Jeremiah Gómez

Archives For Jeremiah Gómez

C.P.A.C.

August 17, 2009 — Leave a comment

<image courtesy of billy verdin>

Beginning Tuesday, Sarah and I will be attending the Church Planter Assessment Center as part of a potential ‘next step’ (a special thanks Western PA District of The Wesleyan Church, who is investing the cost of attending CPAC in Sarah and me); we’ll be there with two other couples, including Rick and Eunice Cox, who are also from the WPA District. If time and energy allow, I’ll be posting reflections of the day’s activities each evening (be warned, it may be nonsensical gobbeldy-gook or nothing more than a terse sentence); hopefully, if you’re thinking of being assessed, it will help answer some of the questions you may have. It will also be a good read (I’m hoping!) for those of you who are curious about the planting and pre-planting processes we use.

In the meantime, it might be helpful to know what the Assessment is all about. Here’s how the Assessment Center describes itself:

We are confident that this will be a powerful and highly worthwhile personal experience that will provide you with greater self-awareness about your ministry strengths and gifts, as well as your potential for church planting success. You and your sponsoring district or parent church will receive an objective, team-based evaluation to help you both make the wisest possible decisions about your church planting leadership.

In other words, the people of the Center look at the likely success of an individual or couple as the ‘lead planter(s)’ in a new church. The result of a fairly intense, multi-day process is an evaluation focused simply on the likely success of the potential planter articulated as a “Green Light,” “Yellow Light” or “Red Light.”

Red Light… is an indicator that the potential planter is not likely to find themselves effective in a planting environment right now.

Yellow Light… indicates the potential planter is more likely to find success in a planting environment if certain growth areas are given due attention.

Green Light… indicates that the evaluators feel the planter is likely to find success/effectiveness in their endeavors.

It’s important to note, again, this relates just to church planting and isn’t a judgment on people, personalities or ministry calling; it is meant to help potential church planters and the districts, churches, and individuals which invest in new churches to thrive. A ‘Red Light’ shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing, but more as an aid in discerning whether or not planting is the right ministry path for someone right now. A ‘Green Light’ doesn’t mean one person/couple is ‘better’ than another, but that they seem to have the gifts and personal traits that tend to be found in effective church planters. A ‘Green Light’ isn’t a guarantee of ‘success’, either.

This all helps to make sure that someone isn’t setting themselves up for failure, and that they are designed for/capable of handling the unique stresses, pressures, and situations that are involved in attempting to launch a new, Kingdom advancing church. From the outside, it looks like a great opportunity for someone with potential to be a planter to find out if planting really is the right step for them.

If YOU feel like God might be leading you into the direction of planting a church, you should connect with Shawn Cossin and surf on over to Uought2.org. And, maybe one day, we’ll see YOU at assessment!

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This entry also posted at theydidwewill.blogspot.com, the blog of the Church Multiplication Task Force of the WPA District of the Wesleyan Church.

In church church, church planting, personal

Question: Have I Counted the Cost?

August 15, 2009 — Leave a comment

<image courtesy of iboy_daniel>

When it comes to taking those risky steps of faith, it can be difficult to know whether the ‘next step’ we see is our own desire or God’s leading for us. Scripture gives us a bit of a lens through which we can view those situations and determine whether or not ‘now is the time to take the leap. We’ve already asked, “Have I Put First Things First”, and, “Have I Waited?” You can read the introduction here.

When it comes to taking those risky steps of faith, it can be hard to know whether the ‘next step’ we see is our own desire or God’s leading for us. Scripture gives us a bit of a lens through which we can view those situations and ask if ‘now is the time’ to take the leap. We’ve already discussed asking “Are First Things First” and “Have I Waited.”

As Joshua and the people prepare for their crossing of the River Jordan, it’s obvious the risk hasn’t been exaggerated. Here’s what happens as they finally take the step of crossing the river:

Josh 3:

¹⁴ So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. ¹⁵ Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, ¹⁶ the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. ¹⁷ The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

That is an incredible image: stepping in, the water stopping, and standing firm as the people crossed. Imagine what it was like to be there and experience the hand of God in the moment; to recognize that this was part of what you were preparing for just days before.

The way these few verses read, it’s easy to think entering/crossing the river was a quick, easy task with no risk at all. But the truth is that the Jordan at flood stage is a dangerous place to be. Because of a system of channels and locks on top of the high level of the water, there would have been a swift current with the river. The priests who had to first step into the water could easily have been swept away… and, some scholars suggest their first step could have put them ‘in over their heads’ with the steep banks of the river in places. But their duty as priests meant they wouldn’t leave the ark regardless of their personal circumstance (as in, “staying with the Ark even if it meant traveling downriver with it and drowning).

The point is, this ‘step of faith’ could have literally cost them everything. Look at this from the perspective of Joshua and the priests: the entire nation is hoping this works. The enemy on the other side of the river is watching, hoping it doesn’t. Everything was on the line: the future of the nation, their own pride, their hope, the very lives if the priests… and for Joshua, all of his credibility, his very ability to lead, was at stake.

That’s the way it is with many of the decisions we face in life… but it’s especially true when it comes to following Jesus—he’s pretty candid with us that following him will cost us everything. So he urges us to count the cost. And we see in Joshua that for those participating in all of this, the potential cost was astronomical.

“Counting the cost” doesn’t mean allowing fear to enter into our thinking and drive us, but it does mean being aware and informed, understanding consequences and thinking long-term (the ‘immediate’ step was into the river, but it was just one of many steps of faith which would be required to see the nation of Israel established).

On the one hand, taking the faith-step moves us to a place where we risk everything. But on the other hand it moves us to a place where we find great security, knowing that the same God who led us to the place of faith will see us through it. It seems for us, we must count the cost, and knowing what could be, we move… trusting that God will be God, and his Great Name will be praised regardless of the outcome.

Have you counted the cost?

In Joshua courage, Joshua, Scripture

Some of My Own Journey

August 13, 2009 — Leave a comment

<image courtesy of Mykl Roventine>

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My Grandma used to have a little plaque on one of the walls in the room I slept in when visiting her. On it was the cartoon image of a teddy bear riding a rocking horse with the following phrase written out in script:

Faith Isn’t Faith Until It’s All You’re Holding Onto.

How I’ve grown to loath that little plaque.

Mostly because it had some level of truth in it and I find myself wanting the kind of faith that is soft and fluffy and convenient and doesn’t cost anything but gives everything.

But I guess that wouldn’t be ‘faith’ so much as ‘looking to be coddled.’

It’s said that when you read something, you learn more about the person doing the writing than whatever subject presented. If that’s the case, it’s probably pretty obvious by looking at the central theme of my blog posts as of late that my (and Sarah’s!) journey has focused a lot on (re)learning what faith is and how it needs to be playing out in our lives right now.

At the beginning of May, we felt pretty clearly led by God’s Spirit to leave my then-current position as pastor of Carlisle Wesleyan. There were quite a few ways we were led to that decision, but it sure didn’t make it any easier to ‘pull the trigger’ by signing a resignation letter with no ‘next step’ clearly outlined.

Since that time, I’ve been Mr. Applicant—applying to job after job after job in the ‘non-churchy’ world and looking at various potential opportunities in the church world. Long story short: I’m still very unemployed. We’ve received clear “don’t go there” leadings from the Holy Spirit with ministry opportunities, and haven’t garnered a lot of interest with organizations wanting a twenty-something minister to come work for their company in another role.

There have been moments when it’s been tempting to despair, but what I find amazing is the continued sense of God’s presence with us. Though nothing is clear about tomorrow, we have had a deep sense of peace and comfort. I told someone the other day that I know me and how I ‘should be’ reacting to where we are: freaking out in a way that makes “going postal” look like a group of church ladies scrapbooking in the basement on a Thursday night. But I’m not. We’re just trusting.

We have nothing to hold on to but the God who is leading us. We have nothing to cling to but our Father. So, we’re choosing to have the same trust a small child has in their parent–that the parent will do everything they said they would, and that we, as those children, are safe, secure, and able to rest knowing our Father has everything taken care of.

So here we are: without any crown of success or example of personal greatness; humbled and waiting. We’re learning what it is to ‘hold on’ without knowing the length of the wait or what we’re even waiting FOR. We’re learning what faith is in a way that, in the reality of other situations faced by many, isn’t a very big mountain at all… but to us seems huge. We’re learning in this comparatively small way, what it is to live a life that really isn’t our own.

For the record, though, I still hate that stupid plaque.

In Uncategorized faith, personal

Question: Have I Waited?

August 12, 2009 — 2 Comments

<image courtesy of wallyg>

We’ve been asking the question of how to know when to take steps of faith—and finding answers by asking other questions.

The first questions was “Are First things First”

Another question worth asking is the same as the title for this post:

HAVE I WAITED?

The people of Israel are getting ready to cross the Jordan River in order to begin conquering the land promised them in generations past. God has instructed them to cross the flooded Jordan. It’s obvious that this is the only next step from a strategic and logistical perspective.

Josh 3:

² After three days the officers went throughout the camp, ³ giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. ⁴ Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.”

⁵ Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.”

Even though they could see the land which was theirs; even though they knew what needed to be done to cross; even though everything was ‘obvious’ regarding next steps… everybody waited. For three days.

But those three days weren’t spent idly—there was a purpose in the waiting: the people were preparing themselves for what was ahead. Their journey wasn’t over yet, and though the land across the Jordan had been promised, it wouldn’t become theirs without a long and hard-fought military campaign. Mostly, though, they were waiting because they were going to be used by God (in a number of ways—but Scripture indicates that Israel was going to be used by God to execute his judgment on other nations and to bring his message).

A very important term in the above passage is ‘consecrate’—the same term used in reference to the Tabernacle… a very special place that only few could enter. The idea is something that is being set apart. The ‘translation’ of the instruction for the people is this: “God is going to use you, and you need to be ready,” or, “God is going to do something huge, and he wants you to get prepared.”

I know it’s been said before, but it bears repeating: our steps of faith have much less to do with us than they do with what God desires to do through us for his Name and the advancement of his Kingdom.

Again, for Joshua and the Israelites, there was no doubt what their next step was. But there was also no doubt that this same ‘next step’ was impossible if God wasn’t in it. They waited.

It’s a good lesson to learn, but not necessarily an easy leason to grasp. Before you leap—ask yourself if you’ve waited or if you’re moving impulsively. The truth is, God doesn’t lead is to our next step without preparing us first (not forgetting, of course, that he can, and often does, prepare us for ‘what’s next’ without us knowing that’s what is going on). What are you doing right now to allow yourself to be prepared? How are you taking time to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit? Are you faithful in the here-and-now? Are you serving faithfully where you are with what you have?

As counterintuitive as it may seem, sometimes the greatest act of faith is in the waiting rather than the stepping.

In Joshua courage, faith, Joshua

Question: Have I Put First Things First?

August 10, 2009 — 1 Comment

<Image courtesy of aschaeffer>
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We’re answering the question of “How do I know when to take that leap of faith?” with a series of other questions found in Joshua chapter 3.

The Ark of the covenant is mentioned NINE TIMES in Joshua 3—and until now, it hasn’t been mentioned at all in the book. Remember, the Ark is a sign and symbol of God’s presence with his people and serves as a war standard going before them. Here’s what we find in the chapter:

When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God…

…keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark…

Joshua said to the priests, ‘take up the ark of the covenant…’

Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant

See, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you.

…the priests who carry the ark of the LORD…

…As soon as the priests who carried the ark…

…the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD

It’s pretty obvious that the presence, leadership, and symbol of God going before his people was paramount to those about to cross the Jordan river. There was something significant to Joshua and the nation about having the Ark present and going before the people–everything in its proper order. Before we take steps of faith, the giver of faith needs to be foremost in our lives.

There’s an old recipe for rabbit stew that begins, “First, catch the rabbit…” When it comes to exercising faith, it’s important to make sure first things really are first. Otherwise, it’s kind of like trying to make rabbit stew without the main ingredient.

First things first for us means that God is the one leading us—and we aren’t being led by our own desires for promotion, comfort, recognition, safety, or complacency. It’s also important to note that church is not the same thing as God (though, I’m all for an incarnational understanding of being Christ). It’s possible to be the busiest most churchified person you know and not really have first things first. You can be religious without following God.

But if we are in Christ and he is in the place of prominence in our lives, we know we have his leadership, his comfort, his direction, his hope all in the pursuit of his Kingdom.

If we take a step of faith without having first things first, it’s probably not a step of faith at all, but is more likely an exercise in the worship of self. That isn’t a risk worth taking.

In Joshua church, faith, Joshua, Scripture