Beyond Redemption

A few weeks ago I preached a message on how the church should treat gay people.  I called it Out of the Closet and Into the Church. (http://sc.fhview.com/sc_customplayer/seriesitems/1/118751) The goal of this message was for the church to examine our attitudes towards this particular people group.  After the message an elderly woman approached me.  She was wearing oxygen and walking with a walker.  I must admit I thought, “Here we go.”  I expected her to rebuke me for not condemning homosexuality during the sermon.  Much to my surprise she asked a simple question…

“What about murderers?” she inquired.

There was an unexpected brightness in her eyes, a curiosity and vigor for life one wouldn’t expect given her frail frame.

“Excuse me?” I muttered.  Really it wasn’t that I didn’t hear her, I just needed a moment to collect my thoughts.  I was prepared for an onslaught of fire and brimstone senior saints, not an inquisitive truth seeker.

After all, I had just preached the most controversial sermon of my career.  I opened with “If you came here expecting me to condemn homosexuality today, you will be disappointed.” I chastised the church asking why we celebrated a straight couple who was sexually active, even living together, coming to church. We allowed them time for God to work on them without judgment but let a gay couple walk in holding hands…whoooo.  They weren’t welcome.  I did my best Jesus imitation calling us hypocrites.  The church just nodded.  I the weeks to follow, not one letter or disagreement.  I’m so proud of our local church and their Christ-like love.

Anyways, here I was after that sermon, expecting a fight, instead facing a sweet senior saint who still wanted to grow and learn in her last years on this earth.  Humbling.

“Excuse me?” I muttered.  ”Murderers.” She repeated more forcefully. “They are much harder to love and accept than homosexuals. What about murderers? Can they be forgiven and go to heaven?”

I explained that the Apostle Paul helped to kill early Christians before his conversion and that god didn’t just forgive Paul but wrote 2/3 of the New Testament through his hands.  I excitedly told her that Michael Franzese was coming to answer that very question.  To tell her how a Mafia Boss, a murderer, can be forgiven…and that no one is beyond redemption.

Three weeks later, my eyes lighted upon a pair of bright, excited eyes in a back section of a packed sanctuary. She was back to hear the former Mob Boss’ story of redemption. She smiled at me as she pointed to a row full of her family.  Full of confidence in God’s love for all sinners, she had brought her family to hear that there is no one beyond redemption.

The First Tool for Life

I’m reading a book called The Ultimate Checklist for Life and it causes me to ask a question.  Are you prepared for life’s unexpected turns?

Life is a journey of twists and turns that take you around blind curves not knowing what’s around the bend. There are perils and pleasures, advances and set backs, obstacles and opportunities (sometimes the obstacles are the opportunities!) Fear if the unknown or fear of failure could paralyze a traveler on this journey called life.  How can we minimize anxiety and maximize success?

As any seasoned adventurer will tell you, it’s best to adopt the Boy Scout motto and “Be Prepared.”  To be prepared one must know the right tools to take.  Campers take things like tents, compasses, matches, water, bug spray, first aid kits, even things like emergency flares or a gun for protection. What are the right tools to take along the journey with you?  How can we be prepared?

The most important tool is the word of God, the Holy Bible.

I know it sound cliche but it’s true.  And I know, it is God’s love letter to humanity, and it is the story of God’s relationship to us, but it is also a guide book.  It is the instruction manual written by the creator of life on how this whole thing operates!

Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so I may live. – Psalm 119:144

His word helps us to understand this life He’s given us so that we may live.  Scripture talks about almost any topic you need, relationships, work, money, sickness, heartache, forgiveness, education, family, love, lust, even interest rates and cosigning a loan! (Bet you didn’t know that was in there!)

To be prepared for life, start with God’s instructions for how to live.

Life is God’s novel. Let Him write it. – Isaac Bashevis Singer

Next Week: Tool #2

Jesus’ Prayer Model

In response to the inquiries of His disciples Jesus teaches them how to pray.  He offers up a prayer model when He says to them, “Pray like this…”

Matthew 6:9-13 (nlt)

Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us today the food we need for today, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.

For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

This isn’t meant to be a prayer to be memorized and mindlessly repeated.  In fact, right before these verses Jesus tells us not to repeat the same prayer over and over like the heathen, who think they will be heard because of their much talking.  It’s a model.

The prayer is broken down into a sequential order that will help Christ’s followers pray more effectively.  6 requests to God the Father are featured.

First 3 requests are about God:

1. May your name be holy,
2. May your kingdom come,
3. May your will be done

This structure addresses all parts of the Trinity; Father, Son & Holy Spirit.  God the Father, whose name is holy; Jesus, who brought God’s Kingdom to earth; and The Holy Spirit, who leads us into God’s will today.

Next 3 requests are about Us:

1. Give us our daily food,
2. Forgive our sins,
3. Keep us from temptation, which rescues us from the evil one.

Again the Trinity is addressed in these petitions for God’s help. The Father supplies our needs, Jesus paid the price for our sins to be forgiven, and the Holy Spirit leads us away from temptation and into righteousness.  The point?When we pray we should involve all three parts of God.

Another huge lesson here is to begin with God and then move to our needs. The first three requests are great.  They are about God: His holiness, His Kingdom, and His will…huge, monumental topics.  The second set of requests is small, ordinary, and everyday.  They’re about us, normal, everyday people.  We NEED food, we NEED forgiveness (and to give forgiveness) and we NEED God’s help with temptation and the devil everyday.  “Lord help me not to fall into that old sin habit again today.“

There is such a huge truth hidden in these four little verses.  We must first rehearse the immensity of God’s nature but then remember He cares for my little needs because of who He is.  Pray that His name would be hallowed or revered in my life, that His Kingdom would dominate me, and that His will would be performed.  If that happens, the three requests for my needs are easy.

Another truth revealed in the passage, is that we should begin praying about the eternal, the Kingdom stuff, and then turn our attention to our needs. Oh, let’s not be falsely religious, we’re not beggars, we’re His children, we need to pray for our needs. Jesus used the word Father so we wouldn’t be afraid to go to Him who loves us.  My point is, let’s put God’s Kingdom first in our prayers, then our needs.  Let’s focus on the eternal more, the temporary less.

In heaven with a holy name gives us the balanced view. Yes, He’s your daddy but please don’t forget He is also the Almighty One.  The angels around the throne of God in heaven don’t cry love, love, love. They cry “holy, holy, holy!”  That is His dominant characteristic.  It is our job to make sure we reverence His name.  His name, refers to who He is, His character, His personhood. Before anything else we pray, we need to declare His holiness in us and in the world.  The beginning of the book Ephesians echos this process.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…v3

God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. v5

All the praise should go to The Father because He cared enough for us to save us.  After we’ve hallowed His name (separated it as unique, lifted it above all others), prayed for His Kingdom and His will to come, then we can run to Him with our problems!

At some point, your whole life shrinks down to your problem.  Financial pressure, “God I need bread!”…”Lord I messed up my life with sin!”…”Or God I’m overwhelmed with this struggle.”  We try to focus on God but the sickness, death, relationship problem, abuse, sin or other worry pulls our attention back to what’s right in front of us.  It’s not wrong to cast your cares to God, He tells us to but there is an additional prayer strategy here.

Draw your attention first, to the first three requests of the Lord’s Model Prayer.  Lift your prayer up to heaven, to the glory of God, to the greatness of who He is.  When we forget to start there, that’s when we lose our ability to stand in the face of our issue.

There is more strength, more forgiveness, and more provision in praying for God’s name would be made holy, that His Kingdom would come and that His will would be accomplished than any request for a specific situation we could pray.  We need to do both, but let’s keep the order correct for the power to be released.

Before closing, I would like to change focus for a moment. It sticks out like a single tree in a vast, open field. Forgiveness is the only request that is listed conditionally.  If we don’t forgive sins against us our sins won’t be forgiven.  Later Jesus would explain that His shed blood purchases forgiveness for all.  If we say we don’t want this person forgiven we say don’t apply the blood!  If the blood isn’t applied to one, it’s not applied to any.  Remember as you pray for forgiveness that you choose to forgive those that have hurt you.  If we don’t, then we are putting ourselves on God’s throne and saying we want to be the their judge and that He never tolerates.

It is my prayer that this blog helped you to organize your prayer time and pray more effectively by following the pattern Jesus gave us.  God Bless

30 Days to Live e-Devotional – Day 20: A Risk-Taking Church

We heard a challenging word from Pastor Matthew Barnett this morning.  He spoke one becoming a Risk-Taking Church.  I found that amusing since I had written on taking risks that morning.  Today’s blog is based off the notes I took during that sermon.

Churches start out as Risk-Taking Churches.  The word to describe them would be DARING.  We’ve heard the stories. They left the comfort of jobs, friends, and families to run after a dream God gave them.  The focus is vision or calling.

Matthew Barnett did that.  He left one of the largest churches in America that his father led in Arizona to start the Dreamcenter in downtown Los Angeles. He was 20 years old and had 7 people with them.  Then when they were still small but growing, they purchased a 4 million dollar hospital when their weekly income was $1,500.
Everyone told him it was foolish.

There will always be well-intentioned people telling you why you can’t do what God has told you to do during the daring phase.

Then the church gets buildings, salaries…there is more to lose.  This the Care-Taking Church.  The word that best describes this is the word DUTY.   This church focuses on maintaining property and programs.  They care most about meting the needs of its members. The problem is if you’re not going forward in God you are in fact backsliding.  You can’t maintain.

The Care-Taking Church becomes the Under-Taking Church.  It becomes a dying memorial to what God had done.  They talk more about what God did in the past than what He has called us to do in the future. They study history and work to amass the knowledge of scripture. The word that best describes this is the word DEAD.

Here’s what will blow your mind.  The Under-Taking Church isn’t always a dead church meaning; no miracles, no presence of God.  Under-Taking is a death of vision a death of the Great Commission.  Sometimes this church focuses on the ‘next experience’ with God but the gift is emphasized over the giver.  It’s not about what God wants us to do when we leave His presence but simply the next experience I can have personally.

Reading Hebrews chapter 11 we see the ‘Heroes of Faith’, God’s Hall of Fame.  They were all Risk-Takers!  Noah had no support when he responded to God’s word.  Noone believed He had heard God.

You can’t walk by faith and walk safe.

“How to” becomes the question of safe walkers, trying to manage miracles.  You can’t manage miracles.  You leap into the unknown and pray God catches you.

Jesus risked the salvation of all mankind on 12 fearful, dysfunctional, difficult underachievers and one of them was a traitor!  That’s taking a risk.  What if they didn’t do what they were called to do?

Our problem is that we want security more than glory.  You can never be great without taking a risk.

In closing let me say this, failing to take a risk is a sin.  If we care more about our image than advancing the Kingdom of God, it’s a sin.  God’s plan for you is bigger than your potential!  God’s vision for our church is greater than we can even comprehend.  We certainly can’t make it happen without Him.  Give God the chance to do great things through you.

Don’t be afraid to go where God has already gone.

Prayer

Dear Jesus help me to be a risk-taker not an excuse-maker.  Help me to fear missing your destiny more than what others will think if I fail.  I choose to take a leap of faith rather than playing it safe.

Thoughts

• Is our church playing it safe or taking a risk?
• How can I support my friends in their Risk-Taking adventures?

Action

• Take a risk by praying for a stranger who need a miracle.
• Start a ministry for God that needs His supernatural touch to succeed.

30 Days to Live e-Devotional – Day 12: Don’t Fear the Reaper

280,000 people die worldwide every day.  We’re all going to die.  Then why is it such a fearfully thing?  Why do we picture Death as a ‘Grim Reaper’ harvesting us with a sickle?  I believe it’s fear of where death is bringing us.

I have been at the death beds of people who were unsure of where they were going and they were terrified.  Yet, I have been at the side of followers of Christ who as they breathed their last breath welcomed death as one welcomes an old friend.  What’s the difference between the two?  Their outlook on death.

As we began the second week of this thirty-day journey called 30 Days to Live, Live Like Your Dying, someone asked me why I would pick such a depressing subject for a teaching series.  My reply to all of you who may be wondering that is this…it’s only a depressing sbject if we fear death.  If we understand that we all die and that life itself is ony a blink of an eye compared to eternity, then isn’t depressing but a part of a Christian life.  Discussing “living like we’re dying” becomes a much need challenge.

Jesus told us not to be troubled when we think about dying.

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. – John 14:1-3

As we face forever we can be sure that we going to our Father’s house.  That death is a doorway to blessing for those that have God as their father.  Fear comes when we’re not sure of our salvation, when we trust in our own good works to achieve heaven.  How many good deeds does it take to make someone good enough for heaven?

God’s promise of entering His rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. For ONLY we who believe can enter His rest. – Hebrews 4:1-3

If we are to fear the this reaper called death that comes to harvest the human bodies and release the immortal souls to eternity, we should fear for those that don’t beling to Christ.

Some fear not dying itself but what death will be taking from them. I will never see my loved ones again.  I will lose all that I’ve gained in this life.  We must understand that death is NOT the end of everything but a door to another time and place.  If we believe God’s promises we may spend eternity enjoying God’s blessings with our loved ones. (As long as they are part of Christ’s family also.)

How can we be sure Jesus will keep His promise?  How can we know He wasn’t just crazy?  The answer lies in a dusty tomb carved in a hillside made of rock.  If the tomb is empty then His promise is not.  If He rose from the dead, then we will too!  We will rise into a resting place He has created just for us, a room in a mansion beyond imagination…a room in our loving father’s house.

Prayer

Dear Jesus, help me to not fear death.  Give me a proper understanding of death as a doorway to eternity.  Give me assurance of my salvation and of your forgiveness that I may never fear the sting of death.  Lead me to share the way of salvation with those I care about who don’t know you, that we may spend eternity together. Amen.

Thoughts for Today

• Do you fear death? If so why?  Aren’t you sure of heaven?
• What would you say to someone if you knew you had 30 days to live?

Action List

• Give the fear of death to the Lord today.
• If you’re NOT sure that you would go to heaven, ask Jesus to forgive you and save you right now.  Give Him your life and surrender control to Him as your Lord.
• if you ARE sure that you would go to heaven, share the hope of heaven with someone today.  They may not go to heaven if you don’t tell them how.

Bonus

Seasons don’t fear the Reaper,
nor do the wind and the summer rain.
We can be like they are.
Come on baby don’t fear the Reaper.

lyrics by Blue Oyster Cult
(not a band i would recommend) (;>)

30 Days to Live e-Devotional – Day 8: It’s a Good Day to Die

Some of my favorite fictional characters are the Klingons from Star Trek.  Not the evil, villains from the original series but the allies of the later shows.  The warrior mentality, the loyalty, the toughness, come on guys grunt with me in approval, rah, rah rah!

Ok, all you non-Trekkies please forgive me. I’m being a little silly but one thing I really love about the Klingons is this.  Before they went into battle and especially if they were facing a hopeless situation, they would laugh and say, “It’s a good day to die!”  Then they would charge at the opposition with abandonment that can only come to a person who doesn’t fear death. It’s a good day to die today.  A good day to die to sin, to die to selfishness, to die to this temporary world.

Consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. – Romans 6:11

Maybe you are a believer and you’re really thinking about totally surrendering everything to the Lord, really living all out for Him, really risking it all for Him. Getting really involved in the church. Getting really involved in the work of God.

You think I really need to do that but then you think, “It’s not a good time for me now. I’m so busy.” Or “I feel overwhelmed right now.” Maybe when things settle down a little bit. When school is done or the kids are older or the job’s not so crazy…God’s favorite word is today. Satan’s favorite phrase is some day.  It’s a good day to die to die to excuses.

Some day I’ll deal with this problem then I’ll really be happy. Some day when work is not so busy I’ll spend more time with the kids. Some day when I get that promotion and I’m making more money then we’ll really enjoy life.  Someday when things are better I’ll serve at church.  It’s a good day to die.  Die to someday.

In the words of the band Switchfoot, “This is your life. Are you who you want to be?” We’re constantly waiting to live. We think some day then I’ll really live. Today is all you’re got.  Do you want to get to heaven and hear the Lord say, “I had so much more for you than what you lived.”?

Don’t get depressed now, you’re still breathing. You still have a chance.  Stop waiting to live and start living, living the life that God made to live!

Look at a passage that Jesus talked about in Luke 7:31.

He says, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ ”

Jesus is saying I wanted you to enjoy life, but you didn’t dance. You were always waiting to live. When painful situation or problems came your way you didn’t experience life; you tried to avoid all risk at all costs. You didn’t live. I put you on this earth and gave you the most sacred gift of all; the gift of life and you didn’t use it.

Today maybe the last day of your life, use it wisely.

Prayer

Dear Jesus, help me to die to selfishness.  Help me to crucify the fleshly desires and put your kingdom first.  I choose today to stop making excuses and to start doing the things you want me to.  I pray you would fill me with your Spirit’s power to follow through on these decisions.  Let you will be accomplished in my life today.  In your name I pray.

Thoughts for Today

• What is one thing I know God has been asking me to do that I’ve been procrastinating on?
• What is one natural thing I need to do to improve my life?  Why am I waiting?

Action List

• Stop making excuses and do one thing God has been asking you!
• Make a list of something big you’ve wanted to do but have put off.  Then break it down in to small actions.  DO the first action.

Example:  GOAL: Go back to school.
Actions: Decide where to go, Fill out application, Apply for Financial Aid, Buy books, Schedule Classes, AHHHHHH! It’s too much.  BREAK the actions down to small tasks.

Action 1 – Pick a school.
Task 1 – Look at schools on-line to decide what school to go to.

You can spend 30 minutes reading some school websites today.  Now you’ve made a step forward.  Already know the school, then task 1 is download an application.  You see, take an easily accomplished baby step.  Do that a couple days a week and in two months you’ll be surprised how far you’ve gotten in the process.

What are you waiting for? Stop reading this and go do it!

House of Praise webTV

Well it’s finally here.  The House of Praise will begin broadcasting our service LIVE tomorrow at 10:00am.  (Feb. 14, 2010) Why are we doing this?  So we can feel important?  No.

We use any means we can to get the teachings of Jesus Christ to people.  We use creative means to portray illustrated sermons, everything from cars on stage to the pastor dressing up like Mr. Rogers and singing the theme song.  We hand out notes each service to allow people to review the teaching later at home or share it with a friend.  We record the sermons and make them available on CD or in a podcast.  Now we’re actually broadcasting the service free on the web. (www.houseofpraise.cc)  Web broadcast is just a natural step in sharing God’s word anyway we can.

While there is something special about the dynamic that happens when we gather together (Hebrews 10:24-25), it is our hope that when someone is home sick, or snowed in they will still be able to participate in worship and hear the teaching on the webcast.  One of the great things about this is we can all tell our friends that might be a little apprehensive about coming to church, “Check the service out on-line before you come in person.  Then you’ll know what to expect.” Wow ain’t technology grand? lol

Oh, by the way, if you miss the live broadcast or 10am is just too early.  The last 10 services will be archived, watch them when you have time.

It is our prayer that many people who aren’t ready to attend a church or who simply miss a service for whatever reason will be blessed by this new resource.

The Call from Heaven

The words of the familiar, old Christmas Carole ring out to us.

O Come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him, born the King of Angels

There is a call from heaven to behold the King. In Luke chapter to we see the story that inspired this song.  The shepherds working in the field had their lives interrupted by and unusual sight, an angel!

I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.

The Messiah’s been born.  He’s right in Bethlehem!  Go see Him!  In verse 15 we see the first response:

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Let’s go to the house where the Lord dwells and see what the Lord has done and what He has told us about.

Our response is the same today.

1. Go to Church.

First, we must go and see what the Lord has done and said in His house.  Christmas is the best time to go to church.  If you’re a believer, get there!  Go somewhere.  Next the shepherds had a reaction after seeing the Savior in verses 16-18.

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing Him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished.

2. Tell Everyone What You Have Seen and Heard.

After seeing Him, they went and told everyone what had happened and what was said.  If we have seen the Lord, we must do the same. Look at verse 20.

The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

3. Return to Where You Came From.

The shepherds went back to their fields and their flocks.  They went back to work, school, family and friends.  Your “field” is where God has planted you for your everyday life.  After you’ve met Jesus, go back to your field and introduce other to Him.

Don’t come to church alone this Christmas.  Bring a friend, classmate, relative, neighbor or coworker.

Mom’s Passing

Thank you all for you kind thoughts and prayers regarding the passing of my mother.  As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, we grieve but not as those without hope.  We mourn the loss of her presence in this life but know in a short while we shall be reunited with her in our Savior’s presence.

Facing Forever

We brought my mother home from the hospital, home to face forever.  The doctors say that she will leave this earth soon, leave it forever.  Nothing more they can do they say.  I know my God is a healer but somehow I know that’s not part of His plan here.  As we mournfully, painfully, watch her breathing slow we begrudgingly acknowledge that she will soon be facing forever.  Was she ready?

I prayed a week ago, “Lord either heal her or wake her to give me a chance to talk with her about forever.”  I know my mom had asked Jesus to be her Lord and Savior, to forgive her sins.  she had attended church for almost two years with me while she was well enough and we would pray, talk scripture and take communion together at home when she could no longer go to church.  I had only one concern really, unforgiveness.  Had she forgiven all sins against her?

The Lord gave me my petition and she awoke, clear minded and able to talk for over a day.  She spoke that she had forgiven all who had hurt her.  Then I had the honor of leading her to pray asking God to forgive her sins again.

Mom told me she love me and that she was ready to face forever, knowing she would spend it with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Now I’m ready too.

Today Matters in Eternity

Paul told us to forget the past.  (Philippians 3:14)  Forget all the good things we did and all the sin and failure.  Why? because if we keep looking back we will waste today.

Jesus also told us not to worry about tomorrow…

So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. – Matthew 6:34

Basically, you can’t change tomorrow’s troubles by worrying about them so don’t waste today doing so.

You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
-  James 4:14

Life is short.  We need to live in the moment, carpe diem.  Not the way people live without God in mind, grabbing as much hedonistic pleasure as we can or building our own legacy so we feel significant.  No.  Grab today because God only made one.

The value of something is often determined by how rare it is.  I have a Vecchio statue that is a small version (28″ long) of the famous life size statue called “Equestrian” that is a tourist attraction in Venice Italy.  I won’t bore you with the details of how I came to own it but let’s think of why it’s valuable.  Yes, it is a beautiful piece of art but in general small statues (even those made by famous dead artists) aren’t worth the thousands of dollars that larger statues are, but this one is.  Why?  It’s rare.

Only six were believed to have been made and it was made by a method called the “Lost Bronze-Wax Method” which is an ancient art-form used to make bronze statues during that era. (Some artist resurrect that art form today.) A rare antiquity, made by a master craftsman, in a rare way.

What makes that statue valuable also makes today valuable.  Today is a beautiful masterpiece created by the universe’s greatest artist and He only made one.

Here’s the part most people miss.  God made today to count for eternity.  Great artists make creations that people want to enjoy thousands of years later.  God wants us to enjoy the fruit of today, the beautiful art work we can create with Him, for eternity.

If we will live today to create eternity in our heart then share that beauty with someone else, God will come along side us to create something amazing.  Like Mozart reaching around a child’s hands as they plunk out ‘chop sticks’ for the first time, playing a brillant symphony, God will make today an eternal masterpiece through your hands.

Presenting the Gospel in a Visual Society

We opened with a 10 minutes drama of people’s different fears, death, public speaking, heights, snakes, drowning etc. I’m so proud of our creative and drama teams! It was awesome. I think the sermon was very well received also.  Were the drama and message effective?  Well, 2 people gave their lives to the Lord for the 1st time!

I loved the drama opening for the sermon but that sort of thing always brings questions into some observers mind. “Why do we need all those lights?” or “Is this just a show?”

Why do we use drama, video, decorations, give aways etc. to present the gospel?  It’s because we live in a visual society.  We are trying to reach a generation raised on television, movies, graphic design and the web.  Most of their classes in school will suppliment the teacher’s lecture with videos and Internet information.  Does this water down the gospel? No.

Presenting the gospel with more than words isn’t something new.  Jesus used imagery such as a “camel passing through the eye of a needle” and “a sower who planted seed.”  No, presenting the truths of the Kingdom of God in a visually stimulating medium isn’t a new idea or even’s man’s idea.  Jesus was doing it thousands of years ago.

The key is using the visual presentation to reinforce the message or present the message in a different way but the message never changes!!  It’s still that we are all depraved sinners worthy of judgment and damnation but God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to horribly suffer taking our punishment, then die, rising again to bring us the impossible reward of eternal bliss in heaven.

We will use the methods that will reach the audience but always remember to keep the message the same, we need Christ and thankfully He wants us.

What If…? Guarding Our Minds

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. -  2 Corinthians 10:4-5

There’s a battlefield raging.  A place where planes called unknown drop bombs of fear and paratroopers of worry bombard day and night looking for a place to land and dig in.  That place is our mind.

To set up a defense against this aerial assault we must capture these rebellious thoughts and make them obey Christ.  What if I lose my job? What if I get cancer?  What if I can’t get into a good college? What if I never get married? What if… What if?

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? – Matthew 6:27

Worry is a meaningless waste of time at best!  At it’s worst; left unchecked it can kill you.  Worry actually creates biochemical reactions in our bodies. Doctors tell us worry can lead to a variety of illness ranging from indigestion to heart attack!

How can we control worry, capture those random fearful thoughts?

1. Look at what we are thinking about.

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  – Philippians 4:8

Think about good things.  It’s simple but profound.  When you find yourself thinking “What if…” change the channel!  We have the ability to tell ourselves, “That’s not a thought from God.” And think about something else.

2. Look at who are you listening to?

Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. – Mark 4:24

Why would you take advice from someone whose life is a mess?  First listen to the word of God and what it has to say about you.  Then let the Spirit of God speak to you in prayer but then get around godly men and women who will speak truth!

Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for bad company corrupts good character. – 1 Corinthians 15:33

3. Look at where your focus is.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. – Romans 12:2

The Israelites were told to go into the Promised Land in Numbers 13.  They found what God had told them.  Grapes the size of basketballs!  A land flowing with milk and honey.  BUT they didn’t focus on the blessings, only the obstacles.  Yeah the fruit is awesome BUT there are giants.  Yeah it’s just like God said a good land BUT the cities are fortified and impossible to conquer!  BUT BUT BUT.  Don’t be a Butthead!  Don’t’ focus on the obstacles, focus on what God has promised you.

Capture the “What Ifs” before they paralyze in a quagmire of indecision, afraid to move.

Is Our God Safety?

When we allow fear to limit our actions we begin to serve safety instead of God.  Is risk-free living our ultimate goal?  Is being safe what the most important thing in life?

Think of this, a person who worships safety never accomplished anything note-worthy.  History is filled with the acts of the bold, the brave.  The fear filled don’t dream big dreams, risk-takers do.

When the disciples dropped their nets and walked away fro their jobs, neighborhoods, families…everything they knew, were they making the ‘safe’ choice?  How about Abraham when God told him to leave his people and everything he had ever known to go into a strange land?  God didn’t even tell Abraham where the destination of the journey was!

The worship of safety emasculates greatness.
- Max Lucado, Fearless

As a Christ-Follower you are called to greatness.  What is it that God is asking you to do that you’ve been afraid to try?  Well turn that computer off and go do it!

Conquering Monday Morning Blues

You grab your favorite cup of coffee, sigh deeply and go to work. It’s not that you hate your job, well sometimes, but there so many other things you would rather be doing.  So many other people you would rather spend your time with.  You know you work for a paycheck but you wish that could be a little better too.  The week seems so long.  How can I conquer these Monday morning blues?

Maybe you’re a student and you can’t bring coffee to school.  You don’t fit in with the kids in your classes.  There’s that one teacher that seems to have it in for you.  I can’t believe the weekend went so fast.  How could I forget that assignment? Ugh.  How can I conquer these Monday morning blues?

Maybe you’re a stay at home mom with small kids, or a retired senior facing another day of cleaning the house and isolation. Sunday was great but now what? How can I conquer these Monday morning blues?

It’s simple really.  Change your perspective. Worker, it’s not about the paycheck, sure it helps but that’s not why you are there.  Student you’re not in school just because it’s a state law or just because you need an education.  Mom or retiree, you can still make a difference.  You have all entered the mission field. [Insert Twilight Zone music here.]

See if we really believe that God orders our steps.  If we really believe that He knew us before we were born then He placed us where we are today.  It’s not meaningless it’s a mission.  So to beat the Monday morning blues, take all teaching you received Sunday, all the Spirit of God you were filled with, all the joy you received, all the encouragement and love the church members gave you and give it away TODAY!

Mission trips don’t just happen in Africa. They happen every Monday. God has strategically placed you in your job, school or neighborhood.  Meet the day with expectation for God to do miracles today.  Expect God to provide you with an opportunity to move someone a little closer to Christ TODAY.  You are a missionary on assignment to Connect Others to God & Church today.

World’s Dumbest Criminal, a Lesson for Us

I love the TV show called “World’s Dumbest Criminals” (I know but I like to see dumb people get arrested.) Recently I saw a story of drug dealer name Daron.  The police had surveillance on him for over a month and came with an arrest warrant to pick him up.  They knocked on the door and asked, “Are you Daron…?”

Daron replies, “No, my name is Herbert Spinkleman.” Or some ridiculous similar name.

The police officer then looks at Daron’s forearm and points to his tattoo. “You have you name Daron tattooed on your arm.”

“No that’s my girlfriend’s name Da-Ron.”  He replied.

You can’t make this stuff up!  He was trying to fool the police pretending to be someone else and his name was tattooed on his forearm!  Then he denied it was his name!  Priceless.

Daron tried to pretend he was someone else but his true name was evident.  Many people do the same thing.  They say they are Christians but the name of Christ is not on them.  Christian means “little Christ”.  It’s like saying “Jesus Jr.” you look like your dad.

Many people call themselves a follower of Christ but the name tattooed on their arm is “liar, porn addict, judger of others, thief, fornicator, gossip” etc.  They try to fool people but hypocrisy is evident to most.

Jesus said, “Why do you say you love me but don’t obey my commandments?”
We know that many people will be shocked when their lives end because they will say didn’t we do all these “Christian things for you?” and He’ll reply, “Depart from me, sinner.  I never knew you.”

Don’t be like Daron.  Don’t try to fake out Jesus because you’ll only fool yourself and you also will be taken away in chains.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is much more than a day of work where we can barbeque.  It’s much more that a parade or day with family.  Memorial Day is a day that commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service of their country.  The very freedoms we enjoy today; to travel, own our own home, spend a day with family are because of their sacrifice.

Graves at Arlington on Memorial Day

Today before you eat your first hot dog, take a moment and explain to your children that their are people, great people called soldiers, marines, airmen and seamen that died that all Americans might enjoy life and freedom.

No greater love has any man than he that lays down his life for others.

Honor their sacrifice today.

4 Ways to Love Like Jesus

1. Accept Others Like Jesus Accepts You.

John 6:37 – Those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.

Jesus loves and accepts us exactly as we are.  He knew that we were going to sin today when He called us originally.  His love is perfect.  He can’t love us anymore than He does right now and He won’t love us any less!  His love is completely 100% perfect, no matter what we do.

Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close. – Psalm 27:10

2. Value Others Like Jesus Values You.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. – Ephesians 2:10

God looks at us as His masterpiece, His finest creation.

How valuable are you?

1. He made you for relationship with Him.
2. His Son died for you.
3. He put His Spirit in you.
4. He wants to live with you in heaven FOREVER.

 

 

I’m Back

Well after a long absence due to holidays and a 3 week battle with pneumonia I’m finally back to blogging.  I apologize for the long absence.  Here’s a little catch up.

As we look at a new year we begin to take stock of our last year and our future. 2008 was a hard year, we battled sickness and buried a close friend whose loss still stings daily, but  I’m very thankful for the things God did in 2008 also.  We saw 38 people bow their knee to Jesus as their Savior for the first time and over 100 rededicate their lives to serving Christ afresh.  There were 65 new people added to our church and several people healed.  In the midst of trial and tragedy God built His Kingdom.  What more could we ask for?

As we begin 2009 I know God will do even greater and more exciting things in our midst.  Bring it on Lord.  Bring it on!

Jesus Came to Seek and Save Those Who Are Lost

Luke 19:10 – Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost.

Christmas is all about connecting-with family, friends and even God.  We celebrate Christmas because God wanted to connect with us. During our christmas service we took a special look at the Christmas Story focusing on how Jesus came to seek us out and connect with us in a real and life-changing way.  Since there was a bad ice storm causing half our people to stay home I thought you’d like a brief summary.

Jeremiah 50:6 – My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray and turned them loose in the mountains. They have lost their way and can’t remember how to get back to the sheepfold.

Many believers start out in church and genuinely serve God but let the cares and disappointments of life get them out of church and off the path of God.

Ezekiel 34:16 – I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice!

The good news is Jesus searches for us when we’re lost.  He helps even those who have been hurt in churches and have lost their way.  The Christmas story is all about God seeking man, even those that don’t know they’re getting lost.

Matthew 1:22 -All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through His prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

God came to us, He was seeking us because we are valuable to Him.  In the parables of Luke 15:4-32 (lost sheep, lost coin, lost son) Jesus continually reminds us that God rejoices more over one of us that was lost turning to Him than 99 that are already serving Him.

Ephesians 2:8-9 – God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

That’s the beauty of the Christmas story, we never earned the gift of the Christ child but like any valuable gift we need to remember how much that gift costed the one who gave it to us.

Merry Christmas

 

Are you Missional or Attractional? Yes.

In Christianity Today Magazine I read an article called “Defining Missional”.  It occurs to me that some of you might wonder about the latest in church buzzwords. There are consequences when the meanings of words become confused especially when we are trying to explain eternal truths to people. Here are some positives and negatives associated with various types of churches…

Attractional – This comes from trying to “attract” people to the church.  Advertizing, events, marketing are used as “outreaches”.  There is also a “build it and they will come” mindset attached meaning…If we just make our services attractive to the unchurched then they will come to us.  Sometimes associated with the seeker sensitive model but not completely the same. (see below) The weakness of this movement is people must find their way to church themselves and those who feel unworthy to come never do.

Emerging – The emerging church movement holds as its primary purpose attempting to make the Christianity culturally relevant for a postmodern generation. While I do think we need to be relevant (many churches are not) the emerging church movement has many times gone to the extreme of compromising on Christian morality such as ordaining people still trapped in sinful lifestyles.  Emerging churches may be attractional or missional or both.

Missional – Comes from the word mission.  It is sometimes confused with a Missionary Church (a church which is planted by a missionary). Missional churches emphasize the mission of the church, which is the Great Commission “Go and make disciples.” They key word is go. They do not expect people to come to them. The emphasis of a missional church is the opposite of an attractional church.

Purpose-driven – A term coined by Rick Warren in his book Purpose Drive Church.  In it Rick said a Purpose Driven Church is “one that is growing larger in numbers as it grows deeper in carrying out the God-given purposes for churches through worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and missions.”  Some have wrongly called Rick’s church (Saddleback) a seeker-sensitive church because of it’s laid back approach.  Emphasizing spiritual growth through purpose isn’t the same as being seeker-sensitive.

Seeker-sensitive – A term first coined by Bill Hybels of Willow Creek, this movement comes from the idea of being sensitive to the unchurched person who is seeking God, hence seeker-sensitive.  It should be noted that the idea isn’t bad, we want seekers to feel comfortable in our services but the movement got way off track.  However, in his report entitled Reveal, Bill Hybels admitted that they had failed at the Great Commission because they had not discipled or helped mature the members once they were converted.

Separatist – While not a name given to a particular movement, these are churches that emphasize extracting people from the culture and assimilating them into the church culture.  “Come out from among them.” and “Be in the world but not of the world.” are frequent phrases heard. This sounds spiritual diminishes their ability to speak to those outside and their people cease to win souls. Some examples are: Holiness churches where women can’t wear makeup and men can’t have long hair. Pentecostal churches where the emphasis is always on the next deeper experience so they have many meetings each week but don’t win the lost.

What kind of church do we have?  I answer that question with one phrase, we are a Disciple-Making Church.  We are a church that emphasizes the process of discipleship.  Many churches will say they make disciples but they usually mean they are evangelical or highly teaching.  Either they are making many new converts but maturing them or teaching a bunch of fat Christians who just want the “next revelation” from God. 

[Note: This is not to be confused with the Shepherding Movement in the 1970s where leaders used discipleship as a way to control their congregants lives in a cult-like fashion.]

A Disciple-Making Church has a clearly defined, often taught discipleship process that includes going into the world.  If you can’t tell me what the next step in anyone’s (including yourself) discipleship process is then your church isn’t a disciple-making church.

Are we attractional? Yes in that we will advertize to get people to come and adjust our services to make guests feel more welcome. (But not to the seeker-sensitive extreme where the truth isn’t taught and deep repentance required.)  Are we missional? Absolutely!  You’re not truly a disciple unless you are going out and winning souls.  We do both!  Who ever said you had to choose one or the other?

Doctrinally our church identifies ourselves as Charismatic, which comes from the Greek word charisma.  Charismatic means we believe that the Holy Spirit still does the same things today he did in the first century, New Testament church.  After all, it’s still the same Testament or covenant today.  We work hard to make a weekend service that is guest welcoming yet doesn’t compromise on ‘gifts of the Spirit’ such as praying for healing.

Don’t get hung up on our particular beliefs.  Remember that A Disciple-Making Church can be almost any doctrine.  It’s about the clearness of the process.

Financial Peace in the Midst of Storms

We live in stormy times. There’s a 700 billion dollar bail out because of all the mortgage failures, Lehman Brothers Investments goes under; gas prices up $4 a gallon then drop back to $2 just as quickly. Stormy times. God wants to bring peace to the storms in our lives.  God wants us to have peace in the midst of the storms.

In Mark 4:35-41 the disciples launch out at Jesus’ request.  While on the journey He told them to go on they encounter a fierce storm.  The boat looks like it’s in danger of breaking up or at least filling up with waves.  What’s Jesus doing?

 v38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

Sleeping?!  The disciples cried out, “Don’t you care?”  Sometimes when we go through trials it seems like Jesus is asleep.  We call out but seemingly get no response.  When Jesus finally woke and calmed the storm He has a stern rebuke for His followers. 

v40 Then He asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 

We must respond in faith knowing that God is still in the boat with us and not be swayed by the economic news we hear.  Fear is not from God (2 Tim 1:7) and God’s Kingdom is not subject to the world’s economy.  God is recession proof!

So in these troubled times do what the Bible says, put the kingdom first (Matt 6:33), especially don’t compromise on tithing, and be a good steward of the remaining 90%.

For example: This Black Friday was predicted to be low because of the poor economy yet spending was up 18.7% over last year! [AP News] Where’d that $ come from? Well, maybe the economy isn’t as bad as they say but most likely it was people buying on credit.

Stay out of debt this Christmas (Proverbs 22:7).  When the bills come due in January you’ll be glad you did.  Financial Peace lasts alot longer than any present.

A Cynical Look at Thanksgiving

We think of the Pilgrims as religious zealots bound on a divine missions trip.  Well, it might have been the divine providence of our heavenly Father that brought them here but it was the hand of King James who drive them out of England.  When King James took the throne of England he wanted to bring all the believers into agreement with the Church of England’s teachings.  He opposed any reformers who wanted to bring people more in line with what they felt the Bible taught.  He decided that everyone must worship the way he dictated or suffer the consequences.  One Christian sect called the Seperatists didn’t believe that a king should be the head of a church but God alone should be their head.  King James said, “I shall make them conform or I will harry them out of the land, or else do worse.”  It was fear of their earthly king that caused these Pilgrims to seek religious freedom in a new land.  Thank God for persecution.

Many times the Lord allows persecution to spread His gospel to new lands.  The first century church was driven from Jerusalem by the persecution from the Jews who were killing them, otherwise the gospel may have never spread into gentile lands.

King James was a devoted but misguided believer.  His efforts gave us one of the greatest English translations of the Holy Bible yet he persecuted anyone who practiced Christianity differently than he did.  The arrogant attitude of King James and religious spirit that guided him can be seen occasionally in those that teach unless you’re reading a King James Bible you’re reading a false Bible.  How ridiculous.  The KJV is wonderful, a breakthrough for the English speaking reader but it’s not divinely inspired.  The Bible in its original languages (Hebrew, Greek & Aramaic) IS.  In fact there are thousands of errors in the translations that were corrected in later English Bibles such as New King James, Revised Standard and New Living to name just a few.  So please don’t persecute other Christians for worshipping a little differently than you or having a different version of the scriptures…treat each other as children of the King of Kings.

This Thanksgiving remember to thank God for the freedom to worship the way you want in America.  Thank God for the founding of this nation on religious freedom.  Don’t ever let any president, congress or court limit our religious freedom.  And last, remember to thank God for persecution because many times He’s just extending His Kingdom farther.  When you’re persecuted because you won’t work or let your kids play sports on Sundays, because you have a Bible on your desk or because you dared to share your faith in a loving, respectful way with a coworker or another student…THANK God because He’s about to do something world changing through you!!

Take this quiz on Thanksgiving: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/quiz/?id=UHVLR although I disagree with one answer they give…Thanksgiving was a religious holiday.  Who says you can’t shoot guns on a religious day.  Come over my house at Christmas!

The Road Less Traveled

John 12:26 – All those who want to be my disciples must come and follow me.

We read this verse so casually.  ”Come and follow Jesus.”  ”I’m a follower of Jesus.”  We seldom think about what that really means.  Following Jesus is a call to leave everything we know and run hard after Him no matter what it costs us.  The disciples left their jobs, their homes their families, friends, EVERYTHING to wander around homeless for 3 years listening to a teacher who taught in parables.  Why?  Because they knew that He had the keys to eternal life.

if you think about what Peter once said, if this life is all there is…then we’re the most miserable men ever because we’ve traded some of the pleasures of this world for a fable.  Ahhhh but if Jesus was who He said He was.  IF He is the messiah.  Then who can count this temporary suffering worthy to even be talked about in the same breath with the eternal reward!?

Matthew 7:13-14 - You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

Oh, life might seem easier sometimes taking the broad and easy highway but it’s a highway to hell.  The hard, rocky, narrow, little sheep’s trail leads up the mountain to heaven’s throne.

You don’t have to be the sharpest crayon in the box.  You just have to leave everything behind, pick up you cross and follow the shepherd.

Misusing History

In an article in Christian History Magazine, author Daniel Driesbach correctly points out that Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of separation” metaphor was misused by the Supreme Court to redefine church-state law and policy in a way never intended.  I completely agree.

On New Year’s Day, 1802, President Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to the Baptist Association of Danbury, Connecticut, endorsing the persecuted Baptists’ aspirations for religious liberty. The First Amendment, he wrote, denied Congress the authority to establish a religion or prohibit its free exercise, “thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.”  That “wall” was built to protect the persecuted Christians from the tyranny of the government.  Remember just 25 short years before the people here were still part of England, a country in which the government said there is only one church, the Church of England.  To be part of any other church was a criminal offense.

If I may be so bold as to assume I can speak for Jefferson’s intentions (why not the Supreme Court did) his intentions were never to remove religion from political or public society.  It was Jefferson who said, “I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal, hostility against every form tyranny over the mind of man.”  Sounds to me like he wanted to protect us from limiting our religious freedom.

What bothers me the most is the phrase “separation of church and state” never appears in the Constitution but ONLY in this letter written in support of the Baptists.  Let’s play devil’s advocate for a moment (literally) and say that it was Jefferson’s intention to separate all religion from the government…So What?  A president doesn’t have the power to change the Constitution and neither should the Supreme Court!  Here’s what the First Amendment to the Constitution does say…

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Excuse me but isn’t saying that we can’t have Christian symbols, prayers and other such “religious” observances in government and public forums a violation of that amendment?  The First Amendment never restrained religious expression, completely the opposite…it kept the government from restraining religious expression.

Why am I taking the time to write about this?  Because I truly believe that we as Christians should know the truth.   If we are to remain “one nation under God” we must be informed to defend our Christian heritage.

A Day for The Lord

As we prayed Sunday before the service, I found myself saying “Lord this is your day.  Have your way in this place an in our lives.”  As I think of that prayer today, I realize EVER Sunday is a day we set aside for the Lord.  After a busy week we stop and set aside some quality time to think about Jesus. I know we’re supposed to do that everyday but the truth is many of us forget to.  Sunday we stop.  We say, “Lord realign my priorities.  Today it’s about you and me worshipping you.”

We had Tino Wallenda of the Flying Wallendas at our church and many people brought guests.  It was wonderful.  There was a expectation for people to surrender their hearts to Christ.  Regular attenders worked hard to get unchurched friends to come.  We should be like that each week, expecting God to do big things and working hard to see people connect with Him.

This Sunday, expect God to do something great in your church.  Expect Him to heal a sick body, set a person bound with addiction free, reconcile broken relationship, encourage the discouraged, equip the believers, and save those that are headed for hell.  Expect God to build His kingdom using you on a day you set aside for Him we call Sonday.

Performance or Providence

It was an awesome weekend. The prophetic gathering was powerful Saturday morning and the new member’s lunch following was a fun bonding time. Then Saturday night just spending time worshipping God and praying capped the day off. Followed by 260+ people hearing Tino Wallenda preach from atop a high wire.  There was press coverage from two newspapers and a TV station but most important was there were also many 1st time salvations…God is so awesome.

This is the type of service that causes religious Christians to complain or gossip.  ”It’s all a show.  He’s just trying to have a performance.”  ”They have a performance church.”  I shouldn’t have to defend a service style that brings in dozens of first time guests and leads to several true first time salvations but I have to admit some of those comments had started to get to me.  I felt the need to justify my decisions when people are saying they won’t come to church if there’s a circus performer.  I get a little hurt that people don’t trust my judgment yet.  But it all was forgotten with one conversation.

I met a young lady who came with a girl who herself has only been saved for 3 months.  She said “I came to support my friend in her decision to stay sober and clean but really I’m an atheist.”  I gave her the book The Case for Christ by lee Strobel and explained to her that it was written by a former skeptic and told her that God wasn’t upset by her doubts or questions.  She smiled as she accepted the book and said, “I was moved by what I saw here today.  I felt something…something here in this place.” This began an exciting 15 minute conversation about the search for the reality of God, a conversation that ended with her promise to see me next week.

“This is why you’re here.” I thought as I walked away.  One conversation with a genuinely unchurched person who took a giant leap towards faith erased all the complaints and second guessing.  A performance?  No.  Divine Providence lead me to invite Tino Wallenda to preach today and the results (changed lives) will speak for themselves.

Pray for President Barack Obama

Scripture is very clear about our mandate to pray for those place in authority over us.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Therefore, whether we voted for President Obama or against him, we now must pray for him AND respect him.

For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. 1 Peter 2:13-14a

One of the saddest thing about our country is the lack of respect for those in authority.  I know we have freedom of speech and we’re allowed to disagree with and even poke fun at our leaders but there is a growing attitude of disrespect towards our presidents.  I saw this as a large issue when President Clinton had a sex scandal while in office and it has continued with President Bush largely because of broken promises to find Weapons of Mass Destruction and Bin Laden.

People used excuses like “Clinton dishonored the oval office” and “Bush lied”.  People have told me “Respect must be earned.” but that isn’t what we just read in 1 Peter.  We are commanded to respect the office even if we don’t respect the person in that office.

Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. Romans 13:7

My taxes go to pay for abortions and other things I don’t believe but that doesn’t mean I’m allowed to with hold my taxes.  Presidents and legislators have done things and stood for things I totally disagree with but I honor them as placed by God.

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. Romans 13:1-2

I remember when President Clinton was elected it caused a rise in the prayer level of the church across the country because of his stance on moral issue like abortion and gay marriage.  I believe God will again cause His church to rise and pray for this nation after this controversial election and because of this trying time we live in both economically and with the war.

Pray, pray for our president because it’s commanded and it because it works. Respect, respect because it’s commanded and because it honors God.

Availability

Do you know that God is more concerned with your availability than He is with your ability?  After all, He can give anyone any ability He chooses.  Don’t think you have nothing to offer, you have HIM.  How available are you?

If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.” (Proverbs 3:28)  We as Christians have to illustrate the love of God by allowing ourselves to be inconvenienced.  Are we really that busy or is it a matter of priorities?

Sometimes as parents we are constantly telling our children not to interrupt.  See kids think the whole world revolves around them.  But if a child is hurt then everything stops.  if a child has a genuine need “I spilled!” then attention is needed. 

Jesus allowed Himself to be interrupted by genuine human need.  I’m not talking about needy people who just want to pop in whenever they feel like it just because they want attention.  I mean like the blind man named Bartimaeus who cried out to Jesus while He was on His way to an important meeting.  Jesus’ friends tried to quiet Bart but he sensed that God had made His mercy and compassion available in Jesus.

God now makes His mercy and compassion available through us, His church.  You will be the only picture of God people will see this week.  Will they see God as too busy? Uncaring? Unavailable?  Or will show them the caring and compassionate nature of Christ my reaching out to someone this week.  That person isn’t an interruption, they’re a gift from God and you’re the answer to their prayer.

 

Paul’s Best Advice

Phillipians 3:13 – No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.

We are molded by the things that have happened to us in the past.  We all have some baggage that we carry around in our lives. This verse is Paul’s best advice.  Forget that past and focus on what lies ahead!  In this one small verse Paul gives us such wisdom from heaven.

First he says I’m not all I should be.  Paul’s not all he should be?  The man who ends up writing 2/3 of the New Testament?  The Apostle who established the majority of the Christian churches in the first century?  That guy?  He’s not all he should be?  Then what hope is there for the rest of us?  That is the point he’s making.  None of us can ever be good enough.  We never achieve the mark, the standard that Jesus set.  So what can we do then?

Focus all our effort on ONE THING…forgetting the past and looking forward.  After we are slapped in the face with the cold reality that we’re not all we should be as followers of Jesus, Paul says now focus all your effort, all your energies on forgetting past mistakes, past wounds, people that have hurt you and look forward to what God is about to do through you and for you.

Being a Christian means to change.  We can’t be the same in 2009 as we are in 2008.  Otherwise we must admit that we’ve focused our effort, our energy, even our prayers on the wrong things.

How do we know what God has for us ahead?  Ask Him.

Jeremiah 33:3 – Ask me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here.

When you start to hear God for yourself, faith is released.  Don’t be afraid to ask God to reveal his destiny for you.  He wants to! 

Romans 10:17 – So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (nkj)
So then faith comes by listening to message of good news. (nlt)

Do you want to have fresh faith for the future?  Then listen to the word of God and what He is saying about your life.

As you look at your year so far, what have you spent most of your time, most of your thoughts and your best energy on, things you can’t change or things you can?

Servant Leadership

As a pastor I often speak to leaders in church and the marketplace on leadership principles.  People usually ask “What makes a good leader?” and my response is always, “a good servant.”

Many have heard John Maxwell say “Leadership is influence.”  It’s hard to argue with that simple yet profound statement.  I however, like Ken Blanchard’s definition better.  “Leadership is the capacity to influence others by unleashing their power and potential to impact the greater good.”  (Leading at a Higher Level)

Isn’t that what we as followers of Jesus should be all about?  Using our influence to set people free of that which holds them back from achieving their potential in Christ…

I love that Blanchard added the phrase “to impact the greater good” to his definition.  If the way you define leadership only focuses on the goals to be accomplished, then you as a leader will only measure success by those results.  The higher purpose is serving people to help them activate their potential.  As each member of a team begins to unleash their potential the department goals are accomplished.   As each department’s goals are accomplished then the organizational (church) goals are achieved.

The best kind of leadership is servant leadership, one that’s not focused only on the bottom line but on how you get there and with whom!  The servant leader doesn’t base their influence on fear or bullying but on the vision to accomplish the greater good.  “We are doing this task this ways because…”  The servant leader will be grounded in humility truly wanting those he trains to excel beyond his/her own ability because the leader is focused on the greater good. In our case building the Kingdom of God.

What motivates you?  Who are you when you and what is important to you?  People must trust you and believe in what you believe in to follow you.  If we have true influence we will be able to motivate people to action without the title or delegated power.

Serve others by helping them find and use their gifts for God’s vision.  The leadership potential you unlock maybe your own!

Jesus is King of the Road

Paul never met the living God even though he spent most of his life in the temple or in scriptural study.  Paul had to find Jesus on the Damascus Road. Blind Bartimaeus called out for his healing while Jesus walked on the Jericho Road. Even the Ethiopian eunuch met Philip on the Gaza Road.  What’s my point?  If you want to meet with God, if you want to see miracles today…get out of your pew and get hit the road.

The Great Commission is called that referring to the word great as chief in importance.  What is the most important word in this the most important of all of Jesus’ words to His followers?  The word GO.

Matthew 28:18-20 – Jesus came and told His disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus said, all the authority has been given to me, because of that fact you go and make disciples.  He is delegating His authority to us, His followers, to make disciples.  Can this be done effectively with a “Build it and they will come” theology?  Don’t get me wrong.  Churches should advertise, have community events and use whatever techniques they can to draw people into church BUT…that is not how the vast majority of people come to Jesus.  No, it happens in homes, schools, jobs and in the streets through servant evangelism.  One thing is for sure, Jesus was clear about His command to go.  So why is it most Christians have never shared their faith with anyone outside church?

What part of “Go” don’t we understand?

Sarah Palin to Appear on Saturday Night Live

Presidential candidate John McCain told Late Night talk show host David Letterman that Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin would appear live this weekend on Saturday night live. 

Normally this wouldn’t be big news; she’s certainly not the only candidate to appear on SNL.  Remember President Clinton wailing on his saxophone? 

Why is this big news then?  Because of Tina Fey’s dead-on impression of Governor Palin is quite biting at times, depicting Governor Palin as an air-headed, religious zealot.  While Tina Fey’s mimicking is near perfect some Conservatives have taken offense at portraying the governor as less than intelligent.

What is Sarah Palin’s response?  Does she sue for slander? No.  Does she call the head of the network and demand and apology? No. Does she call the ACLU? No, not even that.  She laughs.  Then she agrees to appear and be made fun of some more! Now some narrow-minded, left-wing, pessimists might call this just a political ploy to get more free air-time.  I don’t’ agree.

I believe she is following the teachings of her professed Savior Jesus Christ when he said to turn the other cheek and not defend your self.  I don’t know if Governor Palin is a practicing Christian or not but I know this was a Christian decision.

After all, the joy of the Lord is our strength.  If Christians can’t laugh at ourselves than who can?

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Pursuing an Attitiude of Gratitude

In the story in Luke 17:11–19 Jesus encounters 10 lepers.  They ask for mercy and Jesus responds by sending them to the priests.  As they go along their way they are all healed.  The odd part is only one of them returned to Jesus to thank Him.

It seems that it is human nature to call out to the Lord during the rough times but forget to live a life of thankfulness after He gives us mercy.

During the weeks immediately following 9-11, churches were fuller than they had been in a long time, but then just as quickly the churches were filled, the attendance dropped in new year.   Once the urgent need for God’s help faded so did the desire to connect with Him. 

In the first sermon of the New Testament Church the Apostle Peter explains to the listeners that the man they crucified was in fact the Messiah.  (Acts 2:22-36) Their response was what must we do to be saved?  Peter responds for them to repent, be baptized and they shall receive the Holy Spirit but then he says something strange.

“Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” (Acts 2:40)  Those that accepted that warning were added to the church.  They understood that their job was saving themselves from the influence by obeying Peter’s charge and immersing themselves in the teaching and fellowship of the church.  In short, they were illustrating their gratitude for their salvation by returning to Christ’s through connecting with His body here on earth.  We must return to the Lord and continue to walk in His grace not just because it is what’s best for us but because we are grateful for all He has done.  (Heb 10:25).

Creative Church Conference – Part 2

The church should be the most creative entity on the planet!  Not Hollywood, not Silicon Valley, not the Times Best Sellers but the church of Jesus Christ.  After all we serve the one who invented creativity!  He is the only one who can create something from nothing.  He is the only one who ever had a new idea. Today Ed Young Jr. told us that children score off the charts on the creativity aptitude tests when they are under 5 but as soon as they start school it quickly drops.  Creativity is replaced with rules for how to play, when to sit, techniques for math and writing.  It’s not that education is bad; it’s that learning best works through repetition.  Repetition stifles creativity.

Romans 12 teaches us not to be squeezed into the world’s mold.  There is no right or wrong way to “do church”.  Jesus communicated in creative, illustrated ways.  He held up a little child and taught us how to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  This upset the religious people of their day.  Why because they had forgotten about making the truths of God simple to understand and easy to apply to one’s life.  It is the same today.  If you use creative communication techniques people will accuse you of being a “performance church” instead of seeing that more people understand the word of God that is being taught than before.

One of the main themes of the Creative Church Conference (C3) was that mature people reproduce.  Think of it, people are born, grow up, get married and then have babies.  The immature or babies don’t reproduce.  If you’re church isn’t birthing new babies in the kingdom then maybe it isn’t as mature as you think.

Spiritual babies say, “I’m just not being fed.”  A person can be a Christian for 20 years but if all they care about is hearing a new twist on a scripture they haven’t heard before, they are self-centered babies when they should be healthy, reproducing adult believers.  Ed talked further about church’s that were meant to hospitals where babies are born of hurting people are helped have been turned into discriminating restaurants where food critics sample morsels and critique the good food being served.

As communicators of God’s all powerful word we must never bend to the pressure to cater to those who are hearers only and not doers of the word.  We will continue to use every creative method we can to help people grasp and apply the word of God to their life.

Creative Church Conference

I am excited to be going to the Creative Church Conference (C3) regional at Northway Church in Clifton Park.  I’ve been to the C3 in Dallas for the last three years and always feel it’s so impacting for our ministry.  I’ve heard Ed Young, T.D. Jakes, Erwin McManus, and Perry Noble to name a few.  I can honestly say that these conferences have changed the way I “do” church. 

I’ve always believed that church should be fun.  That was our theme as the Children’s Pastors at Mt. Zion Ministries and now as the Lead Pastors at House of Praise we think adults should enjoy church also.  It’s much deeper than that though.  By using creative ways to illustrate sermons, we give people greater retention of the word of God that is being preached.

We use art, dance, music, video, costumes, decorations, give-aways, drama, costumes and games to help people visualize and remember what is taught.  For example:  When I taught on Small Groups a couple years ago, we called it “Honey I Shrunk the Church” and decorated the sanctuary with giant pencils, crayons, and a laundry line that had enormous t-shirts and socks on it.  Years later when I ask people about it they still remember “we grow larger by getting smaller” and that it was about small groups.  If remembering the word of God is your goal, Creative Sermons work!

Back to the C3 regional…Ed Young is taking his show on the road to Capital District, specifically the Northway Church.  Think about it 500 leaders from churches around the Northeast meeting to learn how the church can be more creative in presenting the message of Jesus Christ.  I can’t wait!

Creating a Welcoming Culture part 2- Guest Story

This is the story of how I was able to help one person feel welcomed in the parking lot.

One day I was leaving the church office about 6:30pm when I saw a man on a motor cycle looking at the sign on our youth sanctuary door.  The sign said, “12 Step Program was Cancelled Tonight.”  I called out, “If you’re here for the 12 Step program it’s cancelled tonight.”  “I’m not here for that.” He responded.  “Although I have been to one before.”  I asking him, “Well can I help you with something?”  He became defensive saying he wasn’t doing anything wrong.  I told him I didn’t think he was.  I asked his name, for this blog we’ll call him Mac.

This began a significant conversation in Mac’s life.  We actually talked for over an hour. After talking a lot about church, God and life Mac finally got to the real issue. With tears beginning to form in his eyes, Mac asked me an extremely honest question, “Would your church accept me?”  “Of course they would.” I responded without hesitation.  Mac then told me how he had found the Lord in prison and was recently released but since getting out he couldn’t find a good church.  Mac told me that the two churches he had been to so far made him feel very unwelcome.  In one church the usher actually came up to Mac as he stood in the back of the church and asked him what he was doing there!  I assured Mac that the House of Praise is full of people that genuinely love God and love people.

To my surprise, that Sunday Mac came to service.  According to him, Mac was warmly greeted and given a gift by our greeters.  The ushers smiled at him and introduced themselves offering assistance finding a seat.  It happened to be friendship Sunday so there was a spaghetti dinner after service.  I told Mac, I bought his ticket.  As I stood talking to someone I saw Mac sheepishly walk into the youth building looking around as to where he should go.  One of the seasoned members grabbed Mac and said, “Hey sit with us.”  I watched Mac loosen up over the next hour until he was laughing freely and meeting new friends.

That was over a year ago.  I’ve had the privilege of baptizing Mac and seeing him become a member.  He is in a small group, serving in the church has made new friends. He now regularly meets new people and tells them “You will love it here!” 

When I think of his story I think, “That’s why we’re here.” How would Mac’s have been treated if he walked into your church?

Creating a Welcoming Culture

The line hit me like a punch.  “Every person who walks through the doors of your church is a gift from God.”  As I read this line in a book called Fusion by Nelson Searcy I was so convicted by the concept that I immediately repented for my lackadaisical attitude towards guests.

The truth is for a long time church has been about me just wanting God to show up and cared about nothing else.  If the Holy Spirit was there that’s all that matters.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe you should be having a church service if the Spirit of God doesn’t show up and change lives.  If we come sing a few songs, share someone else’s thoughts from a book we read and go home how are we different from any other religion?  No we serve a living God who must be present for me to call it a good service.

BUT think of this…The Holy Spirit moves upon the heart of lost and desperate sinner and after perhaps years of working on them, get the person to go to a church.  God then looks all around are city and chooses our church to send that person to, trusting us with their eternal destiny.  Wow, how we treat that person is huge!

There is 7 minutes to make a first impression.  To be effective in reaching the first time guest we must recognize the power of the subconscious in making a first impression. Things like atmosphere, cleanliness, and friendliness of people become more important than preaching or church programs when we’re talking about a first impression.  Everything in your church speaks to guests.  How they are greeted, directed, treated and seated are important as well as the condition of the parking lot, the smell of the lobby, how clean things are, and whether there are signs directing them clearly.  What message is our church sending? We must find ways to look through the guests eyes.

We can have great worship, and excellent message preached but they have already made up their minds before those things whether to return or not.  The unchurched person goes more by feeling than rational choices.  “I just didn’t feel connected.”  “Everything was fine.  I don’t know, I think I’ll keep checking.”  The intangibles are so important to the subconscious thoughts.  They either feel welcomed and cared about or an intrusion.

We must be willing to change things anything that is confusing or make guests feel like they don’t belong.  Tomorrow we’ll look at the story of one first time guest.

Church Cafe

Well, I feel like I’ve gotten a little too “teachy” in the blog so let me take a moment to update you on some church happenings.  We were blessed recently to be able to purchase the entire coffee bar set up from a Borders Books that was closing.  Stainless steel counter and sinks, beautiful cabinets with cherry wood finish, in wonderful condition.  We literally saved thousands of dollars purchasing it for about 5-10% of what it was worth.  Tonight we had our first planning meeting to begin laying out building a café.

Our first thoughts are to call it Café Mosaic. We had such a great response to our recent series Mosiac: God Builds with Broken Pieces that it made me want to continue that theme in our church.  We’re all a pieces of what God’s is building here plus it would be really cool to decorate is with different mosaic art!  We already have our first artwork, a large framed piece that was created by Dalina Quinnones from pieces of broken glass that House of Praise members brought in during the series.

Our plans are to remodel a large unfinished area that was set up for a commercial kitchen.  It sits off the hallway outside the sanctuary so in second phase we’ll blow the wall out of left side of the sanctuary to open the hallway up for seating. Pray the building permits and construction goes smoothly.  I either have great faith or maybe I’m just naïve but I’d praying to complete the first two phases of remodeling before Christmas.

Remember, if you are a person that volunteers in the church or generously gives to see the work provided for you are a piece of the beautiful picture of Jesus that God is building called His church.

Personal Growth

In response to Bill’s comment, here are some thoughts on personal growth.  First, Personal growth really means growing as a person.  We should also work on physical, financial, mental and relational growth.  However, let me say that being a pastor, I’m going to focus on spiritual growth in this blog.

The most effective growth comes as a result of intelligent planning and honest evaluation.  Keep this in mind as I ask you the question, “What is your personal growth plan?”

The first time someone asked me that question my hesitation told my friend the answer.  Then I sheepishly blurted out something like I pray and read a lot.  His response was, “Do you have a clear, written plan?”  “Well no, of course not.” “Then I can pretty much predict how much you’ll grow over the next year.”  Truthfully I was little ticked off by the finality of the remark.  How could he say that?

As I thought and prayed about it, I realized I HAD a vision for my life and for our church too but just had never written it out. The Lord was very clear about how to handle a vision.  He told us to write our vision plainly and big enough so those running can carry the correct message to others. (Habakkuk 2:2-3)  Then the Lord reminds us this vision is for the future.  That there is some effort to fulfill it and that if it seems slow in coming, wait patiently.  I began to write out my goals for prayer, reading the word, reading other Christian books, even activating myself in the gifts God had given me.  I began to see the power of a written vision, the direction it brings.

With a written growth plan you have the ability to measure your spiritual progress, not in a way to fall into performance mode but in a way to stretch yourself press in deeper to the things of God.

We’ll look at how to design this plan tomorrow.

God’s Bling Bling

What does God think is valuable?  What does God think is valuable and what He likes to show off?

This week I preached on some of the things God values: His Word, Obedience to Him, People and You specifically.  I’d like to draw your attention specifically to how much God values obedience to His will and His word.

In the book of Job God brags to satan about how great Job is.

The Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” (Job 1:8)

Notice the things that the Lord notes about Job all have to do with doing what is right.  Job is free of blame, innocent…completely morale, ethical and honest.  He gives reverent awe to God and refuses all evil.  In short, Job obeys the ways of the Lord.

Does this bring Job freedom from trial?  No.  We know the story…great tragedy comes upon this upright man.  His livestock stolen, all his money gone, his employees killed and his children die all in one day!  The reason?  Not job’s sin or lack of faith but the simple fact that His Lord knew he could take it.

Satan says if you let me mess with Job he’ll curse you.  The Lord response, go ahead and attack, your wrong.

God is always more concerned with our destiny than our happiness.  He’s more concerned with his eternal purposes than our temporary trials. 

Job is God’s bling bling. Check out how my boy shines!  God was showing off what was valuable to Him, an obedient son.

Have you ever heard someone say that you were in a trial because you lacked faith?  Ridiculous.  Job was blameless yet troubled.  God new that Job would come through the trials with double the blessing he had.  I’m sure Job would have not chosen the to suffer the losses he did but he trusted God through out.

When you go through the trials, (Sorry to tell you this but you will go through trials.) Remember one thing:

The process is more important than the destination.

In all the things you go through don’t lose your integrity.  Be like Job and proclaim, though He slay me I will trust Him. (Job 13:15)  God is creating in you an unwavering trust in Him.  We grow more through trials than we ever do in the good times.

Happy Meal

Well we just had another incredible worship service at the House of Praise.  There is such an expectation of the people present for God to show up and do great things in our lives.  In the last few weeks we’ve seen several people rededicate their lives to Jesus and one first time salvation.  The presence of God has been wonderful.  I feel the unity and the faith of those present and know that God’s blessing us upon us (Ps. 133).

We had a special treat this week with our new Business Administrator Randy Hartwig sharing for communion.  He brought out some excellent insights into the Communion Table but the one that everyone will always remember was the phrase, “This Communion Meal IS a Happy Meal!”  he elaborated by explaining that those that have been saved and set free by the blood of Jesus, the forgiven and cleansed, love the Communion Table because we celebrate what Jesus did for us.

I’m all for solemn introspection and searching our hearts to make sure we don’t partake of the Communion Table unworthily but man, let’s never forget that it’s a celebration of freedom!  After we took the cup and the bread, we sang “My Redeemer Lives”. As we celebrated the freedom from condemnation the cross and empty tomb brought us, I couldn’t help but smile.  This truly is a happy meal.

To learn more about Randy got to www.randyhartwig.com

Anticipating Sunday

What is your routine on Saturdays?  Mine is normally to spend some family time and then look at my sermon again to try and commit to memory.  After that it’s creating the power point presentation and printing out the notes for to hand out Sunday.  In short, my thoughts Saturdays are about family and the Sunday service.

Saturday is marked by scripture as the Sabbath and we are told to keep it holy.  We sometimes forget this as we celebrate the Lord’s Day on Sundays to commemorate our savior’s rising from the dead.  I’m not here to argue about the best day for worship or even if the Sabbath is still Saturday.  What I am trying to say is that if we put some time into our family and to preparing ourselves for worship we will get more out of both.

If family time is simply “showing up” then are missing the point.  If we just come home, grab some food and turn on the TV we stop connecting as a family.  I’m not anti-TV, I’m simply talking about spending real time together.  “Tell me about your day.”  “What are your dreams?”

It’s the same way with our church family.  If we walk in after the service has started, rushing to get there, stressed about finding a seat, we miss the prep time that gets are heart ready to connect with God in a meaningful way.  If we rush right out after never speaking to a soul then miss the chance to make new friends and connect with old ones.

So today, if you’re reading this blog, take a few minutes to pray for the service, call up a friend and invite them to join you.  Lay out your clothes for tomorrow and find your bible.  Put your cars keys on top of your bible and put both near the door.  Set the alarm to a wake you with worship music with plenty of time to make preservice prayer.  See you there, prepared, calm and anticipating s a great day!!

I hate most blogs!

I hate most bloggers because all they do is complain about other people.  (Hey I guess that’s what I’m doing right now in my blog!)  Anyways, most people spend most of their time telling us what they’re against.  I recently read a blog of someone who says they’re a disciple but the whole thing was railing against this preacher or that church.  Everyone in the world was a fraud or liar.  That’s what made me decide to blog.  There’s a lot of great people out there and I will attempt to keep things positive here. Jesus has taught us to look at the good in people.  I also wish to share resources that I enjoy please do the same with me.  Here I go into the blogiin world.  God Bless.