Living courageously...

If you've stumbled here you are going to find something possibly shocking...If you are not shocked then that could only mean that I have already talked to you about this.

LIVING COURAGEOUSLY!
How do you live your life? Do you just accept - there is grace in that. There is the contentment of "come what may" (Philippians 4:11) I will live my life faithfully. There is blessing in a life of quiet peace (1 Timothy 2:2; James 3:17). But that doesn't mean a plain and meaningless, adventureless life. In fact Paul who wrote two of three of the above verse lived anything but a "cottage in the fair woods" sort of existence.

So I've struggled with how "comfortable" to get...All my life. I struggle with reaching a point where life is easy. I lived in the Mecca called Hamilton ("my town" as I called it) for nearly 10 years. I loved it...I knew most everyone there and the few I didn't know, knew me. I was a big fish in a small pond. With God's help and the blessings of good people, we made a difference in that little world. We could have stayed there and continued to build that good people and made quite a legacy. But I started to feel to comfortable - like I should/could influence more.

About that time the opportunity came to move to work with the renowned Granny White church. It was the "holy place" in the "holy city" - the "temple" in 'Jerusalem". There are, maybe 10, possibly 20, congregations in our brotherhood that are "known" everywhere. And these peoples' faith is spoken of everywhere. To help that church regain it's vitality - to be a part of a sudden movement - to influence the energies of a church that had struggled after a great history but was now awakening. So we moved and with God and timing and some of the best people I've ever met - things moved! It's been a wonderful 9 years!

Well, I feel comfortable. We could stay here and continue to fight the ultra's - we could be happy for a long time - walking with giants in a place where even midgets become giants...but here goes...

Back roughly 6 years ago now a man who I did not know came into my office and unfolded a dream to me. He told me of the growth in Spring Hill and the projections for the growth over the next 15 years or so. He told me there was virtually no congregation with a mind to grow in that area and that he and some others from a couple of faithful congregations in South Nashville and Franklin, who were living in Spring Hill were going to plant a congregation to take that city and the many young families there for Christ. He told me they wanted me to be their preacher - I assured him I was not his man He told me they would be back in touch with me.
That infant congregation began meeting in November. They have purchased 35 acres on I-65 that they will be developing into their church campus over the next several years. They are averaging about 85 in attendance in the little building that was designed to seat roughly, well, 85.

I cannot believe I am doing this, it was not a dream of mine - but it has become a passion. Spring Hill is the 14th fastest growing city in the US.

When I was much younger I often lamented how we would take our most experienced, our older ministers and they would be hired and paid well by the healthiest of congregations - and that we take our young bucks and send them to churches with no elders and limited resources. What I am going to be attempting is well, a risk, it is either the most courageous thing I've ever done or the craziest.

It will have always been one of the great privileges of my life to have worked with the numerous Godly people that make up the Granny White church. It has been one of the thrills of my life to stand in that pulpit - to grow comfortable with the giants of the faith that inhabit those pews. Regularly I'll introduce myself "I'm Dale Jenkins" (and that'll mean little) then, I'll say, "I preach at the Granny White congregation" and suddenly I'm important- The ego that comes from that has been one of the challenges to my faith that made coming to this decision challenging.
To stand in this pulpit each week has been a phenomenal challenge! The history of this great church - I wish this opportunity did not intrigue me - I wish it had come 5 years later but IÂ’d rather leave happy than angry.

This is not in any way about unhappiness or frustration here - I am not unhappy with the elders or church here - nor am I running from anything. This is about a dream - an opportunity - a vision.

In one of our elders' meetings a few years back an elder asked if we'd ever considered "swarming" starting a new congregation. I thought it was crazy - a new church in Nashville! Over the next few years as I looked at how the outlaying areas have grown I've wondered who was going to reach those many families moving into our area.
I want my two sons going into ministry to see that there is value in risk!
I want my life to count - to mean more - to be a part of building something great for the Lord. I want this risk.
I want to leave you happy - not where you wish I was leaving and wonder why I havenÂcourageously I want to live couragously...
So on June 4 this announcement will be made and on July 23 we will begin working at the Spring Meadows church - A PLACE OF VISION.
So, will you pray for us? And if you've stumbled onto this site accidentially ... prior to June 4, congrautlations, you are privy to a secret - shhh....



http://springmeadows.faithsite.com/

Dale's Spot

STARBUCKS BLOGGIN'
I'm blogging from Starbucks this Friday evening. Seems to be the place to blog from. Mel's on her way to meet a dear friend in Alabama for supper, Andrew is out with friends, Philip is at FHU and Ren is at work here in town. So a Friday night and I'm alone - just me, my computer, iTunes, a manuscript and God.

About Starbucks. Those who know me know that I've been "anti-coffee" all my life. In fact, coffee has always made me dizzy. Last July my buds Scott and Jeff were with me in New York City. We were there for the 25th anniversary of the Springfield Gardens church. The preacher there is Bill Johnson a one of a kind fellow. He's one of three Bill Johnson's I now know. When I moved to GWP the elders told me about this big lovable guy named Bill Johnson who they supported. I knew Bill Johnson. I met him when he was raising funds for One Nation Under God. Big personality, lovable - as the elders described Bill to me I of course, said, "Yeah, I know Bill, he's great!) Imagine my surprise when I made my first trip to NYC to work in a training program with Bill and he was big, lovable, all the things "my" Bill Johnson was, except this Bill Johnson was a black man. The elders never mentioned that - and I didn't care - but imagine my surprise!

I love Bill. He's huge - a big man with a big personality - but an even bigger heart. If you don't like Bill, you wouldn't like Jesus, I imagine :). I've been up there a few times with Bill, we went up in the World Trade Center together several years ago (one of the members of the church there was a part of the Police force in that building. He'd taken the day off on 9/11). Bill introduced me to Junior's Cheesecake (an introduction that surely has added 10 pounds to my life!).

So Jeff and Scott and I were up there again last July (05). It was great. Jeff and Scott had never been there before. We had a free morning and headed down to see the Empire State Building, Time Square, the Lady and ground zero. It was a somewhat misty chilly day (yes in July) and Jeff said, let's get a coffee. I said, "You go ahead, I'll pass, I don't drink coffee." Jeff said, "Let me get you something, you'll love it." It wasn't bad. Really. Pretty good. Had a weird name, but not bad.

Fast forward - two months. Family vacation - Ohio - we were in a mall, Melanie, Philip, Andrew and I. Just wasting time. Just walking, enjoying ourselves. We passed a Starbucks (I've always loved the smell of coffee) and I thought, hmmm...I think I'll have another. I couldn't remember the name - but it was the longest thing on the menu - so I ordered one - not bad.

Fast forward - three months - Gospel meeting - North Carolina - I'm in a cruddy motel (cruddy meaning-they had no internet connection and the lobby didn't have any chairs so I could meet and watch interesting people) and need an internet connection so I can forward reviewed chapters to my editors. There's a Starbucks near the motel. So I had another Sunday night, Monday morning, Tuesday night, Wednesday morning, Wednesday night!!! After all, I was using their connection and needed an excuse for being in there.

Fast forward to today - I now visit Starbucks a couple of times a week (at least) - (I'm not sure I love Jeff anymore! :)). It's a great place to compute, to hideout, to watch people. Tonight I met a guy from Montana. A truck driver who owns land and claims to be a millionaire, he is antimedia, antigovernment and powers his truck with some non-oil-based fuel. And, he was, well, frankly, spooky. I doubt I'll see him again. We talked about family, his children no longer talk to him. We talked politics, he hates Bush and Kerry but thinks Hilliary will be president someday (I'm not sure he liked her either). He was strange with his old leather prospector hat, worn leather driving gloves, coffee stained teeth and leather vest - but he has a soul. Someday he will stand before God. And I met him tonight. I talked to him about Christ. He didn't know much about Him - only what he's heard on Sirus. So I gave him some material and talked to him about how important Christ was and IS. As he left, he said, "this is the best times I've had in years. Thanks for talking to me." Who knows, maybe I'll meet him in heaven someday. Jeff, thanks, I love Starbucks...The coffee's OK, but the opportunities are wonderful.

Dale's Spot

Death Sentence:

An interesting day. Today I got a call from a reporter from the local ABC affiliate. When my secretary told me the call was from a TV reporter I assumed it was someone wanting a sound byte on the DiVinci stuff. Well, I was wrong. They asked if they could come interview me for a story on the death penalty. I said OK. The interview lasted about 30 minutes and when the report came on tonight they used less than two minutes of what I said - they used the only time I studdered and stammered for words - my worst moment of the 30.

I talked of compassion for all involved, of forgiveness and repentance, I talked of appeals and vigilance in being very sure of the facts of a case. I used Romans 13 and Acts 25 as proof of God's support of a death sentence. In Acts 25 Paul in one majestic sentence allows for both the death penalty and the appeals process. But they picked a couple of my weakest quotes in my opinion.

Over the past 20 years I've been interviewed on television more times than I care to count. Its an honor to have such an opportunity. On 9/11 the NBC affiliate called me and did a live interview. To talk to a "wide" audience is a rare opportunity. You'd think by now I would have learned that these interviews rarely are as fruitful as promised.

And it occured to me that my life in this area is like so many lives. I tried but it didn't go as well as I had hoped. Tonight as you pray, pray for those who try and seem to fail and be thankful for a loving God who is the God of the second chance.

77?

I think a lot about forgiveness - giving it - receiving it. For you see receiving it for my errors, my sins is essential to my own salvation, just as is my giving it.

Matthew 18:22 - You know the context - Peter asks Jesus, how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him, seven times? And you know our Lord's response.

Perhaps you've had this thought a million times, perhaps you saw it in the passage the first time you read it, but I didn't! Not at all. 7 times - no 77 times.

We always talk about how Peter was showing such compasusingseing the complete number of seven and how Jesus called him to such a higher level of thinking. BUT...I've been thinking that 77 times is not really that often. It may seem a lot when we think of how many times we have to forgive others. You think if someone had to come to you that many times, you'd question their sincerity?

But wait, I'm pretty sure I've asked for Mel's forgiveness that many times and I known I've asked Christ for forgiveness many more times than that.

Paul caught hold of this and informed us that it is much more than a math formula. He simply taught that our forgiveness is dependant on our forgiving others.

So, forget the count and the amount - forgive freely...

Still learning this blogging stuff. It's Tuesday night. What a day. I'm thinking tonight of the value of small things.

Drove down to "the great state" and spent some time with a group of youth ministers. We were starting something new with Maywood Christian Camp. Every year was want to honor good youth ministers for their service. This was the first year - it was small but hopefully the start of something that will be meaningful.

Then tonight Mel and I drove out to Cool Springs for the benefit dinner for Heritage Christian University. I'm honored to serve on that board of trustees as well. It is always refeshing to be around the dedicated people who work with that school. They know who they are, what they believe and represent it well. It is worthy of your support (www.hcu.edu). It's been a tough year for this small school financially. That will happen: We'll never turn out guys with huge incomes and have large endowments, we depend on faithful Christian who want to see the gospel preached and taught.

So, I'm thinking about small things and remembering that "small things - in God's hands can do great things." So what will you do tomorrow for the Lord that may seem small?