The Gospel

While reading an article by Matt Chandler entitled, "The Good Fight" on the process of sanctification and the war against sin, I came across this statement:

"I had been fed a gospel that said; Do you want a better life? Do you want to be happy? Then come to Jesus. But when my struggles with sin didn't immediately go away, I felt I had been lied to. I felt I had been duped. No one told me how much deeper sin was, or how ruthless Jesus was going to be once he took over my heart."

That statement spoke to me in so many ways. What is the Gospel message that I am feeding? what are people hearing me say God wants to do in them and for them? And then after that, what is the ongoing message people hear when they choose to do life with me as their pastor?

Those are hard questions to answer because our feelings and religious posterity get in the way. Maybe, like me, your first response was to defend your approach and how you lay-out and teach the gospel message. Did you, like me, focus all your attention on what you do and how you do it, your doctrinal viewpoints and your theological stances? If so, you have to move beyond all that, the issue is not about you or your doctrine, it's about them and what they are becoming. Can you step back and view what your preaching and teaching is producing in the lives of the people that follow you? Can you objectively allow God to speak to you about how you are passing on His message?

That's the goal in writing this article. I don't want to get into a debate or challenge what you teach, although that may be needed. I want to encourage you to look at the long term results of what your gospel message is producing in the hearts and minds of those you influence.

Maybe for you it's not that you preach a soft, wimpy gospel, maybe you preach a mean, harsh one. And what people come away with is a feeling that they never measure up. Maybe you are right theologically and doctrinally but your attitude and approach is offensive.

The point is this - the way you and I preach and model the gospel of Jesus Christ is producing in people a perspective on what God expects and wants to do in their lives. We are painting a picture of what it means to "live for God". And that is a huge responsibility. I want to be able, like the Apostle Paul, to stand up at the end of my life and say, like He did:

(Act 20:26) Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
(Act 20:27) For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Now before you just write this whole thing off. And pat yourself on the back, because you're doctrine is right or your theology is perfect. Notice Paul didn't point to his doctrine or theology as proof for his confidence. Paul pointed to his lifestyle and sacrifice. Paul points to a decision that he had made early on in his ministry in regards to the way he would financially fund the call of God on his life. He points to a personal choice that he made to not take any money from the people or churches that he lead to Christ or built.

(Act 20:32) And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
(Act 20:33) I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.
(Act 20:34) Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
(Act 20:35) I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

And then Paul brings the responsibility of leading people home to all of us.

(Act 20:28) Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

So what about it? Do you, like me, see any aspects of your leadership as a spiritual leader that needs to be addressed? Can you evaluate yourself, like Paul, at a deeper level than just your doctrine or religion? Yes those things matter, and yes they matter on the front end. But what about all the other area’s that come with being a follower of Jesus Christ. I think Paul’s admonition and wisdom that he gave to the believers at Corinth hit this issue right on the head

(1Co 10:31) Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
(1Co 10:32) Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
(1Co 10:33) Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

What is a Christian?

Over time, some words loose their meaning or they evolve into mere faint shadows of their original definitions.

The most recent example of this has been the debate across our country over the definition of the word "marriage". Is marriage, as it has always been; the union between one man and one woman. Or, is it the more recent definition; the celebration of love between two adults? That debate is raging as as I write right now.

Over the last decade, there has been a great re-defining of the word "truth" - It used to simply mean; that which is true, a fact. And it was commonly understood that there could only be one truth. But, now days many people would assert that "truth" in relative and not absolute. And it's meaning, while still the same, must be understood in this context - Truth is that which is true to you. So there can be two totally different and even opposing truths at the same time and both are valid and equal.

This slight drift in meanings has invaded the church dictionary as well and created within our circles a muddied, watered down version of who we are as believers. The term that has become the identifying description of us in our day is the word "Christian". And then after identifying our religious affiliation we add in the flavor of Christianity that we follow. i.e. I'm a pentecostal, apostolic, baptist or catholic Christian, I'm a Spirit-filled, non-denominational, evangelical or orthodox Christian. And don't miss-understand me, I like the word christian - it basically means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. What I don't like, is the fact that many people view the word as a destination and not a continual journey. To be a "Christian" is to be a FOLLOWER of Jesus Christ, not someone who has ARRIVED at a belief structure. As if, when you become a Christian you arrive at some spiritual level and then everything after that is optional and based on your preferences.

Being a Christian in our day seems to be something a bit different than it would have meant to be one in the days of the Bibles. The more recent definition of being a Christian is this; One who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus. Notice the subtle word "or" that is inserted into the more recent definition. Being a Christian is as simple as professing a belief in Jesus. No action required, no change in lifestyle or thought life. Just profess a belief in Jesus and you are now considered a christian. That is a far cry from what it meant to be a christian when the first group coined the phrase. notice what acts 11:26 says the "Christians" were called before they assumed this new name

"...the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11:26 NKJV).

Before they were called Christians they referred to themselves as "disciples". And that word definitely does not portray as pretty a picture as the word Christian. To be a disciple sounds militaristic. It sounds like a lot of commitment and sacrifice. And for sure, in the time of the New Testament Christians to be a disciple meant all those things and a whole lot more. is the expectation any less today? sadly, the answer would have to be yes. In our day the average christian does not make you want to call them a a disciple. Those words seem to describe two different levels of Christians. But in the days of the Bible they meant the same thing.

So what has changed or what has happened?

I believe the gradual drift from the word "follower" is where the modern day christian lost his way. To be a Christian or to be a disciple means that you are a follower of Jesus Christ. It means that He is leading and guiding you into new revelations and a deeper relationship while at the same time you are following the truths and relational commitments you have already learned and made. Being a Christian means that you have convictions without being judgemental. You have a belief structure that is build upon a relationship. You are mature in your faith while at the same time ever hungry for more truth. Being a Christian means that you are a disciple. You are a follower of the one God of the Bible - Jesus

Maybe we need to go back to the original term of describing ourselves so that we can recapture the meaning of what it means to be a "follower" of Jesus Christ. Maybe we need reverse the trend that started in Acts 11:26. How does this sound...

"...the Christians were again called disciples in America" (August 13, 2009).

Dying Daily

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must make the daily decision to pick up our cross and follow Him. Put another way, we are called to give ourselves to God as a "living sacrifice". We see this word picture used by the Apostle Paul to help the Christians at Rome better understand this concept of dying daily.

(Romans 12:1-2 NLT) And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2 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 know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

So, how do we truly present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice? In a nutshell, we must be willing to die daily to our desires and expectations. We must put the call of God and the mandate of the gospel above our own. This concept is wonderfully presented in this anonymous poem…

When you are forgotten, neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting or hurt with the oversight, but your heart is happy being counted worthy to suffer for Christ;

That is dying to self.

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinion ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even defend yourself, but take it all in patiently, lovingly silently;

That is dying to self.

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any annoyance; when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility, and endure it as Jesus did;

That is dying to self.

When you are content with any food, and offering, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God;

That is dying to self.

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or record your own good works or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown;

That is dying to self.

When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and you are in desperate circumstances;

That is dying to self.

When you can receive correction and reproof and can humbly submit, inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart;

That is dying to self.

Now before you just throw in the towel and go - "well I'm a big failure at this dying daily thing". catch the outcome of getting this concept down, of allowing God to transform the way we think.

The great reward of dying daily to ourselves, of willingly becoming a living sacrifice is seen in the last part of Romans 12:2

Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

In the end, the person who willingly offers his/her life as a living sacrifice is really the one who finds the joy and peace that is associated with living in and doing the perfect will of God.

Now let me throw this in before I close. Many people do right things for God. Some people even do sacrificial things for God. And a few may even act or look foolishly in an effort to please God. But it's not simply doing right or sacrificial or fanatical things that prove we are accomplishing the goal of becoming "living sacrifices". The result that God is trying to produce in us by asking us to "die daily" or offer our lives as a "living sacrifice" will show up in our heart. A genuine "want to" will spring up inside of us. No longer will we do things because we have to, instead we'll do them because we want to.

Is your "dying daily" decision producing the want to in you? Is your offering yourself as a "living sacrifice" producing a clear knowledge of Gods will and how good and perfect it really is in your heart?

If not, don't despair. Find someone you trust in spiritual matters and tell them about your desire to understand more about becoming a "living sacrifice". And continue to pray for the clarity that comes from living in the perfect will of God, of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Being a Disciple

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations... Matthew 28:19

That’s our mandate. That’s the challenge. That’s the goal. So where do we start this process and how do we evaluate progress? I ask that because it’s clear from the Bible some groups thought they were doing a good job only to find out later they were failing miserably.

Take for instance the church at Laodicea, they were rich and increased with goods and had no material needs, that’s how the Bible describes them. Talk about a financially stable church, a church with a healthy and successful life skills training program. Laodicea had it going on. I’m sure in their community they were the church to attend. Because the people seemed so grounded and stable. Yes, they seem a little arrogant and somewhat snobby. But at least what they were proud about - was true. And maybe in their minds they attributed their success to God’s principles at work in their church. But look at the rebuke they received from God. So do we learn from that story that disciples are people who are poor and have need of everything? I don't think so.

What about the other churches that are mentioned in Revelations 2 and 3. They all had some great aspects about them and disciple attributes in them. But yet, God still was not pleased. He told Ephesus: "turn back to me as you did in the beginning or I’m going to come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches". He told the churches at Pergamos and Sardis: "repent or I will come unto you suddenly". So do we learn from them that God will only be satisfied when we get it all perfect? No, that's not right either.

I could go on and on asking pointless questions and going down dead end roads in my search to understand what God means by “make disciples”. But I think the point is clear: discipleship is not as simple as joining a church or getting saved. Making disciples does not mean we make a list of boxes that everyone needs to check off. Becoming a disciple is not a destination that you arrive at. It’s a daily decision that must be made and re-made everyday. Listen to the words of Jesus

Luke 9:23 (NLT) "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me.

It’s a daily decision – and that is what makes it so difficult. You can’t choose to be His disciple for the rest of your life. You can only choose to be his disciple today, and then re-commit tomorrow It’s a one day at a time decision that must be made everyday.

This point is important because being a disciple is a personal decision. And that personal decision may be harder for some than it is for others. Some make that daily decision and lose their life for it. While others make that decision and are blessed. Does that seem fair to you? It’s not and it’s never going to be. But the fact remains we all have that personal decision we must make everyday. Look how Jesus said it

Luke 14:27 (NLT) And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.

You have to carry “your own cross”. I can’t carry yours or ask God for one like yours. I have to carry mine, whatever it may be. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means I stop expecting the requirements to be fair and equal and I see the cross that is in front of me – MY cross. And I make the daily decision to carry it proudly and confidently as His disciple. This may seem unfair and confusing. But, that is the way it is. And as a Pastor my job is to daily challenge the people God has put under me to pick up their crosses and continue the march. And then call them to make that decision again tomorrow. No matter what happens to them whether it's good or bad.

Have you made your decision today?

Getting Out of the Boat

Let me start by stating that I know what we are planning to do in August is revolutionary. And in September we're going to find out whether it was a good idea or a bad one. But one thing is certain: we will not be confined by the limitations of a building in our pursuit to experience church together.

This whole idea has come about because the school we have been using for the past year is going to be used by an after school project that is having their facilities remodeled. And so we are out. Which, to be honest with you, at first was a real bummer.

But, as we began to talk and think about what God was trying to tell us through all this, we felt compelled to try something radical, something out of the box and definitely challenging. But, what makes it exciting is we feel it’s a God thought. And we never want to get locked into the safety of a boat when God is challenging us to get out of the boat.

So for the month of August we’re getting out of the normal routine of doing church in a building with music, children’s programming and a message and we’re going to focus on connecting and serving. No great worship sets. No great oratory, no working, planning or paying for one two hour space of time when we all come together to be entertained and hopefully spiritually inspired. Instead we’re going to focus all of our attention and resources on connecting with one another and serving those around us. And we feel when it is done we will all be better and stronger and more connected.

Now none of this is meant to be something that we are going to do for the rest of our church lives. When Jesus told Peter to get out the boat and walk on the water, He didn’t cease to use boats anymore. The next time we see Peter out on the water he was in a boat again. He didn’t start walking on water everywhere. It was a one time experience that was meant to challenge Peter’s faith and ability to trust God. This is what we feel God is challenging us to do. Get out of our Sunday church at 11:00 boat and do something we’ve never even thought about doing. Cancel church and spend all that “church” time serving and connecting.

To be honest with you, I’m excited and scared to death at the same time. My excitement is because I know we are following God. My fear is because I worry that people will not rise to the challenge and see this as an opportunity.

So I’m putting the challenge out there – I pray that no one will draw back and let pessimism take over their mind. My prayer is that excitement will sweep our church. That a spirit of love will sweep through our midst. I pray that something happens in the month of August that will forever change us as a people.

So, get out of the boat with us and together let’s connect and serve like never before.

The Church Has Left the Building

Imagine the typical Sunday morning complete with all the typical expectations and attitudes. It starts with the alarm going off and the sluggish response on your part to getting out of bed. Finally you roll out and begin getting ready for church. You head to the kitchen and quickly scarf down a bowl of cereal, locate one of your many Bibles, then head out the door with the family.

The ride over is quiet and non-eventful as everyone is still waking up. But then as you approach the church you notice the signs that usually direct people in, are missing. You think to yourself – “someone must have forgotten to do their job”. Then as you turn the corner you notice something even more strange...in fact quite disturbing. Instead of a parking lot full of cars and people out in front laughing and talking, there is no one in sight. The parking lot is empty and the building seems deserted.

You blink twice to make sure you're not hallucinating, but each time you open your eyes it becomes clearer and clearer that church is not happening today. You check your watch to see if you’ve arrived early. You ask your wife what day it is. Finally, you grab your phone to call the pastor. Something is wrong or you missed an announcement or an e-mail. They couldn’t or wouldn’t just disappear over night like that.

Feeling a little anxious and somewhat annoyed you open your mouth to voice your disapproval. But the words do little to calm your mind. So in a semi-panicked fit of a religious fix need, you wheel the car into the church parking lot and park.

Twenty minutes and twenty attempts later you finally get the pastor on the line. "Where are you guys?" You ask sarcastically. Did we move? What’s up? His response was not one you were prepared to hear.

“We’ve decided to take a few Sundays and go out into our community and BE THE CHURCH. We’re going to serve our neighbors and build relationships with each other and just enjoy being the church for a few weeks.”

As that concept begins to sink in, you hurriedly come to your senses and ask the next logical question. “So what are we doing today to be the church?” “Thanks for asking” the pastor responded. “Today we’re...

What would happen if a church was crazy enough to just cancel their Sunday church service and in its place schedule a bunch of serving opportunities and relationship building atmospheres?

Well here at Family Life Christian Fellowship we’re going to find out. For the whole month of August we're going to cancel church as we’ve known it – (A worship set, children’s programming, a message from the pastor etc. You know the normal routine of a church service). And instead we’re going to do something different.

We’re going to get out of the normal church on Sunday box and we’re going to use that time that we’ve all already dedicated to God in a new and exciting way. And out of this month here’s what we hope to accomplish:

•Build relationships between our church and other community organizations
•Reach unchurched friends by inviting them to come serve with us
•Improve the reputation of our church in our community
•Plant spiritual seeds of God's care through serving our neighbor's
•Share God's love in a tangible way
•Move our members from inactive to active

So I encourage you – Get out of your religious, go to a building on Sunday, normal, same ole same ole, predictable church box and try something new with us. We’ll get back to having church again in September, but for August we’re going to be radical in a whole new way. And I think we’re going to learn some stuff about ourselves that will make us a better church in the future.

So here we go!

The Building of A Church

Think what a local church would be like if its people were radically devoted to Christ, irrevocably committed to each other, and relentlessly dedicated to reaching those outside God’s family with the gospel of Christ. It would be a church against which the gates of hell could not prevail! It would be an unstoppable force for good in the community, an inspiration to other churches and a testimony to God’s unfailing grace.

The question is - is that church that I just described possible? And then, a little closer to home - Is it feasible to believe that I could unite with a group of other believers and see God use me to build that kind of a church?

As the pastor of Family Life Christian Fellowship, I had to ask myself those questions. Because, those answers determine how far I will be willing to go to see it happen. The answers show the level of my trust in God and the intensity of my faith in the calling that God has placed on my life.

Jim Cymbala makes a statement in his book "Fresh Wind Fresh Fire" that I think about whenever I sense myself settling for an average church or becoming content with good enough. He said this: "I despaired at the thought that my life might pass me by without God moving greatly on my behalf."

Good enough is not good enough when you add God into the mix. Good enough is what I can accomplish with all my talents and abilities and charisma. Why would anyone settle for that when there is a God that is waiting to include them in His eternal building plans? Why would anyone waste their life building a man-made church when God has offered us the opportunity to sacrifice our lives in the building of a God-made church?

The answer is - The God-made church, many times, takes longer. And, maybe the hardest part, the God-made church building plan always starts with the re-making and re-building and transformation of me.

One guy said: "oftentimes between a promise from God and the payoff of that promise, there's a painful process". As a church planter, I can say amen to that! But, I can also say if I had to do it all over again I wouldn't change anything. Because God's way of building a church always makes the builders better not just what they are building. God builds His church by building men not buildings. And it is in that building of better men that better churches emerge.

The church God is wanting to build through me is in me. And the more I become a reflection of God in my own life the more God is reflected in the life of the church. So let the building begin and let it begin with me!

You're a Hero!

If you read the article on my blog entitled "Heroes", which is right under this one, you'll see that Heroes play an important role in all of our lives. My prayer for everyone is that God would grant us the blessing of being touched and influenced by many heroes. Men and women who live their lives heroically around us and in front of us. But let me shift the focus in this article. Not only do you need heroes in your life, some people are probably going to need you to be a hero in theirs. Too Many times we forget to play our heroic roles in the lives of people that look up to us. We miss the opportunities God brings our way to impact and influence people we know and love. And that is just not right. You and I have what it takes to be a hero in someone's life.

So who is it in your sphere of influence that is needing you to stand up or show up right now? Who needs you to rise to the challenge, to sacrifice your time and money or to make that call? Who are the people around you that God is asking you to take a risk on? Who are the people that God wants you to care for or speak a word to? Who needs you to influence them?

I mean think about it. Every child needs a hero. Every wife is looking for a hero. Every husband wants to be married to a wife that plays her heroic role. The opportunities to be a hero are all around us. The disconnect is we don’t view ourselves as heroes. And the reason is, we don't really know what a hero looks like. We think heroes are people that have no fears or have no failure in their life. We think heroes are perfect people who have all the answers and possess all kinds of super human strength. And most of us know that's not us. So we play average roles in the lives of those around us. And because of that, we miss heroic opportunities and we fail to hear God's nudge to be play our heroic parts.

Look at this story from the Bible and notice what heroes really look like:

Eccl 9:13-18 (NLT)
13 Here is another bit of wisdom that has impressed me as I have watched the way our world works. 14 There was a small town with only a few people living in it, and a great king came with his army and besieged it. 15 There was a poor, wise man living there who knew how to save the town, and so it was rescued. But afterward no one thought any more about him.

The hero in this story had one ingredient that made him a hero - He knew what to do and he just simply got up and did it.

So what are the attributes and Characteristics of a HERO? Really there are just two things that that make someone a hero. (1) Clarity and (2) the irresistible urge to act.

A hero is a person who walks into a circumstance as big as war or as small as a relationship and they are able to see the situation for what it is. They see what others miss and they sense what needs to be done. And in that moment of clarity they act. They find the strength and courage to respond to the sense of urgency they feel.

Heroes are not people who have no fear. They are not always famous or popular. They are not always the strongest or outwardly the ones who seem to be the most confident. Heroes are people - who have clarity about who they are and what needs to be done. And out of that clarity they are compelled to act. Heroes are people who, like the story from the Bible, see with CLARITY what needs to be done. And they do it.

I think there are a lot of Heroes out there that will read this article and be challenged. Challenged enough, I hope, to realize that they know what needs to be done. They just need to get up and go do it.

May God give all of us the courage to be the heroes He is wanting us to be. Now get up and go be a Hero!

Heroes

We as a culture are amazingly enamored with our heroes. We have sports heroes, action heroes, super heroes, fictional book heroes, war heroes, movie heroes and Bible heroes. There's even a chapter in the Bible we have affectionately named the "Heroes of Faith" chapter - Hebrews 11. Heroes are just a natural part of our lives. We look for them and try to be like them and we love to talk about them. Really though, this infatuation we all have with heroes is not a new phenomenon. Regardless of your background, culture or religion every generation and nationality and organization has had a propensity towards finding and emulating and looking up to heroes. Every discovered culture is filled with writings and drawings and stories of Heroes. Heroes are as old and common as time itself. It's almost as if God himself designed us with a desire to look up to, and want to be influenced by, others - Heroes


Basically heroes are people who did the right thing at the right time. They are people who responded and or reacted correctly in the midst of a crisis. They are people who did something courageous. They stepped up in a hard situation. They intervened when circumstances seemed hopeless. They are people who metaphorically – snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat.


Now Some of those heroes and their stories we can all recall. like the firefighters on 9/11. General George Washington and the war for Independence. President Lincoln and the war to end slavery or Martin Luther King Jr and his non-violent protests for equality. Others are not so famous – nationally - but personally they are hero’s just the same. Like a dad or a mom that sacrificed to make our lives better. A teacher or a friend that just understood what to say and when to say it. Some single mom that raised you or a boss at work that helped lead you. Hopefully, in all of our personal lives there has been someone who stepped in and showed care and concern when we needed it. Someone who helped, who gave a hand or met a need. Someone who in our lives has lived their lives, heroically.


For me this thought came clear again when I heard about the tragic death of my friend Tim Foster, this past week. Tim wasn't perfect and for sure he had his weaknesses. But, for me he was a hero. When I was completing my Bible college degree and praying and really seeking to discover what and where God was going to lead me next. It was Tim that stepped in and really opened a door that launched my ministry. Tim found me in the prayer room one morning and asked me if I would like to speak at his singles retreat. Now, at that point in my life I was not a good speaker nor was I a guy that had much experience working with single adults. But Tim said he just sensed that I had "IT". He wasn't concerned about all the other stuff. He felt confident that God had a call on my life and that I was the guy. That singles retreat and Tim's belief in me led to a discussion about my future which caused Tim to call, on my behalf, his father, "The Doctor", who pastored a church in West Monroe, his sister Debbie who was a youth pastor and his brother Tom who pastored a church in Dallas. They all, because of Tim's recommendation, invited me to come and preach for them. And that began my ministry.


The point is Tim was the guy who stepped up and stepped in to my life and became a hero to me. He let God use him to say some simple words and do a simple thing like call his family on my behalf. And in the end, those words and those calls changed everything for me. They gave me confidence and a direction. They introduced me to people that were ready to take me from where I was to the next level. And to think it all started because Tim saw in me something that made him move in my direction. Tim sensed something that made him take a risk on me and because of that risk he opened a door that has forever changed my life. Tim that morning in 1992 became my hero.


So who is your hero? Who do you look up to? Who has played a heroic role in your life? I encourage you to sit down and write a note to them - TODAY. Don't wait, like I did, until they are gone. take the time to say thank-you and let that person know they are a hero in your eyes.

Read this article - Modesty Revisited

Check out this article entitled "Modesty Revisited" - simply awesome
http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001513.cfm

Clarity

As a result of me messing around with my boys with my glasses on, they were damaged. The good news is, I shop at Costco, which means every thing's covered. Took them in, the Costco guy repaired them, and I'm back in business just like that. What struck me about this whole experience was this though. When the man took my glasses to repair them for me, I was without them for about 20 minutes. I never knew I was so blind, or to think about it another way, I never realized how much clarity I had thanks to my glasses.

Don't we all do this in our lives as well. We never consider how much clarity we do have. Clarity that has been gained through all the lessons we've learned and experiences we've endured and principles we've picked up along the way. We never consider how much God's grace and love and Spirit is doing for us. That is, until it's gone or we fail to use what we have.

As I walked around Costco, I was reminded what a horrible life it would be if I was really that blind all the time. I mean I couldn't make out the writing or faces any further away than 15 feet. I felt very limited and weak. It made me become very narrow in my focus. I only looked at or tried to view things that were right in front of me. There was no point in lifting my eyes up to see the whole store or even the whole isle I was in. I couldn't see. I had become very limited in my vision. What a weird felling that was.

I was so happy to get my glasses back, and thankful for the Costco policy that just repairs and replaces things without any questions. And when I put them on - hallelujah, just like that, I could see the store and the people and the all the stuff I wanted to buy. (that last part is not good, I have to fight the urge to splurge when I'm at Costco, anyone know what I'm talking about?) The point is - I have something that provides me an incredible amount of clarity, and I am thankful for them. How they look on me is secondary to what they do for me.

So what is it in your life that, you have right now, that is providing clarity for you. let's not talk about the area's that you are unclear in. let's stay focus on what you do have, what you have learned, and what God has provided. I think all of us have a lot more clarity than we realize. we just need to recognize it, value it, and use it.

Options

It seems at times we create options that God never wanted us to consider.

Here are a few examples: The church at Laodecia in Revelations 3 thought lukewarm was a viable option for how to do church. The rich man in Mark 10 thought keeping the 10 commandments was a good option to obtain eternal life. And the Old Testament generation of Malachi thought bringing God their left overs was an acceptable option that would meet the required minimums. In each of these examples it's not that the people weren't doing anything. It's that what they were doing was less than their best. And, God has always wanted and expected and demanded our best.

On the other side of the pendulum we see those like the church in Galatia that started down a path that Paul called "another gospel" (Gal 1:6) That path or option is described perfectly in Galatians 3:3 (TEV) "You began by God's Spirit; do you now want to finish by your own power?" That church started to believe that following and keeping the Old Testament law was what God wanted. They were using God's words to create an option that God never wanted them to consider.

Now this example of the church at Galatia is interesting to me for this reason. The first group I mentioned were lowering Gods standard or expectation. And most people can see that this is wrong. But, this group in the book of Galatians was, in their minds, raising the bar. They were using what we now call the Bible to create a "higher" level of obedience. And that is the hardest deception to fight against. People or religions that have a verse to back up what they do are the most dangerous people of all. They feel justified in their "obedience". They feel secure in their "following of the rules". And they miss what God is really after. They create an option that God never wanted us to consider. They in essence turn living for God into a religion. And religions don't need an ever present "NOW" God. Nor do they desire an ever revealing relationship with God. They only want to keep their religions going. And unfortunately too many people are way passionate about their religions but not so passionate about their God. That's what the church at Galatia was turning into - A Spirit filled group of Old Testament followers. And that was an option God wasn't interested in.

Now, before you decide who I'm writing to or what you hear me saying between the lines, let me say this. I would never write something or preach a message with an expected audience in mind. I write and preach to myself first. I write and preach out of my own experiences with God. So if what I just wrote offended you - that's God not me.

Step back for a minute and think about it though. Don't you feel we spend to much time arguing and debating within the walls of the church? Doesn't it seem like we are wasting a little too much time and energy studying to prove what we already believe? Doesn't it seem at times like we are preaching and writing things for the sole purpose of making us feel good and making us look right?

What about this: How about we all get the focus off making ourselves feel justified in our religions. How about focusing on ourselves instead of those who are not like us. How about we spend more time praying for one another instead of preying on one another.

Anyways, Back to my original thought, which was - Don't we all create options that God never intended for us to consider?

Right now, for me personally, I am just so stirred by all the deviations I see in my own life that are first of all less than what God would want or deserve. And, second by all the religious beliefs that I have just accepted as truth. But that alone is not what has me going today. The part of this dilemma that has me really fired up is this. It's the question that I feel God is challenging me with.

Why am I so slow to do something about all this stuff after God let's me see it for what it is?

I think it's because I have accepted the notion and belief that these deviations and shortcomings are acceptable options before God. I have bought into the lie that God doesn't care or that in the end following my religion is equivalent with following God. And that is so not the truth

Now I would never come out and just say "I do this and I know it's less than my best - but God doesn't care" I would never admit that I'm more influenced by my religious beliefs than I am by the present Spirit of God that is at work within me. No, I say it in my actions and attitude. I say it in my heart and mind. I say it in how I spend my time and who I seek to please. I say it in what I do with the new truths that God is showing me everyday. I say it in who I am afraid of and intimidated by. I say it in many ways that no one ever hears.

And I can't speak for you, but as for me and my house I don't want to say that stuff anymore I want to rise above my pre-conceived, pre-determined, narrow minded, argumentative, religious beliefs and open my heart up to God. I want to be like those in Acts 17:11 that were, the King James says "more noble" the New Living translation says they were "more open-minded". I want to be open to new truths and revelations like the Bareans and not closed like Thessalonicians who are contrasted in that verse.

Acts 17:11 (NLT) And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth.

God, don't let me get stuck like those in Thessalonica. Let me be open-minded like the Bereans so that you can lead and guide me into all truth. So that I will find myself living for you the way you intended for me to live for you. Amen

Wrecked by God

Have you ever read a book or heard a sermon or had a conversation with someone that wrecked you? I mean emotionally stirred you, physically affected you and spiritually convicted you? Have you ever been so challenged by something you read or heard that your entire life plans were altered? I guess what I'm really asking is this - Have you ever had the Holy Spirit so challenge you that you were visibly moved and emotionally stirred to the point of concern?

In my experience, it seems like those 3 things all work together (books, sermons and people) as a team to get our attention and wreck the plans that are not the ones God wants for us. It seems like God will use one of them to plant a seed and then start watering the heck out of that seed with the other two. Almost, like He is forcing growth out of that seed. And when it is happening everywhere you go and everything you hear is touching on that one small seed that has been planted in your heart and mind. And over time it wrecks you!

For me personally God has used messages by J.T. Pugh and Anthony Mangun, Tom Foster and Johnny Garrison, Jeff Arnold and Chester Mitchell, Andy Stanley and Francis Chan, T.D Jakes and John Bevere to wreck me through the years. He has allowed the Books - "Fresh Wind Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala, Next generation leader by Andy Stanley, Prayer by E.M Bounds, Holiness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Axiom by Bill Hybels and many others to challenge my thinking. And he has led me into conversations with Tim Zuniga, Chester Mitchell and my own pastoral team that have produced fire in my bones and passion in my soul. All these over the years have shaped me into the man I am today. But the process was not always pretty or pain-free.

Some people say God uses the 2x4 method on them to get their attention. They describe the moments in their lives where real and lasting change occurred as "come to Jesus" meetings. And always when they are telling the story - they are excited and encouraged by the fact that God got up in their face and hit them metaphorically over the head with a 2x4 of truth.

If what I'm describing seems weird or out there to you then I guess you wouldn't be able to relate to how the Apostle Paul described God's pursuit of him. He describes it like this:

Php 3:8 ...for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Paul said I have suffered the loss of all things so that in return I might win Christ.

That phrase - "suffered the loss" is not a pleasant statement. It's an accurate way of describing God wrecking someone. It's an accurate way of defining what it takes sometimes to get our focus right and our journey clear. It's tough words that are meant to show us what it felt like and looked like to Paul.

So back to the question - have you ever been wrecked by God? Would you be willing to suffer the loss of all things so that you could in return win Christ. I think there are a lot of us out there that would say yes to that. So in Jesus name let the wrecking begin. Bring a book or a person or a sermon into our lives God that begins the wrecking process. And in the end - may we all WIN CHRIST

E.M. Bounds said this
"what the church needs today is not more or better machinery, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use - men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men - men of prayer."

A Father Son Week

Today my middle son Rylan and five other boys from our church played in a little league game to decide who would would take 3rd place in their division. It was a big game because 3rd place gets a trophy, 4th place gets nothing. As a coach, It was a big game because you want the kids to have a lasting memory sitting on their bookshelf of how awesome you were. (OK, maybe that's a stretch.) Put simply, it was a game that makes playing baseball fun with a prize on the line.

As a competitive guy and a father, It was exciting preparing for the game this week. I had a great discussion with Rylan about preparing for the game mentally. I talked to him about being a team leader and making those around you better. I talked to him about carrying yourself as a winner and rising to meet whatever opportunity presented itself. Let me tell you, It was great! We even simulated Rylan coming to bat with the game on the line.

Now that it's Saturday night and it's all over, all I can say is -It was a fun Father son week.

I hope you're not wondering who won - of course we won!

Clutter

In the book "Simple Church" the writers make the following observation from Mark chapter 11 and the cleaning project that Jesus undertook in that passage:

"Many of our churches have become cluttered. So cluttered that people have a difficult time encountering the simple and powerful message of Christ. So cluttered that many people are busy doing church instead of being the church."

How easy it is to see it -(clutter) in other people's church. How clear it is when you see other churches that are so busy doing church that the people have no time to consider what it really means to be the church. But when you bring the focus home, to your own local church. It's complicated and confusing. It's hard to identify and even harder to clean up. And sadly, because of all that, we as church leaders are handicapped and reticent to move. And so years go by and people sink into ruts and yes we rescue some but in the end we lose way to much. So what's the answer?

I'm thinking the answer has been there all along. Why are we so afraid to pray the prayer - "God please show up at our church and clean it up. Get the clutter out and your Spirit in. Get the people out of the way that are in the way. Get our eyes back on what matters most. God show up in such a way that we become the church again, whatever that means and whatever it takes.

For the church there in Mark 11 the only ones that were bummed out by what Jesus did were those who were part of the clutter. Everyone else in that story celebrated this event. I don't know about you, I want to lead a clutter free church. And for that to be true I'm probaly going to have to pray that prayer... more than once.

Catching up with the modern age

I have always loved learning and discussing new idea's and new concepts. Some people have accused me of loving to argue and debate. Maybe that true. But, none the less whatever you call it - I love it. That leads me to the modern age of conversations. No longer do we all meet down at the coffee shop or on the porch, (I meet down at the Starbucks everyday and there are a few old timers that still do) but most people are too busy to just randomly hook up that way for a conversation. Most people are rushing here and there and everywhere. And the place they sit down most regularly to randomly enjoy a conversation is at their computer. It's the new and modern way of engaging one another. We share moving stories and funny video's this way. We learn new thoughts and gain fresh perspectives this way. And we have ongoing conversations through e-mails, myspace, facebook, twitter and blogs. So here I go into the modern age of conversing - will you join me...