The Branch Church

April Medina

Earlier tonight, I walked into my children’s rooms as they slept. I placed my hand on each one individually and prayed hard to God over them. Tears seemed to come down faster than the words as I asked God to show His mighty hand of favor for their protection, for their purity, and for so many areas of life. As I got to my last child, my oldest daughter, I found myself uttering these words: “Father make her so much like you’ve made her mother, and her grandmother…”

As I rose to leave, I was immediately reminded of these words from the bible. Paul, in writing to his young disciple Timothy tells him, “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 2 Timothy 1:5. This generational godliness is so recognized by Paul – by God – that it is forever etched in our holy scripture. Paul is acknowledging that the shaping of pastor Timothy was a direct result of how God had worked through Lois and Eunice.

These words reminded me of my wife and her mom.

Over the span of years April and I have been in ministry together, I have only rarely stopped to acknowledge to others what an impact April has had on me as a Christian. Seldom am I even conscious of it. However, if I were to die in my sleep tonight, I would wake up in heaven having seen the full effect of how God has used her in showing me His love. I am thankful to God for using her mom, Paula, to raise such a daughter. I am thankful to God for blessing me with my wife, April.

Here are just a few ways I am thankful for her.

April is the godliest woman I have ever known. We are all human, and therefore we are all constant evaluators of people and their impact on us. Even shortly after we were married, I never thought anyone would surpass my mother in my eyes for the “godliest woman” title. I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened, but April has risen to the top. I know it’s not nor was ever a contest, but I literally marvel at the memories I have of April and her love for Jesus. I can say without arrogance or pride that I see a trueness in my wife’s relationship with Jesus that I hope to have someday. I can’t remember a single season in our 12 and ½ year marriage where it seemed like April couldn’t find God. She is always with Him. She loves Him more than me, which makes her able to love me in ways I don’t deserve to be loved…the ways He loves me. Her bible is beat up and marked up the way a schoolgirl (or boy) would treat a love letter from his or her biggest crush. It has been read over and over. The notes to herself in the margins seem to be the very whispers from God that she heard while she was reading. She doesn’t want to forget her intimacy. April most often speaks God’s love to me without ever saying a word.

April is a godly wife and mom. She told me while we were dating that her highest aspirations were to be a wife and a mom. I didn’t quite “get it” then, but I get to marvel at it now. I really don’t have the words to describe the kind of wife she is. It was only this week that she had found a moment to leave a short love note on my windshield at work – and that after 12 years of marriage! She’s genuinely glad to see me when I come home, and sincerely open to spending time with me whenever that may be. I could be running to put gas in my car and ask her if she wants to come, and she will. She supports me and builds me up. She doesn’t even ask me to do much. She packs me a lunch every day. She does my laundry. She irons my clothes. She serves me breakfast, or lunch, or dinner the same way she did in the first 2 years of marriage – and that after 12 years of marriage! When I see my children interacting with her I know that she has succeeded in both parts of her calling to be a godly wife and mom. When any of our kids need her and aren’t sure where she is, I hear the slight panic in their voices. She looks at our fourth baby with the same tenderness as she looked at our first. She holds each one of them whenever they need or want to be held and smothers them with kisses that they receive as rewards. I don’t stop and stare enough, and she probably never catches me doing it, but I will stop and stare at how she builds them up through teaching, and mentoring, and discipling, and especially through laughing. I quoted Chuck Swindoll this week when he said, “It is often just as sacred to laugh as it is to pray.” Knowingly or not, April understands this, and has an ample supply to use in the raising of our kids. I’ve always loved to hear my wife’s laugh, and I still do to this day.

April is humble and meek. My wife would be the first to tell you she’s not perfect. In fact, I’m sure when she reads this, she’ll say something like, “I wish I were all those things.” She has temptations and sins just like you and I and planet Earth, but she lives a life that totally agrees with the Apostle Paul again when he said, “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” Philippians 3:13. She’s shyer than most people think. In fact, I can say with certainty that satan has worked masterfully at exploiting my wife’s shyness around other women. Some have taken it the wrong way over the years. Some have had expectations of a “Pastor’s Wife,” but they don’t realize a pastor’s wife is just that: his wife. Her spiritual contract with the Lord is in coming alongside me, not running multiple ministries and taking a dozen ladies to lunch each week. It bothers – no – saddens me that some women have missed out on knowing April because they wanted her to meet a job description God never gave her. What I know is that April loves her sisters in Christ. She prays for them. Cries for them, and would give them the last dollar in her pocket. She is the biggest human advocate for women, and how they deserve to be treated and loved that I have ever met. April is glad our daughter now has a baby sister. She wants her to be able to have that bond that girls who grow into women together have. She may not even realize it, but she is grateful that her daughters will be able to impact other women for Jesus on a greater scale than she feels she has. My wife is meek, so she is blessed. My wife doesn’t ask for jewelry or clothes or cars or even a house. I can honestly say I can’t remember the last time I heard her ask for anything for herself, and that’s not an exaggeration. Last month, I set up an appointment for her to get a massage at a day spa. Her first reaction was to try and get me to take the appointment for my back pain. I knew her back was hurting too from all the care for our newborn, but she tried and tried to get me to “not waste” the money on her. That’s who my wife is all the time. It’s real. It’s contagious. It pleases Jesus.

So, if you’ve hung with me this long, I’m just going to ask that you go a second mile and join me in praying for my wife. From the world’s tangible economy, she could have married anyone. She could have done well. Like I said, I don’t have the words, but I can only think that “her place” in heaven, the big one in the cul-de-sac, the one where Ruth and Esther and Mary and Jesus often hang out as He is preparing it, that will be a place we’ll want to visit too.

To God be the glory for all things. 

Church Life - Father to father

"I've made more mistakes than I can count, and it only took one cross to rework the math in my favor. Pure Love. Pure Strength. Pure Jesus."

So my six-year-old son asked if I was doing work for The Branch Church when he saw my laptop open. It's funny how kids minds work. When I told him "no." He asked what I was doing then. I replied, "A little bit of this, and a little bit of that."

The truth is I could have told him I was thinking, but then he would have asked what I was thinking about. I don't think I could have given a short answer for that. What I've been thinking about is church life - past, present, and future. Perhaps I could have told him this, but then he would have asked why or what specifically I was thinking about and I would have had to try to explain that his grandfather - my dad - is being "ordained to the Gospel Ministry" on Sunday, and that I'm am going to be "charging the candidate." He probably would have done an about face and walked out after that jargon left my mouth.

My dad has just begun to pastor his first church. His ordination ties into the "past, present, and future church life," at least in my thoughts and love for him like this...

The Past
The time from our first official "Launch Service" in September of 2005 has flown by as fast as any other "almost six year" span in my life. Only, it causes me to reflect on things I've been through, that I wonder if my dad will go through. He's about to start pastoring a small church, and since I know now at least a little of what he's in for - at the very least in my flesh - I am concerned for him. I almost typed "worried," only I know that if God has called Him, God will protect and supply His anointed with all that is needed.

My "concern" then is rooted in how many "ups" have come down in the life of our church*. I don't even want to touch on the economy (maybe an upcoming post), but there are a few foundational things that I now know effect a first time pastor in the life of his first church. (* None of the "downs" are necessarily sinful or evil, but from a human standpoint can become wearing, stressful, hurtful, or even depressing).

1. He will make mistakes. Lots of them. I've had this thought run through my head a half a dozen times in the last month or so: "When I left my home church to start this one, I thought I knew 'everything.' Now it feels like I don't know how to do 'anything.'" Much of this comes from my own insecurities. I've made mistakes. I've said or done wrong things - many that were repeat offenses - and even though I know in my intellect and spirit that much of them were "perceived" mistakes or misunderstandings, perception is reality for people, and the average American church goer has a sense of entitlement that cannot be explained in some blog. Only I will say, I've been guilty of this entitlement feeling as a Christian, so I know it is not on par with any ideas Jesus had for how His body was to function after His Ascension. I pray my dad will immediately cultivate the idea of a church "family" into his ministry plans. It wont' be a cure-all, but he may find himself surrounded by people who choose to stick it out. To be thick skinned over the petty. To lift him up when he feels like giving up. The way we should be with our family.
2. The "Holy Huddle" Dynamic. As much as you say you want to grow a church of lost people at the beginning, it sure starts to "feel right" when the same people keep coming, you get to know them better, and you start counting on them for the long haul. This was a big mistake of misperception on my part. No one is promised life tomorrow, so no one should bank on any relationship standing the test of time. God wants to be our all in all, and the transient nature of people's allegiances make it a no-brainer that we should love the flock consistently and unconditionally, but to keep our eyes outward to reaching the next person we do not yet know. Teachers get to do this every year because they're forced to. They know to pour their life into the students they have, and to live in the now with them, but that the next year will hold a whole new batch of kids. I pray my dad will not attach his heart to greatly to any one family, but will keep his heart's fondest affections for Jesus, his wife, and his children.
3. Living in numbers, events, or victories instead of living on the mountain. Church attendance, offerings, ministries, and even spiritual victories all jockey for the pastor's time. When this happens, it causes us to try and live in the strength of our personalities and planning. Very simply, I pray my dad drives to quiet places, spends time with God - not for sermon study time - but to just get to know God more. When his todo list gets bigger than he thought a little church could produce, I pray he will see that as a sign to get to his hiding place with God. It will help him cut down on the mistakes, cause him to want to send people away from the church on mission before they leave for shallow reasons, and make numbers, events, and victories literally seem irrelevant in the light of the glory of seeing God's face and hearing His voice.

The Present
The present state of our church reminds me of one of those buildings being built that have a large mural like sign that block out any pedestrian view. You can't see anything going on inside the building or store, but the sign tells you work is happening. In these cases, not even the pastor knows for sure what the final "look" will be.

I think this is healthy. It reminds me of a message Calvary Chapel's Chuck Smith preached years ago about the nature of the pastor and other Christians. He was careful to stress that the pastor is not a go-between for the people and God. Every born-again Christian has just as much access, receives just as much love and care, and has faith to be tested every bit as much as any pastor. It's not that the "office" of the pastor doesn't have relevance or respect, but it is okay to "not know" - and should be well-recieved by the people.

I pray that in my dad's "unknown" times when God seems silent, or circumstances seem bleak, he will think of this "under construction" or "remodeling" picture. That he will be okay sharing from his pulpit, "I'm not sure what God is doing exactly, but I know that He will do it exactly the right way for His glory and our good." This will make them pray harder. This will please God.

The Future
Never give up. I almost got IICORFOR on my license plates years ago. 2 Corinthians 4 begins with Paul reminding all believers "Therefore since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not." This is a good place for me to decrease -

"Dear Jesus, please be merciful to my earthly father. He raised me as his son, and I love him very much. I am happy for him, and anxious at the same time. I know Your word tells us to be anxious for nothing, but he's not "nothing," he's my dad. Father, I pray that you will keep his fire, his joy, his love for the gospel kindled inside. Lord, I know that some of the people that shower him with the most love, will be the same people that slander him with the most gossip. Jesus forgive them ahead of time, and help him to show Your face by offering that same sweet forgiveness. Help him to not neglect his quiet time with You. Help Him to not neglect his study time for them. Father, I've come full-circle and feel like I know nothing. For this, I'm grateful. I want to say with Paul, 'I declare to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified,' so 'that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.' Thank you for his humility and gentle spirit. I ask you to clearly rebuke the enemy. I look forward to learning more in this special genre of life, as I watch my Father pour life into my father. With everything I have, I love You. In Jesus' name, David."

 

 

Cymbala's Excerpt Of Love - Still Relevant to The Church

“One Sunday about 20 yrs ago, back in our days in the YWCA, I said something impromptu while receiving new members into the church that has stuck with us ever since.  People were standing in a row across the front before me, and as I spoke, the holy spirit seemed to prompt me to add, ‘And now, I charge you, as pastor of this church, that if you ever hear another member speak an unkind word of criticism or slander against anyone – myself, another pastor, an usher, a choir member, or anyone else – you have the authority to stop that person in mid sentence and say, ‘Excuse me - Who hurt you? Who ignored you? Who slighted you? Was it Pastor Cymbala? Let’s go to his office right now. He will get on his knees and apologize, and then we’ll pray together, so God can restore peace to this body.  But we will not let you talk critically about people who are not present to defend themselves.’”

“New members, please understand that I am entirely serious about this.  I want you to help resolve this kind of thing immediately and meanwhile, know this: If you are ever the one doing the loose talking we will confront you.’”

“To this very day, every time we receive new members, I say much the same thing. It is always a solemn moment. That is because I know what most easily destroys churches. It is not crack cocaine. It is not government oppression.   It is not even a lack of funds.  Rather, it is gossip and slander that grieves the Holy Spirit.”

“People nod their heads with understanding, and as a result rumor and busy body talk are kept to a minimum.  We have had to confront a few people along the way, of course, but the general concern to live with clean hearts and clean speech before the Lord prevents many problems from ever getting started.”

“I’ll never talk about you, until I’ve talked to you. Then I’ll only talk for you, and never against you.” – Anonymous

Amped

“[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death…”
– Philippians 3:10 (Amplified Bible)

Learning to Depend on Him

I'm starting to notice that everytime I start worrying about something I can calculate -the old "if we have 2, we have to have 2, or we'll never get 4" mentality - that I'm soon comforted that God is in control of everything. I actually get peace by saying to myself, "If God doesn't show up, I'm doomed." I guess that's just the thing: God always shows up. If He never does another thing for me, He gave me salvation. Mark 2:1-12

via hod.typepad.com

"Time To Get 'Writeous' Again"

I keep telling my students how important it is to read, write, and speak. Not only that, I "preach" to them how being a better reader will make you a better writer which will make you a better speaker. The one thing I realized this week was that I'm only doing 2 out of 3. I need (and want) to be able to say to them that I am doing all three right along with them.

It's been a long time since I've consistently "blogged". I'm not even sure if you can call what I do blogging. Its on a blog site, but part of the reason I have been so inconsistent, is that I'm not sure if I've been doing it correctly. It's not even that I have a big audience of readers, so mainly this block is mental.

Starting right now my blog is back on.

Nah... Really Na? A Not So Sweet 16

I like this video because it shows just how bad/frustrating things can get for a professional in their field. I also like it because even at the situation's worst, he finds reasons to smile. I like it because it has an ending, and he moves on. I like it because we can all apply the idea to the various struggles in life that we have.

 

Subtitles Not Needed

Take the 3o minutes for life change. Jesus really loves you.

 

 

 

The Little League Temple

    I started playing baseball when I was 7-years-old. I was in the "minors," and played for the Mets. I don't remember much of practice, but I'll always remember my first at bat. I got up to the plate in front of my parents and the rest of the crowd, took my right-handed hitting stance, and stared in the pitcher's direction. The problem? I was in the LEFT-HANDERS batter's box! I heard the crowd laugh. The umpired helped me to my batter's box, and I preceded to strike out.

That moment didn't leave any kind of permanent scar on my psyche, and I turned out to be a pretty good player. I made All-Stars as a starter my last year of "Majors," my only "Junior year," and every year of "Senior" Little League. It was a wild ride from ages 7 to 17 playing baseball, and I will treasure many of those memories.

One of the reasons I think I have fond memories of Little League is because I don't ever remember sacrficing family or church time because of it. Maybe they were the proverbial simpler times, but I distinctly remember my parents making our church and family life the two things that sat highest on the totem pole. I don't remember us having a take it or leave it attitude about baseball, and I made my commitments on time, but there was definitely priority and balance. Fast forward to today. Now, it's me watching my 6-year-old pick up a glove and a bat, whether it's for practice or a game, and beginning his quest toward All-Stardom (or at least at having fun) so that he will build some good memories as well. However...

What I have noticed from a distance before my son officially started playing, and especially now that he is, is how much "emphasis" is placed on Little League. I'm not talking about the kids either, I'm talking about the parents and guardians of the players, as well as the officials who administer the league.

Today's leagues seem to be year-round, week-round, and all around obsessive. One pervasive thought seems to be, "If I dont' get my kid to practice (all 3 this week), work the snack bar, sell the candy bars, do the fundraising, etc., etc., etc., then my kid might have to sit the bench for the game. Another, is the fact that parents are highly comptetive, and want their kids to be. How many instances of parents fighting in the stands (or worse) have we seen in the media over the last decade? There seems to be a certain pride or prestige that comes as a direct result from how "good" your kid is compared to the next kid. (This to me, has satan's grubby hands all over it). Then there is the "what if" factor. What if my kids gets good enough to go pro? Why, that would be like winning the lottery! All of these dynamics and more factor into why such an emphasis is being placed on youth sports. Ultimately, however, like many areas in life, if we are not careful, we will be sorry.

I realize that teaching kids things like community, responsibility, a good work ethic, comradare, healthy competivetiveness, etc. can all be good things. There are, however, valuable life-skills that no amount practice, games, or "kind of sport" variety will be able to teach them, and that I feel/fear are being replaced by youth sports. Without giving a subjective extensive list, I'll just give a subjective two-point list:

1. Emphasizing sports over God, will teach your kids how to priortize God in their life when they get older.  Any sport that you continually show your kids is more important than your time spent in worship, or that you consistently put "over" a healthy regimented church-life schedule, stands a good chance of coming back to haunt you by coming back to hurt them.

By showing them that taking 3 or 4 months "off" from regularly attending church, since it's this season or that season of sports, is a bad move as far as seed-planting in their lives. Spending time showing them that "something else" can easily take up God's time and it's no big deal, will mean that they won't look to God when they need to look for Him later. It means they will look to "something else." Showing them that you can't get up and go to church for 1.5 hours on Sunday, but you can make 3 practices and work the fundraiser for baseball throughout the week, doesn't send a mixed message to your kids, it sends a clear one: God gets the leftovers, if that.

While we're here, I might as well say your kids are also watching as you spend the money to register them for baseball, spend money on supplemental equipment and gear, spend the money for gas to get them there 3-4 times a week, spend the money at the snack bar and pizza party, and their watching when you have little or no money to give to God in worship when the offering plate comes passing by. Our kids are always watching. Even when they don't know they're watching... they are.

2. Emphasizing programs over authentic family relationships, will mean your kids will look to you less (if at all), when they're older and facing the rough storms of life. Andy Stanley talks on this subject a bit in some parenting small-group curriculum I've watched. He notes that as parents, we have a great deal of leverage over our kids from the time they are born, until they become teenagers. Everything from being physically larger, to being the people who control the money factors into that leverage. Obviously, the hope is that we are using that leverage in humility and love, but the fact remains it is there. However, as they get older, the kids stop caring about the leverage as much as they used to. They don't fear the spankings, the groundings, or having the money or car keys withheld. "When this happens," Stanley says, "if you have not built solid personal relationship with your kids - deep and meaningful relationships - you will have no leverage, no influence, and no weight in helping them foster good choices as young adults."

It's scary to think of, but Andy's point is simple: Too many parents are replacing significant and authentic relationships with their kids, by putting in its place program after program after program. Once of his final thoughts on this centers around the fact (not anecdotal bookmark, but fact) that he has never had an adult, or married couple, in his office for counseling who says something like, "Well, my parents never took me to baseball or karate enough." It's usually, "My mom or dad never spent time with me." Which is highly insightful when thinking of the statement: Making sure your kids are on time to all of their games and practices, is not necessarily spending time with them.

Soccer and baseball practice aren't going to teach your kids how to handle the rough years of their marriage. Those programs aren't going to teach them why some of the majorly wrong choices their friends are making are wrong. Only God's word, God's spirit, and God's love working through YOU is going to do that.

I've already been thinking through and putting into practice the fact that our family will not worship at the "Little Leauge Temple." We will be responsble and loving contributors, who are supportive of the team and the league, but we will not be pressured or cornered into placing these things over God or our family. Spending time as a family in the stands watching our kid play ball, or even being on the field during practice working with him and the other kids are all good things. However, they are not substitutes or equivalents to authentic worship and relationship building. Telling your kid you can't make the batting cages trip on Sunday morning because there's no way you're going to miss family time and God time with them, is an infinitely better road to take.

 

The Lion, The Lamb, and The Marines

Excerpt from Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper:

"The Lion of Judah conquered because He was willing to act the part of a Lamb. He came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday like a king on the way to a throne, and He went out of Jerusalem on Good Friday like a lamb on the way to the slaughter. He drove out the robbers from the Temple like a lion devouring its prey. And then at the end of the week He gave His majestic neck to the knife, and they slaughtered the Lion of Judah like a sacrificial lamb.

"So Christ is a lamb-like Lion and a lion-like Lamb. That is His glory - 'An admirable conjucntion of diverse excellencies.'

"This glorious conjunction shines all the brighter because it corresponds perfectly with our personal weariness and longing for greatness [and purpose].  Jesus said, 'Come to Me, all who are labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart' (Matthew 11:28-29). The lamb-like gentleness and humily of this Lion woos us in our weariness. And we love Him for it. If He only recrutied like the Marines, who want strength, we would despair of coming."