When I moved to Las Vegas in 2007 I had never heard of Central Christian Church or its pastor Jud Wilhite. In fact, I had never been in a multi-site church let alone heard of one. Even though most of my previous five years was spent visiting churches across the country doing seminars and concerts a majority of those events were held in Baptist, Assembly of God, Evangelical Free and other denominational churches. When I started at Central I attended the Summerlin Campus was with my girlfriend (now wife) as she was volunteering in the kids  areas on Sundays.

To be honest I never really knew I was missing anything because to me Summerlin was my church. Although the idea of the Pastor on a video screen was new to me it was that much different from the previous few years and all the conferences and seminars I was in charge of. It wasn’t until a few months after starting at Central that I came to the Henderson Campus for a First Wednesday service that I even found out they had a bookstore or coffee shop. Eventually after about six months after starting at the Summerlin Campus the job opening in the bookstore became available.

Just over two and a half years ago I took over the Two42 Bookstore and it has been an amazing journey. I mentioned on Monday some of the things I have learned since running the store. During my time running the store I have had the privilege of partnering and learning under the leadership of Jud Wilhite our Senior Pastor at Central. Today I wanted to hit on four things I have learned from Jud over the years:

No one is outside the reach of grace. Most pastors have a core message that they pass on in every sermon and throughout their years of ministry. Pastor Jud is no different. Cut this guy open and he will bleed grace. Romans 5:20 says, “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.” Jud is the epitome of grace. He breathes this message day in and day out. There is no more greater consistency in his life than the idea that grace knows no limits and is available to anyone no matter what they have done or been through. No one is outside the reach of grace.

It’s okay to say no. Jud is a rockstar. With a church of over 20,000 attendees on a regular weekend and over 30,000 for special events it easy to become the focal point and the figure head for a large organization. Jud is well known and well liked throughout Las Vegas. However, rarely do you see Jud at all the church functions and events. Why? Jud lives a balanced and healthy life. Jud’s family is his first ministry and he prioritizes his life that way. I can’t recall what it was but one time when I first came on staff I was super bummed that Jud didn’t make time for something important to me, but later I came to find out that he spent that time with kids at home. As a first time dad, I resonate with Jud and desire to be a great husband and father. Jud is both. I am sure that there are plenty of times where he stumbles around as a dad and husband, but he lives a much healthier life than 80% of pastors I know because he sets healthy boundaries and manages his life well.

I am important. Jud is not my best friend, in fact there are some months when I might only see him once or say hi in passing. I don’t hang out with him and watch the Cowboys lose, nor have I visited the man cave. But when my life was at a tipping point and it was all about to come crashing down, Jud made time for me. He opened his doors and welcomed me in. He prayed with me, he counseled me, he listened to me when I needed him to. As a young man I have been burned by many of my mentors and male influencers, I never knew I was worth their time. Jud helped me in my greatest hour of need and I will never forget that nor will I ever take advantage of that.

Stick with what you know. In the four years that I have been attending Central there are about a half a dozen sermon series that have been repackaged 3 or 4 times. New branding, new graphics and new title doesn’t change what the core value of the message is. Jud sticks to what he knows: grace. No matter what subject we repackage or rebrand, whether finances, relationships, evangelism, or personal growth, it always come back to a core message: it’s okay to not be okay so long as you don’t stay that way.

Jud Wilhite is a great pastor and a great leader. I considerate a blessing and a privilege to sit under his leadership and serve alongside him. God’s grace grabbed him from an addiction many years ago and he has taken God’s story in his life and allowed God to use it to change hundreds and thousands of lives around the world. I am so thankful for the friendship I have with Jud and even more grateful for his leadership in my life. If you haven’t ever listened to Jud speak or read any of his books I high recommend that you pick some up soon.