Jonathan Herron

Things that have me FIRED UP!

• My Executive Pastor told me to take some time off with the fam and rest up ahead of a busy Fall ministry season.  I am so thankful for godly men like Dan who speak into my life and hold me accountable.  Now I'm feeling rested up and fired up!
• I never get sick... so when I do get the rare bug, its usually a big bug.  After 2 weeks of old-man-hacking, gross-sounding-coughing, and no voice, the doc's diagnosed me with an a-typical sinus infection.  After 5 days of med's, I feel a million times better.
• I'm thrilled that we're closing a chapter with our old house in Ohio closing soon.
• Also pumped that we just knocked out another big debt in our Snowball Spectacular.   Joe Sangl is my hero!
• I'm grateful that God allows me to do what I do at the church I love!
• Praying for Psalm 71 to come alive this Fall in the Thumb.
• Next month I'm marking one full year at Colwood. Wow!  Where did the time go?
• In the past year we've seen nearly 170 people receive Christ (including 7 this week alone!).  Amazing.
• We've also witnessed 65 public baptisms and almost 90 new partners/members.
• Absolutely love our ministry staff.  Great mix of men and women.  We laugh hard, pray hard, and work hard together.
• Here's something I'm pretty fired up about: next month I'll be Daddy to a FOUR-year-old!
• Looking forward to this coming Labor Day weekend.  We're doing one of my favorites: a Live Q&A via text messaging!  After the worship set its just gonna be me, my Bible, and a bare stage.
• Next week I'll be at NewSpring for the Coaching Network.  So thankful for the opportunity to learn and increase my leadership capacity.
• Amplify is going LIVE in 2 weeks. Praying for many, many lives to be deeply transformed by Jesus' message of life.
• Week 2 of Amplify (Sep 19th) we're hearing from David Wenzel, who may or may not have 10 years to live.  I believe God is going to use David's story of living with inoperable brain cancer to inspire and impact many in our community.
• We've got some fun plans for October's baptisms and Man series.  We're raising the bar, big-time.
• In case this post hasn't fired you up already, try soaking in Rob Lacey's version of Ephesians 3:

"God's always out-thinking us, out-giving us,
blowing our tiny little minds by setting off
His supernatural power inside us.
We ask Him for the max and He doubles it.
We imagine the best possible result and He betters it."

Ezra 8 Night in the Student Ministry Center

Martin Luther on How to Simply Pray

Hundreds of years ago, Martin Luther's barber asked Luther how to improve his prayer life.  Luther went home and wrote his barber a book as his response.  That book, "A Simple Way to Pray for a Dear Friend," contains the four hindrances to a healthy prayer life along with the Gospel answers:

1)  DISINCLINATION - feelings of condemnation and less-than-ideal performance prevent one from praying.  The Gospel solution = the Cross makes us acceptable (Ephesians 2.8-9).  We can approach God's throne in great confidence (Hebrews 3.16).

2)  PROCRASTINATION - Our prayer life loses its urgency.  To Luther, a prayerless Christian was "a contradiction in terms."  The Gospel solution = the Cross is God's priority demonstrated for us (Matthew 6.33).

3)  LIMITATION - We see prayer as a to-do list and neglect the pulsating power of the Cross.  The Gospel solution = grasping what happened with the curtain in the Holy of Holies being supernaturally torn as Jesus utters the immortal words, "It is finished."

4)  OPPOSITION - Luther wrote, "When we do not pray, someone leaps with joyous delight."  Satan is against us; the Cross reminds us that Christ overcame sin and Satan fully. 

Luther wrote further, "Christians pray best with an open Bible before you." 

Hundreds of years ago, Martin Luther's barber asked Luther how to improve his prayer life.  Luther went home and wrote his barber a book as his response.  That book, "A Simple Way to Pray for a Dear Friend," contains the four hindrances to a healthy prayer life along with the Gospel answers:

1)  DISINCLINATION - feelings of condemnation and less-than-ideal performance prevent one from praying.  The Gospel solution = the Cross makes us acceptable (Ephesians 2.8-9).  We can approach God's throne in great confidence (Hebrews 3.16).

2)  PROCRASTINATION - Our prayer life loses its urgency.  To Luther, a prayerless Christian was "a contradiction in terms."  The Gospel solution = the Cross is God's priority demonstrated for us (Matthew 6.33).

3)  LIMITATION - We see prayer as a to-do list and neglect the pulsating power of the Cross.  The Gospel solution = grasping what happened with the curtain in the Holy of Holies being supernaturally torn as Jesus utters the immortal words, "It is finished."

4)  OPPOSITION - Luther wrote, "When we do not pray, someone leaps with joyous delight."  Satan is against us; the Cross reminds us that Christ overcame sin and Satan fully. 

Luther wrote further, "Christians pray best with an open Bible before you." 

Monday Reflex Video

And now for something completely different.

Every Monday our Staff Team gathers to celebrate weekend wins and swap stories of life-change.  Here's a glimpse via my iPhone 4 from today's pow-wow:

A Glorious Mess: Our Family Grows from 3 to 5

Josiah turns 4 next month and has amplified his prayers in recent weeks for younger siblings.

Earlier this week we were notified that possibly two young boys might be placed with us.  When we shared this news with Josiah, he got to praying... for a little brother and sister.

Thursday morning we received the call - come immediately to pick up a little boy and little girl!  Our family has swelled to include a 9-month-old little, little man and 2-year-old princess.  And Josiah is now our in-house charismatic prayer expert.

As the court process progresses in the weeks and months ahead, we'll receive greater clarity on God's plans for these darling children.

The last 48 hours have been a glorious mess: a mixture of beautiful fun, adrenaline crashes, and sleep deprivation.  And that's just the pug's experience!

I think the local WalMart Greeter is sadly on a first-name basis with us now from frequent odd-hour trips for food, clothes, diapers, etc.  Yes, I am sad to report that we have become People of WalMart.

Mornings are especially entertaining as we learn the fine art of Breakfast Triage.  So long as Amber and I move quick like super-ninjas, the plates continue to spin.

We are thankful for this new journey as we enter our 13th year of marriage this weekend.  Prayers, encouragement, and WalMart gift cards are welcomed.

Must-See Links

• Our Executive Pastor and Lead Worshiper each share pix + reflections from last week's trips to NewSpring and Elevation.
• Speaking of NewSpring, the Leadership-Conference-on-Steroids is coming in Sep.  Check out the speaking line-up and you'll see why I call this The Vintage Manly Crazy Purpose Love Driven Sun Stand Still Redneck Shindig (I'd buy that on a conference t-shirt!!).  Early bird rate extended.
• Speaking of Driscoll, read his new article for the Washington Post, A Pastoral Response to Ann Rice 'Quitting' Christianity.
• And finally, my buddy Josh Allen has yet to post Vegas Elvis pix.  But he did reference our Catalyst church planting days in Ohio.

Backstage at the AV Club

"Leadership begins the moment
someone takes responsibility for change" - Stephen Mansfield

 

I love learning from leaders. 
Its even more fun when they become your friends.

Ken Wilson is one such leader.  Heading up all things visual at NewSpring, Ken and I over the years have shared an affinity for Gen X goodness.  From Star Wars to Super Mario Bros to LOST (although we have fiercely different opinions on the LOST finale!), Ken is a great leader with an awesome family.

While I was in town for Perry's Coaching Network last week, Ken graciously took me on a backstage tour of NewSpring's visual arts department... and gave me the go-ahead to blog it (actually it felt more like an Obi-Wan-Kenobi-using-mind-control-with-a-wave-of-his-hand-trick).

The new video wing under construction greets visitors with a big whiteboard.   The method to the creative madness is simple: write down tech requests for upcoming Sundays ahead of time. 

As Ken put it, "Everything COSTS you something."  Writing down tech needs prioritizes.  Creativity pow-wows are often held in the hallway with the whiteboard:

We're totally stealing this idea.

Next Ken took me into the Nerve Center.  I think I saw this room in The Matrix once.

During each service, highly-trained volunteers direct the live cameras from this black box.  With video graphics enhancing worship and teaching, this is where the magic happens.  Notice the large red LED clock that keeps all tech cues timed out and coordinated precisely:

If I wasn't a pastor, I'd be a Secret Service Agent.
And if I weren't an agent, I'd be a Videographer
(true story: I actually went to college in Chicago on a film scholarship). 

Perhaps this is why I enjoyed visiting one of the many editing suites.  This staffer creating a piece for the I Love the 80's teaching series allowed Ken, Will Rodes, and Yours Truly to share ideas on the VH1-themed video bumper:

With caffeine running low, our tour came to a close.
Three takeaways I gained from Ken's tour:

1. Quality requires investment. 
   It costs money/takes time/requires skill to pull off quality worship experiences.  And it pays off when lost people are found.
2. Artists need self-discipline.
   Ken doesn't micro-manage; he trusts his staff's work is getting done by deadline.  This pushes artists to not only create, but also manage themselves in the execution process.
3. Fun relieves stress.
   Glimpses of personality in the office spaces bring relaxation for the mind while concentrating on work.

Tozer Tuesday

We have many examples of God walking with man.

And Enoch walked with God:

and he was not, for God took him (Gen 5:24).

I can just imagine the fellowship those two had together.

Then one day the walk took longer than usual and God looked at Enoch and said,

My house is closer. 
Why don't you come home with Me tonight?

And Enoch just disappeared.

- A.W. Tozer

Answering Psalm 71

Psalm 71 is a rallying cry for Christ-followers. 
Especially verse 18:

So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim Your might to another generation,
Your power to all those to come.

Re-read line two again.
Lines three and four reveal God's mission for His people.
Line two is the consequence of disobedience:
If I don't answer God's call, He'll move on to someone who will.

God gave a calling to Moses' generation.
They failed to step up to the plate...
so God moved on to Joshua's generation.

In Isaiah 5, God plants a vineyard (Israel). 
They are called to impact their world mightily. 
But they only yield sour grapes.

So God moves on to a new generation in John 15. 
Jesus says that bearing fruit accomplishes the mission of God. 
And the disciples begin to answer Psalm 71 in their lifetime.

God is calling us to a specific purpose.
He has mighty adventures in store for our lives.
Are we answering His call... or will He have to move onto someone else?

NewSpring Coaching Network

Incredible past few days in Anderson, SC with Perry Noble.  It was encouraging to rub shoulders with other lead pastors nationwide and hear stories of how God is prevailing through their churches.  

I was blown away by NewSpring's generosity in pouring into our staff guys one-on-one.  They even connected our crew to Chunks Corbette and the crazy-genius team at Elevation in Charlotte.

Back at NewSpring, God used Perry to really speak into where I'm at in ministry right now.  Perry said that the worst thing that could happen is if our church went through another growth spurt and I personally wasn't ready for it. 

So goes the Leader, so goes the team.  If the Lead Pastor is not healthy, the Staff will not be healthy and the Church will not be healthy.  Making sure I'm personally in a good, vibrant place is the most important lesson of all.

So true.  God has been incredibly faithful in blessing our first year with over 160 people receiving Christ, 65 baptisms, over 80 new church partners, etc.  All the attention and credit needs to go toward Jesus because He is calling the shots and He is responsible for what we're experiencing in Caro, MI.

With strong Kingdom advancement comes bogus opposition from the Enemy.  What warms God's heart (reaching the lost at any cost) brings a chill to the gates of Hell.  The greatest spiritual oppositions come before the greatest breakthroughs.

Personal health becomes paramount moving forward.  Perry's words were on-target and affirming.  A few key thoughts that impacted me:

"Senior Pastors receive tons of attention, but not much care."  Very true.  Intentionally seeking out healthy relationships (particularly with other pastors) is a must.

"To be healthy, you WILL tick some people off in your church."  No matter what, in the quest to be a healthy leader, I'm going to be misunderstood... by other Christians.  I might as well intentionally define what I will be misunderstood about, namely, making boundary choices that will keep my and my family in a healthy place.

"Your church needs your LEADERSHIP more than your PREACHERSHIP."  Establishing a sustainable preaching schedule has become a high priority in my life for the coming year.  Perry was very specific on which calendar weekends to focus on.

"Don't read what people say about you, either positive or negative.  Positive can lead to pride; negative deflates."  Dan and I spent a lot of time talking about this area.  We are now deeply committed to being deaf to critics of our church's vision and strategy.  We are rock-certain of God's leading and will not give our critics a platform going forward.

Obviously with 9 pages of handwritten notes in my Moleskin, Perry covered a ton with the Coaching Network.  This is just a taste of what all God is teaching and refining in me right now.  Going forward I am committed to realignment personally so that I am in in strong physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. Looking forward to September's coaching!