When God Comes To Uptown

After nearly five years as the Executive Pastor of Heartland Church you would think I would have settled into a routine.  Yet, for better or for worse, that is not at all the case.  You see, God's church is alive.  And, living things change.  And, change and routine don't really work very well together.

A couple of weeks ago I more or less took the week off from most church events.  I missed the men's Bible group and Celebrate Recovery that Saturday morning, I didn't teach that Wednesday night, and I only attended one service on that particular Sunday.  And, in the midst of that time away I found myself in a place of "holy discontentment."  It was nothing I could really put my finger on -- just feeling tired and maybe like my small part of the ministry at Heartland Church was not really going anywhere.

But then, this Saturday came.  Most Saturday mornings I spend three and a half to four hours (sometimes longer) in one of our elementary school classrooms called "Uptown Kids."  That is where our Saturday morning men's group meets, and now where I also meet with other men who are involved in Celebrate Recovery.

I can't really remember how long ago I started our Saturday morning men's group, but I do know it was quite a while ago.  Anyway, this last Saturday was unusual in that one of our Elders invited an old friend to give his testimony to the group.  It was amazing to hear how God has worked in this man's life -- including the obstacles that have been overcome.  We usually end the men's group with prayer, and this Saturday was no exception.

Among the other prayer needs, we prayed for a man who had joined us for the first time, who is going through some difficult issues, and who normally attends a very conservative church.  We laid hands on this man and began to pray, and tears immediately started to flow.  He then dropped to his knees as we continued to pray for him.  It was pretty apparent that God was doing something remarkable right there in front of us.

Anyway, after we had finished for the morning I visited with this man for a moment.  He told me that he had never experienced anything like he had that morning in his entire life.  He then remarked that if this is what God does in a kid's classroom on Saturday mornings he was anxious to see what God did in the sanctuary on Sundays!

Then, today I spoke with a good friend of mine who was also there on Saturday.  He told me that he nearly skipped this Saturday, but decided to go ahead and show up.  This man has a very unique testimony, including a number of life experiences that I would not wish on anyone.  

When I asked what he thought about Saturday, he told me that he was blown away by our guest speaker.  But his reaction had nothing to do with the quality of our guest's delivery or the content of the message.  Instead, my friend said that for the first time in his life he found himself listening to a man whose life experiences were nearly identical to his own.  And, here is the really cool part.  Seeing what God has done for our guest brought my friend a new sense of hope about what God could do in his life!  

And then, during our Celebrate Recovery study, God spoke to me.  I had really mixed emotions about participating in Celebrate Recovery.  On the one hand I was concerned about being in an environment with that kind of transparency given that I am a pastor at the church.  On the other hand, I felt like I should go through the Celebrate Recovery myself if I was going to promote and oversee the program.

But, on Saturday morning I realized there was something that bothered me about Celebrate Recovery -- and that was the prospect of "change" in my own life.  You see, God has completely changed my life over the last decade.  And, while the change has been incredible, even good change is not always easy.  And so, on Saturday I came to the realization that I am just tired of change.  I am tired of uncertainty.  I just wanted God to leave me alone for a little while and let me settle into a routine.  And, that kind of attitude really doesn't work very well with Celebrate Recovery, since CR is all about change.

But, here was the cool thing for me.  As I reflected on Saturday morning, as I thought about the man who had been so touched by God that morning, and as my friend told me about how God had touched him through our guest's testimony, I was able to embrace the prospect of change again.  I was able to let go and allow God to continue to mold me.

It occurred to me that my obedience -- my decision to follow God's prompting and start our men's group (despite my lack passion for being involved in a men's ministry) -- has born incredible fruit time and time again.  I can't even begin to tell you how many times God has shown up in a big way on Saturday mornings in that Uptown Kids classroom. 

I thank God for this incredible group of men who I have the privilege of spending time with every Saturday morning.  I thank God for the men who do the teaching, for the love these guys have for one another, for their desire to pursue God and for their obedience to His will, and for these amazing friendships.  

I joke sometimes that we might get to move out of the Uptown Kids classroom when we grow up a little.  Well, while I sometimes wonder whether men ever really grow up, we just might be getting there.

       

REVEAL

We live, as I am sure you know, in a time of spiritual crisis -- particularly when it comes to young people.  According to research by the Barna Group, six in 10 young people will leave the church permanently or for an extended period starting at age 15.  Further, for probably the first time in the history of the United States, our young people are constantly exposed to a worldview that is distinctly and seriously at odds with Christianity.  And, the sad truth is that few churches are equipped to deal with this “new normal.”

Some churches have simply chosen to ignore the situation, hoping young adults will return to the church when they get older -- perhaps after they have families of their own.  Particularly given the breakdown of the family in America, I am afraid that this is misplaced hope.  

Other churches have made youth the entire focus of their ministries -- alienating older believers in the process.  While the approach is well-intentioned, the church was never intended to be segregated based on age.

David Kinnaman, President of the Barna research group, suggests a better approach -- the approach we try take here at HC -- an intergenerational approach to ministry.  Kinnaman puts it this way:  "In many churches, this means changing the metaphor from simply passing the baton to the next generation to a more functional, biblical picture of a body - that is, the entire community of faith, across the entire lifespan, working together to fulfill God's purposes."

While we are not what I would describe as "youth-centric" at Heartland Church, we do in my opinion have excellent programs for young people, including "Elevate" (which is aimed at high school and junior high school students) and "The Net" (which is aimed at the up-to early 30's crowd).  But, the most significant single event we host here at HC for young people is an annual student conference known as "REVEAL." 

REVEAL started seven years ago as the brain child of Pastor Dusty.  The idea was simple -- to create a weekend where students could openly begin to confess their hidden secrets and experience Christ’s freedom as a result.  The first REVEAL conference was attended by 45 students.  God showed up, major breakthroughs took place, and Pastor Dusty and his team quickly realized that they were onto something big.  And, they were right.

In 2008 HC was joined by students from Grace church, and the number of students who attended more than doubled -- reaching around 100 that year.  Last year, around 650 students from multiple churches converged on HC to attend REVEAL, and this year Pastor Dusty and his team are expecting around 750 to 800 young people to attend!

Of course, the real story of REVEAL is not in the numbers, but in the impact.  I cannot tell you how many parents have told me that REVEAL was a game changer in the lives of their children.  The real story of REVEAL is seeing young people, filled with the Holy Spirit, forming deeper and lasting relationships with Christ.  The real story of REVEAL is life change -- transformation.  The real story of REVEAL is authenticity.  The real story of REVEAL is salvations.

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"Until my first REVEAL student conference, I was still unsure of where I stood with the idea of church.  At REVEAL, God showed me my place.  REVEAL was a turning point to get my life on the right track.  Putting God's calling into action allowed me to begin reaching out to others."

Kaley -- High School Junior

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In fact, one of the coolest things about REVEAL that I hear every year without fail is the impact the conference has on our adult volunteers.  Our adult volunteers think they are going to the conference to volunteer (and they are) but every year I hear about how God used REVEAL to speak into their lives as well.

I hope you will join me in praying for the pastors, leaders, volunteers, and students who will serving and attending REVEAL this year.  I pray that the trends we have seen in recent years will be reversed as church leaders allow God to teach them how to impact a generation that is in a precarious place.  I pray that instead of leaving the church in droves, this generation will be the one to lead our Nation back to God.

REVEAL

When:  April 12-14

Where:  Heartland Church -- Carrollton TX 

http://www.revealtobereal.com/

REVEAL