Jason Salamun

In June, I have to privilege of sharing at “Denver 2010: Where the Next BIG Idea Meets UNconference.”

According to JR Woodward, one of the organizer’s of the event,

“The next big idea is about people sharing about innovative ways to partner with God in the renewal of all things. Unconference is about freely sharing creative ideas with one another without putting anyone on a pedestal. It is more participant oriented than personality driven. There is also no cost, because people share their gifts and knowledge freely.”

I’m looking forward to being a part of this.  If you’re anywhere near the area, it would be great to meet you.   Here’s a link to the flyer with the details.

My presentation is one of 14 presentations with each lasting 14 minutes. My hope is to squeeze everything into 14 minutes which should be a healthy exercise for me. I’m told there will be a visible clock to hold me accountable as well as rotten tomatoes to throw if needed.

Here’s a sneak peek into my topic:

Theme: Family and Mission

Title: “But Dad, You’re My Pastor”

Big Idea: What if the Church shifted from a “Safe For the Whole Family” mindset to a “Families on Mission” movement?

Summary paragraph: Many families are tearing apart at the seams. Broken hearts, broken homes, broken lives…and that’s just the pastors. Other families are struggling just to keep up with the American Dream with no sense of purpose other than their own fulfillment. It’s no wonder our families, and churches, have been blinded by complacency to the needs of this world.

What if families were awakened to join God in his mission in the world? How would that impact marriages? How would that shape children? How would that heal relationships?

With stories, ideas, and scripture, you will be encouraged to become the family God wants you to be and together, do what God has called you to do. God is renewing all things, and that includes the family. When the family is renewed, so is the Church. When the Church is renewed, so is the world. And it all begins at home.

To my Project Church family, you will get an extended version of this message this weekend!

Let’s be honest. Bob Dylan is not the greatest vocalist in the world.  Yet he is a musical legend.  Why?

He is a talented poet and songwriter for sure, but he could’ve just been that, a writer. Instead, he is a performer who has sold millions of albums and filled venues around the world.

What he has is the ingredient that’s missing in so many artists, speakers, leaders, writers, programs, organizations, and even churches.

He has heart.

He has soul.

He has guts.

When he sings, you believe he’s coming from a real place.

You overlook the fact that he and his voice never would’ve made it past an American Idol audition. Why? Because you know what he’s singing is something he truly believes in or has actually experienced.

When I’m listening to a musical artist, watching a film, reading a book, learning from a speaker, buying a product, or joining a movement, I’m willing to overlook a number of shortcomings if they have heart, soul, and guts moving in the right direction. Not some shallow, manufactured formula that’s spit out of a software program, how-to book, or boardroom.

As a pastor of a new church, I know there are a number of things I, and we, could do better. But if nothing else, I want those who have an encounter with us to at least say, “they are real, they genuinely care, and they sincerely believe in joining God in his mission in the world.”

Your challenge and mine is to do what we do with heart, soul, and guts.

This doesn’t excuse doing our best, but it also doesn’t excuse going through life without life!

As G.K. Chesterton wrote, “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.”

No more cookie cutters, templates, and mediocrity!

Instead, be alive! Be real! Be you!

Be who you were created to be!

Several months ago I was on the verge of tapping out on church planting.

This has been my dream and my passion and I was on the edge of ending it.

Between the consumer Christians and their “What can this church do for me?” mentality to the critics from other churches and their gossip and biting words to the discouragement that comes with disappointments and let downs to the physical smackdown I was experiencing as the left side of my upper body progressively lost feeling and led to atrophy. (Note: my recent surgery corrected this)

These factors and more had me clinched in a triangle choke hold.

One evening was particularly bad. At the end of December, I invited a number of people from our community to my home to dream and pray about the upcoming year.  My hopes were high but it turned out to be a disaster.

As people showed up, I got violently ill yet still tried to power through a discussion about where we’ve been and where we’re going.  Frankly, I was in no shape to lead that discussion and it quickly turned tense as heads butted, feelings were hurt, and eventually, I had to cut our time short because of my condition.  People quickly left (because it’s awkward when your host is hurling loudly in the toilet) and I was sitting on the bathroom floor sick, sad, and in tears.

I was at the end of myself.

For the first time since we began this journey, I entertained the thought of calling it quits.

It’s in moments like this where scripture such as, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” become more real than ever.

Sometimes being at the end of yourself isn’t such a bad place to be.

This is what God has been teaching me in the past few months.

Soon after, my wife and I decided to have a date night at Borders where we enjoyed a drink, a book, and sat and read together.  I grabbed a book titled, “Leading on Empty” by Wayne Cordeiro. I devoured it in one sitting.   In the book, Cordeiro shares stories of his struggles and some tips and habits he’s learned along the way.  This book prompted me to make a few changes to increase margin in my life and enlarge my capacity to serve my church.

In February, I went on a planned two-week tour to Washington DC, Atlanta, GA, and Knoxville, TN for conferences, connections, and to speak.  During this time, God used several people to speak into my life. From Dallas Willard’s reminder that, “God is in charge of the outcomes” to Rick Warren’s advice over lunch on how to handle criticism to the encouragement I received at KnoxLife Church, all of it added fuel to my dwindling spark.

Not to mention conversations with many, many friends along the way and reading Donald Miller’s book, “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years” at just the right time.

Ultimately, it was time spent alone with God that prevented me from tapping out and gave me the strength to counter the choke hold I was in.  I began to see four clear reasons to not give up:

Jesus
While praying in the garden before his arrest, Jesus was as close as he had ever been to rock bottom.  So much so he was sweating blood and asking God if it was possible to “let this cup pass” from him. Yet he pressed on knowing it was God’s will. “He who knew no sin, became sin, so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.”  Jesus never gave up!  Because he never gave up for me, how could I give up on him?

Calling
I wrestled for several years on my calling to start a church and many times, it’s the only thing that has kept me going. If I was not called, I would have tapped out long ago.  But when you’re called, you press on because you must.  When you’re called, you will do whatever it takes because it’s worth it. The fact is, to not start and lead this church would be disobedient and I can’t live with that. I love that God called me to this!

Friends
I am incredibly blessed to have wonderful friends both near and far.  I often say that our church is where strangers becomes friends and friends become family.  I’m so thankful I’m not some lonely pastor somewhere who has no genuine friendships.  I have that and more.  I have a family.

I’ve made it my goal, my project, to join God in his mission in this world and there are incredible people who are on this journey with me. We spur one another on and make sure we fix our eyes on what matters most. So to my friends at Project Church, thank you and I love you. To my friends around the world who are a source of prayer, encouragement and wisdom, thank you and I love you.

Fruit
Finally, I could not tap out because of what God is doing in and through us.  Too many people have experienced the grace of God through Project Church.  Too many people have taken their first and next steps in following Jesus because of our start-up church. Too many people are a part of genuine community because of what we’re doing. Marriages have been restored, broken hearts are being put back together, complacent lives are being put in motion, Jesus is being made much of, and the enslaved are finding freedom.  When I take a step back and see what God is doing, I’m in awe.  He is renewing all things and letting us be a part of that.  How cool is that? And we’re just getting started.

Why am I sharing this?

Not so you will feel sorry for me. As you can see, I’m blessed beyond measure.

But somewhere, someone is wanting to give up.  On their marriage, their dream, their lives. I believe God has led you to this blog post to tell you, “Don’t Give Up!”

Things are terribly hard but don’t give up!
The mountain looks too big but don’t give up!
You’ve got nothing left to give but don’t give up!

God doesn’t always get us around these times but he has promised to see us through them. It’s by going through these times we become more like him and more like the us we always wanted to be.

Don’t give up my friend.

And should you ever feel like giving up, go here for the inspiration to press on.

“Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself.” – Miles Davis

We live in an amazing age.  The world has become increasingly connected and small because of the interwebs, cell phones, and nifty gadgets.

As a preacher, I’ve found that podcasts are incredibly useful.  Being able to listen to the best communicators in the world whenever I want is a real gift. Not to mention surveying the culture, listening to seminary classes on iTunes U, and keeping up with leadership stuff from people like Catalyst.

On a given week I listen to between 15-20 sermons to learn from well-known preachers like Tim Keller, Francis Chan, Matt Chandler, and Andy Stanley.  I also enjoy listening to preacher friends from around the country to stay up with their churches as well as other lesser known pastors who are further down the road than me.  When I think about it, I’ve probably listened to thousands of sermons and my life and ministry have been greatly enriched because of it.

But there’s a downside for the preacher.

We can end up sounding so much like those we admire that we don’t put the effort in to find our own voice.

For years, Mark Driscoll has been a can’t-miss podcast for me.  His blend of bible teaching, humor, and confrontational style appeals to my macho-man self.  Like many, I highly respect him and have learned a great deal from him through his preaching and writing.  However, last year I listened to a podcast of mine and noticed how much I sounded like him.

It was eerie and I didn’t like what I had heard.  Why? Because it wasn’t me.

I never wanted to be a cookie cut from someone else’s mold.  Just Jesus’. Yet that’s exactly what was happening.

Yes, we should learn from others. Yes, we are influenced by others. Yes, there are many who are better. BUT God has given me, and everything other preacher, a unique voice.  He has not called us to be the next John Piper, Rob Bell, Perry Noble, or Rick Warren. He has called us to be the first us!  Preachers are to follow Jesus, discover and use our voice, and make disciples who listen to His voice.

Instead, I sounded like a Driscollpalian. A Mark Driscoll clone.

So I took a dramatic step. I went on a three month Mark Driscoll fast. Yep, I fasted from Mark Driscoll. I didn’t read his books, listen to his podcasts, or view his tweets.

I know it sounds funny, but I was (and still am) on a journey to find my voice. It wasn’t about him, it was about me. I needed to recalibrate and get on the track to finding my voice.

Driscoll (and other gifted leaders) have remarkable ministries and younger guys like me can learn a lot from them.  But let us put aside the desire to be them. We are not. We are us!

I will never be Leonard Sweet, Erwin McManus, Steven Furtick, or any other well-known preacher. I will be Jason Salamun. I will (by the grace of God) grow as a communicator of the gospel by opening my bible and pointing people to Jesus.

While I’m at it, Project Church will never be Mars Hill, LifeChurch.tv, Mosaic, or any other well-known church. We will be Project Church. And while we worship the same God as these wonderful churches, our fingerprint is our own.  So is yours.

So how do you find your voice?

I’m still learning but the only way I know of to find your voice is to preach and preach some more.  It doesn’t just happen, it takes work. “Swinging ’til your hands bleed” I heard someone say. Everyone starts somewhere.  (Ever notice how Driscoll’s early sermons in the mid-90′s aren’t even listed on their media page?)

It might also be helpful to listen to yourself (as painful as that might be) and ask people you respect to give you honest feedback.

We live in a funny time. Because of the availability of messages online today, people will compare you to their favorites and criticize you against that standard. Be cautious about who you listen to. I’m much more apt to listen to a wise mentor or trusted friend than some internet sermon savant who knows little about me or my community.  I’ve had my fair share of those know-it-all bible school students who want to haggle over secondary matters in a church they aren’t even connected to.  Don’t go down that road. You’ve got better things to do (like loving people).

If you’re a preacher, let me remind of this: you are called! Be humble and learn, be patient and grow, and be faithful and preach. You have a mighty task and stand in a line of imperfect people God has used to change hearts and history.

Find your voice my friend.  The world needs you to bring Jesus.

And if you’re the critic, cut the preacher some slack. They might be working a full-time job while planting a start-up church, leading a family of four, dealing with stress and burden of being a leader that you’ll never fully understand, while pouring their heart and soul into helping jacked-up people take their first and next steps in following Jesus. If they aren’t a straight-up heretic, then the least you can do is nut-up, pray them up, and offer up some freakin’ encouragement because trust me pal, they could really use it!

Chewing on this quote from Eugene Peterson found in the introduction to his book, Working the Angles.

“The pastors of America have metamorphosed into a company of shopkeepers, and the shops they keep are churches. They are preoccupied with shopkeeper’s concerns–how to keep the customers happy, how to lure customers away from competitors down the street, how to package the goods so that the customers will lay out more money.

Some of them are very good shopkeepers. They attract a lot of customers, pull in great sums of money, develop splendid reputations. Yet it is still shopkeeping; religious shopkeeping, to be sure, but shopkeeping all the same. The marketing strategies of the fast-food franchise occupy the waking minds of these entrepreneurs; while asleep they dream of the kind of success that will get the attention of journalists.

The biblical fact is that there are no successful churches. There are, instead, communities of sinners, gathered before God week after week in towns and villages all over the world. The Holy Spirit gathers them and does his work in them. In these communities of sinners, one of the sinners is called pastor and given a designated responsibility in the community. The pastor’s responsibility is to keep the community attentive to God. It is this responsibility that is being abandoned in spades.”