A Year Already

Hard to believe, but this week marks ONE YEAR since I've been the Lead Pastor at LifeSpring Christian Fellowship. Where does the time go???

I am incredibly humbled and blessed to have the privilege of pastoring this church. God has really been stretching me, challenging me and growing me as I serve here. Hopefully he's been doing that to the people who attend LifeSpring as well :)

Here's a couple of things that I've learned over the course of the year that have really grown me spiritually:
  • I care less what people think about me. Now, this may sound harsh... but it's SO true. My role is not to get people to like me... my role is to help people grow spiritually. The spiritual gift of shepherd is to love people so much as to not leave them as they are. If I was just concerned with having people like me then I would be too scared and nervous to speak God's truth. It is impossible to pastor a church while concerned that every body likes me. Truth is... I can't make everyone like me! I can't please 100% of the people at LifeSpring 100% of the time. And if I spend my time worrying about that fact I would end up burned out and washed out. I preach, prayer, serve, and work for an audience of ONE... the only one who matters, Jesus Christ!

  • Little Faith = Little Results. When I expect little things then I shouldn't be surprised with little results. When I pray for big things I should expect God to work in big ways! It's pretty easy to just accept that things are the way they are in a small church... it's easy to get caught in the lie that God isn't a work in a big way. I've been seeing God do great stuff, at my church and all around me. I'm BLOWN away by how he works through all different parts of his body, the Church. And this has really increased my faith!! I know God is up to BIG BIG things all around me. And I celebrate those a lot more now than I did in the past!

  • Change Matters. Why would we expect our church to produce different results when everything stays the same week after week? But that is so true in the church world. We expect revivals and tons of new people to just magically show up... without us doing anything. In just a short year, the little changes we've made at LifeSpring have already produced BIG changes. I'm excited to see even more new and creative ways to do our ministry come out this year and to see all that God will do through it! As I embrace change I see God working in my heart to change and transform it in new ways.

As we're praying and planning for the future I see a lot of great things ahead. I also see a lot of challenges. But I know that God is with us and there is no reason to fear what He wants to accomplish in us and through us.

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