Exposed!

Guest Blogger: Makeda Pennycooke, Freedom House Church

I injured my hand last week. I will spare you the details of how I injured my hand but suffice it to say that I ended up with some serious wounds on the back of my right hand.  I use the term wounds because these were more than just cuts or scrapes, these were wounds were the skin was removed and just pink, raw dermis is visible in multiple areas on my hand. When I got hurt, my first instinct was to cover up the wounds. I found some big, waterproof band-aids and figured they would be perfect. I applied them to my wounds and felt good that I had taken such good care of myself.  The next day I went to see my doctor and when we took off the band-aids, the skin around my wounds did not look good. My doctor suggested that I not cover up the wounds anymore if I can avoid it. They will actually heal better if they stay exposed to the open air and the skin around the wounds won’t end up getting macerated (that’s a really big word that is defined as causing to become weak or thin).  It’s been hard keeping the wounds open to the air because they are definitely more prone to getting accidentally hit or touched which only makes it hurt more (we won’t even talk about the painstaking effort needed to put on a shirt or a jacket without touching them). But my doctor was right, in the few days since I’ve had them open to the air, the wounds themselves are looking MUCH better and the skin around them is also healing nicely.

My little injury got me thinking about the emotional wounds in our lives that we keep covered up. You know the ones that are so painful that we hide them with some emotional band-aid and then pat ourselves on the back for “taking such good care of ourselves”. You know the hurt that someone caused you by something they said; the pain a leader caused you by what they did or didn’t do to you; the wounds from our childhood that are too painful to even put to words but whose pain is eating away at the core of who we are.  We all have them and for all of us our first instinct is always to cover them up; to keep them away from other people so we won’t hurt again. I know that’s my first instinct. Shoot who am I kidding it’s my second and third instinct too! But when we do that we are actually doing more harm than good. We think we are taking care of ourselves but we are in reality making ourselves weak and thin. We need to take the emotional band-aids off and expose those wounds so they can be healed. I’m not suggesting that we put our wounds out there to just anybody but I am suggesting that we take the coverings off and expose them in some way. Being vulnerable like that is risky and can cause the pain to rise up again but I discovered an interesting thing the few times I have hit my hand or rubbed it against something by accident, when I blow on it just a little the pain seems to subside.  I wonder what would happen if we would allow the Holy Spirit to blow on some of our wounded areas.

We need to allow the Holy Spirit to breathe on those wounds and bring healing to those areas. Yes it’s uncomfortable and yes there will be times when it will hurt but by keeping it open we will experience true healing. We won’t be weak and thin, instead we will be strong and able to accomplish everything He desires for us to accomplish. So who’s with me? Who’s willing to take the emotional band-aids off? Who is willing to expose those hidden wounds to the gentle touch of our loving Father and His Holy Spirit?

Real Leaders Go First!

Real Leaders Go First by Michael Hyatt

Years ago, when I was still in college, I was a summer intern for a non-profit organization. I had competed against scores of candidates and won a spot on a prestigious sales team. It paid $65.00 a week. I was thrilled at the opportunity and eager to get started.

The job was in another city, so the first day was spent in traveling and getting settled. The second day was our first official day on the job. It began with a full-day training session.

We were going to be cold-calling prospective customers, so we began with a thorough exploration of the product. (I am intentionally being vague, so as not to implicate a national brand that is virtually a house-hold word.)

Next, we went through a sample presentation. We learned the main points of the message and even discussed specific phrases to use and to avoid. We then considered every possible objection. The instructor taught us how to respond and even drilled us, so it became second nature. As the day wore on, our confidence increased.

The next day was to be the big day. The instructor was sending us out to engage with real-live prospects. We were a little nervous but excited to actually be doing what we had been hired to do. As we were leaving the training site, I innocently said to the instructor, “I can’t wait to get started. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

The instructor replied, “Ah … I won’t be there tomorrow.”

“What do you mean?” I said, puzzled by his statement.

“Well, I won’t be with you tomorrow,” he admitted. “I have never actually been in the field.”

“Wait a second,” I stammered. “You have never actually made a presentation like the one you taught us today?”

“Ah … no, I haven’t” he said, staring at the ground.

My heart sank. I thought, You have to be kidding. You have just spent an entire day teaching us something that you have never actually done yourself? This is all theory? I was blown away—and disillusioned. I felt abandoned.

Compare my sales trainer’s approach to Lt. Col. Hal Moore’s speech to his troops before they departed for Vietnam. This was famously depicted by Mel Gibson in the 2002 movie, We Were Soldiers.

We are going into battle against a tough and determined enemy. I can’t promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear, before you and before Almighty God: that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I’ll be the last to step off. And I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together, so help me God.”

Real leaders go first. They never ask others to do what they have not done or are unwilling to do themselves. They lead by example. Like the Apostle Paul, they are willing to say, “Follow me, as I follow Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Like Lt. Col. Moore, they are the first on the field and the last off.

Question: What about you? Are you leading by example. Where do you need to step up and go first?

What A Great Night!

This year at Vision Night we had a homecoming! We had muscle cars, the national cheerleading champions doing the half-time show, we had football jerseys and we had a play book with all of the nights events in it! The energy from the whole night was simply amazing! We had a blast talking about the future!

If you missed it I am so sorry but here are a few glimpses for you!

Here is the year in review!

Here is where we are going as a church!

Hope you enjoy the video footage and I hope you get in the game! The sidelines are for the cheerleaders!

Richmond Memories

Well it has been 8 years since Troy and I moved to Charlotte. It has been an amazing 8 years to say the least! While we were in Richmond at MiMi’s funeral, we had to make a few stops.

This is a picture of the house MiMi and PaPa raised Troy in. This is also the house where Troy and I would eat Sunday lunch with them. Yep, this is the place where the yeast rolls came out of the oven then went right into my mouth! I have such great memories of MiMi’s house! It was always filled with love and the smell of her cooking. That front right window was the window PaPa would always stare out of. He would wait for our car to pull in the driveway and meet us at the door.

This picture is very special for two reasons. This is the place where Troy first told me he loved me. A few years later it was the place he asked me to marry him. I had no idea he was going to take me there and show me that spot. It made my day. To be loved like that is just so incredible to me. He told me he wasn’t sure if it was possible but he just might love me too much! I had no words to respond. I still don’t. I just know I love him with all my heart!

In this picture our son, Colby, is either mocking us or being sentimental. I think it is probably not the latter of the two. Either way it was fun!

Soon And Very Soon!

I cannot wait for our new campus! For those of you who may not have seen our land, here is a sneak peek! Enjoy and get ready for an awesome ride! We are going to do this TOGETHER!

“The Blingy Pastor”

It was a Monday I will never forget. My husband wanted to take me shopping. That right there made it  a worth while day. I had no idea that a simple encounter would turn my world upside down. It was profound.

So we walk into this new denim store. I saw a pair of jeans that made me sing on the inside. I think my husband could tell because of the number of passes I made by them. I kept circling around the store and came back to pick up these glorious jeans!  I touched them and felt the crystals all over the pockets. Crystals were not only on the front pockets but the back pockets too! And…..did I mention the big, fat, white stitching that these jeans were trimmed in? Oh beautiful!

So when my husband asked me to try them on and I said no, he was perplexed. He asked me several times to which I would keep answering, “No, I can’t”. Finally, he asked me to try them on for him and I agreed but insisted that no matter how good they looked, I was not going to get them. I saw him scratching his head at my comment but I just went in to try the jeans on, as he requested and with no explanation of my remark.

I came out and he asked if I liked them. Well of course I did, they were glorious! But…I was not going to buy them. Finally he said, “Penny, what is the deal? What is wrong with you?” My delayed response was, ” I can’t get them because I am a pastor’s wife and people might judge me for being too “blingy”! That’s why! I don’t want any flack for it and if I wear these jeans I will get flack!”

Just then the store clerk said, “You are Troy and Penny Maxwell and you pastor Freedom House, right?” Aww man, he heard me, BUSTED! He heard me say that and I’m feeling quite vulnerable now! I didn’t know he was listening! He went on to say, “I send people to your church all the time because you guys are hip and you are just so real. Don’t stop being that because someone else might not like it. Not a week goes by where I don’t tell someone that they need to check out Freedom House and I tell them they won’t believe the pastors! Some people might give you some flack but most of us are like, finally, real pastors!”

What does a girl say after that? After being lovingly rebuked by a 20-something year old store clerk? I took a big gulp because I knew what he said was the truth. My husband chimed in with, “He’s right, when you stop being you so someone else can be happy with who they are, then we got a problem.” Ouch, that hurt too but in a loving way.

You see, when I think back to my childhood, I was the 5-year old girl running around the house with the hot pink boa and the high heel shoes. I was the girl at 10 that was doing makeovers on people and styling their hair. In high school every job I had was working with clothing, make up, and really anything fashion related. I was the college student majoring in fashion design and trying to get a job as a buyer. Anything and everything that was bright, cheery and fun is where my eye would go. It totally matches my personality. Give me hot pink over neutral tones any day of the week!

So, why do I try to dumb down who I am because I happen to be a pastor/pastor’s wife? It is beyond me! Whatever role you put me in, whether it is a fashion buyer or a pastor, who I am is going to come through. No, everyone may not like that. But God made me who he made me and I’d better be ok with it. But… I am not always and I am working on that. My husband let me know that I have given a few insignificant voices more power than I should. Actually, when he reminded me of who the voices were, I felt foolish because they were not voices that mattered in the first place.

So what am I saying? I realized I was letting someone else (and I hate to admit that) have power they should not have in my life. The thing that is the most bizarre is that the voices that rise up and say uncalled things that like, are usually from very insecure people who need everyone to be like them so they can feel good about themselves. I actually think it is cool God made us all different. How boring this world would be if all our personalities were the same, if we all dressed the same, if we all looked the same. In other words, I was letting someone else’s insecurity become my insecurity. I am glad that my husband and a 20-something store clerk did not let me get away with my erroneous thinking.

So did I get the jeans? NO! Honestly, I was so much like a deer in headlights after that encounter, I had to just process everything. I am still processing it all to be honest. It was a powerful moment for me.

So your conforming may not be because you left the sparkly jeans at the store but I think many of us change who we are, maybe even in small ways, to make other people more comfortable. I mean hey, if  what you are doing is sin, by all means change. But, if it is dumbing down who you are because they have issues, that is so not cool! Just ask my husband and the 20-something year old store clerk at the denim store! They will set you straight, too!

“Cause I Will Pray With You”

Last night Cabell and I went and sat by MiMi’s side. Cabell leaned over to her and said, “MiMi do you have sins you need to repent of before you go to see Jesus? Cause I will pray with you.” It was just precious and also taught me a great lesson as well.

My first thoughts, truthfully, were, “that was sweet” and “what sins could an 89-year old bed-ridden woman commit?” Then it came to me. A story from the bible that changed the way I thought of things. You see the paralyzed man who had to have his friends carry him to Jesus had been that way for a long time. He was committed to his mat. He was forever on his mat. His mat was where he spent his time. So why when Jesus healed him did Jesus say, “Rise, take up your mat, your sins are forgiven”? Because he could still sin.

Let’s face it. The man was not committing adultery. He was not stealing from his neighbor. He was not spreading gossip or lies about other people. He was not doing things that you and I would consider “big” sins. But why did Jesus say that? Because he had sins that needed to be forgiven. He had sins that were more covert instead of overt.

Maybe the man was bitter because he couldn’t walk. Maybe the man was angry and blamed God for his condition. Maybe the man resented other people who were well. You just never know but it is very evident that he had some inner sins he needed to be forgiven for. It might have been the same for MiMi and Cabell was just picking up on it.

One thing I know, this story makes me want to examine my own life and look for those sins that could be hiding out internally, that I might not have even realized was there. Things like indifference, anger, bitterness, jealousy, envy, resentment, prejudice, unforgiveness,  grudge holding and the like. They are not necessarily things that anyone else would see but they are sin nonetheless. Jesus felt that from the paralytic so much so that he told him that in front of everyone. He declared that his sins were forgiven.

If you were MiMi and Cabell leaned over your bed, what would you say? Search your heart and don’t allow those hidden things to go on any longer, they just might be what has been crippling you. Jesus is waiting there with his forgiveness and healing.

Rebuilding The Temple

I am really excited because we have several new Life Groups starting at Freedom House along with the many others we already offer! One that caught my eye in particular; I wanted to tell you about. It is a Life Group taught by two doctors in our church. It is a group all about getting healthy, getting fit, and changing habits! Below is a little blurb about this new group! Check out Freedom House Church for more info or to see some more of our Life Groups.

Transform your life, body, mind and spirit–1% a day for 40 days! Say goodbye to diet and exercise with short term results. This progressive program is designed to change habits and literally rebuild your body for the long term. The bible describes our body as a temple. Well… its time to rebuild it! Science shows us that habits change over approximately 40 days (6 weeks) and that good habits are as difficult to break as bad ones. While most people are looking for quick-fixes and instant change, this is a real, live nutrition, fitness, stress and time management program designed to enact permanent change just as God intended. This life group encourages steady, positive, effective, productive and more permanent change God’s way.

Duration: Six weeks beginning February 3, 2010
Meetings: Wednesdays at 7 PM
Location: Maximized Living Health Center, 9401 Statesville Road, Charlotte NC 28269 (Near Northlake Mall)
Phone: (704) 597-7490
Childcare: No
Other: A mandatory $25 guide is required (will be provided). Please wear workout clothing.

Agree to Disagree?

“Jesus loved everyone equally without agreeing with everyone equally. To only LIKE those you agree with is spiritual immaturity.”  Rick Warren

What do you think of this quote by Rick Warren? It invoked so much thought in me. Hope to hear some great feedback on what this means to you.

Nothing Like It!

Today in our staff meeting we kicked things off right; we kicked it off with prayer and worship. The presence of God filled the room and the moment was just beautiful. God’s presence seemed to descend like a fluffy blanket. The atmosphere was filled with love, after all God IS love! There is just nothing like it!

One of our pastors, Pastor Clint, shared something from his heart. It was great. He said that if you want walls to come tumbling down in your life you have to know how to worship. You may not understand how or when God is going to do something but you can rest assured that he will show up when His name is lifted high.

When the walls of Jericho came tumbling down it was not because of a conventional method. It was not because of a formula. It was because the people knew how to worship. When they worshiped the Lord every wall in their way fell to the ground. It was not a method they could have calculated or even dreamed up but what happened forever changed them.

You have walls in your life you want down? Get into the presence of the Lord and every obstacle that tries to block you from the plan God has for you will come tumbling down. Worship the Most High and see your God-given dreams come to pass.