The Phil Files

I was driving through the Hill Country of Texas when the phone rang. I had just passed through a small town and I knew the sparse cell towers wouldn’t allow the signal to last much longer. Donna and I were on a rest-and-read retreat after an extremely busy summer of ministry, so I wasn’t supposed to be answering this phone. But I checked the number and answered this time, not sure who was on the other end. But the number had that strange feel of familiarity that said I needed to answer it.

“Hi Phil, this is Matt. I had a commute into town today and just felt the Lord wanted me to call you. We hadn’t talked in awhile, so I called …”

I pulled to the side of the road under a shady tree. Donna read a book. Matt and I visited while I burned gas keeping the car cool in the wilting 105 degree heat. Neither Matt nor I was sure why the call was so important, but we both felt it was one of those “God-things” and we have both learned to follow our instincts on this.

As we visited, we talked about one of Matt’s daughters, a precious and godly young woman whom I had the privilege of baptizing this last spring. She was only in town for a couple of months, but we talked about how important those months had been.

“I’m glad she was here and I believe it was a pivot point in her life,” I shared with Matt.

I’m not sure I have ever used that phrased before. I’m not even sure I have ever heard it used that way. But we talked about the term pivot point and what a powerful term it was used in this way and how it accurately described what had happened in his daughter’s life. She was never in trouble, never bad, never had some deep issue, but these few months of time allowed her to catch her breath, re-commit to her values, determine the next stage of her life’s journey, and move on to the place where God was calling her. It was a pivot point for her!

After an emotional breakfast this morning with Donna (my wife to all those who are not familiar with life in the Warehouse) I find this term especially applicable to our last few months.

We talked deeply, a long time, about the experiences of this past summer. How God has permanently welded several people into our hearts — a young lady from China, a young man from Thailand, two young girls from Peru, two young foster grandchildren in Kentucky, and young lady from Madagascar in our own town. We talked how our economy of scale has changed. (We now evaluate how we spend our money and how much money we spend based on what we could do with and for these precious ones.) We talked about our future and what God was calling us to do to make a difference in each of their lives and how there are very few limits that we even know how to consider — we know there are limits, and we have them, but they are hard to discern at times.

We love our own kids more than ever, and are so very proud of them and the values they live and the things they are accomplishing. We miss them, yet believe in them. They have our hearts. But they are also on their way down the road God has called them. We will share that road, but what that means is still in flux. We can’t wait to see where they go and what God does, but it is different now. Love has another chapter to write on our hearts in their lives and we can’t wait to see what it is. We talked about this as well.

So we find ourselves at a pivot point. More than looking at trying to recoup our losses in retirement funds so we can be comfortable, we are busy trying to figure out how we can do what we can to help these who are precious to us. How are we going to use our time next year? Where will we go? What can we do to give each of them, or any of them, a better change to really know Jesus and his grace and find life — real, exciting, meaningful life — for their future.

Years in full time ministry take their toll. That’s why many don’t make it to my age doing what I do. We live in a time and place where we are spoiled and like things our own way and church often feels more like a consumer complaint department than it does a sacrifice center for folks headed off on Kingdom missions —  yes, I include myself in that number of the spoiled and selfish consumer, too! But we still drawn to these people we love and the friends that hold us in their hearts. We are so stinking blessed and often fail to realize it.

For us, the pivot point is not as dramatic (at least not yet) as it was for Abraham, but I believe the principle is the same. God is calling us to set out on a future that is not yet known, promising to bless us so that we can be a blessing (Genesis 12:1-3). I don’t believe this is a new call. I believe this is what the Lord called us to many times over the last 30 plus years. But this time, at least, we realize it is a real pivot point in our lives.

I guess I’m done with all the angst of purpose-driven living. I now simply want to be led by the Spirit and be used as God’s blessing in the lives that are precious to me and are even more precious to my Father. I believe that the Father has given me a vision of what some of that can, and maybe should, look like.

But like Abraham, it’s still unknown country and I’m not sure how much of it I will actually see. But I pray that some of these precious ones will get to see more it than I do and that Donna and I will get to help them on their way as they find God’s road for their future. I hope that we can help them find their pivot point in some way, so that they can be all that God has created them to be … and most of all, that we can see all of them in our forever family.

So now I use this pivot point, and set off to an unknown future, and can’t wait to see where God’s road leads. How about you?

In the Heartlight.org post on “The Main Thing,” I tried to remind us that we must be a people of God’s holy character as well as His faithful compassion. Yet in the middle of emphasizing these things, we must never lose sight of the main thing!

I received a nudge about a small video piece on Viddler. I refer to it a bit reluctantly — not because it is not excellent, but because I am not completely sure it is supported by the folks who released the award winning film on which it is based. So I am pointing you to both the Viddler video and also to the website to consider using the whole video presentation at some time in your church with proper licensing and fees. The film is incredibly well done and has received some of the highest honors. It can be purchased fairly inexpensively for individual use and licensed reasonably for church use. The film is called Most. Beautifully and poignantly edited, this is an incredibly moving piece that helps us understand in some small way the cost to God the Father for the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son. Please check out the website: http://www.mostthemovie.com.

The Viddler video is not nearly as subtle and much shorter, but connects the subtler elements of the movie and drives the point home. It can be found on the web:
http://www.viddler.com/explore/MaximumReferral/videos/1/

Please, don’t use the video without proper licensing. I share it only to help illustrate the point that God sent His Son to do The Main Thing!

It’s Monday. Short night. It will be a long day. I pray it will not be as a long as last Monday — which in fact lasted all week.

This day, however, dawned bright, crisp, and beautiful with thoughts full of worship and hope and … mission.

So many things crowd into our hearts trying to live for the Kingdom. So many things crowd into our hearts threatening to shove out our focus on our mission as Jesus’ followers. Let’s not forget the main thing!

Last updated on 11.17.2008

For 11/16 Don’t Forget the Main Thing (4:3-6; cf. 1:13-14, 21-23, 28-29)

This message is for Daybreak on 11/16 and Refresh on 11/30.

Harvest Sunday
Because of the emphasis on Harvest Sunday this week – we will have a Harvest Sunday offering this week – I’ve switched the message for the 30th to the 16th and the previously scheduled message for this Sunday (on our center for thankful joy) to the 30th — for Daybreak, it will remain the same for Refresh. In addition, this can be a much shorter, succinct message, which will be important on a Sunday with a special focus on giving to short-term missions and other mission projects at Southern Hills.

Key Passage: Colossians 4:3-6 – I’m staying away from The Message this week because I think it misses some of the basic meaning of the text and because it uses a word or two that could be misinterpreted – the phrase “don’t miss a trick” sounds manipulative to me in the context of sharing our faith and living before people to influence them to Jesus. However, the Easy to Read Version here is pretty good:

Also pray for us. Pray that God will give us an opportunity to tell people his message. I am in prison for doing this. But pray that we can continue to tell people the secret truth that God has made known about Christ. Pray that I will say what is necessary to make this truth clear to everyone. Be wise in the way you act with those who are not believers. Use your time in the best way you can. When you talk, you should always be kind and wise. Then you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should.

Introductory Story:
Years ago, four university ladies in Abilene began to care for an older African American woman who had severe diabetes and was confined to her wheel chair because she had lost most of her lower extremities. For two years, these young women made sure she had food and friendship. Eventually, however, her body gave out and she died. As the preacher in town began to meet with these four young women and the few members of this lady’s family, it became clear that the woman had never made a commitment to Jesus. While what the four young ladies did was admirable, really in those days it was courageously kind, they never took time to visit with this dying woman and talk about her walk with Jesus, her need for grace, her opportunity for baptism and the gift of God’s forgiveness and the power of the Holy Spirit.

In today’s world, under the banner of not judging anyone, we often neglect the opportunity to talk about the most important news of all – the good news Jesus and the opportunity of the Kingdom of God into people’s lives. In the middle of doing lots of good things, we must not forget the main thing. So today, I have only one point: let’s not forget the main thing!

And what is that main thing? Bringing people into a saving relationship with Jesus. John 3:16-17; Colossians 1:13-14 & 21-22

• It’s easy for us to lose focus and neglect this – why we try to guard the Fall
• It’s easy for us to forget how blessed we are with the Hope we have
• We become like the ancient railroad signalman who forgot to light his lantern

Basically, Paul tells these new believers in Jesus to …

1. Pray for him to share the message of Christ
2. Live for opportunities to share the message of Christ (cf. 1 Peter 3:15-16)

LIFE Questions:

What makes it hard to live with “the main thing” in mind?

What is the difference between sharing our faith – our story about what Jesus has done in our lives and our reason for hope in Jesus (1 Peter 3:15-16) – and being an evangelist?

Do you have a story to share with folks about what Jesus has done in your life?

Can you share with someone what they need to do to become a true follower of Jesus?

What makes it especially hard for us to share our faith with others where we live?

Does living for “the main thing” mean we are just nice to people to get them to become followers of Jesus?

How do we genuinely engage in conversation and enter into the life of people that God brings into our lives?

What do we do if they reject our respectful efforts to share Christ with them?

1 Corinthians 14 identifies 3 different types of folks who come to our worship gatherings – brothers and sisters (brethren), unbelievers, and inquirers (mentioned several times but look especially at (vs. 24-26).

What are you doing to make friends and enter into relationship with unbelievers?

What is the difference between inquirers and unbelievers?

What are you doing to share your faith and the way to respond to Jesus with inquirers?

What do I need to do to be prepared to share “my story” and to share Jesus with others to whom God leads me?

What difference has knowing Jesus made in your life?

Using Acts 2:22-47, outline what people need to do to come into a saving relationship with Jesus.