating the Bible! God is creative! Just look at creation! How can you not look at people, beaches, mountains, deserts, trees, etc and not see that God is creative!

What excites me about my new ministry is that my creativity is what attracted them to me. I don’t have to appologize for it! I can be who I am. For that I am grateful. I challenge everyone to find their creative juices and let them run wild!

Last night was a bitter-sweet night. I passed the baton (literally) to Soupie. Then JMO, Soup, Jessie, Greg, Angela, Whitney and Neil had a time of prayer when the students prayed over me. Two of our college students really got to me. I will miss all of you very much! Keep doing what we were doing and change things that need to be changed. I will be more offended if things stay the same unless they are still reaching students!

Moving is never fun. Our realtor in Mobile called and said something about termites and a structural inspection. I just want to get this over with at this point. We are suppose to close on this house tomorrow evening and then on our house in Charlotte via phone on Monday. The movers pack Tuesday and Wednesday and load Wednesday and Thursday. We will be nomads for 5 days going to Scottsboro and then Columbia.

We are excited about our new place of service. I’m also excited about what God is going to do through Element 2 Student ministries. Come see me and we will go to a NASCAR race! 88 Rules! RACE THAT TRUCK!!

[update] the termite thing is ok. We close tomorrow @ 4:00!

When I first moved to Mobile, Ken Nuss’ e-mail address was broken@fbtc.org I always thought that was cool because I thought he planned it that way “broken” However it was just Bro. Ken. I won’t get started about the “brother” stuff now.

I believe God wants all of us “BROKEN!” Pride is the sin that got Lucifer kicked out of heaven. Pride is the downfall of almost every hurting church. I am leaving Mobile broke and broken. I don’t say that to have anyone feel sorry for me. I say it because it is true. God has allowed me to be broken. For that I am grateful.

Henry and Richard Blackaby in their book SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP said:

“God isn’t looking for people to be committed to Him, He is looking for people to be submitted to Him.”

I believe this isn’t something you can just decide to do. A person has to live and go through pain and suffering to get to this point. A broken person doesn’t rely on their own power. They need help. Think about all of the people in the NT who had to be led to Jesus by friends because their bodies were so broken they couldn’t make it there on their own. I like the book I’m reading now by Louie Giglio: I Am Not But I Know I AM. See when we give up ourselves and our own selfish desires, God steps in and takes control. Matthew 11:28-30 says:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

When we give up being, God becomes! When we stop trying to live selfish lives, God allows us to be part of something greater. My goal in life is to serve Him and be part of something bigger than myself. I am grateful God thought enough of me to be broken!

Tomorrow is my last night with our students. We’ve been through a lot together. They have been through more than they deserve. I do feel we have left a legacy for the next person to build upon.

When I was a teacher/coach I was asked to coach the track team. We did pretty well and took a group to the state track meet. Our 4×4 relay team was one of beauty. Ken Irvin who played football in the NFL was our anchor. Frankie Fletcher who played college ball with Ken at the University of Memphis was also on this team. They were fast. But as fast as they were, it was the exchange of the baton that made a successful relay team. If they dropped the baton they lost. If they had a slow exchange they wouldn’t finish first. The good teams found the right time to pass the baton and it would shave time off their run.

Tomorrow I will pass the baton of “element2” to Brad (Soupie) Campbell, Angela , Neil , Whitney, JMO, Betti, Spots, Mike, Jason & Tammy and Greg. We have great teachers like Derek, Ray, Jessie, Devon, Dana, Scott and other helpers. I feel good about this because they have bought in to our vision. E2 stands for engage and entreat. We have built an awsome youth center “the attik” and have brought back some excitement to the student group that hasn’t been there since Justin and Ken W. left.

I’m sad to leave my friends and the students but I feel we are passing the baton at just the right place in the relay that the ministry will grow long after I am gone.