Lost & Found

…..but I also honor those who lead me.

Richard H. Wendland — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:07:33 +0000

In my last post I talked about how those we lead should honor us. Today I’m going to hit on why we should always honor those who lead us, even when we don’t see 100% eye to eye.

The best reason for this, as with many things, is simply because God commands it. Hebrews 13:17

Not only that, but I’ve learned something from experience and from other leaders who have been in this game long before me. When we honor our leaders, no matter how difficult that may be, God places honor upon us in return.

Another reason we should honor our leaders is the simple fact that they want to build the kingdom just as bad if not more than you do. If they are lacking in a certain area but their heart is sincerely for the kingdom, give them time, they’ll improve and be equally as loyal to you for sticking with them. By not working with them you are working against them. If you are working against them you are working against the progress of God’s Kingdom.

Don’t get me wrong, everything your leaders say and do should be scripturally sound. But as far as non-essential beliefs and methods of leadership, we must honor them for their God Given position.

You didn’t put them in leadership, God did, so to be anything less than honorable to them is dishonoring God.

I serve God and no one else……..

Richard H. Wendland — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:33:00 +0000

Do you ever get frustrated at the well known fact that you cannot please everyone you lead?

I believe we all feel this way at times. I’ve learned that when I begin to feel this way it’s time for me to find a quite place spend time with the one and only one that I serve.

When I spend time with God he lets me know if he is pleased with my efforts and reminds me that it isn’t my job to please everyone else. Sometimes I have to repent for believing that the thoughts of others have any effect on my overall success. I repent because by thinking this way I am believing that those I lead have more power over my fate than the one who created me.

Below are a few thoughts I’ve gained from some great leaders…

1)If you need “them” to like you, you can’t lead them. You can’t need the church or it’s approval and lead.

2)We should never allow anyone to question our authority, position, or worse yet, calling.

3)It doesn’t make sense for God to give you a call and you set it aside to make someone else happy. That is a good way to wind up bitter and spent.

4)When those we lead resist our leadership, they are sinfully in the wrong…see Hebrews 13:17

Bottom line is this….

YOU are taking the great commission seriously enough to step up and lead in building God’s kingdom. As long as the ruler of that kingdom is happy he will reward you and those who criticize you for your work will be dealt with by him. We must keep the same attitude as Nehemiah when he said…..”Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” –Nehemiah 6:3

My next post will hit this topic from the opposite angle. I’ll be talking about why we should honor our leaders even if we don’t agree with the way they lead.

The best plan I never made.

Richard H. Wendland — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:40:04 +0000

Ok, so it’s time I go a little more public with what is going on in my life right now. I am currently in the second week of official mentoring/training to become a campus pastor for Bay Area Fellowship. It’s not like I’ve been keeping it quiet because I’m ashamed. To be honest, I’ve never been more proud of where my life is leading.

I guess I’ve kept quiet because there are many out there, maybe you, who think that the idea of me being a pastor is crazy. Your right, but that is the very God we serve and I am so proud to be an example of that. After all, Jesus never said “Follow me if you are fishers of men” He said, “Follow me and I’ll make you fishers of men.”

Anyone who’s known me for several years or more knows I certainly wasn’t living my life with this as a plan. That’s the very poetry in it all. It wasn’t my plan, it was his. I just simply surrendered and got on board with his vision for my life.

I encourage you to think really hard about your own life and then pray about it. Have you been chasing a career or dream that has always been a plan of yours and can’t understand why your waking up every morning feeling totally unfulfilled? If so ask God to reveal his plans for you. Chances are they are far greater than you ever dreamed of for yourself.

Don’t misunderstand, if you are pursuing a career or dream that you have passion for and it is going well for you and you are loving it. The perhaps you are in tune with Gods plan for you even if you didn’t intend it that way. Sometimes he works that way. But for me, the most rewarding plans were the plans “I” never made.

Thoughts anyone??

Ring Ring, God’s Calling!

Richard H. Wendland — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:21:02 +0000

Over the last few years my walk with Christ has been interesting say the least. Through that relationship I have learned more about the world we live in than I could have ever learned anyway else. My eyes have been opened to the culture that surrounds us.

I have also learned a lot about myself and the way I fit into this world. As many of you may relate with, I made a lot of bad decisions in my life that thankfully God has forgiven me for. So as I started getting more involved with the church. I did nothing more than attend because I didn’t believe I was “worthy” of being anything more than just a face in the crowd.

Eventually I figured I could be a volunteer, but not a leader. “I thought to be a leader of a church you would have to be “super spiritual.” Now I am a Director of Home teams, leading about 10 other leaders. I even do announcements sometimes during the services on Sundays.

My point is, don’t wait to become more spiritual before God can use you to do his work. Let God use you to do his work, so that you can become more spiritual.

I once heard or read somewere “God doesn’t call the equiped, he equips the called.”

I believe he is “calling” all of us. Will you answer?

I want to be a hammer.

Richard H. Wendland — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:44:03 +0000

Lately I’ve been trying to make it a point to start my prayers off by asking God what he wants from me, if there is anything he wants me to do for him. The other night I was having a quiet time and a interesting illustration came to mind.

Anyone who is a believer knows that God uses everyone, even non-believers, for his will. We also know that we have been given free will. So although our creator will use us for his will he allows us to indirectly decide our own purpose in his masterful, perfect plan.

So I have to ask myself and everyone else a question. If you know you are in some way going to be a tool of the almighty, and you have the power to shape your effectiveness for that purpose, how do you see yourself.

Would you rather be a hammer or a nail?

“We all end up somewhere in life, you can end up somewhere on purpose.” -Andy Stanley

Let me know your thoughts.

Spiritual Slumps

Richard H. Wendland — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:35:01 +0000

When an athlete is in a slump, it’s called a slump because the recent performance is noticeably less impressive than normal. So when you say they are in a slump it is no way a judgement on their worth as an athlete. Simply a temporary issue that needs to be worked out.

It’s the same in the life of a Christ follower. David talks to God about one such slump in Psalms 13. I love how he demonstrates to us that we can release our frustrations on God. So many people think prayer needs to be like speaking to the Queen of England, with a specific protocol. Don’t get me wrong, our father in Heaven is the ultimate of royalty. He is also our father and loves us as such. We must go to him with our frustrations and sorrow as well as praise. I’ve been trying to get into a habit of not asking God for what I think I need. Instead I go to him with my feelings about things and ask him to make it better by whatever means HE wills.

I must admit I have my times of sinful worry and although I trust in God, I have to remind myself to take it all to him. As I prayed about this the other night I heard our Lord tell me something that sent chills up my spine and tears out of my eyes…. “How would you feel if one day Timmy was spiritually broken and didn’t consider coming to you?” OUCH!!! I’m learning more and more everyday how God can use parenthood to open our eyes.

Let us all pray for each other daily. Just as the greatest athlete can go through slumps, so shall those who walk close to the lord. I’m realizing that the more I attempt to do for the kingdom, the more the enemy attacks me and distracts me.

What’s with all the rules???

Richard H. Wendland — Sat, 09 May 2009 05:20:17 +0000

I think the reason we are losing a generation to religious indifference is, our culture believes Christianity is about “following the rules”. First of all, there are no “rules”. There is only one rule…LOVE. Everything else is wrapped up in that. That was exactly what being a Christ follower is all about, L.O.V.E.

When we try to sum up God’s will for us with a bunch of do’s and don’ts, it’s like my 1 year old trying to write a book on what should or shouldn’t go in his mouth. What I’m getting at is this….

Who write’s the rules? Society? If that’s the case than Jesus didn’t live by “the rules”. Christianity isn’t about following any set of rules, it’s about following Jesus.

Some of the greatest leaders I know have a un-Godly era in their past. Yet, God called them to their position in the ministry for a reason. So the next time that person you know get’s in trouble for the 1000th time, know that God has done bigger miracles. Because he isn’t a God of rules, he’s a God of Love. A love so great that he gave us the ultimate sacrifice.

If you want to please Jesus don’t try to impress him, follow him…..Love him! John 13:35

Where’s the passion???

Richard H. Wendland — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:20:37 +0000

I hate the fact that the biggest enemy of the Church isn’t the non-believers or athiests but instead the very people who fill our buildings. Those who show up every sunday in their “sunday’s best” and then go out and condemn the rest of the world. They surround themselves with other “Christians”, put their kids in private “christian schools.” Somebody please tell me how you fail to see the contradiction between private and christian. What if Christ would have only shared his message to the people he saw as “up to his standard.” Scary thought huh? He would have never talked to anyone, certainly not me or anyone I know. But he was Christ, nobody was up to his standard. Imagine if he’d never converted Saul-Paul. There goes a huge part of the early A.D. minstry. If Jesus had come to earth to do his work for the people he felt “comfortable with” he would have changed his mind and went back to his throne in heaven. Come on people, where’s the passion for what God did for us. When are we going to quit thinking we’ve done so much for him. Do all you want it will never be enough. In case you didn’t know, that’s the whole reason we needed Jesus to do what he did. It’s time to quit trying to live perfect and just follow the one who did.

A little info on who I am.

Richard H. Wendland — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:44:36 +0000

I guess if I’m going to start a blog, the best way to start is by telling a little about who I am. My full name is Richard Henry Wendland. Born and raised in Calallen, TX. (Corpus Christi) I found salvation at the age of 14, but I can’t say I maintained a relationship with Jesus since then. Since then I’ve believed but have been just as far off track as many unbelievers, a “practical atheist” I guess you might say.

One Sunday morning, when I was living in Harbour Landing apartments, I decided I needed to “check in” with God and let him know I still believed. There was a church I had heard so much about & since it was right in front of my apartment complex, I decided I’d check it out. The church was Bay Area Fellowship. At the time it was the only BAF location.

Pastor Bil Cornelius, as with many who walk through the BAF doors, did something that no pastor had ever done before. He gave a message that not only kept my interest, but left me hungry for more. About a year & several visits later I told my then fiance, whom I had met since the first visit, that I wanted to stay for the membership class. (More on that in another post) God started speaking to me very clearly after that. I started to hear God again after that. I began to serve and tithe and saw my life change in ways that only a follower of Christ can understand.

Shortly after this I was married and My awesome wife, Veronica, and I decided to move to the valley to try and start a business. (More on that in another post, can’t give all the good stuff now.) During our last visit to BAF before moving we were on our way out the door when I saw Pastor John Atkinson. He had taught the membership class I attended so I asked him for a recommendation on a church in the Valley that shared the same kind of vision as BAF. Next thing I know I’m a member of Cornerstone Church in McAllen, TX. I became good friends with the pastor there Loui Canchola. Not only was Pator Loui a great Mentor and teacher, but he was the first person to meet our first child, Richard Timothy Wendland (Timmy). Loui and his family will always be special to us and have their own place in my heart.

After about a year and a half God saw it fit to bring me back to Corpus Christi. I say God saw it fit because the more I tried to avoid it the more things went wrong for me and my family. It was when we got back that I began to get plugged back into BAF. However by now, BAF had a total of 4 campuses in the area and one of them was in my home community of Calallen. BAF 5 Points had been launched while I was gone in the valley.

Pastor Jason Curlee, aka @jasoncurlee, wasted no time taking in a new volunteer. I am now, an Element (youth) leader, and the Hometeams coordinator for BAF 5 Points, and I help with several other miscellaneous things around the church.

This path may sound much like a “Wild Goose Chase”, and it has been. But that’s exactly what life is like when you follow the spirit and will of God. Although it is full of ups and downs, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Stay tuned for more of my ramblings and stories as I continue to learn new things everyday about God, Jesus, and following the spirit. I hope you enjoy what I have to say as I enjoy sharing it. If all I do for the kingdom brings but one soul to know life with Christ, it was worth every effort.

AMEN