I couldn’t so he did. He worked the barbs of the Hula Popper out of the fish’s mouth, and then he tried to hand the fish to me. “Here Jeff, hold him like this. Just put your thumb in here on the bottom of his mouth, and your fingers on the underside, and you’ll paralyze him.” “Won’t he bite me?” “No, he won’t because he’ll be paralyzed – go ahead, take him.” I tried. I really did. My hand moved toward the 17-inch large mouth bass, but I just couldn’t plunge my thumb into his gaping mouth!
“Jeff, don’t you trust me?” Oh, come on Pastor, I thought. Don’t make it about that! Don’t make my touching this stinkin’ fish personal between us… “Yes, I trust you.” “Then go ahead, just take him – you caught him, you can put him on the stringer.” When all was said and done, that dark Sunday night after the evening service, down at Mastin’s pond with my friend Hal, and the pastor’s wife and kids – I never touched that monster fish. I mean, I was only like ten years old. The thing is… I’ve never touched a fish since then either! But that’s a story for my counselor… MY PASTOR MY FRIEND I lived in that small town for only two months after this man came to pastor my church, then we moved. Just two months. Late one Sunday afternoon the Pastor stopped by my house and asked if I wanted to go fishing after the evening service (that I never attended), and if I did I could bring a friend. Of course I said yes. (It was always good to fish with others, so they could take my fish off the hook!) I still remember that night, the dark moonless sky held a bright canopy of stars. The crickets chirped loudly in the weeds. Bullfrogs and small fish splashed the surface of the water. “Jeff, on these dark nights it’s best to use black lures,” he said. “Why in the world would that be true?” I wondered back. “Here’s why Jeff, take your hand, stretch it out and hold it above your head. See? See how it contrasts against the night sky? That’s what the fish sees. The blacker the lure, the better the contrast.” Now that’s something I’ve never forgotten. I’ve never really used the information either – but I’ve never forgotten it! You know, when your dad never took you fishing, it didn’t take much to create a personal connection. My pastor noticed me. He cared. And that meant a lot to me. I remember that night, and our many encounters after it. Eight years later I would live with this pastor and his family for almost four months. He invited me to help him at his church, which I accepted. I was there, I’m not sure how much help I was, but I learned a lot. Thirty-five years after that night at the pond, I would stop at his house on my way to pick up my daughter from college. Hadn’t seen each other in twenty-five years! He was now an old man, and I was old enough. While talking to his wife in the kitchen, he walked in from the backyard. Without saying a word we embraced, two pastors now, and I wept. I couldn’t contain the emotions that welled up in me. This man, as flawed as we all are, had made a profound difference in my life, simply because he cared, and because he spent just a little time with me, and established a friendship. STILL MAKING A DIFFERENCE Hardly a week goes by when I am not influenced by that night at the pond. Will I stop and talk with a kid? Will I pay attention to a little girl who says, “Look Pastor, look what I made”? Will I give a teenager the time of day, saying hello and using his or her name? You bet I will! I’m the pastor now. In forty years I want some men and women to write about how their pastor knew them, cared about them, and had influence in their lives. It really doesn’t take much to make a difference. Of course, I’ll never take a kid’s fish off a hook. I mean, I do have limits. Or will I?
Today's podcast is based on Karl Vater's blog post here from NewSmallChurch.com. We want to give Karl credit and encourage you to check out his website as there is a ton of encouragement there for you as a small church pastor/leader.
Me with my very good friends, twin bros Tim and Dave Mayo, on the front porch. It was their father, Dean Mayo, who had the vision to use this family property and home to encourage Christian workers and provide a place of renewal and fellowship for pastors. You'll need to listen to the podcast for these pictures to make sense!
It occurred to me (Jeff) that what was important in Karl's blog post, was the same thing that was crucial in making our pastor's retreat special and effective... relationships! Relationships are the glue that holds the church together. They are the active ingredient in any healthy and high quality local church. If people do not enjoy meaningful and significant relationships, then what size the church is doesn't matter at all.
Relationships are easy in the small church, there's not too many trappings to get in the way. No busy parking lots, crowded lobbies, or streams of people exiting the building after the service. In a smaller church, people can get to know others and be known by others. They can be missed when they're gone. They can also get to know the pastor, and even speak to him or to her every week. The very thing, smallness, that might bother you as a pastor, is the very thing that facilitates strong and healthy relationships, so go with it and use it to your advantage.
As a pastor/leader, build relationships on your staff or lay leadership team. Be intentional. In today's podcast, Jonny and I model for you, through our own interaction, what a good relationship looks like. It has taken us four years of intentionality and commitment, and a decision to really enjoy each other - for us to get to this level. We don't take each other too seriously, but we are very serious about serving God together. We have had a number of direct, blunt, and heart to heart talks since we started working on the same staff almost two years ago. Our previous friendship was helpful to our initially working together, but that soon ran out and we had to choose to be intentionally authentic with each other. The relationships that our church leaders model will affect the relationships your people experience with each other. We hope that you totally enjoy Episode 69! It was fun to create with each other and with Karl Vaters from NewSmallChurch.com. If you enjoy Karl on our podcast, you'll enjoy his book, The Grasshopper Myth, too! You can purchase it from the link to the right of this webpage, or by clicking on the picture below.
Watch this video first - it's short, and it's John talking about two roads, from the book, The Cure. It will give you a glimpse into John's personality and caring nature - then you'll hear him on today's Episode 61 of the 200churches Podcast!
May we introduce to you, for the first of what we hope will be many appearances on the 200churches Podcast, John Lynch! John is from Phoenix, AZ where he is one of the pastors at Open Door Fellowship Church. John has been there for thirty years. John, along with his friends Bill Thrall and Bruce McNicol, have written the book, The Cure - What if God isn't who you think he is, and neither are you
TODAY'S PODCAST EPISODE
This book, The Cure, has made a significant impact on many people in our church, and we were able to hoodwink John into joining us live in the opulent and luxurious 200churches Podcast Studio to record this episode for you! John was speaking in the area, and we sent a car, and spirited him away in the dark of night to join us in the studio. One of our church members, Steve Mason, who read the book, and whose life was changed by it, drove out and picked John up. Steve has been a HUGE blessing to our church, as we have seen the transformation Jesus has made in his life, and as we have been blessed by his love for us. The truth is, Steve’s wife Pam has also been changed by the message of the Cure, that God’s grace is so much stronger than our efforts – and Pam made two mouth watering pies that we consumed upon completion of the recording. Consumed like wild, ravenous wolves! Steve, John Lynch, Jonny, and I basically had a party in the 200churches Studio, and recorded some of it for you! We had a blast! John is one of Steve’s heroes, and one of our heroes now too, and it was so enjoyable to just sit and have fellowship together that only happens because Jesus loves us and makes us brothers.
Today’s podcast is only the tip of the iceberg. We will have another episode, much longer, next month, where John expands on the message of The Cure. In the coming months we will have John back, as well as Bill Thrall, to encourage all of us as pastors of small churches in our personal walk with Jesus.
In today’s episode John introduces and explains the foundational message of the book – replete with his Scottish accent and Irish brogue, mixed wonderfully with the voice of a drunken pirate! You’ll just have to hear it. Below are two short videos by Bill Thrall and Bruce McNicol, as well as links to the TrueFaced website and The Cure book. We do get a kickback if you buy the book – and that would be the joy of knowing your heart will be changed and you just may never understand your relationship with God the same again – really! Next week – Small Church Pastor Coach Dave Jacobs! Our topic with Dave is one of the small church pastor’s toughest struggles – Fighting Fear. That’s next week on Episode 62.
Here is Bill Thrall sharing what we think is a phenomenal perspective on the Gospel and the Christian life. Bill will join us in the future on the podcast.
What?! What are you doing reading a blog post today?! Unless you’re currently unmarried without a significant other, you should be spending all your extra time today working on “your Valentine.” Since you’re already reading this, I have five questions for you, and then you need to get going – and start thinking about You-Know-Who!
Five Questions to consider with your spouse tonight:
Use tonight to spend thoughtful time with your spouse - he or she is your secret weapon in ministry! I know, this was not an overtly spiritual post. In case you haven’t noticed, most of them aren’t. You’re a pastor – you should already be driving alongside the spiritual. But, tonight can be as spiritual as you want it to be. Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. |
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