Greg Surratt

My wife threw out a piece of paper that might have saved thousands...

My grandfather once told me, “Son, write everything down.  God will give you a thought and the Devil will steal it from you.”  I was just getting started in ministry and he was just finishing his.  Those were wise words, and, other than his

Ping

golf clubs, they were probably the most valuable things that he left me.

 

I’m not sure how much of it can be chalked up to spiritual warfare, but I’ve certainly lost an idea or too in my lifetime.  I’ve tried to write them down as quickly as I can.  The problem is, the best ideas seldom come when I’m prepared to capture them, and even if I do, they’ve often gotten lost in the shuffle of something else.  After 30 years of marriage, Debbie knows better than to throw away even the most obscure scrap of paper.  It could be notes on the back of an envelope, or pencil marks on a napkin. Her bent toward clean and my bent toward clutter have led to times of intense fellowship as I try to explain that the scribbles in the margin of the two day old newspaper now headed toward the recycle bin were actually the very words that would lead many to Jesus in next weeks sermon.  Now they were lost, both the notes and the people, and she would someday have to answer to God for it.

 

I’ve tried notebooks and filing systems, only to have thoughts either buried within the pages or stuck in a filing cabinet or computer database located somewhere other than where I needed them at the time. 

 

I think I may see some light at the end of the idea tunnel.  It’s called an iPhone and a program called Evernote.  With the iPhone I have an electronic pen and paper to capture the ideas as they come.  Evernote promises to become the virtual filing system to store and retrieve anything as long as AT&T will supply the connection.  This marriage could work.  What if every sermon I’ve ever preached, every thought I’ve written down, every website I’ve flagged as interesting, every email I thought should be saved, could be searchable and available within just a few seconds…anywhere, anytime?

 

In their marketing, Evernote promises to replace the memory portion of your brain.  Mine could certainly use an upgrade.

 

Now if my iPhone just had a bluetoothe keyboard and could cut and paste I could send my laptop to an early retirement and spend more time storing up words of wisdom to give to my grandkids someday. 

 

Anybody else experimenting with similar solutions?  

I finally found my desk (and Jesus, too)…

I wasn't born with the highly organized, administrative gene. Some people have it, some people don't.

I don't.

If you do, God bless you…we tend to make each other crazy.

Some people make messes, some people don't. Some people take things out, some people put them away. Some people like stacks, some people are bothered by stacks. End of story right?

It was for me…until recently. I think I'm coming to Jesus.

Three things are driving me to my knees:

• I'm in over my head.
• Recently, I couldn't find my desk, or anything else for that matter.
• It's become a stewardship issue.

I'm over my head

It's no secret that I am amazed that God would choose me to lead anyone, much less 10,000 people on a weekly basis. Then there is the issue of staff. We have a wonderfully dedicated, loyal, and talented herd of cats, nearly 200 strong, that I am expected to give leadership to daily. Often I wake up thinking, "If they only knew". (I think they do, and follow anyway.) The volume of information, decisions, and relational lubrication that I am expected to process is mind numbing to a messy, stack maker like me. I'm definitely in over my head.

Where is it?

Often I can't find what I need, when I need it. I know I wrote it down somewhere. I remember I said that in a message, but which one. I'm sure it's in one of the books I've read, I just can't remember the title. The answer may be in one of the stacks on my desk, but I'm not sure which stack…besides, I'm not at my desk right now. This is an exhausting, mind numbing exercise I go through daily.

It's a stewardship issue

Someday I'll stand before God and give account of all that he's given me. My organizational accounting will be brief, but I'm still responsible for what I've got. For years I've taught people that "It's not my gift" is not an excuse. Just because you don't have the gift of mercy doesn't mean that you have the liberty to be a jerk. You are responsible to use what you have responsibly, even if it's not very much. Besides, I believe that God has given us all we need in order to be successful in accomplishing his will in whatever he's called us to do. If I need to be more organized to be better at what I do, then it's a self leadership issue, not an "I don't have that gift" issue. I may not have the gift, or ever write the books about it, but I will answer to God for what I have done with what I have…no excuses.

So, I'm on a quest…a journey of sorts.

My desk is clear, my inbox is empty (over 900 plowed through just yesterday), my car is clean, my brain is refreshed…we'll see how long this lasts when I re-enter the real world on Monday. It may be an illusion but I'm certainly "hooked on the feeling".

We'll see.

Next time I blog, maybe we'll talk about some amazing tools that are available for guys like me.

What about you? What keeps you sane?

I went to the mountain...

Some things I learned on the mountain...

...You see things on the top that you will never see anywhere else.

...God took 5 days to create what you see on the mountain and 1 day to create us ... which do you think is more attractive?

...We are always temped to stay at the top, but most of the action is in the valley.

It's the money, stupid

Randy is handsome, athletic, witty, smart, shoots in the low 70s at golf, and is basically a nice guy.  We have a lot in common...except the golf part.

Randy doesn't go to church much.

He used too...he was raised in predominately African American churches...dropped out in college...married an Hispanic girl who is a devoted Catholic.  She goes to Mass, he hits the links.  It's been that way since they started living together...except for the brief time he got "religion" so they could get married.

Now he's going to be a dad...so he's at least thinking about it more.  Honestly, he has no problem with the "God" thing...he just doesn't like church much.

That's what he told me right after I answered the "What do you do for a living?" question.

I thought about avoiding it...didn't want to freak him out too much...but we'd had five holes together and were connecting pretty well...so I thought he could handle it. 

"A pastor", I said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really"

"You don't look like one"

"I'm on vacation". 

I didn't tell him that it wasn't my goal to look like one even when I'm on the clock. 

I could almost see the mental gears kick in as he did a quick verbal inventory of the last 5 holes.  Luke had used the Kings English in some very creative ways...but he could be excused...he's 86 and became an alter boy in the '20s...besides, he goes to church every week.  Randy made a comment about me granting absolution for previous indiscretions...I told him not to worry, golf was covered by grace...they both started with a "g".  He seemed relieved.

He told me that he had visited a mega-church in the city a few times...asked me if I knew the pastor.  I said I knew of him but didn't know him.  Randy hesitated...then asked me what I thought of that church.  I told him I had no opinion...hadn't been there...didn't know enough.  Then I asked him what he thought.  He prefaced his remarks by saying that he knew the pastor was closer to God than him, and had done a lot more good in the world than he had...but he just wasn't comfortable attending.

He said it seemed like a pretty big production...kind of like a well rehearsed show.  And they took too many offerings, he said.  Sometimes two and three a Sunday...(I didn't ask him how much he had contributed over the 4 or 5 visits he had made...but, if I was a wagering man, I'd bet it wouldn't add up too the green fees we had contributed during our time of worship that day).  He said the message seemed to always be about God's desire to prosper his people...and the only evidence of prosperity he saw was on the stage.  He said the event that put him over the top was when the pastor diverted some building funds to buy a much needed airplane for the ministry...or so his cousin who went there said. 

"I don't think I'll be going back", was how he ended the story.

Again, Randy apologized...recognizing his own falleness...but said, "You asked, and I'm just being real."

He asked me what I thought.  I said, again I don't have enough information to form an opinion...I didn't defend or attack...just listened...trying to learn something from an honest spiritual seeker.

As we finished, he drove by my car as I was throwing the clubs in the trunk.  He rolled down his window and said, "Enjoyed playing with you...keep changing lives...and hey, don't be buying no airplanes".

Probably not anytime soon...

Home alone...kind of

I'm spending a rare evening at home alone...Debbie is out shopping, without me...we're both blessed and quite content with that arrangement.

Just doing some reading and writing...caught myself staring aimlessly at the recently decorated Christmas tree...thinking about the wonder of "Emmanuel"..."God with us"...what an incredible thought...think about it.  He didn't have too, but he did...so we could share moments with like this with him.

I've always loved the first words of the hymn we sang as kids...

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness"

Is it as easy for you as it is for me to let my hope slide effortlessly to something else...to my wife, my kids, my work, my ingenuity, my cleverness, my...whatever?

And to forget what it cost for me to experience the gift of righteousness?

"Thank-you for this moment, Father...thank-you for reminding me...thank-you for a place to hang my hope that will never disappoint...thank you for choosing to be with us." 

Balancing your iPod

I think I'm going to get serious about writing in 2006.

So...I was in the local library (Barnes and Noble) looking at how other writers go about their craft and I came across this quote:

"Read the greatest stuff but read the stuff that isn't so great, too.  Great stuff is very discouraging.  If you only read Beckett and Chekhov, you'll go away and only deliver telegrams at Western Union" - Edward Albee

When I read it I had one of those "I've been there" moments.

As a communicator, church planter, pastor...many of us have a shared experience.  You go to a conference...listen to the best...see some inspiring things...and you go away profoundly discouraged...in fact borderline depressed.  "I could never do that", you tell yourself. 

And you are probably right...you can't.  But you can do something.

Can I share a secret with you? 

One of the ways I stay encouraged is by balancing my iPod.

I'm not going to tell you who is on my iPod.  You probably won't find a list on this sight of the "Top 5" preachers/teachers that I listen too.  Oh, I've got the usual mixture of the great communicators ... I want to hear what God is saying through them and I want to learn how they say it.  But that's not all I listen too.

I've got some guys on there that, frankly, just aren't that good...and I've downloaded them on purpose.  I don't do it to feel superior or to privately ridicule their inadequacies.  I do it to remind myself that we are all human...and most of us aren't world class...but we can all be used by God.

"Great stuff can be very discouraging".

By the way...that's one of the reasons we offer podcasts of our messages for free on iTunes...to help balance other peoples iPods.

Give me the credit...

Obviously, from previous posts, I got to spend some time last week with Rick Warren (this is not the surprise from the previous post...that comes later).

I talked to Rick about his influence on 100's of thousands of pastor of my generation.  We talked about his famous quote "If my bullet fits your gun, fire it".  In other words, he is giving permission to pastors to use his material, carte blanche. 

I told him that if I use his stuff I will usually say, "Some of what you hear today I got from Rick Warren...the really good stuff is mine" :)  His response?  "You don't ever have to give me credit...it's all kingdom stuff"

And I think he really meant it.

That may be one of the keys to his longevity of influence.  He is about winning people to Christ, helping pastors, building the kingdom...and he doesn't care who gets credit.  I think someday he will stand before God and share credit with many who came to Christ whom he didn't even know...because their pastor used one of his messages one Sunday.

Contrast that with this...a pastor friend of mine, who is relatively new in ministry, got a call one day from a well known mega-church pastor informing him that he knew that my friend had used one of his messages as the basis (and probably a large part) of his sermon that weekend.  He was not happy, and it became an uncomfortable situation for all involved.  Forget the fact that people learned more about God...forget the fact that people may have encountered life change...the important thing for this guy is that he didn't get the credit.

Something is not right with that picture.  Those who live by the law would yell plagiarism...I'm not sure God views it that way all the time.

A guy came up to me at a conference I recently spoke at...shyly thrust his hand in my direction...and told me that, although we have never met, he listens to our services on the Internet regularly...and has preached my sermons from time to time (no doubt filtered through Rick or Bill or John or whoever else inspired me that week). 

Can I tell you how I felt?  Really good.  I hope he knocked it out of the park...I hope a hundred peoples lives were changed...I hope he sold a million tapes and CD's (being that it was a small church somewhere in Texas, I doubt he sold quite that many). 

I hope I get some of the credit where it counts...because most of the rewards aren't passed out down here...at least not the really good ones.

Let's face it...we all have different gifts.  Some of us are really good at insight, study, creativity and such.  Others of us are really good at implementation, strategy, follow through...Some are innovators... Some are early adapters...Some are...you get the drill.

What if we all worked together and let God sort out the credit?

I'll just bet that many of us learned how to speak and communicate by emulating the best available model.  The longer you do it, the more you find your own voice.  Over time you develop your own unique style.

I just get irritated when someone gets crushed in the process...

Way to go Rick...you're still my hero!

Criticism

Perry Noble from New Spring has a post about unwarranted criticism from an anonymous (translated cowardly), Christian  blogger.  Amazing how one can lay down any sense of common kindness and tact in the name of being a “watchdog” for the Kingdom.  I went to the offending site and noticed that we are next in the crosshairs.  What joy…

I came across this quote from Seth Godin in his book Purple Cow and I thought about Perry when I read it:

“If you are remarkable, it’s likely that some people won’t like you.  That’s part of the definition of remarkable.  Nobody gets unanimous praise - ever.  The best the timid can hope for is to be unnoticed.  Criticism comes to those who stand out.”

Two thoughts about that:

1. Some criticism is warranted and helpful.  Another blogger took on our website.  They invited people to critique it.  Some of the comments were uncomplimentary and pretty direct.  Funny thing…I found myself agreeing with a few of them.  We need to change some things.  They were helpful criticisms.  Sometimes it’s helpful even when I disagree…makes me defend and think through my position.  For me, often the difference in warranted and un-warranted is the spirit it is given in.
2. I think the Holy Spirit used Godin to surface an unhealthy fear in my own life.  I have secretly cherished the years of “flying under the radar screen” as a pastor and as a church.  Just a quick Google search of high profile pastors and churches will unsurface entire websites devoted to tearing them down.  In America we love to create heroes…and we love to chop them down.  At times I have timidly shrunk back from assignments and challenges that might raise the profile of what we are doing…knowing that there might be benefit to the Kingdom…but also knowing that everyone wouldn’t like it.  If Paul tells Timothy that it wasn’t God that gave him a spirit of fear or timidity…then I’m pretty sure where it comes from.

Godin goes on to conclude “that we only face two choices: to be invisible, anonymous, uncriticized, and safe, or to take a chance at greatness…”

I’m glad the martyrs upon whose blood the church was built didn’t play it safe…hopefully we'll have the courage to do the same…

This and that on a Saturday morning...

Just got in from a bike ride with my tight squeeze...sitting on the porch looking out on a little piece of heaven...thinking a few random thoughts on a Saturday morning:

1. Digital discipleship is an important part of the coming wave.  Mark Batterson talks about the impact of Godcasts.  Notice I said "part" of the coming wave...you can never eliminate good old fashioned relationships.  Mix the two and you've got a potential tsunami.
2. If I was planting a church I would take my core group through Purpose Driven community.
3. I'm convinced that small groups are the key to just about everything.  I have a dream...of a church...where small groups drive evangelism, community, personal growth, servanthood, stewardship and leadership development.
4. If I wasn't paid to be at all the services, my family would go to church on Saturday night.  Some guys complain about Saturdays...some guys are opposed to Saturdays...we love it.  Go to church at 6:15...go out with friends afterward...go golfing/fishing/watch NASCAR on Sunday morning...it doesn't get much better than that!  Actually that's someone else's life...at least the Sunday morning part...but we really do love Saturday nights.
5. Did I mention that I love Charleston? What's not to love...it's 78 degrees...not a cloud in the sky...the smell of pluff mud in the air (if you don't know, don't ask)...the beach is 10 minutes away...this is what we have to look forward too for the next 2 months.  So what's it like where you live?  Oh, that's too bad...

The power of a "W"

Before today I really never understood the difference a "W" can make.

What separates the 43rd president from the 41st?  A "W"...

What stands between being whole or being in a hole?  A "w" of course...

What is often the difference between being in the playoffs and staying home?  A "w"...or in the Cubs case, approximately 11 "w"s...

Why did I almost miss the memorial service of a new friend?  The dreaded "W"...

Before I explain...let me tell you a little about my friend.  His name is Frank.  Frank knew me better than I knew him.  He watched me every week from inside a theater in Irmo, South Carolina.  I couldn't see him...but he was there.  More than there, actually.  Since the beginning of the new campus, Frank pitched in and did his part.  You would expect him too...his son is the campus pastor.  But it wasn't about that...not for Frank, anyway.  He took personal pride in making sure that everyone was greeted at the door.  That's what he knew he could do and he did it well.  When Frank greeted you there was no doubt that you were welcome!  I felt it on the few occasions that I've visited.  But I didn't really know Frank until I got an e-mail from his daughter-in-law that said he wasn't doing well.  He'd fought the cancer for years...but it might not be long now.

I made an appointment to meet with him...just he and I...at a little sandwich place by the theater.  He drove himself...Frank was like that...independent...till the end.  Would have rode his Harley but the family probably hid the keys.  We visited for a while...talked about nothing and everything at the same time.  I told Frank that I came for two reasons...first to thank him for pouring into our church...and then to pray for him.  He was uncomfortable with the former and coveted the latter.  "Oh, it's nothing...just what I ought to be doing", he said, in his semi-tough guy way.  "I would appreciate your prayers, though".  So we did...joined hands in the corner of that noisy little restaurant...and I made a new friend.  It really felt like that.  I thought about it most of the way back to Charleston...how busy is life that we don't take time for the important things?  I could easily have missed this moment.  Frank would have been okay, but I would have been poorer for it.

About a month later I got the email...Frank went home.  They sent me the address of the memorial service...1303 Sunset Drive, W Columbia, South Carolina.  This morning I fed the numbers and letters into my computer and out popped a map, complete with driving instructions... from my door to Frank's last service.  I gave myself some extra time and enjoyed the ride...thinking about this weekends message and remembering my new friend.  When I got to the place the church was supposed to be...there was an empty lot.  Near panic set in...why is there no church?  Who can I blame?  (Those two often go together in my world...why and who.)  I called the office...then we figured it out.

It was the "W"...we left it out.  And it just so happens that there are two 1303 Sunset Drives in the Columbia area.  One holds a church...one a vacant lot.  The difference?  A "W"...and about 20 minutes.

I missed most of the service...Frank wouldn't have cared.  I got there in time for them to play "Sweet Home Alabama" and a great song about heaven.  Then they passed out chocolate to everyone...someone roared off on Frank's Harley...and it was over.  He would have wanted it that way.  I wished I'd seen more of it.

I know it's the thought that counts...but next time I'll remember the "W".