The reason being a Pastor is Painful is the amount of Relational Pain a Pastor must endure. Now, there are several reasons for this. Here are a few of them.

NOTE: People who don’t understand that church is a battlefield and that ministry is HARD WORK, shouldn’t read this. The following may be offensive…

Many times, a Pastor can’t really know how committed someone is to the mission of the church. –This is hard to deal with because of varying commitment levels. For instance, someone might say, “I will do anything you want me to do.” Then the next thing you know, they may leave the church because they feel overworked and never say anything. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, a person or family may leave the church because you don’t give them enough stuff to do. It is always a guessing game for the leadership of a church.

When people come to your church from another church, they always bring their own ideas. –When their idea is, “I am going to be teachable and get on board with the vision of this new church”, things go well. If this is not their mentality, it never goes well. Rule number one. There is more than one way to skin a cat. In other words, there are many ways to reach people that fall within the boundaries of Jesus’ approval. Just because your old church did it “that” way, doesn’t mean we are going to do it “that” way. If the other church was doing such a great job, why are you at a new church?

It is hard to know who you can be friends with. If you don’t get this, that’s cool, but it’s so true. Many people can’t handle the realities and stresses that go along with being in the ministry. That is why they are NOT in the ministry. Don’t get me wrong, a Pastor being cautious and wise is not fake. But, because being a Pastor means you have to make tough decisions, he cannot get too close to most people. If He does, it doesn’t work well. People don’t need just another friend. They need a Pastor. Many people have a false sense of what a Pastor is supposed to be. Many people think a Pastor is supposed to be a softy all the time. NOT TRUE. Look at the disciples. THEY WERE TOUGH!!!

A Pastor must guard his wife’s heart. Don’t abuse a Pastor’s wife. It takes a great woman of God to put up with all the hard work, emotional stress and garbage people throw at you in the ministry. My wife sacrifices so much so that our church will be successful. I love her more than words can express. I thank God for her every day. She is a rock!

When people leave and your kids are attached to their kids. This one is pretty big. When your kids ask where certain people are who had children, you have to be honest, but come up with a way to tell them without them getting caught up in drama. Honesty with grace and mercy is the best way to handle this…but that doesn’t make it easy. Just because someone leaves, doesn’t mean they weren’t ever supposed to be there. People have different seasons in their lives.

You can’t make people believe in you as a Pastor. If people don’t believe in your leadership, stay away from them. Being close to them will only make it worse. When you get close to a person or family that doesn’t already respect your leadership, getting close to them, amplifies the problem. Early in our church history, we got close to a family that seemed to want to be team players. As we got close and let them into the leadership circle, it was clear they wanted control. We backed away from them, but tried to love on them at the same time. At one point they said, “If we don’t have some control in the decisions of the church, this won’t work for us.” They eventually refused to come to volunteer meetings and even made light of other volunteers attending them. When we took them off the volunteer rotation, they left our church claiming we were abusing them. THEY WERE UN-TEACHABLE and wouldn’t follow leadership. Hebrews 13:17 Bottom line, they left a church where they were fighting to have control and went to a church where they don’t even get to speak to the leadership. Go figure!

It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Have you ever heard that saying? NO! People are not dogs! It’s just an old saying… I heard a pastor tell about a family that left the church because they questioned the methods and the strategies employed to reach people. This family had been in church their whole life, but their were issues. They didn’t tithe. They always looked for reasons to not be at church. They seldom came to church events. And they only came to one bible study in their whole stay at this particular church. When questioned about why they didn’t come to Bible studies, they acted uninterested, began to question the leadership and soon left.  It is hard to teach someone when they think they know it all. And especially when they don’t believe in their Pastor. Know it all Christianity kills an evangelistic environment when you have people who are supposed to be mature, but don’t serve the BRIDE.
Pastors, serve the Bride and stay focused! Christians, Pray for your Pastor!

Many people would say, “Well you only work on Sundays!” This is what the phrase, “Ignorance is Bliss” was coined for. Pastors work all the time. And when we are not working,…more on that in the next blog.

I never thought I would be a Pastor. In fact, I remember very vividly, a conversation I had with Pastor Don Young of Heartland Worship Center in 1997. I asked him, “How in the world do you manage all these people and not get stressed out?” He just smiled. I am not sure what his real inward response was, but I am sure it was his love for people. I never dreamed I would be a Pastor. In 1997, I had never preached before.

There are several things that are a joy as a Pastor. One of the greatest things about being a Pastor is the fact that we get to love on people for a living. This is what we do. This is our calling. You can’t conjure up a Pastor act. If you do, it won’t last. You have to be called.

It makes my day to see people grow! I cotton-pickin’ love it! To watch a churchy person who has been bogged down with religion their whole lives finally get it! WOW! To see them realize that church is not about their preferences. For them to see that the way they have always done it is only gathering church people is awesome. Watching them realize that the methods to reach the lost must change is awesome.

I have to say, this doesn’t happen very often, cause the hardest people in the WORLD to get on mission with God are those who have enough church experience to be absolutely useless to God and evangelism. I thank God every day for the people of Illuminate. They are hungry to reach lost people more than being the same and doing church as usual. This is why being a Pastor is awesome. I love you Illuminate!

I am pumped that our people are working through the Experiencing God Bible study. I pray it blesses a lot of people.

Check back in a couple days for “Why being a Pastor is so Painful.“

I am so pumped about everything that is happening over the next couple weeks. This coming week, I will be preaching about “The Prodigy in Esther”. I have been working on this all week and I have got some good preachin’ cooked up for us this Sunday!

I also want to let you know that one of our worship leaders just released a Christmas single that is ready for download. It is a great song and I want you to go to THIS LINK to download it. It is well worth a buck! You will enjoy it in your pleasure listening device.. Nate will be leading our worship and Christmas Concert on Christmas Eve. Bring your whole family with you.

December 24th at 5PM at Barfield Elementary School.

If you get a chance, read Esther 2 and 7. Have a great week.

Illuminate had her first worship experience on November 1st, 2009. What a great day. We had 16 people show up to worship with us and we used Video worship from lifechurch.tv cause we didn’t even have a band.

In these short 2 years, we have seen many first time guests. Some have stuck around, while some have not. It never ceases to amaze me how crappy American Christianity is and why some people leave churches. They will leave a church over something dumb that offends them to go to another church where the same things happen. Listen to me! The reason the grass looks greener on the other side is simply because there is more dung in the septic tank!

All this brings me to some comments made by a great man of God names Pastor Perry Noble…

I love Pastor Perry Noble of Newspring Church, in Anderson, SC. He is a hardcore country boy that just loves Jesus and is called by God to preach the Gospel. God is using him and his church in a mighty way. Over 12,000 people have been saved since NewSpring was started about 10 years ago! WOW. Check out what he wrote in a recent blog.

“No, the church is NOT perfect…but neither are you (or me!)  So, when we’re tempted to walk away because of the one thing that seems to hurt us or trip us up we should simply ask, “is this consistent with this churches character?”

Stay in a church long enough and you will have a bad experience…but let that push you closer to Jesus as you recognize that HE uses imperfect people in His plan, which means sometimes they get it wrong, and then beg the Lord to teach both them and yourself how to best deal with the situation…because, she’s STILL the church and STILL His bride.”

Read the whole blog HERE.

Read the most recent blog HERE.

Never let the actions of a few discourage you from being neck deep in God’s church. Nothing would make Satan more happy than to keep believers from working together to reach those hurting and in need of Christ.

Hey gang! I was reading a blog by Tony Morgan recently. WOW. This is a great read and I encourage all to read it. Here are some thoughts to ponder before you follow the link.

How hungry are we to see God move in our church? What sacrifices are we willing to make? How much time and training are we willing to put into the process? How much giving of our time and resources are we willing to lay on the altar.

Like Dr. Chris Stephens says, “God’s church has ALWAYS advanced on 2 tracks. 1. Faith, 2. Sacrifice. How much faith do we have and How much are we willing to sacrifice?” If we are going to see a great move of God in the Boro and through Illuminate, we must be willing to do WHATEVER it takes to create a culture of sacrifice. If we won’t sacrifice, why would they? The saying goes, “If you want your people to bleed, you must BLEED TO DEATH!!! Galatians 2:20
Let’s DO THIS THING, FRIENDS. let’s get serious about the mission of Jesus.

I am proud of all the work God has done through Illuminate, but don’t think for a minute that I am satisfied. I am HUNGRY to see a move of God that is so significant and undeniable that ONLY God could get the credit!!!

READ the blog below.
http://tonymorganlive.com/2011/09/29/10-questions-to-increase-volunteer-engagement/

It has been a little cold as far as the weather goes these last couple days, but it is hot spiritually at Illuminate Church! We are pumped about what God has been speaking to us lately. If you have missed any of the messages or would like to see them for the first time, go to www.illuminatechurch.com.

We are in a place as a church that is very tough as far as church growth goes. Bear with me a minute and let me talk to you about church growth. After all, I believe God wants the church to grow!

Church growth gurus will tell you that the hardest attendance barrier to break is 100. The second is the 200 mark.  We had 108 in attendance for the first time in February of 2011 which was very exciting for us. Since then we have had many first time guests visit our church. Some of them thought the music was too loud, some of them thought it wasn’t loud enough. Some of them thought we didn’t have enough programs while others have said, I wanna build God’s church here at Illuminate!

No matter what size of a church you attend, each church has a different personality and God’s judgment of it has never been on the size but rather the content. I want to remind illuminate to stay focused on the Great Commission. This commandment from Jesus Christ Himself, is all about bringing others to Christ. At Illuminate, we want to create a culture of intense love for other people and for the lost!

People MUST BE GETTING SAVED! If not, we are wasting our time, PEEPS!

I want to give a shout out to Mrs. Pat who brought a couple guests with her Sunday! All of you who bring guests with you, You go!

With as much love as I can muster… and with all my heart… I want to say something.  If you are not influencing people to come to Christ, something is wrong and only you and God can fix it! Get yourself to the place where people take you and your faith seriously.

I am FIRED UP about the fact that I am not going to hell! How about you?

Let me point out a few things about sanctification. This is not an exhaustive list, but is a good start.

1.  WE are in need of Sanctification

Romans 12:1-2, ¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

2.  Sanctification is a process that is never complete

Matthew 16:21-23, “ ²¹ From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. ²² Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” ²³ But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”  Extra Biblical facts teach us that Peter was hung upside down because of his loyalty to Jesus!

Peter, as Godly as he was, was not always on track with Christ!

3.  God wants to sanctify us

Ephesians 2:1-4, “ ¹ And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ”

4.  Since we as humans have a free will, we must willingly submit ourselves to the process, because God won’t force us

Colossians 3:1-9, “¹ If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. ³ For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
⁵ Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, ⁷ in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
⁸ But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, ¹⁰ and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him…”

5.  Perfect sanctification is not attainable in this life

I John 1:8-10, “⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

6.  Lastly, Be joyful knowing that we are the apple of God’s eye and that His love for us in immeasurable.

Romans 5:1-10, “ ¹ Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  ⁶ For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. ¹⁰ For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Get this! God loved us before we even knew about it! Imagine loving your neighbor before they stole from you, took your job, took your spouse, stole your bike, flattened your tires, killed your kid in an automobile accident, etc. Imagine loving them, knowing they were going to hurt and betray you….This is a picture of how much God loves us. WOW

I am so impressed with the volunteers who faithfully and selflessly serve at Illuminate! Everywhere I look people are stepping up to serve and it really blesses your pastor’s heart! I LOVE MY CHURCH!

We just finished the last week of our Man Vs. Woman series and if you missed the last week, you can watch it online HERE. Or you can watch any of them at the illuminateCHURCH website.

We are starting a new series called, “PRODIGY”. We are going to be looking at some OT characters who had the odds stacked against them, but prevailed through faith alone and not by talent!! What is God wanting to do in and through your life?

If you want to read ahead…and I strongly suggest that you do, we are going to be covering Judges 6-8:33. These are great Biblical truths that will have a huge impact on your life. Be sure to attend this weekend and bring a friend. You can let them know by text, email or facebook. If they want more info on our church, you can always send them an E-Vite by Clicking HERE.

See ya this Sunday!

First off, I have to give some props to Faith Promise Church in Knoxville for their great video team. We stole a video from them that you really have to see. IT IS HILARIOUS!…and very powerful at the same time.

We are fast approaching the last and greatest week of our current teaching series, “Man Vs. Woman” This week’s message is titled “How to Have an Affair”. I know you are thinking, “I know how to do that”. Trust me, you will be glad you attended.

This series has been a great success as I have heard from countless people how they have been encouraged! Fresh perspective on relationships has been brought to the Table from the timeless book…THE BIBLE! Whoodathunkit? The Bible is a timeless book. Although it was written in a culture much different than our own…Everything still applies.

Having my wife, Kristin on the stage was a blast. She said she wasn’t as nervous as she thought she would be. I think sitting down helped out a bunch. BTW, you guys were awesome! I was so impressed that we had an average of 2 questions for each person in attendance which was a huge success. We apologize that we were only able to answer 15 or so of them. Maybe we can get to some more of them later when we do this next time.

You don’t want to miss it! It’s going to be a great week at Illuminate. We hope you can make it out. Remember, if you ever miss a week, you can catch our sermons online at www.illuminatechurch.com

Hello all. We are in the middle of our relationship series called, Man Vs. Woman. I am so thankful that many have hung out with us as we look at what God’s word says about relationships!

It is heart wrenching to look around and see so many that would call Illuminate home, have crippled marriages… and they are missing most of this series. Its like, some of the people who needed to hear these messages the most have missed it. If that is you, please visit our website and watch the messages online as soon as you possibly can!

This Sunday is going to be awesome! We are going to attempt something that only mega churches have been able to pull off. We are going to do live, text-in Q & A while Kristin and I are on the stage. We are giving you the opportunity to ask anything you want.

I believe there is hope for any relationship if we will just put our trust in Christ, let go of our tight grip and let God have control. Relax, trust in Jesus with your marriage and the God who spoke the Universe into existence will heal the brokenness where relationships are shattered! He will bring forgiveness where there seems to be no chance of forgiveness.

The whole message will be a discussion between us and you.

You text in your questions! We answer! We hope to see you there.