Derek Scholz – an example of patient endurance!

Derek Scholz is an inspiring part of the South Sound singles ministry, and his life is proof that with God’s help, patient endurance will produce fruit in our lives.  Back in 1999, Derek was working as an assistant manager at a Red Apple Market in University Place.  He was working and attending school, but felt little spiritual progress in his life.  One day he was invited to Bible Talk by Alex Whitaker, who was a member of the Tacoma singles ministry.  He never went, feeling like life was a bit too busy and hectic.  He was also invited by other members of the church at various times.

About that time he became friends with Nicole Savage (now Moen!).  Nicole was at a point in her life where she began contemplating a relationship with God, and began attending church with an old high school friend, eventually getting involved in some personal Bible studies.  Of course, she invited Derek to attend church with her one Sunday.  Derek showed up, and was amazed to see it was the same church that Alex and others had previously invited him to!  He began to attend church regularly, and also started to study the Bible, eager to find out if God indeed had plans for his life.  Derek was inspired by what he saw – deep relationships that are committed to caring for one another, principles and people that called him higher, and a purpose that transcended anything he had ever experienced.  He really felt like God was calling him to do so much more with his life.  Derek was baptized into Christ on November 16, 1999!

If you ask Derek about his struggles, he will be the first to tell you that often, when the going got tough, he was quickly tempted to give up.  He started attending Pacific Lutheran University and playing on the baseball team, only to encounter a series of frustrations and disappointments.  He quit both.  When confronted with tough relationships in his life, he usually pulled back and went elsewhere.  Whether it was family issues, financial pressure, or the stress of school and life, Derek felt weak.  All that changed as he became a Christian and began to rely on God’s strength, not his own.

Surrounded by caring relationships, Derek began to confront his fears head on.  He enrolled at the University of Puget Sound, determined to finish his business degree.  With a little pressure from friends, he even tried out for the baseball team and won a spot!  After a lot of hard work and many ups and downs, Derek graduated!  He boldly moved on in life, and is now a very successful sales associate for Esseloir Laboratories, specializing in custom optical lenses.  I recently asked Derek  what God has helped him overcome as he has devoted his life to following him?  He answered, “God has helped me have a spiritual view of money and possessions, has allowed me to be a giver, not a taker in life.  He has graciously helped me build strong relationships, and become more of a leader with the campus students, teens and singles.  He has helped me gain control over my emotions, giving me the strength to overcome long held fears, and to step our and take risks in life.”

Derek has felt what almost all of us have felt many times – when we grow weary or feel pressure, we are tempted to give up.  However, with God’s help and a stubborn commitment to standing firm in God, Derek has grown into a steady, mature disciple of Christ!

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  Galatians 6:9

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Raising Our Boys To Be Godly Men

 

Yesterday we were blessed to take part in the parenting workshop in Seattle.  We joined forces with the Seattle church and held classes on raising girls, boys, and helping raise our children with special needs.  Karla and I were able to speak about raising our boys to become godly men – what a task!  Clearly, there are NO experts in this field, just plenty of parents who have gone before us.  

What is the real burden of developing boys into men?  Teaching them to have a deep, godly character.  If we can use prayer, the scriptures, and the wisdom we gain from each other, we can use everyday life situations to equip them to make tough choices in an increasingly tough world.  The class was wonderful – we were able to share some insight and biblical principles, then had a very helpful time of group Q & A.  We have a church full of parents dedicated to developing spiritual families!

We provided a handout for parents to take home.  Rather than a “formula for success,” it is a list that shows a study in contrast – it compares the character of worldly men with the character traits of a Christian man.  To print a copy of it, click here!

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The Fields Family – Growing Through the Years – February 2009

 

When Karla and I entered the full-time ministry in 1996, we moved to Tacoma to assume leadership of the church.  I had prayer list a mile long!  I had a “wish list,” and among other things, asked God to send us people who would be an instant blessing for the ministry, and who would be a crucial part of building a strong foundation in Tacoma that would last for years.  After only one month, my phone rang.  Chris and Annie Fields called to let us know they were being stationed in Bremerton, and were eager to meet us and start the next phase of their life in the South Sound church.  Shortly after they arrived, we had them over for dinner.  Immediately after meeting them, we fell in love with them, their young family, and with their strong convictions!

 

Chris and Annie have been married for 18 years.  They have two beautiful daughters: Kendra (12) is now in 7th grade, and Ciara (8) is in 3rd grade.  Chris recently retired from the Navy, where he spent 23 years in active duty.  He holds an MA degree in Organizational Leadership, and currently works as a Human Resources Specialist for the Navy Human Resource Center Northwest.  Annie holds a BA in Workforce Education and Development, and currently works as Assistant Day Care Director at Peace Lutheran School (she especially loves the job because her kids attend school there!).  Their family and faith shine brightly in the South Sound Church of Christ, where they have raised their kids, served in nearly every capacity, and built strong relationships that will surely last a lifetime.

     Chris and Annie became Christians in November, 1990.  Recently, I asked them what made the biggest impact on them as they considered becoming a Christian:

Chris:  “It really was the openness and honesty of Christian relationships.  I had never seen such a depth in people committed to sharing about their lives.”

Annie:  “Obviously, it was God’s grace and mercy – I realized that with God I was never abandoned, although I always felt like it outside of really knowing Him.  Also, it was amazing that people were willing to invest in me in spite of who I was!  Lastly, I was so inspired by witnessing people who committed to daily living for God.”

     One especially inspiring example of the Fields’ faith is their ability to move around often, yet continue to grow spiritually and maintain a healthy perspective about relationships.  They have been a part of ministries in San Diego, Memphis, Fresno, and now in Bremerton.  Each church and situation has been different.  However, what remains the same is their commitment to God, even in spite of challenges, or the ever-present temptation to “compare” ministries or leaders.  I asked them to share their convictions about this:

 

 

Chris:  “The important thing to devotion to mature relationships in the church.  As we get close, we help each other grow, and are bonded together through experiences such as raising our children.  In my opinion, depth of friendships means everything.  Even in tough times, the people I have seen stay faithful and grow have various strong relationships.  Those who do not invest in the relationships in the church seem to struggle, and sadly, some have left.”

Annie:  “I’ve learned that in a transitional ministry like the military, you have to be personally and wholeheartedly devoted to your relationship with God.    Faces and friendships change, but God doesn’t.  Also, those who invest in strong relationships with other brothers and sisters, getting advice and input about all phases of life, will be successful and faithful.  Lastly, for those that move around a lot, it is extra important to be immediately active in the ministry you are a part of.  Otherwise, it’s easy to get critical, and you won’t grow like you should.”  Annie had some wise words for the future of our church, saying “The young Timothy’s in the faith really inspire me.  When I look at young people as a whole in our church it gives me great faith to know that we are building a great foundation for generations to come.  Also, I know some of these young people will walk with and lead our children.”

     Talking with the Fields is impressive.  Their family revolves around the church, and it shows.  They serve people, the open up their home to the ministry and the lost around them, and they maintain a strong desire to build up their church in any way they can.  They have obviously remained committed to growing deeper through the years, and with each move they’ve made.  My prayer for them now is that they stay put for years to come!

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Imagine If….2009 Goals and Visions

 

“Imagine If….!”

2009 South Sound Church of Christ Goals

 

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.”

Ephesians 3:20-21

Dear Members of the South Sound Church of Christ,

     As we head into 2009, we look back on last year to gain insight about lessons learned, and to gain vision for the future direction of our church.  God has blessed our spiritual family in so many ways!  We have our faith, which is of greater worth than gold, we have a special purpose in brining the hope of our savior to a lost world, and we share family with a body of believers that has been set up by God himself.  He placed us in our church family in order to allow us to be inspired and called higher by each others’ faith, to be equipped for our crucial work in this world, and to provide a heavenly context around which we can build our lives while on earth, our temporary home! 

     I have entitled our goals and prayer focus “Imagine If….!”  So often, especially as our years pass in the church, we are increasingly tempted to define our faith by what we can see with our eyes, touch with our hands, even set spiritual goals and visions that we can realistically imagine happening!  All of us can find ourselves living daily with such a faith.  However, this idea is foreign to God.  Jesus found the predictable faith of the Pharisees dull, while being moved to action by the simple, anything-can-happen expectations of average followers!  God expects us to expect great things.  He expects his church to tap into HIS power, and as it inspires us to dream big, he expects us to cast a vision in the church that reaches far beyond anything we can see – or imagine. 

     In Ephesians 3, Paul reminds the believers about the power of God.  He created his church to be a collection of different but united individuals, all dreaming about the many ways their lives could bring him glory on earth.  As they relied on his power, quite literally, anything was possible.  With that in mind, let us use the following goals and visions to begin changing the culture of our fellowship.

MISSIONS

1.  Win as many as possible to Christ!  Every disciple is committed to seeking and saving the lost.

2.  Deepen the sense of mission in our Bible Talk Groups.  Everyone committed to being in a Bible study with a non-believer.

3.  Growth in our campus ministry.  Pray fervently for God to bless our efforts at PLU and UPS, and all the area community colleges.

4.  Explosion of growth in our preteen and teen ministries!

MATURITY

1.  Deepen our relationships in the church, by renewing our commitment to the one-another passages in the Bible.

2.  Renew our faith in the congregation by focusing on transforming and changing.  We will be highlighting stories of transformation, people personally bringing glory to God with their lives and families.

3.  Greater reliance on God.  This, of course, will always be a prayer focus of our church!

4.  Strong finish to our building campaign!  We have one year left in our three-year capital campaign.  We will sacrifice our way to the end!

     In addition to these goals, I would like to ask every disciple to imagine a an impossible feat.  What would amaze you in 2009?  What seems our of your reach and power?  Write it down, commit it to God, and fervently pray for it through the year.  Let’s call on our amazing God to do immeasurably more than anything we can ask or imagine in 2009!  To God be the glory!

Daren

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According to God’s Timing

As we begin to reach out to friends and family, we are confronted with many questions: will they be open to studying the scriptures?  Will they be able to confront important issues in their life?  Can I adequately convey God’s love to them?  If so, how long before they decide to make Jesus their Lord and Savior?  The answers: God knows!

During the middle of 2007, myself, Marcus Wallace, and some singles began to study the Bible with a young man named Branden Bensen.  He was introduced to the church by Jeff Henderson, a friend from his high school days.  He began to attend church, get integrated into the singles, and study God’s word.  He was inspired by what he saw and read, but didn’t feel like he was ready to make a decision at the time.

Over the next year, he attended occasionally, and kept in good contact with the church through many relationships in the singles ministry.  In the Spring of 2008, he decided to come back and begin studying the Bible again in earnest.  God  blessed Branden with a Princeton education, a good job, and a supportive family.  Still, he realized all of that meant nothing without a saving relationship with God.  After months of studying and changing, Branden was baptized on October 27 in the icy waters of Puget Sound!

That was one night nobody will forget.  Surrounded by friends and family, Branden pledged his life to God.  It was incredible to hear touching words of gratitude from his father, as well as Branden expressing thanks to God and his friends for showing him patience on his journey to a relationship with God.

As Branden was baptized by his close friends Derek Scholz and Todd Stickler, we were all reminded that God’s plan of evangelism includes our tireless effort in reaching out to people and showing them the scriptures.  We should pray earnestly for them, serve them, and show them unconditional love.  However, we can’t control the timing of people making decisions to turn their life over to God.  I was reminded of this when I asked Branden the question, “why did you decide to become a Christian now and not last year?”  His answer: “I feel like now I was ready to make the decision to make Jesus my Lord.”  I think God knew that!

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A Miracle for the Shockley Family

Bill and Michelle Shockley have been members of the South Sound Church of Christ for nearly eight years.  Like so many young married couples, they began to earnestly pray for God to allow them to bring children into this world and start a family.  Not long into this process, it became clear having children on their own might not be a part of that plan.  After wrestling with many different options, they courageously decided to volunteer to be a “foster-adopt” family.

They lovingly brought a little boy into their family – an energetic young guy named Stone!  Thirteen months after his birth, following a lot of prayer and many legal proceedings, he officially became their son, as they were able to legally adopt him.  Not long after their adoption of Stone, they welcomed a beautiful newborn girl into their home.  Her name was Arrie.  She came from a troubled family that struggled to be unified on just what exactly would be the best long-term solution for her.  Would one of Aries’ relatives step up and adopt her?  As she fought to get her life together, would her birth mother want her back?  As the Shockley family met Aries’ needs in the warmth and security of their own home, they also weren’t sure how her future would play out.

As they prayed and patiently waited, the legal process became witheringly slow and frustrating.  Forced to wait, sometimes long periods with little or no news, the Shockley’s struggled to see how God was working.  It seemed that when news did come, it was discouraging.  After two long years, they felt no closer to resolution than when they started.  Concerned about Arrie and their family on many fronts, they solicited the prayers and encouragement of the disciples in the church.  Friends and family prayed and put the future of Arrie into God’s hands.  It was impossible for us to believe that Arrie would be forced to leave the only family she knew.  Finally, nearly three years after taking her in, the Shockley’s were notified this last week that they were cleared to officially begin the process of adopting Arrie!

The Lord has blessed the Shockley family.  He has worked powerfully to bring an end to a long, tense, bittersweet process.   He has blessed Stone with a little sister for life.  He has enriched so many of us with the joy of watching Arrie grow up into a sweet little girl.  Perhaps most importantly, He has helped all of us grow in our faith, clearly showing us the power of prayer and perseverance.  To Him be the glory!

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SSCOC Financial Philosophy

February 4, 2008

Money is so often divisive.  Most of us can remember parents or grand-parents soberly abjuring us from discussing money, religion, or politics, in or out of our households.  For disciples, two of these three are still sensitive topics, and none more so than cold, hard cash. Money can bless the church or divide the church.  Since disciples tenaciously strive for the “complete unity” that Jesus prayed for, coming to a consensus about money in the church is a serious and essential step in “contending as one man” for the gospel in Seattle. What can God’s word tell us about such sensitive waters?

Among other things, we know from scripture that the love of money is the “root of all kinds of evil.”  And we know the longing to get rich pierces the seeker with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:10). And yet we also know, when we stop to think about it, that money is an abstraction that (usually) represents some tangible thing that is valued and usually something that has been made or produced.  This produce, whether from the land, the craftsman, the factory, or the computer, is something that according to scripture God historically brings as He sees fit—His blessing to His people (Deut 8:6-20).  The blessing of prosperity—and the money that represents it—is always from God, but in our world often replaces God.  Prosperity itself is not a curse, but loving and enthroning it is.

How, then, do we graciously accept God’s prosperity while abhorring financial idolatry?  In particular, how should we view “sacrificial living” as a feature of Christian life—what exactly does it mean?—and how should we view the support of ministers and missionaries in our congregations and abroad?  Times and topics that engender confusion always beg for clarity, and though we long, perhaps, even more for simplicity, often clarity and simplicity are not the same thing.

It may be tempting, for instance, to use the Spartan example of Jesus—no possessions that we are aware of—to rid ourselves of any monetary questions:  let’s just rid ourselves of everything but the Birkenstocks on our feet in an effort to “be like him.”  The simplicity and assumed purity of such a philosophy is quite attractive but begs an avalanche of serious questions:  if minimalist living is a holy mandate, why did the first century church even have wealthy members?  Or middle class members for that matter? And why does God prosper any of us at all if He only wants minimalist living? Just to tempt us? How might we live differently if we were only supporting ourselves instead of a spouse and children?  What does it mean to responsibly provide for children (another Bible mandate)? In a modern economy, how do we labor and save, then, in order to someday retire and not be burden to our children or to society as we age (Gal 6:5)?  What if Jesus had planned on living for 60 years not 33? Was Jesus prosperous before as a carpenter—and we assume He was a very good carpenter?  As a full-time minister, did Jesus live on more than John the Baptist—he of the leather belt, desert quarters and locust diet?  Does it matter?

Can we frame a solid theological teaching on how much money we should make, or how much we should sacrifice based on Jesus’ three year ministry?  In Seattle, we don’t think so. Godly peoples have been wrestling with these and other questions of money since the first century and this struggle ought to be respected. It seems unlikely that we will be able to hang our hats on one or two scriptures to solve all of our money conflicts.  Instead, we will need humility and a persevering suspension of judgment to reach a unity about money that brings joy to the church (Romans 14:1).  Each of us must do his or her own wrestling and form opinions of maturity about our finances and our sacrifices.  As we do this, we must strive to humbly hesitate making an emotional or theological commitment to what may simply be our opinion—what works for us.  At the same time, we need a limited base of shared financial convictions in order to thwart Satan’s divisive strategies and allow our community to build with zeal and confidence.

With these caveats guiding, we in the Seattle church want to humbly but confidently affirm these few godly principles for basic guidance in our financial work together:

1.  We believe in Stewardship, not Greed, nor Asceticism. The material world was made by God and all prosperity is from God (Deut 8, 1 Tim 6:17).  This means, first, that we are to worship the Creator and not the creation. We appreciate the providence but love the Provider.  We put our hope in God, not in the wealth that he bestows according to his purposes.  Materialism is idolatry.

Second, this means we must not despise His providence.  If we despise the bacon we bring home by His grace, we might as well despise all careers and all jobs, all enterprise; we might as well despise all natural providence as well—His lakes, mountains, oceans, birds, fish, and animals, the seasons, the sun and moon.  Asceticism—trying to guarantee holiness by rejecting the material world—is Gnostic and another form of idolatry, for we put our hope in God, not in our relative level of economic austerity.

We are left, then, with the commission of Stewardship.  What we have, God brings—it should neither be worshipped nor despised.  Because it is all a gift from Him, though, we should use our money—no matter how much or how little—knowing all of it belongs to Him in the first place, and ask Him for wisdom in using, investing, or spending it.

2.  We believe in amply supporting full-time ministers as we can and where we can. Paul wrote that God actually commands us to financially support those who preach the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14).  He also wrote (though this is an observation, not a command) that the Philippians provided him with generous support—that he was amply supplied and had also known times of “plenty” as a missionary (Phil 4:12, 18). The point here is not that ministers must be generously supplied, but rather that they ought to be financially supported, and that ample (i.e. abundant, generous) support is neither unusual nor unspiritual.

In Seattle, acknowledging that our ministers live in a 21st century, not a first century economy, our board and salary committee have created a salary model that amply provides for the ministry staff.  We have distributed this model in the past and you can view it again by clicking here.  Again, eschewing the doctrine that insists our goal is to be as Spartan as Jesus was for three years, our board has striven to find a rational place to financially “plant the goalposts,” in the absence of a strict and clear Bible command.  They did this by tying ministers’ compensation to that of other comparable public servants—teachers, firemen, policemen, and the like.  As in the case of these public servants, our salary model generally calls for a series of small yearly raises to acknowledge longevity, expertise, and the financial demands that raising families brings.  Unlike the public servant models, our model has no medical benefits package—like many small companies these days, the church is no longer in the business of administrating health coverage.  Staff members are on their own to individually or collectively find their own health insurance.  Consequently, the board has raised the salaries a bit higher than, for example, those of teachers so that the overall salary-plus-benefits package is similar.

Certainly the goal is not to make our ministry staff wealthy (although it’s possible some may become wealthier due to blessed investments or family inheritance—it’s not our business to judge.  Those so blessed will prayerfully in turn give generously!) but at the same time, we hope to set them free from financial concern and pay them in a way that speaks of both high respect and high expectations.

In a modern economy, all salaries are ultimately decided by market decisions of value—supply and demand.  In the private sector, the results are often dramatic—NFL players are rare and so receive rare compensation (that is, assuming fans still want to see games).  But the public sector, collectively, is also market-determined—how many tax dollars do we really want to allocate for road-repairmen, meter maids, teachers, principles, or chief inspectors?  In the long run, the market lands where it probably should, for both private and public roles. We therefore compare our salaries to those of teachers with some confidence.

3.  We reject envy as both a sin and a distortion. Are ministers/teachers/ firemen middle class?  Upper-middle?  Lower class?  Does it matter? Who judges? Some members may be tempted to envy the level of compensation of ministers.  Others may be tempted to pity that level of compensation.  Some ministers may feel that being compensated like a public servant is an incredible blessing; others may feel it is more of a cheerful sacrifice, depending on a host of factors such as upbringing, education, work ethic, ambition, and experience working in the world’s private or public sectors.  The point is that all of it is subjective—there simply is no clear right or wrong compensation.  In the Seattle church, we have landed near the level of teachers and other public servants, and we commend our staff as one of spirituality and excellence.  We want to financially support them in a way that is encouraging and inspiring; we expect, in return, the very best from them.  We want each of them to feel not like a charity case but rather as a workman who truly (as much as any sinner, that is) “deserves his wages” (1 Tim 5:18).

4.  We each commit as faithful members of the Seattle church to giving a faithful financial sacrifice to the Lord. We do not accept the idea that one can be a faithful member of God’s church yet withhold a financial sacrifice—an obvious contradiction.  If we lack faith in the affairs of the congregation enough to withhold our sacrifice, then clearly we are worshipping in the wrong place. In this congregation, faith in the work and sacrificing for the work go together.

The Bible teaches spiritual men and women to sacrifice as part of their worship.  Such sacrifices are as old as Cain and Abel.  The patriarchs offered sacrifices, first fruits and even tithes to God and to His priests (Gen 8:20, 12:7, 13:18, 14:20, 15:10). Abraham foreshadowed God’s own sacrificial heart in Genesis 22:9 when he prepared to sacrifice Isaac.  The Israelites were commanded to make many agrarian and animal offerings to God (Leviticus) and various tithes to support the spiritual work of the Levites.  We worship a God who sacrifices and who commends us to do likewise.

It requires distorted, inverted proof-texting to assert that we are not required today to sacrifice. It’s obvious that first century disciples supported full time ministers and missionaries (1 Cor 9:14).  It’s obvious they saved and collected special contributions for special needs (1 Corinthians 16:1, 2 Cor 8-9).  But most of all, it’s obvious that God’s people have always lived a lifestyle of tithes, offerings, and sacrifices, even as He prospered them.  Trying to take this out of the Bible culture is like trying to take the miracles out of Jesus’ profile—it just runs too thick to excise.

But are we sacrificial?  The Bible teaches that our whole lives are to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), but who judges that? By what standard do we judge whether or not we are being sacrificial?  Where do we land on this?

By definition, sacrifice hurts.  It is not convenient.  It means giving up something.  While we do not have a proof-text command in the New Testament to tithe (10%) we are commanded to be sacrificial.  We stand for every member deciding before their God what that means.  No doubt what we decide to give sends a message to Him.  We acknowledge that sacrifice is always relative and that the need around us is always endless.  With this in mind, we commit to giving and sacrificing in such as way that we each can feel personally inspired.  We pray that our offerings, in turn, can also inspire our God.

5. We disavow the practice of scrutinizing what ought to be private, personal, spiritual financial matters. Whether in giving (our weekly and missions offerings), compensating (ministry staff salaries) or spending (will you buy a Toyota or a Volvo?), we follow the implications of Matthew 6:2-4—that these matters are between the individual and God.  None of us is fit to judge, let alone knowledgeable enough to judge these choices.  Out of respect, and to protect ourselves from a misguided and controlling culture of judgment, we do not demand to know what members give, how they spend their finances, or what their personal salaries are—ministry staff included.  Curiosity about personal details is, in reality, a kind of “unhealthy interest in controversy” and must be resisted for the sake of one’s own faith and pure-heartedness (1 Timothy 6:4).  In the SCC, we just don’t “go there.”

May God bless us with peace and faith about our finances that both overcomes and inspires the world!

With much love and respect,

The ministers, deacons, and BTLs of the Seattle church of Christ

and South South Sound Church of Christ.

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