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Reflections From the Shoe

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Shoe

By Nate Champneys

“Pride goes before destruction.” Solomon said it perfectly with his God-given wisdom. And it amazes me, when you look at all the sin that so easily entangles us, how so much of it is rooted in pride. When I look at my own life, the sin of pride is vastly prevalent, and it is that sin of pride that I just can’t seem to get rid of. So many times I get into an argument with my wife, then it isn’t until later that I see my pride clearly. I have to say, “Honey, I’m so sorry. This really is simply my pride.”

I get so frustrated by my sin sometimes. I just look up and say to God, “Why aren’t you finished with me yet?!?” When you consider your own sin, isn’t it amazing that God still cares about us? The Psalmist says this:

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them? (Psalm 8:3-4)

When you consider how small, insignificant, pitiful, and sinful we are compared to the glory, wonder, size and complexity of the universe that our creator God holds on the tip of His pinky, I can’t help but ask, “Why hasn’t God just stepped on us and squashed us already?” “Why doesn’t He simply put us out of our misery?” It makes me feel like bacteria on the bottom of a massive shoe when I compare myself to His glory.

I mentioned this in a prayer time at church a few weeks ago, and later on during this prayer time, a friend prayed: “Thank you Jesus for coming down to the bottom of this shoe!” Wow. That really puts things in perspective. The God of glory humbled himself and essentially became the equivalent of a bacterium on the bottom of a shoe and gave his life for us, the bacteria on the bottom of that shoe. Remarkable! It really is impossible to truly understand the love of God until you grasp to some degree the majesty and glory of God and are then able to see the heights that Jesus stepped down from.

Now THAT is the exact opposite of pride. That is the God we serve! 1 Corinthians 13 tells us, “Love is not proud.“ Pride is so contrary to who God is, yet it is one of those acceptable sins we excuse, even though it so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1). We serve a God who is so glorious that in the same way He spoke the universe into existence, He could cause everything to go back to nothingness in an instant and simply start over. And yet he is mindful of us. God is the opposite of pride when he has every right to be prideful. This is love: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1)

The Creator God, who is so far beyond our comprehension, emptied Himself and “became a bacterium” in order to give His life for you. I don’t know about you, but this lavish love is the only thing that truly puts my pride into perspective.

“Thank you, Jesus, for coming to the bottom of this shoe!

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

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Be a Worship Leader

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By Nate Champneys

There are a lot of “Christianese” words that get thrown around within the Church. Some of these words are very frustrating because the true meanings and the normal definitions of these words are two different things or are, at minimum, incomplete. Take the word “worship” for example. We use this word a lot in the context of group singing during our services, and so the word “worship” has almost become synonymous with “corporate singing.” We know, however, that worship is a blanket term referring to “declaring worth” of something or someone, and we use it in the context of declaring worth to God. We also know that this is more than singing on a Sunday morning; it includes every aspect of our lives.

A word that has become commonplace in our church culture is the term, “Worship Leader.” We generally use this term to refer to the person on stage on Sunday morning who is in charge. The longer I have been a staff worship leader though, the more this term makes me uneasy. I lead week after week after week, but I have come to realize that I don’t have nearly as much power to lead people as someone sitting in the front row of the seats (or the back row for that matter). What I mean is that I think people are more influenced by other people in the congregation than they are by the people on the platform. This has led me to ask the question, “Who is actually leading?” Many Sundays I’ve watched from the platform as we as the “leaders” are very expressive in our praise while people in the seats are not. I have also watched a single person in the congregation who stands and raises their hands be the first of a wave moving through the congregation.

I have come to realize that everyone is a leader and a follower at the same time. As human beings it is our nature to look around at what everyone else is doing and follow suit, while at the same time everyone is looking at you as well. I once was leading morning worship (there’s that term again), and watched a woman who was new to the congregation sitting a few rows back with her eyes closed, and her hands raised. Throughout the whole song set, she was very expressive. This was in a church that was from the Dutch Reformed background and was typically not very “open” in expression of worship. This Sunday, however, was different. I watched as many people through the service seemed to become more expressive. I went up to her afterword and said, “Thank you for leading worship this morning.” I told her that I knew she hadn’t been doing it for a thank you, but for the praise and glory of God. Yet when people in the congregation express praise to God, it is contagious.

What you do affects others. Period. I want to give you a charge: be a worship leader. You don’t have to be up on the platform to lead people. Do you want to bring God glory? Do you want to point people to Him? It’s really simple. Recognize that people are following you. I’m not talking about putting on a show for others. I am talking about authentic worship with the understanding that people are going to follow you either way. Are you going to lead them closer to Jesus, or farther away?

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The Secret to Having Fun!

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By Nate Champneys

I meet weekly with a dear friend of mine who just turned 70. He has given me so much wisdom and advice over the years that I told him at one point that I felt like our relationship was very one sided. I felt like I got way more out of being his friend than he got out of being mine. A few weeks later he said to me, “Nate, you mentioned that you felt you get more out of our relationship than I do … well, I have something I would like you to teach me.”

I thought, Hmmm…what could I possibly teach him? This is a man who has done a lot in his lifetime. He has more life experience than I probably will ever have. “I want you to teach me to have fun,” he said. “I have had a very hard life and have spent my whole life working very hard, but I feel like I never learned to have fun.”

I didn’t really know what to say. I have just taken fun for granted my whole life.

It occurred to me that in general, my generation is very entertainment-driven. I don’t think we actually can comprehend fully a life without fun. Furthermore I think we tend to make a lot of our decisions based on how entertaining something may be. My friend is 70 years old. His generation has seen a lot. He has seen a lot. There seems to be a difference between my generation and my friend’s generation when it comes to entertainment.

My friend’s generation understand that there are many things that we must do in life that are not fun, they are not entertaining but must be done just the same. I look at myself and I think I have always had the expectation that I must have some sort of fun in my life on a regular basis.

This whole discussion got me thinking about fun and made me ask the question: What is fun? This thing that I seem to take for granted in my life, what is it that makes something fun? So when my friend asked me to teach him how to have fun my first response was this: ICE CREAM. Ice cream is fun, right? One of my favorite memories as a kid was when my family would spontaneously go out for ice cream. Ice cream is an inexpensive way to add a little fun into your life.

But the more I thought about it, I didn’t really know why ice cream was fun. It just is. But is it the ice cream itself that is fun or the experience? In my opinion, Ice cream at home is not as much fun as going out for ice cream so maybe it is the spontaneity of going to get ice cream that is fun.

As I thought about myself and what I find fun, I think I have finally discovered the secret to fun. Do you want to know what it is? Okay here it is. BREAK RULES. Yes, I really mean break rules. No, I do not want you to go rob a bank. Please don’t go drive 110 m.p.h. in a school zone. Here is what I mean by break rules.

We all have unwritten rules that we live our lives by. For example, most of us probably have a rule that we live by, that we do not go for walks in the dark at midnight. It is something we just don’t do. I use this example because this is exactly what my wife and I did while visiting her family one Christmas. They thought we were crazy! But we had such a fun time walking in the snow in the dark. It is one my favorite memories with my wife and one of the things that made it fun was it was something we did that didn’t make any sense. Life doesn’t always have to make sense.

I used to run the junior high program at a church in Chicagoland. At one of our summer events we made gallons of chocolate pudding and had a giant chocolate pudding fight. The students are still talking about it to this day. Why was it so fun? We broke a rule. We live by the unwritten rule that you don’t throw chocolate pudding at people. You have to be able to ask this question: “What is the worst thing that will happen?” “The kids might stain their clothes.” We had all the kids bring clothes that could get dirty. Problem solved. “Pudding will get everywhere.” We had the pudding fight in a pasture where it didn’t matter. Again, problem solved.

You also have to ask the question: “Is it really that big of a deal if ______?” To have fun by breaking rules, you just have to make sure that the consequences are acceptable. Obviously it would make no sense to go for a walk at midnight if you have a job interview at 7 a.m. the next day or to have a pudding fight after in church clothes, in the sanctuary.

Now I am married to a planner. She likes all her ducks in a row. She likes everything planned out to the “T”. And that is okay sometimes too. You can plan fun too, but even she would admit that her life has been a lot more fun when she learned how relax and “go with it” when my spontaneous nature comes out.

Here’s an idea. You probably have a rule that you didn’t realize that you had, that you don’t go away for the weekend without planning out where you are going. Break that rule. Just get in your car and start driving. Just remember though, spontaneous fun and rule breaking is never about the destination. It’s about the fun ride there.

I was on a walk with my family the other day and we walked by a flock of geese on a patch of grass by the road. I looked at my three year old and asked, “Would you like to chase the geese?” His eyes lit up so without a moment of hesitation, my three year old, my one and half year, my 9 month pregnant wife and I chased geese. It was so much fun! As children, we are really good at living in the moment and not caring what other people think.

As adults we view living in the moment as immature and we care what everybody thinks. We do need to be mature when its time to be mature, but I firmly believe that there are times in life when, for a little while its okay to live in the moment. We need to plan for the future but we also need to stop once in a while and do something crazy. Break a rule! Chase geese!

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Not a Big Deal

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By Nate Champneys

The book of Exodus is one of my favorite books in the Bible and I’m constantly going back to it. The reason I love it so much is that I love getting to know God through the intimate relationship He had with Moses. Moses was known as “a friend of God.” Wow. Now that is something I want to understand!

One of my favorite passages in Exodus is chapter 33. The golden calf incident (where the Israelites made and worshiped an idol) has just taken place and God tells Moses to get ready to take the Israelites to the Promised Land. God says He will not be going with them. In verse 12, Moses begins to plead with God and basically says that he doesn’t want to lead the people if God doesn’t go with him. I love God’s response to him in verse 17: “I will do what you have asked, because I am your friend and I am pleased with you.”

Now in the next chapter, God tells Moses to cut two new tablets to replace the ones Moses broke. We don’t know how much time has passed since the last story as it just says, “one day,” but it seems that Moses is reminding God of their previous conversation when he says in verse 9, “Lord, if You are really pleased with me, I pray that You will go with us. It is true that these people are sinful and rebellious, but forgive our sin and let us be Your people.”

And here is God’s response: “I promise to perform miracles for you that have never been seen anywhere on earth. Neighboring nations will stand in fear and know that I was the one who did these marvelous things. I will force out the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, BUT YOU MUST DO WHAT I COMMAND.” God tells Moses that He is going to be with him and do amazing things, but Moses just needs to obey.

The crazy thing is that disobedience is exactly the thing that would be Moses’s downfall later in the book of Numbers. It’s almost as though God is telling Moses to obey knowing that Moses would struggle with obedience later on. But it wasn’t obedience in the big things that Moses had trouble with; it was obedience in the little things. In Numbers chapter 20, God commands Moses to speak to a rock to get water for the Israelites, and instead Moses hits the rock with his staff. This “little” disobedience cost Moses the privilege of entering the Promised Land!

We tend to rank sin in terms of severity, but it is clear in Scripture that the sins that we don’t take seriously are just as grievous to God as the “serious” ones. Take a moment to examine your own life. What are the small things in your life that you have written off as, “not a big deal?”

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Disneyland Radio

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By Nate Champneys

Think about the most difficult thing you have ever had to endure: A divorce, the death of a loved one, a season of unemployment, or worse. Did you feel you could talk to God about it? When you came to church, did you feel connected to God by the worship? Or did you feel disconnected and alone?

The reason I ask these questions is that something has been bothering me for awhile. Last year I used many Psalms as the basis for worship themes, and one thing I noticed is the large number of laments in the Psalms. Literally 70 percent of the Psalms contain lamenting (or mourning) language. I decided I wanted to do a service on lamenting, and I was very surprised to find that there are very, very few worship songs that are laments.

This brought me to take a closer look at the Church in general in this area. As I listened to Christian radio, I couldn’t help but feel a disconnect. Over and over I heard the words, “positive and uplifting” or “uplifting and kid-safe.” I felt like I was listening to Disneyland Radio because it was “happy all the time.” As I tried to think of regularly used worship songs in the church that are laments, I only needed one hand to count. I thought about my own planning of services and the lack of laments.

But if 70 percent of the Psalms are laments, that should tell us something about life and how hard it is. David, the one man in history who is referred to as “a man after God’s own heart” said to God, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” (Psalm 13). And it’s not just Psalm 13 which speaks like this — it’s literally 70 percent of the Psalms!

This should tell us something: It is okay to be weak. It is okay to not have it all put together. It is okay to cry out to God. It is okay to be so upset that you feel like you can’t even pray. In Psalm 77, David talks about being so upset he cannot speak. Have you ever been there? I know I have.

When you look at the life of David, it is clear that very few men have had such a close relationship with God. What characterizes David’s relationship with God? Brutal honesty. David tells God exactly how he feels. He tells God when he feels alone. He tells God when he feels like God has turned His back on him.

But there is one other thing that characterizes David’s relationship with God. While being brutally honest with God in how he felt, he always moved on to remembering the faithfulness of God. Psalm 77 is a perfect example of this. David spends the first half of the chapter crying out to God in his distress, but in verse 10 the whole chapter shifts. He then says, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your miracles long ago.” David continues on to list off the amazing things God had done in the history of His people.

This life can be brutal and it’s okay to be weak. It’s okay to weep. It’s okay to be upset, and it’s okay to tell God exactly how you feel. That is exactly what He wants from us. It’s okay for a time, as long as that is not where we stay. We also need to remember. We need to do what David did over and over in the Psalms: Lament, weep, and cry out to God, but then take time to remember His faithfulness.

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Nate Champneys Answers Important Questions!

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By Senior Pastor Martin Schlomer and Nate Champneys

This Sunday is a very important day in the life of Elim EFC. By now, everyone has heard that we are candidating Nate Champneys for the position of Associate Pastor. This full-time position will specialize in leading the Worship Arts and Children’s Ministries. While we have been discussing this position for more than three months, people continue to ask great questions. On Tuesday, a member asked some general questions regarding Nate’s background and training. In an effort to do our best at getting information out to the congregation, this edition of the Last Word is dedicated to allowing Nate to answer these specific questions. In addition, Nate’s resume will be posted on the Elim’s website.

1) Are you in complete agreement with Elim’s doctrinal statement? If not, are there any areas of reservation? I am in complete agreement. I started attending Elim when I was 16 years old. I learned a lot of my basic doctrine from Elim’s youth ministry program. I then attended New Tribes Bible Institute (NTBI), and their doctrinal statement is very similar to the Evangelical Free Church doctrinal statement.

2) How did you come to faith in Christ and why do you want to serve in full-time ministry? God captured my heart at a very young age. I was just 6 when I understood my need for Him and made the decision to trust Jesus to forgive my sin. My dad prayed with me every night when I was young and on a particular night he and I had a very important conversation. He explained to me the problem of sin, who Jesus was, and how He died to pay for my sin. The Gospel is simple, and at 6, I fully understood it. Since that moment I always wanted to be in ministry.

If you look at my drawings as a child, it was of airplanes, but on the side of every airplane was the name “Mission Aviation Fellowship.” I always dreamed about being a missionary pilot. As I grew into a teen I thought I might pursue youth ministry. Since I wasn’t sure, Brian Sharpe recommended I go to NTBI.

I graduated NTBI in 2006, returned home to Washington and started serving at Elim. At NTBI I was surrounded by people who were passionate about the Gospel, yet this was in stark contrast to much of the American church. Because of this, I graduated NTBI with a very negative view of the Church. However, over the next five years at Elim, God moved in my heart and gave me a desire to serve His Church. He developed my gifts with worship and youth ministry and my heart for His Church, but as a family we were not yet ready to be in full-time ministry. God used circumstances with my career in insurance to work in the hearts of both my wife and I to bring us into full-time ministry.  It has been a long road, but both Beck and I can see how God prepared us for ministry. We both have a desire to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the Church and the un-churched.

3) In your walk with God, what do you do to maintain spiritual vitality and health? As far as an official “quiet time,” I probably average four to five times a week of focused time with God. In addition there are other times during the week when, as I plan my sets, I have some of my most meaningful times with God. Worship is a safe and rejuvenating place for me.

During my quiet times I usually go to the park or just park my car somewhere. Because of my ADD, I have a hard time staying focused if I am anywhere near distractions. I have found my car to be the best place to focus. I also spend time with God after everyone is in bed so the distractions are minimal. Lastly, I listen to a lot of sermons. I have never been a big reader and learn a lot more from the spoken word. I listen to Mark Driscoll, Francis Chan, and Greg Kockl, to name a few.

4) Where did you receive your formal ministry training? Did your education provide specific training in the ministry areas of worship and children?  Do you have any additional experience that would qualify you for the potential ministry responsibilities at Elim? I have an Associate of Arts degree from Pierce College and an Associate of Arts degree in Biblical Studies from New Tribes Bible Institute. These degrees are not specific to worship and children. However, my biblical training gave me a good foundation in theology and hermeneutical study of the Scripture.

Regarding preparations for leading children’s ministry, most of my “education and training” has been hands-on. I was in AWANA from kindergarten to sixth grade. AWANA taught me the discipline of memorizing Scripture. Starting when I was 11, every summer my dad took me on a mission trip to Utah to do street evangelism to Mormons. This pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped establish an understanding of my own faith. When I was in junior high I attended Child Evangelism Fellowship’s “Christian Youth in Action” camp and learned how to teach 5-Day Clubs, which I continued to do throughout high school.

While serving in Munster I was the primary creator/ instigator of our new children’s church ministry that is just about to kick off. I saw the need for children’s ministry during the sermon and started meeting with other churches’ children’s leaders to come up with the foundation for this ministry. I then handed off my “brainchild” to the ministry leaders who are now running with it.

Regarding preparations for leading worship ministry, I started leading worship in high school with the youth band at Elim. Brian Sharpe fostered that gift throughout high school and had me lead worship for youth group. As I grew into an adult I continued to grow this gift. I started leading more often for church services and started leading the junior high program. When “The Gathering” service started at Elim, I was a primary leader.

My point in all of this is not to brag about myself but to help you understand that although I have only held a position in full-time ministry for one and a half years, I have been in ministry my whole life. Proverbs 16:9 says, “a man plans his course but Lord establishes his steps.” I look back at my life and I see that as I have sought Him, he has been preparing me to lead His Church.

5) Can you organize and lead choirs, bands, and small music groups? My primary experience is in developing and leading worship teams and developing musicians.

6) What experience do you have in training worship ministry staff and children’s ministry staff? As a worship leader, there are a lot of opportunities to train volunteers in music and worship. My first such experience was at Elim. I started working with some junior high students and teaching them how to play worship music. Those students are still leading today.

In the children’s area of ministry, my experience has focused on recruiting and training junior high leadership.

7) After you returned from New Tribes Bible Institute, in what ministry areas did you serve at Elim? I served as a worship leader and as a junior high youth leader. When the planning team was put together for “The Gathering” service, I served on this team and was also in charge of planning and leading worship. I have also preached and been involved with community group and men’s ministry.

8) In your current ministry position, what are your responsibilities? When I was hired at Munster Church, they had never had a full-time worship leader before. They had no idea what my position would turn into. My primary job is to plan and lead services, but because I am gifted technologically I have also been in charge of all video projection, sound, and technology. I replaced the entire sound system, the phone system, and church network.

My secondary role is to lead the junior high program and raise up and train junior high leaders. When I got to Munster, we had about five students total and usually three would show up. After seven months, I started making some strategic changes. We went from five total students to 25 total students.

9) Why are you interested in leaving after one year? I wouldn’t say that I am “interested in leaving” as that implies that I sought out leaving. When Becky and I left Washington three years ago, we imagined that we would come back after three years or so. We never planned on staying in Chicago. However, when God called us to leave American Income Life Insurance Company and pursue ministry we realized that our original timetable might not be realistic, and I came to the realization that we might never return to Washington.

When Elim decided to create this position, I never imagined being considered. I don’t think that my wife and I would consider leaving Munster Church under any other circumstance than this. We have always considered Elim to be our “home church.” Even in conversations with people in Indiana, we referred to Elim as our “home church.” I am absolutely blessed to have served at Munster and harbor no ill will against them. They too are happy to have served with me and wish me the best in my ministry.

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