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Easter Recap

Frank Wooden — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:31:35 +0000

This past week has been phenomenal in the ministry of Sweetwater River Church. We did two performances of “The Runaway”, an urban re-telling of the story of the Prodigal Son. Thursday night was our second Tenebrae Service, observing the rejection and pain that Jesus went through on the night he was arrested. It has become one of the most powerful services we do. Saturday before Easter was our annual egg hunt outreach- our biggest yet. On Easter we launched “Metamorphosis: 30 Days To A New You.” We wrote and printed Life Guides for individuals to use over the next thirty days.

In the past year, since Easter 2010, we have added four members to the pastoral staff, grown in size, relaunched small groups as life groups, started a fine arts ministry, added a biker outreach ministry and we are closing in on the goals of planting churches in City Heights and North Park! We also helped rescue 25 girls from sex trafficking in northern India. A couple of other ministry developments are in the works…we’ll let you know once they are confirmed.

A Pastor’s Take on Facebook- part 1

Frank Wooden — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:15:36 +0000

Like millions of other people, I can be found on Facebook. I joined over a year ago and have watched my friends grow in number as I have spent hours online at my wall. I’m a pastor and I thought social networking would be a good way to keep in touch with people in my church as well as friends near and far. I haven’t been disappointed but I have been surprised. Here’s the first part of what I have learned.

Friending/Unfriending

I’m no Rick Warren (although he is one of my Facebook friends) so I didn’t expect to have thousands of friends on Facebook but I am surprised at how many I do have and who among my friends still haven’t joined Facebook (like some of my staff). Because I am involved in church planting and the multi-ethnic church movement I expected that I would get friend requests from people I didn’t know or I only knew indirectly. I should have realized that there would be scammers out there (Girls asking to be my friend so that I could view their x-rated pictures that they couldn’t post on Facebook). With girls- no friendship unless I know you. I am surprised at the complete strangers who want to be my friend. Do you really need friends that desperately? Often, when I check out their info, I find out that they already have hundreds of more friends than I do. Am I really your friend or just one more number to add to your friend count?

I have asked some well known people to become my friends. Its good to know what they’re thinking. Most of my friends are people I really do know…from the distant past, the recent past and the present. They are people in ministry, people from my churches and people I know socially.

Unfriending is the process where you drop someone as your friend or they drop you. I haven’t unfriended anybody but I have been unfriended. Those that have unfriended me have done so for one of two reasons. The first reason is because even though they know I am a pastor (it’s on my profile), all of the sudden they realize that I can read everything they and all their friends poston their wall. While I have never used Facebook to get preachy, I think a few of my ex-friends felt guilty that I now knew when they were wasted, who they were partying with, and how much they liked to cuss.

A second reason I have been dropped as a friend is when a few people left my church because I did do something that is in my job description- I corrected them. I never corrected them in public and I never posted anything in Facebook about what they did. Believe it or not, the Bible (Yes, that book) does expect pastors to occasionally correct people who are headed down the wrong path. A few people find this a convenient time to leave the church and leave me off their friends list. I am proud of a few people who left my church for various reasons outside of being corrected but are still my Facebook friends. It shows that we can still act like grown ups instead of spoiled kids. I’m even more proud of the people who accepted correction and have stayed in my church, whether or not they are on Facebook.

There may be a another reason why one or two people dropped me as a Facebook friend- they don’t have a sense of humor. There are some really uptight people on Facebook who insist on always being politically correct. While I am mostly pc because I don’t want to be offensive on Facebook, can’t a person sometimes express an opinion that can poke fun (just a little, maybe)? Some people need to lighten up and smile more.

Part 2- What I’ve learned from reading what people post.

Personal Growth Plan

Frank Wooden — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:28:16 +0000

At our staff meeting yesterday I shared the three areas that every ministry leader must grow in:
Spiritual Formation- This is what you do to grow your relationship with God. Nothing grows your relationship with God like spending time with God.
Ministry Development- This is what you do to grow your ministry. Thre are more resources now than ever before. We don’t lack for information but the ability to get the information we need.

Cultural Awareness- This is what you do to understand society. You must know your world in order to minister in it.

Here’s why you need to grow in all three areas:

Spiritual formation + ministry development – cultural awareness makes you irrelevant because you are ignorant of culture.
Spiritual formation + cultural awareness – ministry development makes you ill-prepared because you are ignorant of ministry.
Ministry development + cultural awareness – spiritual formation makes you inadequate because you are ignorant of the Holy Spirit.

Redemptive Conversations

Frank Wooden — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:29:27 +0000

While most of our everyday conversations can deal with minor topics, we can still have the opportunity to make an investment when we talk. It can be as simple as a genuine compliment, an offer to pray on the spot if they share a need, or just letting the other person know you value them.

Redemptive conversations have as a goal to do more than answer or ask a question or share information. They have the ability to make the time spent conversing have redeeming value.

I’m trying to practice making my conversations redemptive this week. I invite you to consider doing the same and see where your week leads you.

Comfortable vs. Rewarding

Frank Wooden — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:25:24 +0000

A life that is comfortable is easily mistaken for a life that is rewarding. Comfortable is what we try to make for our lives by avoiding challenges and conflicts. When we reach this state we even have a term to describe it- being in the comfort zone.

Rewarding is what God makes for our lives and it leads us from comfort, through challenges and conflicts, to receive what we could never get on our own. It is better to be in the reward zone than the comfort zone.

The truth is- we spend most of our time avoiding challenges when God wants us to go through them in faith. Every great hero of faith from the Bible faced a challenge because God wanted them to go through it to reach the reward He had for them.

The Balanced Life

Frank Wooden — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:49:56 +0000

The antidote to stress is supposed to be the balanced life. If you can get all the demands on your time and energy “balanced out”, you’ll find harmony. But it is never that easy. You can only keep things balanced until someone (your boss or a family member for example) places a new request on you. Soon, you’re out of balance again. Trying to balance demands of work, family, God and your own interests becomes an impossible juggling act- something is going to come crashing down.

Jesus said that the greatest commandment was Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37,38). In other words, God wants everything of you- your time, your talents and your possessions.

It comes down to control- do you want to control your life or are you willing to let God control it? If you let God, all the demands placed on you are his to resolve. Let Him figure out how to bring balance to your life It’s time to let God manage your life.

Bakersfield Here I Come

Frank Wooden — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:37:40 +0000

I going to be in Bakersfield tomorrow night for a San Diego Hope dessert. I’m sharing the vision with some people I’ve known for years about what we are doing in the urban core of San Diego. As we plant churches and increase our outreaches in this multi-ethnic and spiritually diverse area, we need additional prayer partners and financial supporters.

Bakersfield is also the city where I ministered for four years before moving to San Diego. My parents and sister and her family still live there. It’s going to be a great time!

Lent

Frank Wooden — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:49:26 +0000

Today is the first day of Lent, a season that I have come to value more and more. The whole concept of giving up something you enjoy during Lent is to practice self denial. This year I’m giving up snacks…it is now 2:30 pm and there is chocolate in the next room calling to me. If I can’t say “no” to candy, how can I learn to say no to those things that would poison my soul?

To observe Lent is to join with countless other followers of Jesus Christ through the centuries who have prepared their hearts to live the Jesus way.

Thank Yous

Frank Wooden — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:18:34 +0000

Thank you to all who have been reading my blog. Since November, traffic has doubled.

Also a thank you to Kurt Warner, retiring quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals. Kurt put God and family before fame. At an age when most quarterbacks have either made it or are backups, Kurt became a star. God gave him the fame after all. His story should be an encouragement to all of us to stay faithful and keep our priorities right because God is always watching over us.

Why Dread Mondays?

Frank Wooden — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:01:23 +0000

Because I’m on Facebook, I see a lot of posts towards the end of the work week about people looking forward to the weekend. I understand the desire for Saturday to roll around…a time to sleep in, be with family, do something fun, etc. But I think that deep down, there is a disappointment with the other five days of the week.

The concept of work is holy. Genesis chapter one tells us that God gave us a job- to take care of the earth. As fun as the Garden of Eden must have been (except for that one tree), it wasn’t met to be a biblical Club Med. It was a place to put your skills to work (Genesis 2:15).

Going back to work after the weekend is to realize your place in the universe. If you don’t enjoy what you do- find something else to do. Otherwise, accept that work is an opportunity to honor God (unless you’re a bank robber by profession).

May we come to the place where we look forward to the weekend and after the weekend, we look forward to Monday as well.