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steve sjogren

An Old Penny and a Bag of Burritos

Orginally published on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 6:31 AM
by Todd Rhoades

In the book by Dave Ping and Anne Clippard titled “Quick to Listen Leaders” (from Group Publishing). In the first chapter, Dave and Anne share a great story about their friend Pastor Steve Sjogren… After coming to Cincinnati, Steve spent nearly a year meeting face-to-face with over 2,000 people and inviting them to the first service of the new church he and his wife were planting. On the first Sunday, only twenty-seven people showed up.

Imagine how dispiriting it was to see less than 1.5 percent of the thousands he'd invited respond. But after a few years, things had changed dramatically. Over 4,000 more worshippers now joined the twenty-seven souls who'd attended that first service -- and more than 50 percent of these folks were new Christians! By the early 1990s people were traveling from around the world to come see how Steve and Janie had done it.

Once a part-time school bus driver and unpaid pastor, Steve was now leading one of the fastest growing churches in America. He had gone from preaching in one sparsely attended service, where you could almost hear crickets chirping in the background, to directing seven packed and rocking worship celebrations each weekend. The number of ushers showing people to their seats far surpassed what would have been the total attendance just a few years ago. You'd think Steve would be pretty content with all of this, but in fact, on the Monday morning this story begins, he was ready to quit.

A gentle voice in the back of his head seemed to be whispering, "What are you doing here, Steve?" Steve wondered what this was about. His ministry seemed to be going extremely well. more people were coming to Christ and being baptized every week. His writing was receiving international recognition. He was getting speaking invitations from churches all over the world. Lately, however, he found himself dreaming of quitting the ministry and doing almost anything else -- even selling used cars was starting to look good.

As he often does when he needs to think, Steve got in his old truck and went for a long drive. Spilling out the troubled contents of his heart to God, Steve expressed how inadequate he felt with the overwhelming needs people were bringing to him as a leader. It wasn't just the couple struggling with their marriages, the ministry team leaders who couldn't seem to get along, or the angry folks blaming him personally for policy decisions that impacted their lives. It was the combined pressure of all the needs of all the broken people who seemed to think he should have all the answers.

"God," Steve prayer, "I don't know what to say to all of them! I've tried to cast the vision you've given me, but let's be honest, Lord -- the people you're sending me are annoying! They just don't listen! And I'm sick of trying to get through to them!"

As Steve calmed down a little from what was for him a farily typical rant, he felt a painful and sobering thought percolating up from somewhere deep in his psirit. With a sigh of self-accusation, he uttered the words that were brewing inside: "Maybe I just don't have a pastor's heart."

All this soul-searching was making Steve a little hungry, so he pulled into a Taco Bell drive-through to get something to eat. In the silence between shouting his order into the microphone and picking up his food, God spoke to Steve. It wasn't an audible voice; it was a nearly imperceptible mental whisper.

"Steve," it said. "Open your door. I have a present for you."

Feeling a little silly, Steve stopped the car and opened his door. Ground into the pavement below was a scarred and tarnished penny. "Gee...thanks..." was the sarcastic thought that went through his head as he dug the practially worthless coin from the soft asphalt. But then God's quiet voice spoke again.

"In the worlds eyes, the people I'm sending you are like this penny. They're flawed, imperfect, and forgotten. Even churches don't see much value in wasting time on them. In some eyes, they may look shabby and worthless, but to me, they are just like you, Steve. They're precious beyond measure!"

Tears streaming down his face, Steve drove home with a penny, a bag of burritos, and a whole new understanding of the incredible value God places on the broken, bothersome, infuriating people we all are.

"It's a funny thing," Steve remarked several weeks after this happened. "Since that Monday morning, as I've been tempted to get angry or blow people off with a few brief words, I'll look down on the ground and find another penny. I now keep a whole stack of them on my desk to remind me of God's generous heart and of the special calling he's placed on my life. I still don't have many answers, but I'm trying hard to pay attention to people and show them God's love by giving them plenty of time to talk. I'm not that good at it yet, but I'm working on becoming a pastor who listens."

Quite a few Monday mornings have come and gone since Steve first told Dave this story. On many of them, though weekend church attendance now approaches 7,000, Steve still loses patience with people and feels like quitting the ministry. But now whenever Steve says, "This is it. I'm really quitting this time!" his wife, Janie, smiles, gives him a hug, and says, "Bring me a bag of burritos on your way home."

Feel like giving up? Feel like quitting? What will it take today to remind you of the great calling God has on your life?

I encourage you to pick up a copy of this new book... I'm really enjoying it so far. Again, it's called "Quick to Listen Leaders".

Any comments?

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TRACKBACKS: (0) There are 38 Comments:

Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 10:26 AM

I am at that point of where Steve was,...asking a lot of questions about my place in ministry. It is frustrating! The vision seems so clear to me, but a murkey, dangerous thing to the church. I appreciate the little ways that God parts the curtain of His perspective and reminds us all over again that ministry is people! Big, small, committed, and timid, and very often dysfunctional, but that is who God called me to - people! I am encouraged!
Posted by Bernie Dehler

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 11:15 AM

Great story. It’s human nature to get irritated with others, and it’s the love of Christ that always straightens us out.

...Bernie
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/247
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 11:47 AM

What a wonderful blessing this story was! So many times we get so caught up in the frustrations of this world that we lose sight of God’s miraculous love! Isn’t it great how he chooses the simple things to remind us?!
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 11:47 AM

Wow! That story brought me to tears. I have felt so discouraged over the past few weeks - maybe months - that I have asked the same questions that Steve found himself asking, which in it’s self has been quite painful. Thank you for sharing this story with us. It has reminded me of the true nature of my assignment and calling.

Chris
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 11:51 AM

As a church staff member, my responsibilities tend to a particular group of humans, mostly children. I especially love the part about value and the penny collection, as I devote much of my encouragement to staffers and remind them of just such a notion. But at the end of the day, I struggle with the assurance that the seeds are being planted well and the ground is being watered...because the growth is sooooooo slow. Thanks for the reminder that our God has perfect provision at the perfect time.
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 12:06 PM

Wat a wonderful story! If all of us were honest we would echo the same thing as Steve. This is so timely as only God can work because I have been having the same attitude here lately. I have been encouraged this morning to keep on serving and leave the results to God, even though the results are slow.
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 12:34 PM

Amazing and soul inspiring story it is. I minister in a rural part of Nigeria, although people are being blessed daily but like Steve, sometimes I feel that my level in all ramifications is more than the status of people in this community. This wonderful piece has blessed my soul and I shall continue to see anyone under my ministry as being precious in God’s sight and should be given serious, undivided and unbridled attention at all times.

Thanks, Pastor Steve, God bless you.
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 1:29 PM

Once again this passes as the shallow theology our pastors and churches have bought into. Steve (and all of us called into ministry) have to get beyond the the smarmy stories of how God speaks to us through pennies and burritos and instead spend more time in the scriptures and worship to fully understand the cost of discipleship and the call to ministry. Luther saw the injustices of his day and turned to Scripture. Wesley saw the carnality of the church in his day and turned to the scriptures. I’m glad God got through to Steve through the penny and burritos, but I hope our understanding of God’s ways will be deeper than that. This can only happen through a commitment to prayer and the word of God.
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 3:20 PM

I’m responding to a post by pjle from January 10, 2005 01:29 PM

hey pjle,

lighten up! : )
Steve’s story was full of good theology.
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 3:48 PM

A question that’s been on my mind - what does it mean to have a pastor’s heart? I guess more specifically - can someone be a teacher of God’s Word in a church setting and not necessarily have a pastor’s heart? Would love to hear from those who are lead teachers maybe working with an exec. pastor. I’ve done the Sr. Pastor thing and teaching the Word was awesome. It was the 101 other responsibilities that did me in. Had me really questioning if ministry was for me. Any thoughts? Thanks! - Bert.
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 4:13 PM

I agree with Darren that pjle needs to lighten up a little or else read the Gospels where Jesus used items from everyday life to teach theology. He used things like a bush, a well, and even coins. Steve is where all of us have been or will be one day. I appreciate his honesty.
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 4:29 PM

I liked Steve’s story. Scripture needs to be the foundation of our life and experience, but God also has all of creation (and a few things we’ve congered up) to get His (Scriptural) point across.

I think God still communicates to us. Having ears to hear and hearts to receive and a will to DO something about what we hear is what’s most important. I think that’s what I struggle with most.
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 4:39 PM

No one can truly be a Pastor to 7,000 people no matter how many burritos he buys, but he can Pastor those in his presence at any given time. Then, as Jethro taught Moses, he must delegate. He can be a leader of 7,000 people if he finds good leaders to stand with him to implement the vision God has given. Break it up into 100’s, 50’s and 10’s and delegate leadership to MATURE members and see if God doesn’t do amazing things.
To Bert: A Pastor is one who MUST preach and teach God’s Word...which sounds like you. You must look at being a Senior Pastor as two jobs; preaching and teaching is one, the other is managing the business side of it. Bible schools and seminarys do a great job teaching young men how to preach the word and a horrible job teaching them how to lead people and run a church.
Fortunately that is a learned skill. The successful pastor will supplement his education with some on-line or local college courses in small business management or Organizational Management...you will find that knowledge a goldmine as you deal with the day to day organizational side of ministry. John Maxwell has good teachings on leadership as well at Injoy.org. Be strong and of good courage brother…
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 4:47 PM

I too am responding to pjle’s post.

“Smarmy?” That’s a rather harsh judgment.

I’m sure we all know that life in real-world ministry is not neat and clean, like a well-ordered theology. Not all the psalms read like 104, where the world seems right-side up and God is obviously on his throne. Some of the psalms read more like 88, where the world seems upside down and God seems to have gone on vacation. Such psalms are troubling to read when we feel on top of the world. We can skip over them; we can practically deny that the lament psalms exist in the Scriptures. But when we feel the crunch of crisis in our lives and ministries, those psalms begin making a lot more sense, and that’s when I, for one, am glad the psalter includes those psalms of “disorientation"—even if some might dismiss them as being of “shallow theology.”

What I’m seeking to demonstrate is that life/ministry is not always pretty & clean, and even though a well-ordered theology can give order and structure to our perceptions of reality, on this side of eternity it cannot and will not adequately address all the circumstances of life--especially when in personal crisis our “world” seems turned upside down. A commitment to prayer and the Word of God is of course commendable--and it must be our normal way of life, but I would challenge the assertion that these means must be the exclusive path to communion with God. God speaks through a variety of means and media.

And that’s a good thing! When we go through times of crisis, our highly-pressured perceptions can constrict our customary channels of communion with God. So, there are times (demonstrated throughout Scripture) when God stoops to speak to us in ways that fall far below (or pass far beyond) the norms of clean, theological protocol/etiquette. How ‘bout through a donkey? How ‘bout through a baby in a manger?

When I read, then, that God spoke to my brother through a penny, and that he has continued speaking through additional pennies, I am encouraged. I am inspired to imagine an ‘ebenezer’ being slowly erected on his desk as a witness to the grace of God. And I can celebrate--along with Luther and Wesley, who both knew the ups and downs of life and ministry, and who both heard the voice of God through more than just formal prayer and the reading of Scripture--that God still speaks ... even if through pennies.
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 4:50 PM

Thank you for sharing that story. I really need to read this story. I am at that point to in ministry too. God knows when we need encouragement in our lives and in the ministry.
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 5:46 PM

Sounds to me like there are a lot of hurt people out there who need to keep something in mind - just like I have to also, we are not just everyday people doing an every day job thing. We have been called by the Lord God of all Creation to be the undershepherd of His Glorious Bride - the Church. God knows how frustrating it can be, just look at the OT and the Hebrew people. He knows we get discouraged, His own Son called the disciples “Oh yea of little faith...” I’m no expert but I know what I do is special and God called me to it. He called a worthless sin filled bum to be His child and His servant. I just hope in my human weakness I don’t screw it up. This is a great forum to let our feelings out. Keep it up and remember -God loves us.
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 5:57 PM

Some of your posts are pretty much what I expected. Any call to a deeper understanding of God’s word is often met with simplistic stories that have very little theological depth. I have heard it said that “American theological understanding is so deep you can walk through it and not get your ankles wet!” If you noticed in my post, I gave Pastor Steve the benefit of the doubt that God indeed spoke to him and he heard Him. What I object too is the “Christianity light” that is hobbling our witness as unbelievers and skeptics laugh us off as people who are shallow thinkers. To compare Steve’s story to the inspired word of God in the gospels (Larry’s post) only further strengthens my point. I’d say more, but I just found a nickel and am expecting God to speak to me 5 times. Although I must admit, from time to time I have gone to bed after a buster burrito and have had the book of Revelation interpreted by my dreams. Lighten up? No way! Not as long as this drivel passes for any kind or attempt at Biblical teaching.
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 6:11 PM

Pastoring a large church is not for everyone and not everyone will be in a mega church. It is always easy to “think” what a successful big-time pastor can do and how easy it is to get back into the limelight but don’t forget the pastors who feel the same way and are in small churches of only a hundred or less.
The calling to ministry doesn’t insure or mean megachurches...or all that goes with them, both the good and the bad.
If you’re serving the Lord, keep you eyes on Him and your heart open to His word. In the world we can hear the cries for help and in the spiritual word of God’s Word we find the answers.
Posted by Al

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 6:14 PM

Wow, What a moving story! I am always amazed to see how gently our Lord is with us!

Thank you Lord for the “Still small voice.”

Pastor Al
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 7:21 PM

I have met and worked along side of Steve in the past, and he is the real deal. What he doesn’t mention is the near-death illness, servant heart, open and loving spirit, and many other attributes that have formed him into a leader after God’s heart. If his simple parable offends, perhaps the beam is still in the eye…
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 7:52 PM

I wish I had the problem. I haven’t been able to land a pastor position.

But just as I now wrote that, I remembered that Steve had not been hired. He was working and starting this church by talking with people. God grew it and that’s why Steve has his problems. You know, we could really have a great ministry if it weren’t for the people.
Posted by Don McNeeley

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 8:44 PM

Just yesterday I told my wife that I needed to stop puirsuing what I thought that God had been telling me concerning a ministry. Now I know that even though it will get frustrating, I just need to look at a penny. Thanks for the encouragement!
Posted by

Monday, January 10, 2005 at 10:02 PM

I enjoyed the story and have a request to make. I work in an area called Rose Creek in Pacific Beach in San Diego among the homeless. I have been working it over five years. I do not have a salary or take collections. My wife and I took the homeless people in our house before we sold the house to pay our debts. My wife is a successful school teacher and she has been carrying the burden of our expenses for the last year and is tired. I am now working in commercial real estate as a sales agent. I have found in working with the homeless that the best place to send them is their home if they have one (prodigal son). We have helped about 15 to go home and have not lost a one. My brother has helped with most of the Grey Hound tickets thus far, but this last week four men came forward to have a ticket home:

1. Samuel Marsh - homeless man San Diego

Sharon Russell - Mom
931-796-6950
Columbia, Tennesse
Grey Hound Cost $162

2. Timothy Pits - homeless man San Diego

Susan Harrington (or Broject) - Mom
414-481-9619
Milwalke, Wis
Grey Hound Cost $ 172

3. Mark Slay - homeless man San Diego

Lila Slay - Mom
248-486-4435
Michigan

Tanya Montarro - Daughter
954-443-7008 Work
954-914-2588 Cell

4. Ramon Lucero - homeless man San Diego

Miguel Lucero - Brother
Tesuque, New Mexico

I have contacted Samuel and Timothy’s mothers and their sons are welcome but they can not afford the ticket.

I contacted Mark’s daughter and she said that her father was welcome and she could not afford the ticket at the moment. Today Mark’s mother called and left a message (Mark did not give me her phone number) and said that Mark should not go to his daughters and that Mark was welcome home in Michigan with her. She has cancer and is in remission.

Today Ramon came to me and asked for help getting to his twin brothers home but he did not have the number and I have not been home to make directory assistance calls to try to find it.

If anyone would like to invest some pennies to help these men please give me a call.

My contact information:

Harry Miller
The Preacher
Home: 858-642-7548
Voice Mail: 619-275-5728

Thanks,

Harry
Posted by

Tuesday, January 11, 2005 at 12:52 AM

Good evening, I too find myself compelled to respond to pjle’s posts.

I understand your concern, pjle. I also hear your anger and frustration.

Of course Biblical theology is our standard...there can be no other if we’re to call ourselve’s Christian.

My concern though, is not whether or not Steve’s theology is adequate, or even correct. I’m deeply concerned for your attitude. I hear a lot of condemnation and legalism in your notes. Is this how one would convey Christ-like love?

I have been on the receiving end of just the sort of thing you’re saying. For example, one time I was guilty of preaching such heresy as the possibility that Joseph was probably a young man of 18 or so when Jesus was born. Go figure!

Another time I was condemned because I had the utter audacity to come to a Sunday evening service in the summer, in, gasp, walking shorts! Didn’t I know that men are -only- to wear long trousers and long sleeves at all times!

I’m sure there are many readers who could recite a long long long litany of similar experiences; all in the name of theological purity.

If God chooses to speak in a manner that is different from what we’re accustomed to, does that somehow negate that word? If what we think God is saying does not contradict Scripture, can we say it isn’t likely to be God? I’m not sure what the answer to this is!

Don R.
Posted by bernie dehler

Tuesday, January 11, 2005 at 6:23 AM

PJLE does have a point. Sometimes we get tired of hearing the same old Scripture and resort to new things, even experiences. But it’s true that God also teaches us through insight and experiences, such as being parents ourselves teaches us about the love of Father God for us.

So, what would be a good Scripture reference for a person who is tired of irritating people? It’s a good thing to think about…

I’m sure there are many. Here’s one, for example:

1 John 4:19-20
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

First, he loved us, when we were unloveable. He’s our role-model. We are to be like Christ, through the power of the Spirit (not by the flesh, in which we are exasperated). Secondly, we are taught that if we can’t love others, then we can’t love God, as we don’t even know God (this verse, and also:)

1 John 4:7-8
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

...Bernie
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/247

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