Curt Seaburg.com

Mind Dump - Mother's Day

It's always bugged me how we do "Mother's Day" in the church.  I recall attending church on Mother's Day and the service went something like, a few songs, announcements and then came the typical flowers.  They always went to the oldest mom, the mom with the most kids (which she ALWAYS won that one) and the youngest mom (which my home church did away with when some troubled girls started to attend the church and a few were pregnant at 15 ... Lord knows we didn't want to promote that ... I drip with sarcasm)

Mother's Day was all about Mother's.  What about the 24 year old single girl, or the 37 year old that lost her only son, were these ladies not mom's because they had no children?  Two weeks ago, I discovered a terrific truth in God's Word.

In Genesis 3, Adam named the woman EVE because "she was the mother of all the living."  Interesting thought that Adam named her this BEFORE she had children.  (That came later, in Genesis chapter 4.)  My conclusion, women have the incredible God-given ability to nurture others.  That what makes motherhood, not children, but the ability to nurture.

So yesterday, we celebrated ALL women!  What a great day!

Why I Love Our Church

Caring, authentic, truthful, servant - hearted, genuine concern, love for people, love for God, desire to want to learn, willing, inventive, creative, love for youth, helpful, talented, prayerful, diligent, striving for excellence, committed, thoughtful, hard-working, willing to take a faith risk, not willing to settle for average, believe in the reality of God's Word, early risers, out-of-the-box thinkers, heart for children and youth, great attitude, real, willing to be accountable, God-seekers, willing to give people another chance, forgiving, know we don't have all the answers, love of Jesus, love for kids, broken people willing to be put back together by God, musical, love God's Word, financially willing to support, welcoming, not high and lofty, willing to discover their purpose and pursue it.

I love our church.

What do you love about Victory Church?

Sunday Mind-dump 4.27.08

I wasn't sure if I heard from the Lord or not with this brand new series.  I remember thinking, "WORLD RELIGIONS? are you sure Lord?"  Well, I thought, "okay, I'm gonna do it, Lord."  Hindsight is 20/20 ... check this out:

One person, after the service last week on Mormonism, went home and decided he was going to not only put the Lord at  #1 in his life, but he was going to break out his Bible.  So he went home and started going through his "bible collection" (which he didn't know had gotten so large.)  In it, he found a "book of Mormon."  He told me, I would not have thrown it out if I hadn't heard the message this past week.

Another person came up to me and said, "You're not gonna believe this."  She told me how out of no where, a friend calls and says, "I just told two Jehovah's Witnesses to leave and not come back, I don't go to church, but I need to know, am I going to hell because I did that?"  My friend couldn't believe the question.  She said, "Hold on, we were just talking about Jehovah's Witnesses in our church, I can tell you what they believe and why they are wrong."

Someone else said, "I got questions this week about Mormons, and I was so pumped to know that I could answer them."

What's been your story in this series? 

What's Your Story?

UFO's are a term I coined a few years ago to describe our Unsaved Friends Outside the faith.  It all started when our kids got involved in sports.  While they ran and got sweaty, I stood on the sidelines, watching.  I started to make small talk with some dads which led to deep conversations of faith.  Most all my conversations centered around the hole that guys would share with me that they had in their heart.  This past Sunday, I challenged our congregation to be BOLD in your witness for Jesus.  Don't just live it, TALK about it,

Living in Lancaster County, I have discovered that their are a lot of people who are very empty and searching for truth.  Here are just a few of my stories:

1. One guy has been so busy with his career that he longs to get connected with God, but can't seem to prioritize connecting with a church family over his kids sports.
2. A teenager is looking for truth and asking his parents to take him to church.  They're too busy sleeping in on Sundays but tell him that he shouldn't go to church because it should be a family thing.  He's searching ...
3. Another dad refuses to lead his family.  He'd didn't come right out and say it, but I told him he was being less than a responsible man.  He knows the answers, but would rather hunt, while the opportunity to impact his kids slips away as they get older.
4. A preacher's kid, who is now an adult.  She has been on a journey.  She emailed me, "I'm looking for truth."  She's serious, not a fly-by-night, but she is truly seeking.  By the way, she'll find Him ... I'm confident.
5. A mom emailed me, her daughter is making wrong decisions, and she's concerned (as she should be.)  She and her husband haven't been living for God in their home.  She wants to get back to the way it used to be, when she and her husband would pray together.
6. Another UFO is a non-practicing catholic that is thirsty for more.  She's asking questions.
7. Another UFO, I got to lead to Christ -- he attends, is plugged in and is growing.
8. A dad is not only asking me questions, but we're having dialog ... he's even helping me with research on our latest series.
9. Girls from our daughter's rugby team are asking questions about faith.  Can we visit your church?  Can God love a lesbian?  Does God have a plan for me?  I'm talking REAL QUESTIONS. 

Bottom line is, people are asking questions if we will take time to engage in conversation with them.  Be bold in your witness!  Ask God to give you an opportunity.

You see, I'm not just preaching it, I'm living it!  What's your story?

Sunday Night 04.20.08 Mind Dump

Today was a beautiful day on a lot of fronts.  Before I hit the sack, I thank the Lord for:

• Great kids that have a passion for the Lord.  I love to watch my kids worship.
• Today, we were week #2 in "Truth on Trial."  We challenged Mormonism and JW's.  Both came up terribly short on the truth scales.  (Go GOD!!  The one true God, that is)
• Spent time with college friends I hadn't seen in 18 years!
• Picked up two car loads of teenagers to take to youth group.
• Also spent time at Damon's restaurant with Paul Bell.  Dry humor and all, he is one of my best friends.
• Heard one of our youth staff, Lou Thomas, speak to our teens.  Lou got saved in our youth group 10 years ago ... I'm so proud of our leadership team.
• My heart is heavy for several people in our congregation that need a touch from the Lord.
• Preparing to talk about "the Oprah Church" next week in church.  We'll lump it in with Hinduism, Buddhism, Christian Science, etc.  Should be an awesome Sunday.  I'm already praying that the Lord will open the eyes of those that will hear the message.
• Lot of brand new faces at church again today.  Several returning from last week.  That's good news!

I love our church.

A Pastor That Loves That We're In A Recession

Yea, you heard me right -- I LOVE IT!!  "Slumping economy", "down turn", "sluggish", I really don't care what you call it, I'm hear to tell you ... I love it!  Before you call those "nice-people-that-just-want-to-talk-to-ya", hear me out. 

Pam & I have four kids and we live an, at times, hectic schedule.  If I'm not careful, I'll go,go,go.  My personality is, "a little aggressive", I've been called, "impulsive", I would probably be defined as "type A",  so a "recession" is good for me.  Why? because it causes me to slow down.  It causes me to re-look at where my money is going and not to spend aimlessly.  High gas prices causes me to ask, "Do I need to go there or can I stop by some other time?"  It causes me to decide to eat at home rather than eat out, thus not only saving money, but increasing family time. 

It causes me to re-prioritize.  Just look at the word "recession."  It's taken from recede which means to "draw back."  Yup, 'draw back.'  In a "draw back" time, I look at where to get the most bang for my buck, what decisions should I make that have Kingdom - eternal value?  It's during times like this, I want to give to the Lord.  I need His help, but I also believe in His cause.  I want to give my money to the things that have eternal value, not short-term usage ... like a new shirt.

That's right - I LOVE RECESSIONS!  And do you know what?  YOU SHOULD TOO!

The Crazy Things People Believe

What a gorgeous evening.  Well, I was hanging outside and got talking to my neighbor.  We're both about the same age, bald, so I felt I could converse on a deep level :-)  (Just kidding, don't send me stupid emails or even documented proof on how people WITH hair are intelligent too.)  We got talking about the new series we're into at Victory Church.  Now, our church is WAY cool.  Super music, and we're not afraid to discuss real relevant topics ... like world religions.

Last week (week 1 in the series) I established the BIBLE as the sole authority.  This week, the Pope is in Washington D.C.  There are now 416 children that were pulled out of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints compound outside San Angelo, TX.  The whole country is talking about it -- so we thought we'd join the party.  In our new series, we're going to talk about Mormons, JW's, Oprah, Buddhism, New Age, Hinduism and the list goes on.  What makes Christianity different than all these.  Better yet, if Catholics are Christians, what's the difference between us and them?

My buddy has some pretty interesting views, what do you think is the difference between Christianity and all those other religions?

Harley Preacher's Wife

Okay, c'mon at you with a little news from the Seaburg household.  This past weekend Pam (my GGW ... Godly, Gorgeous Wife) signed up with her buddy, Marcia Hamilton, and both decided to take this motorcycle safety class to get their motorcyle license.  It's a 4 day event called Rider's Edge put on by the Lancaster Harley store.  The cool thing is, at the end, you get your license.  You show up on Thursday, come back on Friday, go back ALL DAY on Saturday and Sunday.  (do the math ... she missed church)  Anyway, she passed!!!!!  The kids and I are all super proud of her!!  Now, I have to get HER a bike.  Oh well, Congratulation Pam!! 

Two Qualities Every Quality Leader Has

Every leader (whether in the church or not) know that the work of the Lord cannot be accomplished by one person.  Leaders need to surround them selves with a team; people to partner with in ministry.

At our church, we are always on the lookout for those who will head up departments or fill much needed positions to help accomplish the vision.  We can have all the dreams and plans in the world, but if we don’t have people to help carry them out, the dreams will either never come to pass, or will be slow in coming at best.  We don’t want to settle for just a warm body, because we know, who a leader adds to his team will make or break the team.  The answer that has eluded so many good men and women of God is, “How do I find the right person for the job?”  “How to I know if this person is going to be able to work out in this ministry area?”  Bad news is, we don’t know for sure.  The good news is, if we follow God’s Word, we can do our part to limit the starts and stops in finding the right person for the right job.

2 Tim 2:2 states “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”  (KJV)   

God’s Word gives us the two qualities that we as leaders should look for in people who desire to lead. Those two qualities that a person MUST have are they must be “faithful” and “able.”  There are those that are faithful, but not able.  And, there are those that are able but not faithful.  Let me illustrate. 

Say you are the head coach of a football team and your job is to evaluate the talent and put the best people in the best position to have the optimum amount of leadership on the team.  There’s this one kid who is faithful to practice.  He comes early and stays late.  He runs each wind sprint with all he has, he has the drive to be the best.  He is faithful to the weight room because his desire is to be the center on the offensive line.  The problem is, this kid only weighs 138 pounds.  (If you don’t know football, this position should probably be filled with a person over 280 pounds.)  He will not be a good fit for that position because he is faithful, but not able to do the job.

Now, there’s this other kid.  He can throw the ball a country mile.  He is lean and quick.  The people like him because he has charisma and a certain magnetism about him.  He is certainly able to be the quarterback of the team.  But there is a problem, he never comes to practice.  When he does, he’s always late and he doesn’t fully participate in the practice.  He’s a continual distraction to the rest of the team by his antics.  He is not a good fit either; he is able but not faithful.

Paul told young Timothy to find people who are both faithful AND able.  Recruit people with only one of these two characteristics and you will limp your way or you will surround yourself with people who will drain the life out of you. 

Any good leader MUST look for these two qualities when attempting to add to his team.  But, surround yourselves with people that embody these qualities and you will find your self with a person that will be loyal, proactive and a benefit to the team.

General Petraeus / Latter-Day Saints

What did the testimony on Capitol Hill by General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker have in common with 401 children taken from a San Angelo, Texas, compound of Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints?

Both demonstrate our government’s efforts to make life safer for the next generation.

Putting aside political maneuvering and constitutionality issues, being concerned about the next generation is always a worthy cause!  But can our government, or any government for that matter, really secure our children’s future?

In the Bible, it becomes clear that God never intended governments to have that responsibility.  Solomon was speaking to parents when he said, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

If we really want to save our children, we must understand how to appropriately help them in each of their developmental stages, both physically and spiritually.  Securing a safe environment in the world or in the church alone will not secure their future.  We need a growth plan!

The first need a newborn has is to breathe!  Likewise, spiritual newborns first need to learn how to pray.  Infants need frequent feedings.  New believers need frequent teachings.  And both physical and spiritual infants need LOTS OF LOVE! 

Toddlers gradually move from need constant care and attention to needing one-on-one INSTRUCTION on how to get to know the family and learn their place in the family.  Likewise, spiritual toddlers need one-on-one instruction on how to CONNECT with their spiritual family.  Most people who leave the church do so because they’ve never really CONNECTED with the congregation!

Young children must learn how to appropriately assert him or herself, in a DISCIPLINED WAY.  Likewise, young Christians must be encouraged to take responsibility for their further growth and maturity.

Older children must learn how to do chores, value life, and work together.  Likewise, older Christians must learn additional skills for ministry, and how to work together in ministry!

Teenagers must learn how to mentor younger brothers and sisters, even as they continue to develop their own autonomy by following the examples of worthy models.  Likewise, spiritual ‘adolescents’ needs both good models and good opportunities to be models for those younger than them!

Finally, adults must learn to RESPONSIBLY reproduce and raise the next generation.  Likewise, spiritual ‘adults’ are those who have learned how to evangelize, mentor, and make disciples.  You can TEACH what YOU KNOW, but you will only REPRODUCE what YOU ARE!

Can I encourage you today to take a cue from the headlines?  All too often they remind us that there is a lot at stake in our world events today?  If we truly want to ‘save our children,’ we will do MORE than rely on our military and police motorcades; we will learn and apply the biblical systems of “training a child up in the way he should go!”

A friend of mine shared some thoughts with me the other day, and I wanted to pass those onto you as well.