The Ultimate Encore

Kathleen with Genevieve in Lodz, Poland

I have been a great promoter of the image of the “Encore” for the way we finish life. Like a good concert, we don’t want it to end, and in fact, we are looking forward to the encore because our hope is that  the best has been saved for last. That works for the people in my congregation!!!  I would like to make a clarification if you will allow me please. The best is saved for last but it comes when we  believers breathe our last on this earth and wake up seeing the smile of Jesus. Encore! Oh yeah! Encore!!

The picture is of my wife Kathleen and someone she calls her hero. We met Genevieve in 1999 when we traveled to Poland with a few others from our church. We visited missionaries we supported in Lodz, Poland and they said we needed to meet a lady who had attended their church but didn’t get out much anymore. I will let my wife tell the story in her words as she did recently in a church service at Live Oaks.

“We had the privilege of meeting Genevieve who could not speak English so our conversation was all done through our missionary interpreting for us.  She was a very special woman.  At the age of 25 she hid a Jewish family in her apartment.  She was engaged at the time and her finance’ was angry at her for taking such a risk.  However she did not waiver and she hid this family from the Nazi army.  Just like a movie script, she told how her refugees hid behind a false wall and only went outside when it rained because the soldiers did not come out and they were able to disguise themselves with rain hats and coats and umbrellas.  It was a fascinating story and she quickly became my hero.

My first question to her was:  How could you do this, weren’t you so afraid? and the reply from this tiny woman was  “I could do nothing else.”

Then her story continued and she told us how the adult children of this Jewish family came back to find her and thank her for saving their parents’  lives.  It was a great reunion and to honor her they  took her to Israel to receive the award called “Righteous Among the Nations”  The “Righteous” were defined as non-Jews who had risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. A person who is recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” is awarded a medal in their name as well as the  certificate she is holding which  awards her  honorary citizenship in the State of Israel.  Wow!

Then Chris asked her his question, “ So what means more to you, your Polish citizenship or your Citizenship in Israel?  And she did not miss a beat.  She pointed upward and said “My heavenly citizenship”!

Genevieve truly was a righteous woman and will always be a hero to me!”        as told by Kathleen Holck

 

Genevieve was made of the right stuff and her words and deeds exhibited the  truth of who God is and what His character is like. Let us prize our heavenly citizenship like she did  and look forward to it with great expectation.

The sermon the day Kathleen shared was titled, “Homesick for Heaven.”  Frankly, unless health issues or other hardships crash in on us, we aren’t usually very homesick for heaven. We have attempted to create heaven on earth with our money and ingenuity, especially in The Villages where we live. It is a wonderful place with unparalleled amenities, so wonderful that we can become so enraptured here, we couldn’t imagine  anything or anywhere better.

Well, there is an ultimate encore that awaits those who place their faith in Jesus Christ and it will make our attempts to create heaven on earth look quite plain. Hear these words from Philippians 3:18-21. “…many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach and their glory is their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform or lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”

So just to keep the right perspective, let us look forward to an opportunity to serve our Lord in our second half of life, praying the best is saved for last, BUT let us not forget that the ultimate encore awaits those who put their faith in Jesus. 

 

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What is “Demeaning” to the Encore Generation?

Servants of the King

A work group from our church in The Villages, Florida recently traveled to the inner-city of New Orleans to assist Urban Impact Ministries and Castle Rock Community Church in the ongoing transformation of their new ministry center. We had traveled with a group of 13 there last summer to be part of the playground build, but this time an initial group of 30 interested people narrowed down to 17 who could commit to this work trip. Aside from my wife and me, no one else had been on our previous trip and at least a half dozen of our group had never been on a mission trip.

The work was hard and even a bit risky for this group that some call “senior citizens,”   but it was extremely gratifying and very helpful to the New Orleans ministry who observed the work ethic and determination of our group. Most of our group were Baby Boomers but a few were of the Builder Generation, pushing past 70 years of age. I prefer to call all those age 55 + , the Encore Generation. Their encore of life means they are experiencing the “best saved for last” just like a good concert. They are not ready for a fruitful life to be over. They want more. They want an Encore!

At our church, our small groups are called Encore Groups and the one I hosted last Wednesday night provoked an interesting discussion from my living room full of Baby Boomers. We were talking about Philippians 3: 13-14 and pressing on toward Christ-honoring goals. One of them said they were not interested in “bus trips for seniors, because they are DEMEANING to our age group.” Another resonated with that word agreeing that what most churches offer for their 55+ crowd is “DEMEANING.”

We don’t want to get in the van with other “old people” and go to the candy factory. We want to go to the inner-city and nail and paint and sweat. It’s time for churches to think about how they will engage the next generation of older adults. We are different than our parents.

17 from Florida traveled to inner-city New Orleans

Caulking, nailing, risking

Painting, Staining etc.

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Do You Want to Finish Well or Finish Strong?

We have tried to capture the essence of the way the “new old” thinks about their second half of life and we have created a credo that says, “Play Hard – Pray Hard – Finish Well” You see in the picture that it is on our sign which welcomes people to our new church.

My question is one of semantics and many of you may say that the word choice makes no difference but I am curious how readers will respond to the wording options of “Finish Well” vs “Finish Strong.” Our initial thought as you can see on the sign was “Finish Well” and their is a good case to be made for that wording but I have had second thoughts and can make an equally good case for “Finish Strong.”  I will not make my “cases” here because I am curious to see what you come up with.

Which do you prefer and if you would take the time to comment further, what is the reasoning behind your preference. Perhaps a Bible reference, perhaps a clue from our culture, and possibly just the way it sounds.

The goal is to inspire a generation to make the most of their days and invest them in ways that make a difference for eternity.

Hope to hear from you.

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How An Older Adult Congregation Says Merry Christmas to their Pastor

How does a church in a 50+ community say thank you to their pastor and wife at Christmas? We’re going to Disney World!! We were surprised with annual passes during yesterday’s service. Gotta love it. These people didn’t come here to die,they came here to live. Happy to be their pastor and looking forward to 2013. See you real soon Mickey!
I am pledging to Blog more in 2013. I have so much to say because I am learning so much about reaching and mobilizing older adults for Kingdom work. If you want to learn more about how we are approaching ministry here in The Villages at Live Oaks Community Church, please contact me.

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Youth Ministry Revisited at Age 66 or “If You’re Not Dead, You’re Not Done”

Wheel Chair Obstacle Course

We recently held the Live Oaks Olympics and in the midst of our games, I had a flashback to 1986 when I was a youth pastor. I laughed and realized that my early training was very transferrable to my new ministry in The Villages, FL. People like to play at any age, in fact it is good for us!

At our Live Oaks Olympics, we had the Bag Toss (Cornhole Game), Home Run Derby with a wiffle ball and children’s  plastic bat (We discovered our best batsman was really  a batwoman – way to go Rhonda), and we had an Olympics’ trivia contest,  a water balloon toss and a two-person wheel chair obstacle course. The driver, as you can see in the picture above, was temporarily blind and the passenger was temporarily disabled and they had to work together to navigate the pylons to get to the finish line first. Yes it was a race!  We had some fun and also realized that we might not be acting blind or disabled in another 10 or 20 years. We gave out some authentic looking gold medals to the champion team thanks to one of our own who is a national swimming champion in her age category and she had more medals than she knew what to do with – so we hung them around the necks of some new champions.  Good Fun!

We have had other socials or Gatherings as we choose to call them.  We tailgated at a Polo game in our golf carts, we went on a scavenger hunt in our golf carts, we played Bunko (not in our golf carts,)  we went to a new BBQ restaurant, we organized a golf outing, etc.   Good fun at any age! Maybe this is not what everyone expected from a “Seniors” ministry. I only use that word “Seniors” for emphasis.  I never use it in my normal vocabulary unless there is a discount involved. Here is a paragraph from our church vision statement:

What we might hope to hear from a Live Oaks member after some time here at the church might be this, “Live Oaks is not what I expected a church for “seniors” to be like. It’s not traditional; in fact, it is surprisingly different and fresh and interesting. This church is just right for this time in my life. The church understands who I am and the way I think.  It is perhaps the best church experience I have ever had. I feel like the best was saved for last.”

It’s not just different in the way we play, it is different and uniquely appropriate for older adults in the way we worship, and conduct small groups, and do mission trips, and reach out with caring ministries.  Those were all components of my youth ministry 25 years ago and now, I’m baaaack and shepherding my flock who are now 66, not 16.

Are there any former youth pastors looking to relive the “good old days?” I’ve got some ideas for you.  And if any of you readers are in your church’s  ”Seniors” ministry, but haven’t had a scavenger hunt or home run derby lately, suggest the ideas to your pastor who oversees the “older saints.”   Tell him, “If you’re not dead, you’re not done!”

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Can You Leave Your Grandchildren?

 

 

We pray for the Lord to raise up laborers for the harvest but when it is our own family who is “raised up” as pastors or missionaries, we say, “Lord, could You send someone else?” It is hard to see loved ones move far away, even unthinkable in some cultures like China, where they move in together when the grandparents retire.

Family is precious and caring for them and being there for them is a very “Christian” pursuit.  I get that. I feel that.  But, my wife and I accepted a call to move 1500 miles away and start a new  church. I miss my children, grandchildren and extended family. I am in no way suggesting that we are more spiritual because of our move, but I might go so far as to say we are more obedient than those who simply cannot miss ONE  T-ball game or dance recital or Sunday family meal.

Mark Chapter 10 provides an interesting array of wisdom on marriage, divorce, and children. It ends with Jesus raising the bar once again on what it means to follow Him. In verse 29, Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for Me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age and in the age to come, eternal life.”

I know that many grandparents are secondary or primary caregivers for grandchildren because of work situations, broken marriages incarceration  and other reasons.  I also know that some grandparents choose to live close so they can be the spiritual light in an otherwise dark spiritual home. They take the grandkids to AWANA or Sunday School or Church.  I do place a high value on that ‘Mission” to spiritually influence as well as  provide stability for your family. If you are needed in that way for  52 weeks per year for the first 5 or 12 or 18 years of their life, do it with all of your heart.

But, there are many more Christian grandparents who have forgotten that they are their grandchildren, not their children.  Their grandchildren have parents who will probably attend all of their dance recitals and ballgames. Perhaps you grandparents are gaining so much joy out of spending time with them and maybe even making up for the missed opportunities with their parents when you raised them, that you can’t hear the voice of God calling you to go on a one week, one month or one year mission experience.

What is your answer to God when He calls you because you have the talents, time and heart for a particular mission? “I can’t because Jordan has a ballgame that week.”  One ballgame out of a 23 ballgame season?! 

We would love to take our grandchildren to the park this afternoon or have dinner with one of our adult children tonight but for the sake of the call and the urgency of the task, we have moved to Florida – so we Skype, and text and call, and check the internet for cheap airline tickets.

The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. The harvest is white the Scriptures say; well so are the heads of the laborers. Come on Encore Generation, sign up for that mission opportunity! 

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What Retirees Enjoy the Most!

What is your guess? Time with grandchildren, like me with my granddaughter in the picture above,  is pretty high on the list. So is travel and the pursuit of hobbies. Some might take a step back and say, “Having good health” or “Financial security.”  Some where I live in The Villages, FL, might say GOLF since we are surrounded by 513 holes of it and the advertisement that drew many to live there said, “Free golf for life.”  But honestly, I doubt that many would give golf as there answer, or tennis or travel.

At a recent small group home meeting in The Villages, I listened as retirees discussed what they enjoyed most about retirement and their answer was FLEXIBILITY. Not the yoga kind although that is very popular as well. (Side note on yoga. A class called Yoga for Seniors had poor attendance so they changed the name to Gentle Yoga. The room was full! Behold the power of a label!)  Flexibility seemed to be the possession that at least my small group  prized the most at this stage in life. After a lifetime of being responsible to their boss, their business, their students, their constituents, their customers, their neighbors, their school, their church, their family, their house, their yard and on and on went the list – they no longer have to meet the expectations of others.  They are on the clock no longer and it feels good!  So some don’t check their email daily, because they were tired of full inboxes that demanded attention. Some say no to church or church leadership because they don’t want the pressure of having to show up because someone is counting on them. They are free!

It appears to me that many retirees have filled their life up with activities. You know the line often uttered,”I’m so busy now, I don’t know how I ever had time to work.” But there is one very larger caveat attached to their activity schedule, they can cancel on a moment’s notice if they want to. They couldn’t “play that card” when their employer expected performance from them or their children were sick and needed special attention. But now they are FLEXIBLE!

Flexibility is a wonderful gift at that stage of life and I am happy for them but what does Jesus ask of us? I just can’t get the Parable of the Talents (Mark 25:14-30) out of my head. We are given gifts and we either invest them or bury them. Those that buried them received some very harsh words and in my Bible those words (vv. 28-30)  are written in red. Flexibility is a gift and how wonderful it is to hit a stage in life where Christ-followers can offer that gift back to the Lord and ask Him what He has for them today, this year, this decade. Very exciting!

Let me know if you agree or disagree with my assertion that flexibility is a retiree’s most prized possession. Okay, I know the right answer is Jesus, but beyond that, what would you say?

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Forty years ago – I remember it well!

That is me pictured above. Yes, I had hair once!

Forty years ago on May 6, 1972 I attended a Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting in Fort Dodge, IA, which was  two hours away from my remote little farm town of Paullina.

I went but I didn’t go to meet Jesus. In fact, I sat as far back in the room as one could sit, and leaned my chair against the back wall.That night, a professional football player from the New York Jets traveled to Central Iowa to talk to a bunch of white kids about his personal faith in Jesus Christ. Winston Hill was a an offensive lineman in the Joe Namath era and was the largest black man I had ever seen (maybe the first black man) ; even from the back of the room his Afro was as big as a basketball and his smile radiated the room.

I don’t remember what he said; I didn’t raise my hand or go forward or recite the sinner’s prayer, but that night by the grace of God, a broken and contrite hearted young man received soul surgery and as John Wesley said on the night he was born again, “My heart was strangely warmed.” I take no credit for my conversion,God did it all. He prepared my heart to hear a message of unconditional love provided by Jesus Christ through His work on the cross. I merely opened my heart and let His love and forgiveness flood in.

He began a work in my life that has gone on for 40 years and I am asking Him for forty more years to serve Him. I am praying that it will be His encore presentation in my life and that the best has been saved for last.

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Once a Month Church

That is our church in the background. It is also a hotel, The Waterfront Inn, smack in the middle of The Villages. We rent it once a month for the preview services of Live Oaks Community Church.  We pay a hefty fee to rent it but the plan has worked thus far. Everyone knows where this landmark is and it provides a neutral setting which is convenient for visitors who don’t want to get trapped somewhere. They know hotels have lots of exits. We have filled the hotel ballroom with 100 people in our previous two services and they were able to get there on their golf carts. And the generosity of those attending allowed us to cover the cost of renting the room. Our third Preview service is in two days on April 22 so pray for more visitors.

We have advertised, “You are invited to Once A Month Church (for a while)” and it has been catchy. Many have said with a wry smile, “We like the sounds of “Once a Month Church; that works in our schedule.”  Of course the “for a while” means that when we have a strong enough core group, we will begin meeting weekly. But until then, it is “Once a Month Church.”  It was quite humorous the first Sunday. I became confused and tongue tied when trying to explain that their offering could be made out to our church but we were operating under the tax exempt umbrella of our district office. What came out was that their gifts were “tax reimbursable,” when I meant to say “tax deductible.”  So what’s not to like about this new church? You go to church once a month and you get your money back.  No wonder we are growing!

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Second Half Influence (A Blog from TJ Addington)

I wanted to repost this 1/15/12 blog from my EFCA colleague, TJ Addington. “Well said Tim!”

 

For those who care about influence for the gospel, life is divided into two parts. Our own influence through our life and work and in the second half of life, our intentional mentoring of the next generation of influencers who will carry the baton to the next generation. It is Paul and Timothy and 2 Timothy 2:2. 

A wonderful example is John R W Stott whose world wide influence in my parents generation is tough to beat. Yet for many years prior to his death his primary focus was that of raising up the next generation of Christian leaders. He intentionally multiplied himself by giving himself away and focused less on his personal impact on society and more on the impact that the next generation would make. In doing so his legacy and influence live on in a powerful way. 

This requires a Kingdom heart that is focused not on one’s own accolades but on empowering others who will will multiply one’s Kingdom influence. It is about the Kingdom, not us. It is about leaving aliving legacy in the lives we have influenced who will carry on our work when we are gone. I suspect that there will be many behind the scenes who will receive greater rewards in heaven than many big names whose focus was on their own ministry and legacy rather than on leaving aliving legacy through others. 

This applies to wives who mentor the next generation of wives, husbands who mentor and raise up the next generation of Godly husbands, Christian leaders who invest themselves in the next generation of leaders … anyone who is investing their lives in passing the baton to others who may actually have far more influence than we ever did. 

For Christian leaders, I am convinced that their success is best measured not by what happened while they were in leadership but by what happens when they are gone! Was there stewardship of the ministry about them or the ministry? If the latter they invested significant time and effort into the lives of the next generation of leaders. If the former, they often did not. 

If you are post fifty, who are you investing in? Who are you raising up to take your place behind you? That investment may well be your greatest influence and legacy as you multiply yourself in the lives of others. It is a quiet, behind the scenes work that will seldom be seen but its impact can be profound. It is in giving ourselves away that we have our greatest impact.

 

POSTED BY T.J. ADDINGTON AT 1:00 AM 

LABELS: LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, LEGACY, MENTORING, YOUNG LEADERS

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