Old song I heard someone doing a bad job at a remix of it tonight at the gymn, but it got me to thinking about how things are going in general, and on Monday nights in particular. I am gonna use "we" a lot in the stuff to follow, but the fingers are pointing at me as much as anyone.

We were once very good at welcoming new people into stand on Monday nights, going out of our way to make them feel at home, as comfortable as possible the first few times they attended, until they were part of the welcoming committee. We were good because we knew that was our mission there on campus, reaching out to the lonely people, the people kinda different, the people searching for friends and a place to belong.

We have lost that loving feeling... those "Jesus Hugs" we were famous for... in our hurry to worship and get out, we forgot why we were there...

No more.

I challenge you guys to help me in this, get to stand another 20 minutes earlier on Monday nights, spend 15min in prayer beforehand and 5 minutes meeting the new people. Guys meeting guys, girls meeting girls. If only one new person shows up, spend the whole five minutes talking to that person, get their number (and name), and call them some time that week. if more thn one new person shows up, we'll split up and do the same thing.... After stand is over... drop the extension cords and talk another 5-10 minutes with them... get to know them.

This past Monday night, when the lights came on, all of the new people scattered like roaches while we started packing up. This ain't why we are there, we are wasting the opportunities God has given us to minister for Him.

Yes, we are there to meet God, yes we wanna pray as long as we feel like we should afterwards, but I say we are chasing the wrong things. Stand isn't for the people who grew up in church and want one more time a week we can feel all goose-pimply...

We will be there until eternity has passed us by if we think we need to get ourselves ready to do God's work. We aren't to do God's work, our job is to plant the seed. God does the work. We are not doing our job if we are spending 1 hour praying on Monday nights and all the new people walk right out the door because they don't feel comfortable. We are being lazy, selfish people if we don't do our prayer at a different time and remember why we are there. It may look and sound good to our Christian friends that we were praying until midnight, but who did we win to Christ?

I am mad at myself as I think of all the missed opportunities of the last year. In leadership, we spent a whole year "getting ready" to minister. HA! Jesus said "take up your cross and follow me!" He didn't say, follow this 16 week study course, go to Bible school, blah blah blah blah... RIGHT NOW The one guy said "I must go tell my family" "I must help bury my dead relative" Jesus said "Let the dead bury the dead" (Allen's paraphrase) "follow me"...

I have a lot more to say about this... do you have any input?

I know this may sound odd coming from me as I've only been here for a few days, but here's my $.02.

I think that the work that you all have set out to do (to the least of my brothers...) is a testimony in itself. I can understand your feelings of inadequacy to the calling...we are never sure our service is great enough. You know and I will say that the Lord's purpose will be served regardless of our actions. Those folks that scooted out will not go without the Gospel. Their path will be crossed by someone else that will share the Word. What happened was a missed encounter that would have resulted in a blessing to you. You are right tho...sometimes we don't get a second chance to share our witness. And because of that we should be very certain that what we say and do is an example of a life that is pleasing to God.

My only wish is that I was close enough to come to one of your meetings. I believe that the Lord smiles broadly on Monday nights

I agree with you here embie, but we have slipped a little further than that, as we aren't doing much sharing at all... we are developing into cliques afraid of reaching out...

I wish you and Steve could attend on some Monday's as well, that'd be awesome.

Another thing we don't do anymore is spend any time together, getting to know the other person across the aisle. We used to always do stuff together... every week. We let prepping for big things that fell flat get in the way of just hanging out... I am the world's worse here, as I spend waayy too much time online and not one-to-one fellowshipping.

I know we wore our dawg out with the constant traffic through his house... plus everyone isn't rich like forever who doesn't need to cash her paychecks for weeks at a time... so I am proposing opening my house up more for "hanging out". It's not the most well-equipped place for the job, but is ok, and can get better. This Monday night after stand, everyone is invited over for pizza or something... you make the call.

One day I am gonna have to take off of work and sneak up there! No, really I will. Ok I know I have promised for more than a year now. aww come on I am serious now (as if that is possible) I would genuinely love to get up there and meet all you folks.

Allen, I had though of posting this verse that came to mind earlier when I read this the first time through. I am not going to quote the whole verse but I can see a spirit in you that is alreaady trying to acomplish what it says. It is the one that says (paraphrased)"you forgotten your first love, repent and do your first works over again." (that is close) I see your heart is already there Allen! Be encouraged, you and stand haven't failed. We all get ourselves mixed up in our ministry and from time to time the Holy Spirit comes by and gives us a gently nudge back in the right direction. I for one can sit over here in Houston and say congratulations you are blessed among men. You have listened when that "still small voice" spoke to you! I am all to guilty of blocking it out when it brings a convicting message that I very well might not want to hear!

God bless you
May your ministry stay focused!
Steve

I regret to say that I have seen this before. Church groups, especially youth or young adults, develop cliques and seem to lose focus of why they are there.

The church my wife attended was like that. When we first started dating, she brought me to one of their weekly youth group nights and I think in the three weeks I went there 2 whole people said something to me. One being the youth pastor. The other, my wife. The kids mostly hung out in groups of the same people week after week, and kept to that group...losing the whole focus of Christ and Fellowship. (I was lost at the time.)

Those new people need to be reached out to and let them know that you do care that they are there. They are there for a reson and if you ignore that, you're passing up the chance to help someone. Too bad I'm in Michigan..but if I'm ever in Texas for a week I'll look you guys up and come to stand...maybe me and Embie can plan a road trip!!

Plan it up...

Your absolutely right, Allen. i felt like there was something wasn't right lately, and I think that's what it is. We are in such a hurry to get everything packed up that we ignore people who might need someone to reach out to them. . .and we have turned ourselves into such a small clique that many people are feeling excluded, especially those who use to come to stand.

Our lives are in such a hurry that we don't slow down enough to really have REAL relationships with each other.

And really, the times that we do spend together. . .it's usually at a movie, which has gotten to be really mundane lately. . . and there are only so many times we can hang at whit's house. . .When do we start getting real about our relationships with other people? Go beyond just "hanging out"?

Thank you to everyone who responded in here, and welcome back Kingpin, we haven't seen you in a while, glad you are here.

Forgiven... yes, movies are the easy way out since we don't (or shouldn't) communicate during them. We walk out and hurry to our cars to keep from that awkward moment when we might have to actually talk. I know the dawg and aaron, steve, and jimn and I have spent half the night in the parking lot at tinseltown talking after a movie - about goals, ambitions, etc... that was a long time ago.

We must change this...

Posted by Allen:
I challenge you guys to help me in this, get to stand another 20 minutes earlier on Monday nights, spend 15min in prayer beforehand and 5 minutes meeting the new people. Guys meeting guys, girls meeting girls.

Challenge accepted.

Posted by Allen:
We will be there until eternity has passed us by if we think we need to get ourselves ready to do God's work. We aren't to do God's work, our job is to plant the seed. God does the work.

Preach on...I have to admit, I'm one of the world's worst about trying to get ahead of God and do His job for Him...He never seems to work fast enough, and I have never been much for patience. And so I get discouraged because my results are not what I want, I tend to throw a temper tantrum of sorts. And just like Allen said...it's time to stop saying we are "going to do it" and DO IT. Drop everything and follow Him...He will make you fishers of men. So fish allready. By letting those people walk out it's like we're casting out lines and then reeling them back in before anyone has a chance to bite like an impatient child on his first fishing trip.
God is not going to fill up those seats until we learn how to handle the ones that He is allready bringing us...and NUMBERS DO COUNT. Some of the people walking out are lost souls who may never have another person reach out to them. And yes, the seed has been planted, but God also says that we are supposed to hold one another accountable. How can we do that if we don't even take the time to get to know each other? Jesus didn't say to his disciples FOLLOW ME and then walk up ahead where they could barely see him. He walked WITH THEM. Among them. Taught them. Discipled them.

I'm just as guilty as anyone else so don't anyone take this as an "I'm standing in judgment of you" because as Allen said, the finger is pointed at me just as much as anyone...

Posted by Allen:
plus everyone isn't rich like forever who doesn't need to cash her paychecks for weeks at a time... so I am proposing opening my house up more for "hanging out". It's not the most well-equipped place for the job, but is ok, and can get better. This Monday night after stand, everyone is invited over for pizza or something... you make the call.

First of all...forever isn't RICH. I cash my checks three at a time to save gas money.
Kudos to Allen for opening up his house, thanks to Jason for opening his, and once I get my place, the doors will always be open.

Posted by Steve:
I for one can sit over here in Houston and say congratulations you are blessed among men. You have listened when that "still small voice" spoke to you!

I second that, Steve (although I'm not in Houston...) we are blessed to have guys like Allen around. And I hope that you and embie and Kingpen should all plan a road trip down one Monday night...we'd be more than happy to meet you all.

Posted by Crazy White All Night Coffee Maker:
Our lives are in such a hurry that we don't slow down enough to really have REAL relationships with each other.

True dat. And right on...and stuff. I have really enjoyed getting to actually TALK to you here in the past few weeks. I think that we have so much in common and yet we are also different as night and day...and it's nice to be able to have a rational discussion with someone who doesn't look down on you because you see things differently. You rock! And I wish I saw alot more of that going on...with all of us.


I have been praying about stand for a while now...I thought maybe that God was calling me away, but I know now that He has me right where He wants me. I want to get to know you all on a more personal level. Let's be each others accoutability. A few weeks ago when Jason spoke about how he wishes he would have had someone tell him that he was off course...it just hurt me to hear him say that. We NEED to be that for each other. There is a song that comes to mind here (sorry Allen, I'm stealing this one from you) off of the Scott Krippayne CD "More"...

"For as iron sharpens iron
So let it be with one another.
Faithful are the wounds
Of a sister or a brother who will
Love me enough to tell me I'm wrong.
Love and correction only helps make me strong..."

Straight out of Proverbs 27.

And I want to know how we can expect to do that if we can't be real with each other. And just seeing a movie...or just sitting around joking at each other and making faces at each other at Ihop (although we need to do that more often too) is not enough. We need true genuine relationships...and they need to be pure. That is why we need the girls to help girls and guys help guys. It's easier sometimes for a girl to look to a guy for strength right off when she is feeling weak and alone...and it's so much easier for a guy to see that cute girl across the room who looks so vulnerable and see that guy across the room and decide to approach the girl first and "help her" find God...but we KNOW better...some of them don't. So we need to lead by example. Not saying that we all shouldn't get together in big groups, but I think Allen's comment was right on about the guys taking the new guys and girls doing the same...

I guess I didn't really have anything to add...just mainly a differnt way of saying what has allready been said. I'm good at that... But Allen...and Amber, I'm behind you guys 100% on this. And if I don't see you all before (since there is no chance of me going to Houston this weekend ) I will see ya'll @ least 20 minutes early Monday night.

Hey Forever I like what you wrote and you may not even realize it. I think I will add it to my signature block if you haven't got it trademarked!


You said: "So Fish Already!" That sums it up for me and I even love that attitude built right into it!


God bless you
So Fish Already
Steve

Excellent!

can I steal it for my signature e-mail at work?

I did have a little ditty that included Jesus is Lord, but HR made me remove it... They found it offensive... wonder how offended they'll be when their smelling smoke...

Who is HR???

No Steve, I don't have it trademarked. Feel free to use it!

Oops...you can use it too, embie.

HR is Human Resources... the politcally corrected name for the former personnel department

To "seek His face" has been something that I have been pondering for awhile now. To be very honest, I have been scared to open myself up like I used to for quite some time now because it just always seemed to lead to hurt, condemnation and lonliness when those you open yourself up to are "tired of you" or find something else to do.

But, yall are right.... how can I seek His face without looking for Him in everyone I come in contact with. I miss a lot of the faces that used to come to STAND, but God is constantly sending me new brothers and sisters that I will never know-- if I can't open my heart without fear of loss or the fear of persecution.

Father, I pray that you take us back to the Hearts that you used to begin your ministry at STAND. Give us the authority in the SPIRIT and the humbleness of heart to reach out with the compassion of your Name to meet those that we come in contact with where "THEY ARE" and not where "WE ARE."

To God be the GLORY!!

innerdawg

preach preacha preach...

gotta open our eyes to those who are around us.. people are looking, we only have to point to The Way...

we have more work cut out for us than I imagined...

Nothing is ever as easy as it seems.
($.02)

True, sometimes it's easier than it seems... it's that first step of faith that seems difficult. I'll be doin my part Monday night again, please keep up your end of the deal

*trying*