Southland Christian Church

I was talking with a good friend of mine this morning about marriage and how easy it is to say “I do” on the wedding day but how difficult it becomes to say it years into the relationship. Marriage is hard work because life is hard. And in our weakest hour it is so tempting to want to replace “I do” with “I don’t”.  So I’m taking on the roll of a DJ today and I’m dedicating this one to Alli for staying on the dance floor with me. Paul was right—“Love never fails.” And I’m dedicating it to every other couple out there that finds themselves in the middle of a minefield.  

If you are a leader in any environment, I want to recommend a book that has challenged my thinking over the past few weeks. It is entitled “Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead.” It is written by Charlene Li, a Harvard graduate whose critically acclaimed debut book “Groundswell” changed many of the structures and systems that corporate America had operated by for decades.  She uses real life and real time illustrations that not only explain why we should embrace an open posture of leadership but also how we go about doing it via social technologies that are more reality than fad.
 
Li writes, “The first step is recognizing that you are not in control—your customers, employees, and partners are. If you are among the many executives who long for the “good ol’ days” when rules and roles were clear, indulge yourself in that kind of thinking for just a few more minutes—then it’s time to get to work. This is a fad that will not fade, but will only grow stronger, with or without you.”
 
As a lead follower, my goal is to invite and involve as many people as possible in the shaping of Southland’s future, while always remaining cognizant of the fact that none of us are in control…God is! And that shouldn’t frustrate us, rather that should free us! It should free us to chase our dreams believing that the God who placed those dreams in us wants to see them move from the land of far-fetched fantasy to the highways and by-ways which connect all of us that call Central Kentucky home! And one way we release the dream in us is through social technologies like Twitter and Facebook and YouTube and Yammer and Jive.
 
And one of the ways we make sense of the future is by looking to our past. Though I don’t agree with everything Henry David Thoreau stood for, I do believe he hit the nail on the head when said, “We are most alive when we are awake in our dreams.” Think about it…Thoreau didn’t just write about Walden, he invited others to experience it with him!
 
A few years back Allison and I went to see a Cirque du Soleil show called Reve. If you’ve seen O or Mystere or Kooza or Grace, then you know the Cirque shows are characterized by unparalleled creativity and talent. Reve was all about our dreams and what I was most fascinated by was how they brought to life the reality of the unreality. Nothing was off limits in the show because nothing is off limits in our dreams. I found myself believing that anything and everything is possible. If you don’t mind me asking and if you don’t mind being “open”, what are you dreaming about these days?
 
Last week, we went to the neighborhoods adjacent to the old Lexington Mall and we listened as people who live just off Richmond Road shared their dreams. What a fun way to connect with the people we want to live with and love. We will continue to listen—to God and to others—trusting that what is unveiled will be a dream all of us can get behind. Like Thoreau, I want to invite you to experience it with us. Be here this weekend as I kick off a new series entitled “Countdown to Lexington.” We want to invite you to dream with us by sharing your thoughts on a new web site that will be revealed.
 
And if you need any inspiration or motivation in seeing what happens when a critical mass of people are open about their dreams…look no further than our Danville Campus or the Refuge Medical Clinics! Let’s continue to be “open” to God’s next dream for us!

Whether it is what we have done in villages around the world or what we will do in our new campus off Richmond Road, our strategy has been and will be: We will "walk with poor people" and "listen to poor people" before we attempt to "help poor people". It is ego-centric to think that we have the solutions to the problems the impoverished of Lexington are dealing with every day. So we will walk with them and listen to them before we try to serve them. Real compassion meets real needs.

This is a picture of my son Silas at a wedding. He’s holding a cup that is holding two frogs. By the end of the night he was holding two cups that held ten frogs! Weddings can be boring for boys. So once the long winded preacher (who happened to be his dad) FINALLY pronounced the bride and groom to be husband and wife, he made a quick exit to the bushes and tall grass that beckoned just outside the chapel. And who needs a cup filled with punch when it could be filled with frogs!
 
There is a reason Jesus reminded us to live our lives like children. Big people, we’re missing out! It’s never too late to milk summer for all its worth. Find a friend with a convertible and go follow the sun as it sets. Take your shoes off, roll up your pant legs, and let your feet dangle off the dock into the water. Grab a Mason jar and stand still…you’re never too old to chase a firefly or two! When you hear the ice cream truck making its rounds, go inside, grab your wallet and savor an orange push pop from the comforts of your favorite lawn chair. Hide-n-go seek, water balloon fights, bike rides, a cannonball to soak the lifeguard, an evening watching little league baseball, a tall glass of cold lemonade, running through the sprinkler…If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Silas this summer, it would be that every adventure worth pursuing is worth pursuing with a friend. 

I love seeing the Maas family running through the concourse at Southland! Each child in this incredible family reminds me that I too was chosen…that I had a Father who loved me as I was…a Father who refused to leave me as I was. It was His irresistible and incredible love for me that drew me in and made me a part of a family that is diversely beautiful! Southland, may we never forget that we are a family and no two of us are the same and in that uniqueness we find our strength. There really is strength in numbers! So come with your loneliness and discover that you belong. Come with your brokenness and see that healing really is available. Come with your addictions and drink from the waters of grace. Come with your fears and rest in the refuge of God’s mercy. Hope is real. Hope is waiting. Hope is here. And may we never forget that we made a commitment to our Father that on our watch we would adopt 500 forgotten children. 500 children like the Maas children. 500 children who do not deserve to spend their hours living on cold cement floors. 500 children who do not deserve to spend their days waiting for someone to lift them out of their cribs. 500 children who do not deserve to spend their years begging for food and water. 500 children who deserve to be loved the way we’ve been loved. May it continue to be our goal to put a smile on the face of children who have lost all reason to do so.

There is a reason this picture hangs in the main hallway at Southland. Ghandi once said, “Ask the poor and they will tell you who the Christians are.” The word Christian is a noun. It is a distinction given to a person who follows Jesus. It was never intended to be an adjective. So in that sense the word has been cheapened because that is exactly what the word has become. We speak in terms of Christian books and Christian schools and Christian music, but rarely do we speak in terms of a Christian—the person who follows Jesus. It is a noun, not an adjective. A noun that loves verbs. Verbs like “go” and verbs like “live” and verbs like “give” and verbs like “love.” Verbs Jesus used. Because Jesus was a person of action. And those who claim to be his followers are supposed to be people of action as well. Are you a noun that loves verbs? If you are, then you will follow Jesus. And if you follow Jesus, more than likely you will spend a good deal of time among the poor.

It has been so fun watching the garden on the church property come to life. Even more encouraging has been watching the individuals and families who have given countless hours in caring for it make their way to the garden carrying shovels and rakes and buckets of water each evening. And to think there are hundreds of other gardens around the city being cultivated and nurtured with the single minded purpose of giving all the food produced from them to people in need in this city. Once again Southland family, your love for people is inspiring! Just think about the children who will receive the healthy food from your generous labor! And think about how little it costs to launch a community garden! Remember, we have over a hundred acres of property off Harrodsburg Road that we can cover with gardens in the years to come. I’m hopeful that in the next 2 years we’ll have an orchard that bears fruit as well!
 
God said, “When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bucket of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.” (Deuteronomy 24:19 NLT)

I just wrapped up six speaking engagements and want to say thanks to those of you who are letting God use your lives to love the poor of this world. Thanks for letting God write a risky, but transformational story through you! And the reason I want to say “thanks” to you is because everywhere I’ve gone, people want to know if the rumors are true…are we really providing free health care to 1,100 people in our city…are we really rescuing women out of the exotic dance industry…are we really feeding hundreds of hungry elementary students in our city each week…are we really inviting homeless men to live with us? And everywhere I’ve spoken I’ve been able to say, “Yes! God is using Southland people to do these things and more for the sake of LOVE!” 26 more churches across the U.S. have started a Dollar Club in their community! Over 17,500 people listened intently and responded at Ichthus as I challenged them with Paul’s simple but beautiful words from Galatians 5:6—“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love!” Last week in Colorado, I had the joy of speaking to high school students about spending their lives on behalf of the poor and 20 of them surrendered their lives to Jesus and were baptized in the coldest mountain lake you’ve ever stepped foot in! Today I met with a local business man who shares our passion for the people of Haiti about building sustainable business, educational, medical, and agricultural models that will transform impoverished villages. And if that’s not enough, just think about the little girls you rescued out of the child prostitution ring in South Africa this past week! While the world was watching the World Cup, your hard earned money was going to liberate little girls who didn’t have, but now have hope! This past week alone I received letters and e-mails and phone calls from prisoners, single moms, former addicts, juvenile offenders, widows, and college students whose lives have been forever altered by your compassion and generosity. It’s simple…IT is love! So continue to keep IT simple as God continues to write his story on the pages of your heart.
 
I love you! Thanks for letting me serve with you!