In Support Of My Friend Chad Stewart

My church has lost its Pastor. He had been gone since December, and now with his death, we are left with a void. This is not to say that our church staff hasn't done an amazing job in his absence, they have. Our associate pastor Chad has taken the reigns, not so much out of his own desire but really much more out of necessity.

It's like in those old westerns, where the reigns of the stagecoach gets cut, and all of a sudden someone has to jump in and bring the stage under control at great risk to themselves trying to keep it from crashing. That is the situation Chad has found himself in.

I can honestly say that I would not want to trade places with him at all. He has been put into a very tough and challenging position, yet has risen to that challenge in a most admirable and noble way. Hired in to be our college and career pastor, he had the added responsibility of youth pastor when ours left, and then when Pastor David left, our church board tapped him to become our associate pastor, all in the course of a year's time, and I might add that none of this had been discussed when Pastor David hired him. Oh, and don't let me forget, he also got married in that time as well.

Chad has had to fill some pretty big shoes when it comes to teaching and leading my church, but he does have what it takes to fill them, and I see that growing with each passing week. This is not his first dance so to speak, he helped to pioneer a church in Missouri and was an associate pastor on staff there. It was after leaving that church that he decided to go to Bible School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. God has been leading him on a path laid out for him before the foundations of the world. I know in my heart that Chad has been placed at my church for just such a time as this.

God does have a handle on what is going on at Word of Life. Nothing in the last several months has caught Him off guard, and He for sure didn't say, "Well, I didn't see that coming." Pastor Chad is at Word of Life because God wants him there. The best thing we as a church body can do right now is to support his leadership, get behind what he is doing and stay humble before the Lord.

I know that people tend to want to give their opinions about what should or shouldn't be done in these types of situations, heck, I've even been known to be kind of opinionated from time to time. (Ha!) But right now, we should keep our opinions to ourselves, pray (A lot.) for the staff and the board for the decisions that they have to make concerning our church's future and listen very closely for the Spirit's voice about what our part is to play at Word of Life. (And then do that.)

I wanted to write this blog this morning in the hope that it might help bring knowledge to others so they would support Chad Stewart in the job that God has for him at Word of Life. God has great things in store for us as a church, and we will see the continuation of Pastor David's vision for reaching people grow and grow. So let's not worry about what the future holds, let's just get behind Pastor Chad now and follow where he (By the Holy Spirit) leads us.

We Need The "You" Joint In The Church

I heard a minister say yesterday that we need all the "you joints" in church. That set my mind to thinking about "U" joints in vehicles, and wallah, a blog was born. I wasn't really sure what a universal joint in a car does, so I did what all of us do now-a-days, I googled it. And this is what I found:

"U joints are used in drive-shafts to allow the shaft to flex under load and still be able to transmit power from one end to the other. The engine and transmission vibrate as they are under power because of the pounding action of the pistons while they go up and down. Then the twisting force of the drive-shaft pushes against the transmission as it spins, and the rear axle flexes up and down on spins as the car rolls over bumps. If the drive-shaft were one solid piece, all of that extra motion would be impossible to manage and the drive-shaft would break. So they put a U Joint on each end, and sometimes one in the middle, and the drive-shaft can bend and flex while it spins."

So the U joint if broken, keeps the car from moving. Now let's look at a Scripture, and I'll tie all of this together for you. 1 Corinthians 12:18: "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him." Here Paul is talking about the church, not our actual physical bodies. He is saying that God has set each and every one of us in the church where He wants us. (If we've actually taken the time to listen to His voice that is.)

My friend Pastor Daniel Shirley made this statement while we were having lunch yesterday. "If God set you in the body as He pleased, do you think He might be displeased if you take yourself out?" What a great question. If in fact God has led you to a church body to be a part of it, and you through reasons other than God instructing you to move on, decide that it is time to leave that church, do you think that will please God?

So here's the thing, God is the power source (The engine.) and we are the "You Joints" that He has placed in the church as it has pleased Him. Without the you joints, the vehicle can't move. If you were placed in the church, and you decide to leave, then the church cannot move forward as it is supposed to. We need each and every person that is supposed to be at Word of Life now. We need you, even if you feel as if you don't play a valuable role. What I found out about the "U Joint" in cars is that they are not the most expensive parts, but they are absolutely invaluable in making the car go.

Just like the "U" joint isn't the most expensive part on a car, and you may feel that you aren't the most valuable part of the church, but regardless of what you think or feel, God sees you as a very important part of His church, because it pleased Him to place you there. I for one, will begin to see people at my church in a different light now. We are all "You Joints" at Word of Life, and each one of us is needed. Don't let the enemy lie to you now and say that you are not an important part of the mission at Word of Life. We need you now more than ever!

What Now?

Sleep has left me tonight. I am in shock I'm sure, the pain of what I learned a few hours ago has not truly hit me yet. A great man of God was taken, by the enemy, from us too soon tonight. My pastor David Emigh passed from this life to the next while undergoing surgery for a broken leg. I know that I will be asking God why this happened once the reality of it has set in. There won't be an answer I'm sure, even though I will still ask the question.

Pastor told me when my youngest son, Noah died last year that God won't always tell you the answers that you want to know, but that He will always tell you what you need to know so you can keep moving forward. And right now, that is what I have to continue to do, keep moving forward.

I won't lie to you, this is a tough blow to me, my family and my church, Word of Life, and as we will realize in the weeks and months to come, for the body of Christ around the world. As that was the mission that Pastor was given by God: "Go to Sand Springs, Oklahoma, raise up a new testament church and from there you will touch the world. And I will call faithful men alongside to help you." And that is what he did. Thirty years Word of Life has been in Sand Springs, and we now have churches and ministries all around the world just as God told him.

The question in the forefront of my mind is this, "what now?" And I will tell you that the answer is to keep the vision that God gave Pastor alive and well and to continue to run the race that has been set before us as a church. There may be difficult days ahead, sure, but that does not mean that we will cower down and let the enemy have the final say here. No, we will continue the work, and we will see even greater things come to pass. God still wants to show Himself strong!

I will miss that mischievous way Pastor had of harassing those that he shepherded, and the loud shout of "Glory!" which could be heard all throughout the church or anywhere in the community he happened to be at the time. But I will not let what the enemy has meant to harm Pastor's family, my family and my church become a stumbling block that causes me to curl up into a ball and whimper. This is tough yes, but we will overcome even this setback, that's just what he has taught us to do for all of these years.

My pastor, leader and friend is in Heaven now, and I am saddened, and will miss him dearly. But mark my words, this will not stop me, and I will not let this stop my church. So what now you ask? We turn up the heat on the one who is the enemy of all mankind, and continue the work that Pastor David Emigh started so many years ago, that's what.

And please remember to pray and lift up his immediate family; his wife, children, grandchild, mom, dad, brothers and sisters. We need to be there for them now like he was always there for those of us who he pastored. May God's peace that passes all understanding comfort them in this hour of need. In Jesus Name.

I've Got The Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down In My Heart

Last night at my church, we experienced a time in the Presence of God unlike the which I've not seen in a while. Our Associate Pastor Chad preached a sermon about joy, and how we as Christians should be the most joyful people on the planet, yet most days if there is any joy in our hearts, we have forgotten to notify our faces.

Joy is not an emotion, it is a fruit of

the Spirit. And as Chad said last night, an orange tree doesn't have to work to produce oranges, they just form naturally. Now there are things that you can do with the orange tree to make it's fruit become larger and more succulent, you can add fertilizer and prune the tree.

And just as it is possible to do that with a natural orange tree, we can also do that to ourselves spiritually. We can add fertilizer to our hearts, through reading God's Word and prayer. We can also do that by helping others when they are in need. As Christians, we are suppose to be faith people, and in last night's service I was made aware of how far from faith I have been lately. There have been things in my life that have brought stress, confusion and strife, and instead of doing what I've learned and been taught all of my Christian life, I just laid down and let the enemy run rough shod over me. Well, no more.

Life is hard, that is a fact. Life is good, and that also is a fact. These two things at times seem to be at odds with each other whenever we try and reconcile the two into our daily lives. See, being a Christian doesn't mean that we float around on flowery beds of ease, not at all. The early day saints had it rough, Roman occupation, being chased out of cities for spreading the truth of Jesus and what He had done. That was definitely not an easy life.

We are instructed in Scripture that it is the joy of the Lord that is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) And Jesus told us that in Him, we might have peace or joy. (John 16:33) So joy should be a mainstay staple in the Christian life. I wonder then why it isn't always? It is a choice that we have to make to overlook the things in our lives that cause us to not be joyful, and decide to be joyful in spite of what the circumstances tell us.

This is not always easy, and it appears that this is the thing that the Lord is instructing me in at this point in my life. Now I'm not complaining because I know in the end it will be for the benefit of me and my family. So now I will pick up the joy that is in my heart, which is my strength and I will put it on my face so that those around me can see the fruit of joy begin to blossom in my life.

Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!