Andy Postell's Blog

Advent is Coming

andypostell — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:05:10 +0000

In the early centuries of the church, the focus of the Advent season was on the disciplines of fasting and prayer. It was a time to rightly align your heart with the passions of Jesus – to identify with his love for the world, his connection to the poor and suffering, and his commitment to justice. The Christmas feast was never intended to be a time of self-focus gluttony but a self-sacrificing commitment to God’s redemptive mission in the world.

The earliest traditions of St. Nicholas (the predecessor to Santa Claus) were about giving gifts to the poor – not the receiving of gifts for the self.

Where did Christmas become a time of simply memorializing the ‘infant baby Jesus’ through songs, pageants, and candlelight rituals? As followers of Christ, lets call for this season of Advent to be a time where we commit to prayer and fasting. Lets challenge each other to have a more simple Christmas.

Lets:

fast from unnecessary spending
give gifts that we personally make
give an equal amount to a cause that Jesus is invested in that would equal to the amount that we spend on a family member
serve this holiday season. The greatest gift we can give our children is the gift of servanthood
adopt a Christmas family that would have little, if any, Christmas without your help

My prayer for all of us at The Well this Advent season is that we discover the incredible gift of Jesus’ miracle birth and how through our desire to reach out to others – we are reminded and overwhelmed with the reality that God is with us.

Holding Jesus’ Hand

andypostell — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:16:38 +0000

Why do I learn so much from kids? A mother was telling me a story this Sunday at church about their child. She told me that she was talking to her son the other night and they started talking about God and things like that. For some reason, she asked her son what he would do if he met Jesus face to face. What would he say? How would he act? As she told me the story, I wondered how my own kids would respond to such a question. Then, I thought about how I would respond. What would I do? How would I act? Would it depend on what I was doing? Would I want to meet Jesus everywhere I go or are there some places that I would just not want to encounter Jesus?

Then, the mother told me her son’s reply. Her son simply answered – “I would grab his hand and go wherever he wanted to take me.” Wow! I don’t know about you but that is the kind of faith I seek and desire. I argue with God too much. I try to negotiate with God too much. I try to tell God what I want before I ever ask what He wants. Maybe one day – I will have the faith of this little boy and simply grab His hand and let Him lead me wherever.

Psalm 1

andypostell — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:00:19 +0000

I am starting over reading the psalms and hope you will join me. I love to read them alongside of other scriptures because I think that the Psalms reach us at some of our truest emotions. As I read the first Psalm, i find myself thankful. I am thankful that I have friends around me that ‘delight in doing what the Lord wants’. I realize that they are not perfect. They, too, realize that they are not perfect. But, they enjoy serving God. They seek His wisdom and clarity. They offer me great spiritual counsel and desire for me to be everything God created me to be. Do you have that in your life. When you think of your closest friends – do they build up your faith or do they tear it down? My prayer for us all is that we can all be ‘like a tree on the riverbank’ where we can soak up God’s word and produce actions and attitudes that honor Him.

Pants on the Ground

andypostell — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:22:22 +0000

Who hasn’t heard of General Larry Platt? The guy is going to get famous (or at least have his moment of fame) for acting crazy on American television. He was the talk around the water cooler on Thursday. A video of him was performing has been viewed over a million times on You Tube in 5 days. They even have a ringtone of General Platt singing his song. If I were a betting man, I would bet that General Platt will be seen again at the American Idol finale. I mentioned him in my message on Sunday and I had several people after the service comment on his performance. It seems that everyone is talking about it. No one seems hesitant to share their opinion of General Platt.

Then, I was studying this morning and it led me to Matthew 27 where it tells the story of Jesus on the cross and what he did for me. I sit in awe that Jesus loves me and you that much. Then, I wonder. Why are we so hesitant to talk about Jesus around the water cooler? What makes a man singing a funny song (and I like General Platt, don’t get me wrong) more infectious than a man dying so we can live for eternity? Can you imagine what would happen if the Christians of the world would get as excited about Jesus Christ as we are about General Platt? FYI – a scene from Passion of the Christ has been on You Tube for two years and it has only been viewed half as much as General Larry Platt has been viewed in 5 days.

To all of us who believe, lets get excited and tell someone what we know.

What an amazing sight!

andypostell — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:02:48 +0000

A gentleman came up to me yesterday after the message and said – “your message really spoke to me.” With tears streaming down his face, he began to recount for me his story. He began to share with me his own personal journey with God. He began to connect his worth to God’s view of him rather than his own view of himself. In other words, he began to realize that God cared for him. He began to realize that God came into his world and is concerned for him. What an amazing sight to see!

As we plan messages and series, we talk about set design and worship songs. We strive to look for fresh new ways to convey the Gospel message and yet be faithful to the Gospel message. We approach the worship experience from every aspect to create an experience where people are able to know God is present in their lives and so that they can hear God speak to them. Yet, we often leave without knowing the effect that the experience had on individual people.

As a pastor, I often have people call me during the week and talk about the message but I don’t always have such an immediate affirmation of God’s power and presence. I didn’t really think about it but was extremely thankful for the opportunity to witness it. It was such a tremendous reminder of God’s active involvement in our lives.

As we left the church, a couple of us were heading to the office to put together some packets for a class later in the afternoon. As we traveled down the road, one of the ladies in our church saw a woman fall alongside the road. She quickly made us aware of the situation and we made our way to the scene. The woman, obviously very confused, lay beside the road cold, shivering, and in need. After calling 911, we sat with her. We took our coats off and kept her warm. We searched our vehicles for blankets to make her more comfortable until the authorities arrived. I was able to pray for her as I sat in the cold and held her hand. It hit me this morning as I thought back to Sunday, these two events are not unrelated. For this woman on the side of the street, those of us who stopped were also a way that God reminds us that He is actively involved in our lives. He uses us to reveal His love. (1 John 2). What an amazing sight to see!

It is amazing what a sunrise can do!

andypostell — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:06:54 +0000

The past week has been tough. My family and I had plans to go out of town but then Lydia didn’t feel so great so we decided that we would have a ‘stay-cation’ where we would stay at home and get some projects done around the house. In addition, we would go out in the evenings and do some fun activities. However, a few days into our ‘stay-cation’, Lydia began to feel worse and we found out she had pneumonia. Everything changed. Our plans were altered and we really had no control over the issue.

In addition, our church had 2 different medical emergencies that required me to spend a good bit of time at the hospital. Thankfully, they both have turned out positively so far. Trenton, a little boy having brain surgery, has gone home and is resting. Cynthia, a lady in our church, has both her mother and sister in the ICU at the same hospital but both seem to be stable. Lydia, as well, seems to be improving. All of that to say that the ‘stay-cation’ didn’t go as planned.

The question then becomes – when does life ever go as planned. It never does. We never plan on sickness. We never plan on emergency surgeries. We never plan on any of the unexpected things that life throws at us. I wrestled with this thought all weekend. What can I plan on? What can I depend on? As I watched the sunrise this morning – I saw my answer. I can count on God. Every day – I am able to see His ability to bring about a new day. I see His ability to create. I see His ability to bring something bright from the midst of darkness. The scripture reminds us in Luke 18:27 – “what is impossible with men is possible with God.” For me, that is enough.

Can you teach ‘an old dog’ new tricks?

andypostell — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:53:48 +0000

The answer is yes! I have always been proud to be a DAWG but ‘an old dog’ is not the greatest description. However, it fits me perfectly today because I learned something very valuable yesterday. I learned something that I have been struggling with for over a year. The struggle was over whether Facebook could actually be community.

I guess I am ‘an old dog’ because I assumed that community required some physical presence. I struggled with Facebook being able to actually draw people together. I used terms like ‘pseudo-community’ and ‘false sense of community’ to describe the relationships that were going on with Facebook. Now, I do think that Facebook and other social networks have that potential as well (if you limit your communication to only social networks) but I saw something yesterday that absolutely amazed me.

I was sitting in a hospital waiting room while a family awaited news on their son who was having brain surgery. Isolated from most of the people they knew, they sat and read the notes (on Facebook) of the people that were praying for them and their son. Tears came to all of our eyes as they realized that the Body of Christ was present and that God was with them. I realized that in an age of technology – it doesn’t have to limit your community but is able to broaden the community. Now, you may disagree but I think that the father who became aware that people all across the country and world were praying for his son would argue otherwise. I certainly know that a pastor who watched his congregants be comforted by status updates will never look at it the same again. I recently preached on ‘new wineskins’ being new ways to reach new people and I think I understand that scripture differently today.

Flash from the Past

andypostell — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:11:06 +0000

Sunday was such an awesome day! As I reflected on the weekend, I am continually amazed at what God is doing in our midst. I have the privilege of getting to hear the stories of how God is bringing about healing and reconciliation in the lives of people. Of course, alongside that privilege is the responsibility of being there during the difficult times as well. As we were setting up for our kids Christmas celebration (which was awesome), I got a phone call from a person who had crossed my path years ago.

This lady was in a very low place in her life and was dealing with a difficult situation with her son, who was seriously ill. In ministry, there are times when you never really know what to say or what to do. This was one of those times for me. I finally decided to just be there. I didn’t really offer any guidance. I didn’t really offer any help. I held her hand. I held her son’s hand. I allowed her to cry and vent. Then, in the blink of an eye – they were both gone. I never heard from them again and never knew what happened. I have thought of them over the years and wondered how they were. Sunday – she called.

They still live in the area and still have health issues. Her son is nearly 10 and he just took his first step. However, she once again has joy in her life and she is able to see a purpose. She tracked me down to simply say thank you for being there in her darkest time. I am not telling this story to make myself feel better but I think we often never know the impact that we make on people’s lives with small acts of generosity and love. I was given the privilege of seeing a glimpse of what God can do through us. A person in the midst of darkness can be shown a small glimmer of God’s light and it can bring about a miracle. I hope that I never forget the lesson that I learned on Sunday and I pray that I am able to live it every day.

Introducing the Bandys

andypostell — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:06:24 +0000

I want to introduce you to a family that our church has come to know as ‘The Bandys’. They are a couple that was recently flooded out of their home. I don’t know about you but I cannot even imagine losing everything and having to start over. To make matters worse, the Bandys have been told by the emergency officials that their house is not in bad enough condition to be condemned. They cannot live it due to the mold and water damage; yet, they can’t get the assistance to fix their home. Some might argue that they should have had flood insurance but I know a lot of people who don’t have flood insurance, including me. So, I could easily be the Bandys. They simply don’t know what to do.

Our church took up an offering for the Bandys. We have never met them and probably never will. I know them through my parents and I think we can all sympathize with their plight. Starting over would be difficult but imagine doing it at 84. I took the check by their house the other day and they were not there so I left it for them as a gift from our church. My father just called me and told me that he went to visit them after church and she just cried and cried when she told him about the check. She said that it was just a reminder to her that God would provide. For many of us, it was such a simple gesture. For the Bandys, it was a powerful reminder of God’s love and grace.

Do you have the Monday blues?

andypostell — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:39:36 +0000

I was reading this afternoon in the book of 1 Timothy. In the final chapter, Paul gives a final challenge (you know how I love the word challenge) to Timothy for him to always pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Paul goes on to challenge Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. (1 Timothy 6: 11-12)

Planting a new church can be one of the most difficult callings in ministry. I am not trying to diminish any other calling as I am sure that we all have days where we feel like our call is possibly the most challenging. There are days that I would read this passage and feel like I dont even have the energy to fight the good fight. Today is not one of those days.

I read a little further and the passage says that God gives life to everything. (vs 13) That phrase is what caught my attention as I read the scripture today. I received more emails today than I have ever received about a message. Apparently, God really moved in our church yesterday as we talked about God’s grace being sufficient for all things. One person wrote that the message really challenged them to examine how they looked at the difficulties that they were facing. Another person wrote that they could affirm everything that I preached as God have given them strength to walk through a struggle that would seem impossible to many of us. Another person wrote that they were simply thankful that we could be a place that was not afraid to talk about the difficult sides of life and they felt more accepted as a result of the message. I could literally go on and on.

So, my energy is not the typical Monday energy level. No, today – I am extremely thankful. I am thankful that I get to be a part of such an incredible group of people who are striving to come to understand what they believe. I am thankful that I am part of a group of people who are learning to not be afraid of talking about difficulties and also willing to share their joys. I am thankful that I serve alongside people who are willing to sacrifice in order to build the Kingdom of God. I am thankful that I am witnesses God giving life to The Well.