thirst 4 righteousness

3 Years

2011-01-26T10:12:00.004-06:00

Wow, it’s been an amazing ride with the Lord over the last three years. Things back then that seemed so tenuous, so difficult, so frustrating even, now appear in the rear view mirror as absolute blessings in my life.

I am so thankful for the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. That He alone has shown things to me that I could never have seen on my own. Whew!

Things that I thought were important three years ago when I began writing this blog, are no longer even on my radar screen! It’s crazy y’all!

So now, I believe that a season has passed in my life, at least as it pertains to this vessel of expression. This will be my last “Thirst 4 Righteousness” blog post. So to you two readers out there :), thanks for reading and listening to my heart over the past few years. It has been fun.

Never forget that we serve an awesome God and to Him be all honor and glory and praise!

Out.

Am I?

2010-11-05T06:32:00.011-05:00

“Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” This is the age old question that Cain posed to God after killing his own brother in an angry rage (Genesis 4). We know that Cain had a wicked heart; that he was more into himself than God and because of that he missed the unique opportunity to become all that God had in store for his life.

We live in a world today that constantly tells us that we are not each other’s keepers; that we are supposed to take care of number one and let each man be his own.

Think about it, we strive for independence from one another, we try and get ahead and build up security for ourselves, we close off our personal lives to those around us.

And for what reason?

Because we don’t care anymore. We don’t have a heart for what God has a heart for. We think that all the problems in the world, all the messed up lives around us are someone else’s responsibility. Maybe government, maybe the market, maybe religion?

In the end, each of us challenges God by asking “Am I my Brother’s keeper?” Is it “my job” to help out my brother in need when I’ve got my own stuff to deal with?

Are you asking God the wrong questions? What if we began to ask God: “What can I do for my Brother?” How would that change our hearts? What good could God do through our lives if we got the spotlight off ourselves and onto others in need?

This week at Victory (victorywired.com), we will attempt to answer the question of what a true brother would do. Who are the people in your life that you can help right now?

Lost

2010-10-27T06:16:00.002-05:00

As I embark on another journey with God, I am struck yet again by the magnitude and depth of the mind and heart of our Creator. I am impressed by His impact on my life, on other’s lives.

Although I don’t fully understand, as I age/grow, I realize that God continues to teach us new and beautiful things through a multitude of avenues. Life experiences, whether viewed as good or bad are always used by God, for good. That’s tough to get a grip on.

The journey that is life, is one marked by boundless choices, or though it seems. There are turns we can make here and there, we can stop or go faster; you understand.

To be certain though, choices, although we prefer to conceive of unlimited options and preferences, are all framed within the perfect will (plan) of our Father God.

This week I have been challenged by the question of “lostness.”

What does it mean to be spiritually lost?
How do we know when we are?
What can we do if we know we are lost?
Can there be more than one way to lose it?
What is “it”?

Sometimes what we think we know is dangerous. Is deadly.

God help us to learn. Help us to grow. Help us to search You for answers. Help us to stay humble and to have a heart of repentance for the guaranteed good things that you have in store.

By the grace and mercy of God, we will attempt to answer these questions of lostness at Victory (www.victorywired.com) this weekend.

What does it mean to you to be spiritually lost?

But is a Bad Word

2010-09-22T08:41:00.001-05:00

Not “your butt looks mighty cute in those tight jeans” kinda butt.

But a but when it comes to lack of trust.

“When it comes to trusting God, putting our absolute faith in His ability to see anything through, we have to be sure we don’t hesitate to believe His promises.”

Take the Israelites (Old Testament people God chose to fulfill His promises) for example.

They were ready to go into the promised land (a plush crib-land), flowing with milk and honey (pimped out).
They had just made a major move out of Egypt (left the hood), across the desert and were on the edge of entering the land that God had promised to give them.
Problem was, this place was already lived in by some big dudes that weren’t ready to move out if you know what I mean.
So they sent some look-outs (spies) in to check things out and some of them got scared. In fact, so scared that they began to doubt the promises of God. Even though He had guaranteed their victory.

Check this out from Numbers 13:27-28 (& watch for the but):

“They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. BUT the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.”

This is what happens when we look upon ourselves as the means to the end of our problems. When we don’t trust in, don’t stand on what God has clearly promised us that He’d do.

Don’t make the same mistake the Israelites did and die in the badlands. Trust God today to be your strength! When have you trusted God and seen victory in your life?

I ALREADY KNEW THAT!

2010-08-14T07:29:00.001-05:00

Today we have so much information out there that it’s scary! In addition to traditional books, we know have all things technology, allowing anyone to publish information in various formats via the Internet. Consider the following:

You don’t even have to go to the store to get your book, you can get it in seconds (via Kindle, iPad; you name it)
There are over 126 million blogs posted each year (via BlogPulse)….Whew!
People don’t go to the library card catalogue anymore for a reference, they go to Google and Wikipedia

Information sharing is in over-drive. Just about anything is right at our fingertips. Good stuff and bad stuff.

So with all this info, we have to be careful about too much information and not enough application.

Learning is about taking information and creating change.

You can know everything in the world and if you hold it in, if you don’t let it impact you enough to action, well then you may just be a “know-it-all”.

Come on, we all know a K-I-A. Right? It’s someone who, no matter what the subject, they “already knew it!” You can’t tell ‘em anything! (Think three year old who you’ve just told something that they already knew…they let you know they know!)

Funny thing is, since they know everything already, they don’t have anything to learn. And when you stop learning, well you stop growing. And how many of you know when you stop growing….ummm, you’re dead?

So here’s to taking all that knowledge and putting it into play. Turn some of that research into action and do something!

Tick Tock

2010-06-19T11:01:00.002-05:00

Here’s the deal. Each one of us has a limited amount of a resource that is steadily dwindling away even as I write and you read these words.

It’s called time.

As long as we’re breathing, we all have the same amount of it in a day. What we do with it boils down to a couple things: priority & perspective.

Priority means what’s important to us will inevitably dictate how we utilize or spend our time. Out of priority, we have a stack of stuff to do that is a result of this order.
Perspective means how we view our purpose in life will shape how we apply our time. We either look to waste it/get through it (use it for ourselves), or we look to use it for good/protect and maximize it (use it for others).

Usually, there’s a direct relationship between time application and effectiveness. We fall into the “easy is quick” mindset instead of learning the truth that “process takes time.”

When we look to take the easy path, our priorities read like a selfish six-year old’s Christmas list. It’s full of a bunch of toys that won’t even be played with by the time New Years rolls around.

When we understand that things take time, our priorities read like a well-prepared response plan that addresses the needs of others in times of peril. Things like how we can help, how we can serve, how we can pray, how we can plan to equip the lives of others without hope.

Paul wrote: “The night is nearly over, the day is almost here.” (Romans 13:12)

We never know how long we have left, but the timer is running. Do you hear the tick tock of the clock realizing how important your time is? Or are you deafened by the silence of self-pacification?

The Twilight Zone

2010-06-15T10:02:00.007-05:00

Reading Ephesians 2 nowadays is like watching an old episode of The Twilight Zone. That may be foreign to some, but if you’ve never seen it, it’s an old show on TV where the premise is all about the odd, the weird and the fantastic becoming reality. Ending in a strange, unexpected twist. Pretty cool stuff in black and white

So I’m reading Ephesians 2 today and it hits me. This passage that I’ve read countless times, taught on a few occasions and referenced more than I can remember, suddenly appears different to me now.

Funny thing is, I now completely understand this text the same way that I read it today (in other words, it wasn’t a new revelation of meaning). It’s just that I haven’t been back and read and meditated on this specific book of the Bible in a while.

So when I hit it again now, I suddenly glanced back through an old lens that I used to wear when I read this passage. Here’s what nailed me:

“But don’t take any of this for granted. It was only yesterday that you outsiders to God’s ways had no idea of any of this, didn’t know the first thing about the way God works, hadn’t the faintest idea of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:11-12)

So I sat there, realizing that for most of my life, I had been an outsider to God’s way and how He works through His Son Jesus.

I’m the stereo-typical “I grew up in church” guy. As far back as I can remember, I always went to church. I was baptized at age 13. I served in leadership. I preached the Word. I led ministries. I called myself a Christian. All my life.

But I had no idea how God really worked.

I now understand God’s way and as I re-read this verse, I recognized that “I” was taking God for granted, and that “I” was an outsider to God’s ways. Even as I read and taught God’s Word on this very passage. How could that be? How could I read something and not get it?

Here’s how: religion.

That scares me to death! This is what I want to say to you today. Be super careful not to switch out Jesus for man-made activities that masquerade as being a follower of the Way of God. Please look hard at your life and your relationship with Jesus Christ today! Do you know him? Do you trust Him with your life?

Or is it about what you’re doing for Him? Is it about following your church’s system to make yourself right? It can’t be that way. We can be doing everything right on the surface and still miss knowing Jesus!

Please hear my heart on this, as I hope that all who may read this come to know Him in the right way.

How has God impacted your heart lately? Have you had any Twilight Zone moments?

New & Improved?

2010-06-08T23:11:00.004-05:00

So many times we fall for it. It must be our finite minds, our propensity for greed or our ruthless pursuit of self-exaltation.

We take things, which have been in motion long before we were, put our own stamp on them, and reframe the idea as our own.

Like we created it. Like we own it. Like we make it new.

It could be anything really. It could be words. It could be music. It could be an ideology. It could be a process, or a project or a presentation.

Exactly why do we think so highly of ourselves? Why do we buy into the notion that we are it? That others are objects of our perception. As if we, objects of creation, were somehow made to be set above the rest of our brotherhood or objectivity.

In our universe, we imagine everything to be in alignment with our desires, our needs and agendas.

We dream of making our "mark" and leaving our "legacy"... how sad.

Determining whether something or someone is good or bad, is based solely upon how we are impacted emotionally, spiritually, physically. Relativity is paramount.

In this environment we are confronted with a choice.

To remain in the mindset of me as everything, or to give up this short-sided, self-deceived outlook and into truth.

Truth as revealed by our creator God.

Once we submit to the ideas of His Kingdom (World), things are only then new. It’s the genesis of identity and the end of deception.

And it is, where life begins…

"I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind." ::: Ecclesiastes 1:14

Full or Empty?

2010-04-07T08:19:00.006-05:00

God uses humble men.

Or said a better way, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”.

The whole Bible is full of stories of how God used ordinary, resource-limited humans, to fulfill His great purposes.

It’s interesting that the connection between a move of God upon someone’s life and that person’s ability to humble their selves before Him are tied together. When a person truly (true as in the sight of God) submits, crazy things happen! BIG THINGS happen. Unexplainable.

As men, we ascribe to ourselves. We try to understand what we did to make stuff happen.

Reversed?

Man doesn’t control God. Nor can he understand God’s mind or His plans.

Every ounce of management & leadership we have, comes from God. He’s the leader. Not us. Even if we think we’ve got some mad skills in this arena, God gave ‘em to us.

When this God-designed order gets mixed up; man things happen. Things like disappointment, failure, pain and regret.

Our limitations are God’s way of reminding us to chase after Him. Not because he needs our help with anything, but because we need His goodness. We need His assistance to get through every moment we encounter.

And life is full of tests that bring us into alignment with God’s master plan (aka His will).

How will we respond? Will we turn to Him in times of challenge? Or will we try and handle it on our own, with the resources we “see” in front of us right now?

God uses humble men. I think this is why James wrote, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

What has He done in your life to show you He’s in control of everything?

A Prayer for the Church

2010-03-23T06:57:00.004-05:00

Taken from Colossians Chapter 1 verses 9-14; Romans 8; and Genesis 1, here is a prayer I have begun to pray daily for the church:

Dear Father,

Fill us with the knowledge of your will, through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that we can live lives worthy of you Lord, that please you in every way.

Help us to be productive in every good work.

Help us to know you deeper each day Lord, by the power of your Spirit.

Strengthen us with your power God, through your magnificent glory and might.

Give us great endurance and great patience.

Fill us with abundant joy and heartfelt thanksgiving, realizing that everything is from you.

Thank you for qualifying us to share in your glorious Kingdom of light.

Thank you for rescuing us from the dominion of darkness.

Thank you for bringing us into the Kingdom of Jesus Your Son whom you love.

Thank you for cancelling our sin debt and granting us forgiveness.

Transform us this day into the likeness and image of your Son Jesus, so that we might bring you glory in everything we do.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Will you begin to pray it with me?

Momentum

2010-02-24T07:45:00.001-06:00

I saw this show the other day on Discovery about some guys who performed extreme jumping acts, sort of like modern day ninjas. You know it was one of those sports science shows that analyze the forces and energy required to perform high-level athletic maneuvers.

In this episode, a guy ran and jumped off a nine-foot platform, did a flip in the air, landed on his feet, and then rolled forward to a stop. It was incredible! I had butterflies just watching it (while sitting on the couch☺).

But the really cool thing about the analysis was the discovery of how this dude transferred momentum (mass x velocity). They concluded that if he had taken the full impact of the landing on his feet, it would have broken his legs and possibly his back and left him paralyzed for life.

The jumper didn’t do that though. He had been trained to land, bend his knees and dive forward into a roll. This technique would transfer all that energy through his body and into the roll. In effect, the energy would just go right through him. Pretty awesome!

So I was thinking about how we all face extreme forces in our lives. Heavy stuff. We do have a choice of how we handle the momentum around us.

We can take it all on our own feet and feel the massive, crippling impact of the full force of energy. And it can mess us up.

Or we can take it, utilizing another way to transfer all this overwhelming raw energy through us and push it out the other end unscathed.

Truth be known, we can’t handle the stuff life throws at us everyday on our own. We have to have help to take these massive problems we have, and transfer the force of death away from us.

Our designer God, made a way for us to do that. He knew we weren’t able to handle the full load without some help. So he gave us another way. He gave us His Son Jesus to take that crushing blow and relieve us of the damage.

Are you crippled by the impact of taking life’s momentum all on your own? If so, there’s a better way. A much easier way. Jesus said “Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (Matthew 11:30) MSG.

If life has you paralyzed with fear and wounded from your past, check Him out! Momentum can be a good thing properly channeled.

What Size is Your Gospel?

2010-01-08T11:18:00.005-06:00

One of the great tragedies in life is to miss out on the biggest opportunities that come our way, while pursuing small things that seem like big things. Many times in my own life, I have chased after small things, not realizing that I was compromising the bigger things that were available to me.

Small things are safe though and more often than not, we prefer to be comfortable and normal rather than going through pain and uncertainty.

This concept hit me right in the face earlier this week. I was at Passion 2010 http://www.268generation.com/passion2010/ watching a video about a young Chinese girl who had come to know Jesus through some American students sharing their faith.

She had grown up in a culture that values self-advancement as much as any civilization on earth. She talked of a story her grandfather had told her numerous times growing up. It was about a sparrow that worked hard every day to become something greater. The sparrow was focused on a little thing (success). I remembered what Jesus said: “Don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:7) It was this mindset that left her lost after circumstances in the competitive world didn’t work out.

And then she met Jesus Christ. She learned that salvation comes through a relationship with Him and that He loved her not because of how she performed, but because of Who He was.

In that moment, I realized that I had made the story of Jesus Christ and salvation a small thing for most of my life. I began to cry and wept tears of sadness and joy simultaneously. I asked God to forgive me, to forgive the Americanized churches and to restore the Gospel perspective of many believers in this great country. It is the greatest cause any of us could ever live for.

But we don’t have long.

How can we make the biggest thing a small thing? By misunderstanding the glory of God above. When we trade the Big Thing for smaller things, we end up missing out on the only real opportunity we have in life to make an impact that lasts. The difference is life and death.

Be real honest. What size is your Gospel?

Sudden Impact

2009-12-02T08:55:00.001-06:00

Sometimes God comes along and blows you out of the water. It’s in those times that He changes our plans and conforms us to His plans. Thank goodness, His plans are always best! It’s God’s very intention for us: To change us into something new, something better.

Although we make many decisions in life, it’s always a great thing to remember Who’s in control of all things. I believe that’s why the Israelites struggled so many times in the OT, as the Bible is full of examples when God’s people strayed away. Not fun.

The Bible in its essence is a story of God’s love for us and His redemptive plan to rescue us from ourselves! It’s always been about the purposes and plans of God, and it’s much more beneficial when we yield to His Way.

And that’s why I am thankful for the people He’s placed in my life. People that facilitate Godly change. Not too long ago, God began to put together a group of people that would encourage, strengthen and build the Kingdom in our community. It wasn’t of man, but of God. You see, that’s exactly how God works, by stirring in the hearts of men.

Although I can’t tell you what that looks like or how that will play out, I know that God is behind it and that many people will be impacted as a result of His plan. The mission of God is much greater than anything man could ever devise. It’s the great cause!

I’m sure you’ve read the famous passage in Jeremiah 29:11, but I can’t help but think of it and how it resonates in the lives of each of us. He told us that He knows the plan he has for us and it involves hope and a future. Thank you Lord for providing us the opportunity to learn, grow and prosper!

What has God done in your life that you never saw coming?

Are My Shoes Tied?

2009-11-27T07:49:00.003-06:00

One of the things about faith that is sometimes tough for us to get our hands around is how to share it with others. You know the whole "live a good life with few words" vs. "talk about Jesus all the time with little action" debate?

Well thankfully, the Word has something to say about this. Peter wrote about this in his letter to new church plants in Turkey. The letter we know now as 1 Peter was one filled with hope, confidence and joy.

Peter wanted to make sure these new Christ-followers were ready for the stuff they would face in their new walk (or run!). In those places and times, being a Christian could cost them their very freedom or lives.

And in the midst of his encouragement, he paints a picture of a heart that responds in faith. He says to them "Do not fear"..."do not be frightened" and "set apart Christ as Lord." (1 Peter 3:14-15). Great reminders of how we are to trust in our Lord God even when life's circumstances are challenging.

The end of v. 15 really nails the question of how we respond to others with faith. It's not all talk and its not all walk, but rather a heart that is ready (both in word and deed) to respond to someone who needs God when He appoints the perfect time and opportunity.

So think for a moment. If we aren't living lives of faith and obedience to God, who's gonna ask us about the reason we have for hope? Ummm. No one.

On the other hand, when our lives present the opportunity for someone to ask us, we are to be ready, willing and able to "speak" the reason for that hope, which lies in Jesus Christ.

Peter writes "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15

Thanks Pete for the advice. Now let's not forget to tie our shoes before we run out the door for the race!

Masquerade

2009-10-31T04:58:00.012-05:00

I know this might not be a popular “Christian” thing to say; but I love Halloween. Not because of any inherent evil it represents. No, because of the fun, warmth and joy it creates in the hearts of children as they dress up, go into the community and collect candy.

Think about it. It’s the one time of year anyone can put on a mask/costume and be accepted as normal! You can be a cowboy. Or a clown. Maybe even a superhero.

One thing that’s fun? You can pretend to be something you’re not, if just for a little while. Remember the Halloween parties? It’s so hard to tell who’s who when everyone’s got their masks on.

It’s sad though when people wear masks everyday. It’s no fun anymore and can turn into a lifestyle of hiding, loneliness and isolation. So many people wear so many masks that hide who they are. Eventually wearing a mask will cause you to lose your identity in who God made you to be.

Even worse, we know that bad people wear good-looking masks that can cause us to think they are our friends. When in fact they don’t care about us at all.

So 2 things to reflect on this Halloween:

Live a life of truth without a mask (1 John 3:18). When we hide and pretend all the time, we won’t serve God with all our hearts. Bring any darkness behind the mask into the light. It’s so hard to see out of a mask!
Hang around others who don’t wear masks and steer clear of those who do (2 Corinthians 11:13). Be sure the people you surround yourself with frequently are ones that are real and seeking more of God. It’s critical that we connect and are in relationship with others that encourage us to serve God more and more each day. This causes us to find and help those who have masks on and don’t even know it yet.

Do you wear a mask? Do your friends wear masks? Today is a great day to take off the costume and start seeing clearly.

Highlights :: Catalyst '09

2009-10-10T10:25:00.008-05:00

In case you didn't get a chance to attend this year, I've taken my favorite "nuggets" of wisdom from a portion of the lineup of inspiring leaders who presented at Catalyst '09. Make a mark on the world for Jesus Christ!

Andy Stanley

What man is a man that doesn't leave the world better?
God is not “invited” to play a role in our story; we’ve been privileged to play a role in His.
Living life to make "my" mark is too small a thing for us to give our whole life to

Rob Bell

Faith and doubt dance together
Less is more; inverse fidelity
The 10 Commandments: First 9 are externally measurable/observable; obeying the 10th is a "reward" for obeying the first 9. When you obey the first 9, you won't want what somebody else has

Matt Chandler

EVERYTHING God creates rolls up into worship
What God has said He was going to do is HAPPENING NOW. We're caught up in something bigger than we can even imagine
Let confession and repentance be a continuing ethic for us

Frances Chan

WE WERE DEAD. But Jesus saved us. Ephesians 2. When was the last time you thought "I should be in hell right now?"
We are arrogant to think that we alone can change the world. Only God can do that.
Who cares if people won't restore you? The God of all grace will.

Chuck Swindoll

Brokenness and failure are necessary
We must be willing to leave the familiar methods without disturbing the biblical message
Drip with gratitude and grace

Louie Giglio

As my life becomes about Jesus, it becomes all that life is meant to be about
The time is NOW for us to process, to live out, to move out, to do something, to take action
"Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire." - Thomas Merton

Which one of these speaks to you today? On your mark, get set, GO!

Misplacement

2009-09-19T09:34:00.007-05:00

What do you desire? Who do you love? What makes you tick? How you answer these questions, reveals the true foundation of your heart. Where there is affection, there is attention. By design, the primary object of our affection controls our mind, our thought life and subsequent actions. It all begins in the heart primarily in the form of something we know as worship.

So many times we “church” folks make worship out to be something that it’s not. Inverting the direction of worship causes us to be misaligned. Whenever we make worship to be about “us” or “our preferences” or “our emotions/feelings” instead of about God, we end up miserable.

Instead of misdirecting our primary worship towards other humans, organizations, things, music, styles, or any other terminal object, we should challenge ourselves to take a new view of what God created us to be. We were created to worship God. We were designed to desire God. We were made in His image.

Since God created us, its not by chance that misdirected worship leads us down a dead-end path. Placing our main focus on anything other than God, leaves us feeling empty, confused and tired.

Check out Revelation 2:1-7. The church in Ephesus was obviously doing some good stuff, but they had misplaced their affection. They did some really good things. They worked hard, didn’t get tired, didn’t quit, didn’t tolerate wickedness. They exposed false prophets and even endured suffering for Jesus.

But Jesus still warned them not to forget their first love. He could have just as easily written, “Don’t worship other “good” things before Me.”

God knows that when we place our main worship on other things, we get messed up and lost. It’s not because He’s this big ego maniac and needs our attention. It’s because He cares so much that He knows what’s best for us. Not for Him, but for us.

I know I have to constantly remind myself to make sure I’ve got my priorities straight. When I get it wrong, I risk losing huge chunks of my life chasing things that don’t matter. In the end, understanding that my main focus is God and not me, keeps me serving the One who loves me so much.

Am I All In?

2009-08-15T11:57:00.003-05:00

I’ve got a good friend who frequently updates his status on Facebook as being “all in”. It has even become an inside joke amongst those who know him. It never fails that late in the evening, you can check his status and there it is…..”I’m all in!”

I guess part of the fun is trying to figure out what he means by being “all in.” Some know and reply, some think they know (including myself) and some probably don’t have a clue about what he’s talking about. Besides being all in, he also builds momentum by posting things like:

Needs to be but isn’t, should be, but doesn’t want to be
I know its early but….
Guess what?
Yep, I’m there
Here I am, need I say it?
I’m there
IAI! Just sayin’
1,2,3 all together now – I’m all in!

It got me to thinking about our relationship with Jesus. So many times we say, “I’m all in,” but live our lives just the opposite. How can we say we’re all in and not be? Is it some sort of religious compensation we’ve got going on? Are we going through the motions?

Remember the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-23)? That guy appeared to have everything going on for him. He observed all the rules, he didn’t cheat on his wife, he didn’t kill people, he didn’t steal stuff, he didn’t lie to peeps, and he even loved and respected his Mom and Dad (a fading concept in today’s world).

He was one of those guys that you would say, “He’s a great Christian man!” He probably showed up at all the church stuff and served in all the ministries and looked like a perfect follower on the surface. But there was something missing.

And it had very little if anything to do with money. So many have taught this story to be about how we should view/use money (i.e. having too much or not giving enough). But Jesus doesn’t want or need our money.

He wants US (you and I). Period. He wants our EVERYTHING. Not just our works, or efforts, but our very hearts. That’s what He was talking about when he said “Away from me I never KNEW you” in Matthew 7:21-23

Sometimes I have to check myself and see if I am denying Him by putting on a religious sideshow. Compensating by doing more good things, and doing them better. I have to be extra careful not to put “good things” in the place of Jesus in my life. God help us to remember that Jesus is wholly able to save us on His own.

I love, love, love the verse in Hebrews that says it best: “Therefore He is able to save COMPLETELY those who come to God through Him, because he ALWAYS lives to intercede for them.” Hebrews 7:25

Are we all in?

No Sting Here!

2009-07-27T11:52:00.007-05:00

There are a lot of great churches in the area where we live and every once in a while we get to visit one of these churches where the people are very encouraging. They show the love of God, they love the Word and how it transforms lives and they love the gospel.

Yesterday I had the honor and privilege of speaking and filling in for my brother Michael Smith (who is senior pastor at Victory Church of the MidSouth) after the loss of his dear Aunt Lucille (a pillar of faith I might add) late last week.

This wasn’t the first time we’ve visited there and I had forgotten just how encouraging and supporting this body of Christ is in our community. I remember earlier this year in March, Pastor Michael and worship leader Greg Lackey invited us to host C3Live (Christian Community Café).

Turned out on that spring night, Victory church showed up big time in support of this community outreach for Christ! We were so thankful to them for their support!

What an awesome group of Christ followers that are assembled at Victory. It’s obvious that God has big plans for this church in the future. God has put a big dream in Michael’s heart and they have put together a leadership team and congregation that will support that dream until the end. God dreams in souls and it is encouraging to see a life-giving church that’s going for it.

It reminds me of what the apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth: “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." (1 Cor. 15:54) Thanks Victory Church, thanks Pastor Mike and thanks be to God for using this church to make an impact in the community!

The Devil and Your Money

2009-06-24T08:33:00.004-05:00

Here's a fresh, funny take on the economy and how Satan uses money to distract us from God. It is from Craig Groeschel at www.lifechurch.tv. This is an easy watch and has some powerful truths. Enjoy!

More than any other time in our lives, the economy has dipped to new levels and is causing mass fear worldwide. When things get bad around us, we need to focus even more intently on what the Word of God says.

Does this cause you to look at $ differently?

Of Water & Spirit

2009-06-18T14:52:00.003-05:00

Yesterday evening we had the opportunity to attend an amazing baptism experience hosted by Kaleo, a college student mobilization ministry www.stumo.org. We were invited by my wife’s cousins (shout out to Haven, Haley & Mikka), to witness the dedication of several lives to God. There were probably about a hundred gathered to witness this special identification with Christ.

I know, I know, what’s the big hoopla? I hear you, I’ve personally witnessed many baptisms over the years and although each one is special in its own way, this one had the flavor of a real celebration!

For one, it was held on the beach in the Gulf of Mexico in Destin, FL. In terms of natural settings, not much better a place to commit your life to Jesus in the midst of God’s wonderful creation.

More than the setting though, was the spirit of celebration in which it was held. It felt more like a beach party than a religious ritual. So refreshing was seeing all of the young lives that had been given to the Lord and the resultant joy that ran rampant in the crowd. Before and after each dunk in the ocean, there were shouts of joy, tears of happiness and claps of thanksgiving and praise.

I couldn’t help but think of how it must have been when John the Baptist was baptizing all those folks (including Jesus) in the Jordan River [see Matthew 3:11-17]. I can only imagine how it was back then, especially with the Son of the Living God present. What a wonderful time! This experience yesterday helped me to see baptism and its purpose in a whole new way.

Thanks Kaleo for building ‘em up and sending ‘em out! It was awesome to see so many college students dedicating and preparing themselves to carry the gospel to this lost world.

Oh and the best part? Nobody wore waders!

Drowning in Doubt?

2009-05-14T00:13:00.005-05:00

WARNING: Sitting in the boat may be more dangerous than walking on the water.

When I was a kid, one of my greatest fears was drowning. I couldn’t think of a worse way to die. My perception was that drowning in water was a slow, painful, mind- numbing process that would wreak long-term suffering on its victim.

Sometimes life can feel like we’re drowning. Drowning in our past, our present or worse yet, our future. Truth be told, we tend to live in periods other than the present and our thoughts of back and forward can paralyze us with fear of the unknown. This binds us to seek comfort in the present status of known conditions, proven to lead us down paths to stagnation.

We think we’re safe and sound in the present, but potential exists to miss out on the great things God has in store for us when we choose to trust in our own self-controlled destiny.

Jesus taught us not to fear though. When we trust in him, we give up control of our lives, building our faith and foundation upon the One who holds the key to life. Many are familiar with the story of Peter getting out of the boat and walking towards Christ on the water (Matthew 14:28-33). I’ve often thought of how weak Peter’s faith was as he began to sink as he walked towards Jesus. But wait. He did get out of the boat and follow Jesus’ command. He did take that initial step of faith, when everything in his being pointed to the contrary. He did fail in the short term, but at least he was filled with hope that it indeed was Jesus and he did trust that God was in control.

Many times, we don’t step out in faith. Maybe because it’s not logical, or someone’s telling us that it’s impossible or an adversary is whispering doubt in our ear. Whatever the cause, we drown ourselves in doubt when we stay put in situations that call for our own plans and actions to advance.

Growth means we’re being challenged more and more to trust in God and His power and authority in our lives. This process is scary, but as we walk in faith, Jesus delivers on His promises to us. Let’s not get comfortable and recline in the seats of our boats, when the God of this universe calls us out!

Are there things in your life that keep you seated in doubt? Why not get up and trust Him to carry you through the transitions that may be holding you back?

Church in a People (God in Us)

2009-04-13T09:25:00.007-05:00

This is the final part of the “What is Church” series of posts. We’ve looked at several different aspects of what a church could be, in the form of the question “Church in a _______?” Challenging the conventional wisdom of church being just in a church building or locale, we’ve asked if church could be in a lot of other places that maybe aren’t so generally accepted or recognized.

Now mind you, I realize that there are many different forms, styles and types of local churches that are an important part of Christ-centered community. And in no way does the intent of this series look to undermine the critical importance of the local church. These are a part of our heritage and faith. In fact, I believe the local church is the hope of our world and the most effective way to gather and assemble groups of proximate Christians to achieve the great commission (Matt. 28:19-20).

When you study the Greek word “Ekklesia”, which represents the modern translation of “church”, we see that it literally means an “assembly” or “congregation” that are “called out or forth” as Christ followers. We can conclude that the church is a bunch of people both corporately (worldwide) and locally (in our cities and communities) in organized groups that are living out the calling of God on their lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.

It’s within these church contexts though, that we can turn a beautiful, spiritual institution God created into something that’s its not meant to be. The following man-made things can become competitive and divide us if we're not extra careful:

Styles or formats of service
Praise and worship music
Belief sets (biblical intepretation differences on small issues)
Allocation of resources (money, time, people, etc.)
Culture and tradition (how it's always been)
Human power (including control and authority)
Names (yes what we call it)

When we put an unhealthy emphasis on any of these, we divide the unified power (see Ephesians 4) we have TOGETHER in Christ and short circuit our ability to be all that we are called out as a church to be.

I think of what Jesus said to that Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4-26). After some “religious” small talk that the woman interjected after Jesus reminded her of her lack of ability to quench her own thirst (via many failed relationships with men), Jesus spoke what it really means to worship God. He said that “true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” and that “God is spirit and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.” It wasn’t that the Samaritans or Jews were worshipping or “doing church” in wrong ways, it's just that Jesus is the only way. When we make man-made stuff out to be superior to God, the spiritual act of worship (Rom. 12:1) as his living body departs us.

When Jesus came, he came in Spirit (John 3:5-8) and when we believe in Emmanuel, He is in us. Yes church is God in us. Nothing more, nothing less. We are the people of God, a holy nation. What a wonderful gift that is made available to us through God’s loving grace. Let’s praise Him who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ! So as the church, let’s let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, since as members of ONE body we were called to peace. Thankful I am for the church.

Church in a Coffee House?

2009-04-05T01:07:00.006-05:00

You knew it was coming. How could I leave out the epicenter of meeting places? Not to mention, caffeine is the one of the few socially accepted and approved drugs (that I know of). And I figured that a blog titled “Church in a Crack House” probably wouldn’t generate any positive vibes, so I went with the more politically correct substance. J/K of course…lighten up!

But seriously, there’s arguably as much community shared in coffee shops than actual church buildings themselves. Many of the newer, hipper churches have actually cut to the chase and put coffee shops right in the building, thus eliminating the need to go offsite for the experience. Good stuff.

Not too sure why people hang in cafes, other than coffee has a way of stimulating (OK I said it) conversations and the atmospheres are generally cool. Throw in some free wi-fi, a couch and it’s a perfect social storm to be caught in.

Personally, I’ve experienced plenty of encouragement in and around the local shops including personal and group meetings, community outreach events, bible studies and prayer. Yes, I’ve shared more about God in coffee shops than any other venue hands down. Sure it has an obvious cultural tie to it (who doesn’t love Starbucks?), but when you’re experiencing God and growing closer to Him through building relationships with others, I can’t think of a more relevant gathering point.

Essentially, it’s designed to be comfortable and relaxed, thus creating an environment where you can be yourself. Herein lies a lesson to be learned by some of our more formal gatherings. Taking ourselves too seriously can get us in trouble sometimes. So have a cup o Joe and get to know your neighbors better. There’s a Kingdom building aspect of networking and we are blessed when get to know each other through spending some informal time together. And when people let their guards down, opportunities arise for the church to be the church!

Here’s a challenge for next week: Pick a person whom you don’t particularly like or whom you may have had conflict in the past that damaged your relationship….and ask them to go have a cup of coffee with you. Pray that God would use the meeting to heal that relationship and see what happens.

Church in a Bar?

2009-04-03T21:36:00.002-05:00

Hold those stones!!! I’m not Stephen, and you’re not the final judge. I’m just an obscure writer asking some taboo questions about the paradigm of church. I know, I know, it sounds sacrilegious, but maybe that’s a good thing. Questions that cause us to look deeper into who we are as believers in Jesus Christ and to step outside of our methodic comfort zones, help us to grow in God’s Spirit.

Rob Bell once spoke of the lack of separation between our physical and spiritual lives (or selves) in one of his NOOMA videos. His point was that we are who we are in God and our “church life” and our “secular life” are really one in the same even though we may not choose to lump them together mentally.

Sometimes we make a distinction between things we do for God and things we do for ourselves. Think about how you act around people and ask yourself a few questions:

Do you behave the same at church as you do with your friends on a weekend night out?
Do you use the same words around everyone, no matter the venue or occasion?
Do you listen to and sing the same songs during the week as you do on Sunday morning?
Do you do good deeds around your “regular” friends as often as your “church” friends?

If you answered “no” to anyone of these; why not? You see when we pretend to be something different “at church” than what we really are the rest of the week, we’re being religious. We’re up for an Academy Award for “Best Supporting Deceiver.” This speaks to the position of church NOT being a place, an event or even a set of behavior modifications.

So back on point. Can you have church in a bar? If you initially said no, then consider this. Jesus hung out with sinners. He wasn’t hangin’ with all the religious know-it-alls of the day. He wanted to be around the people who were in the worst shape and had need for God in their lives. Check out Mark 2:15-17 here. Healthy folks don’t need a doctor, sick ones do. Where can you find sick folks? Well, a lot of places, but bars tend to have a steady supply of those looking for something to fill a void. And where better to be the church? Thoughts?

Church in a Sub Shop?

2009-04-02T21:51:00.004-05:00

It can’t be! Could there actually be true Christian community, Godly worship and Brotherly fellowship in a sandwich shop??? I mean how could God possibly show up in the same venue as a greasy philly cheesesteak? Can we eat and worship God at the same time? So many questions, so little time.

Let me start by saying I’ve personally seen some magnificent things of God go down (or up?) in the local sub shop. Don’t believe me? I’ve witnessed some amazing loving interaction, elders praying over flock, ministries birthed, Godly partnerships formed, burdens shared, profound prayers offered up to heaven and servants unite in the name of Christ.

Whether it was Lenny’s in West Memphis, Stoby’s in Conway, Quizno’s in Little Rock or Subway in Marion, those meat and bread joints have churned out some awesome gatherings of the church!

But is it church? Hmmm, it begs to assume (by my brain’s traditional side) that it isn’t, but hold on. Could it be that “church” is simply an assembly or gathering of believers in Jesus Christ? Do we overbake it sometimes to fit into our mold of reasoning? Is it “not” church if there’s not an opening prayer, announcements, worship songs, a sermon, communion and closing prayer? Was church supposed to be a periodic event with certain processions and of particular structure?

You see, church is more than a physical container. It’s a spiritual body, created by Christ to glorify God the Father. God lives in us, which is His body. He dwells in us (1 John 3:24), by His Spirit and power, not by the holdings of man-made parameters. He loves His body just like a young man loves his bride.

In us he dwells.
For us he died.
To Him we are called.

So if I’m eating a footlong ham and cheese in a restaurant in the middle of Arkansas with another Brother (who by the way may be eating a veggie sub), are we “in” church? Maybe one of these shops should make a new 6-footer called the “Ekklesian!” Thoughts?

Church in a Horse Ranch?

2009-04-01T22:55:00.004-05:00

Last week I was fortunate enough to visit the Glenhaven Youth Ranch in Plainview, AR. I drove down and met with Phil and Amber Noblit, who pastor the junior high aged students (a.k.a. G-Life) at New Life Church out of Conway. They had taken a group of G-Lifers over spring break to stay for the week and work on special projects with the youth residents.

Glenhaven is an equine facility created to be a shelter for at-risk boys up to age 18. They help kids heal who have been wounded and/or abandoned by their natural parents or loved ones. Each student has a “ranch” parent that mentors through counseling, teaching, activities and personal interaction.

Their goal is to create a safe environment where education, life skills and daily activities are intermingled to heal hearts, restore relationships and change lives. They achieve this by “living out” their faith in Jesus Christ and by loving these kids in a healthy way.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine a better model of compassion and service for kids who have been deeply wounded during their formative years. What a blessing Glenhaven and its servants are to the Kingdom and our communities.

I believe this is what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 25:40 when he said “whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me.” Church isn’t just a place, it’s a purpose. It’s a calling to help those in need. A desire, born out of love for God, to minister to the broken and disadvantaged.

Church in an Arena?

2009-03-31T23:17:00.003-05:00

Who’d have thought that in the same place you could go and see the Elite Eight just a couple nights ago, you could experience God at a worship service? From North Carolina and Oklahoma sweatin’ out a spot for the Final Four, to praise and worship lifted up to God.

Tonight at the FedEx Forum, several thousand people came together in the name of Jesus. There was the Word, there was praise and worship and of course there was the Spirit of God in the house!

I saw some Brothers and Sisters I was familiar with and met some new ones I’d never known. All part of the glorious Kingdom of God, gathered together in community. What a beautiful offering of song to the King of Kings.

We heard a Word from the prophet Isaiah 40:28-31 tonight:

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

When we get TOGETHER and acknowledge Him, walls fall down, divisions crumble. Hands are raised, tears flow down and the sweet sound of praise arises from the people of God. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!

A special thanks tonight to Israel Houghton, New Breed and Chris Tomlin for leading us into a special time of assembly. A call not to churches, but to “the church” of Jesus Christ to arise!

Church in a Nursing Home?

2009-03-31T00:01:00.002-05:00

Going into a nursing home can be uncomfortable. The sights, sounds and smells are unpleasant and the air wreaks of pending death. It’s not the first place you’d look to find joy and it’s the last place you’d look to find hope.

But there’s a spirit here, that when given opportunity, will produce blessing unlike any other you’ve ever experienced. You see, when you visit the poor in spirit, a certain thing happens. All the junk that we make life and relationships out to be sort of disappears.

The expectations that we put upon each other are not present in a facility that houses the physically and mentally unable. Here, you’ll find people whom accept life in the moment, giving special attention to those who choose to invest in them without condition. When you strip away everything else, the spirit of life remains.

It’s in this simple, honest understanding that the stage is set for true community to be experienced. A prayer for God’s Spirit, some reading of the Word and a medley of praise songs invites a stirring and unity not often realized in other typical “worship” settings.

I remember the first time I ever visited. It was awkward initially, but I immediately felt the Spirit of God upon us as we worshipped together even across the great divide that physical life presented. The walls came down and the tears flowed out of a brutal transparency of self. And when “you’re” gone, great things happen. God shows up and others are blessed.

Just true community in Jesus. Blessings have a way of flowing back and forth and that’s why I suppose, assembling in a nursing home is so beautiful. A glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven is revealed through the blessings of the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3).

The invitation is always open. They have the time. They crave the love. We need the refreshment. Jesus said that where two or three are gathered in His name, there He would be with them (Matthew 18:20).

What is Church?

2009-03-28T11:15:00.004-05:00

Phrased in the form of an answer (a la Alex Trebek), this question digs at the essence of how we behave as a community of Christ-followers in the world we live. In my life, I’ve seen so many mis-guided notions about what church is and how it’s supposed to function. If we miss this, we risk turning others away from God and underscore the beautiful institution that Jesus died to create.

Over the next week, I’ll be writing a series of posts titled “Church in a _______.” Hopefully this will challenge our preconceived notions about church things and how church should be realized in every aspect of our physical journey. We’ll look at what church is, what it is not and how we should strive to live consistently no matter where we are, whom we’re with or what we are doing.

Speaking for myself, I have in the past singularly thought of church as one of the following:

a building
a service or services
a prescribed, unchanging set of beliefs, style or form of worship
a tradition
a local congregation or family only
a 1980’s Australian rock band (well actually it was, but that’s another story)

Of course, any of these can be a healthy part of the church, but sometimes taken to the extreme, focusing in too narrowly on any one of these can be divisive and prevent us from our true cause that Jesus left us to live by. If you’ve ever been hurt by church, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.

After all, WE are the church (see 1 Corinthians 12:27 here) and if we live from that orientation, we’ll be much more effective in growing closer to God and helping others. So open your minds and hearts a bit this week and I look forward to your comments. Peace out!

What is Your Ultimate?

2009-03-07T06:44:00.007-06:00

Many a well-intentioned believer has fallen into the trap.

There are tons of "good" things out there to garner our attention and resources. Let's see, there's family (yep spouse and kids), there's our jobs (how we provide for ourselves and families), there's health (your physical consist and condition), there are causes and even ministries (local churches/para-church, etc). In and of themselves, all of these are "good" things that can positively effect the lives of others.

So how do we take such good things and make them into bad things? By putting them ahead of God in our hearts' priority list. If anyone can take good and make it bad, it's us humans! Snap.

We have to take inventory so to speak sometimes. Sort of do a gut check. We need to constantly be asking ourselves, "Is there something in my life that I've put in the place of God?" I think Paul said it best in 2 Cor. 13:5 when he wrote that we should "examine" ourselves. Nothing better than a little self-initiated heart exam. And the reason it's so important? Because there's so much seemingly harmless good stuff out there competing for our time, energy and money. Remember what the Lord God said to Israelites back in the days of Moses:

"you shall have NO other gods before me"
"you shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of ANYTHING"
"you shall not bow down and WORSHIP them" (Exodus 20:3-5).

When we make anything our "ultimate" over God, we've set ourselves up for failure and disappointment. And God cannot bless that which is not of Himself. All good comes from Him and when we put well-intentioned good things ahead of God, the good falls out. Bad ROI.

Let's not fall into the trap of the golden calf (Ex. 32:1-35) and make something out of nothing. And who needs a plague? Trust in the Lord with all your heart and make sure to keep checkin' your hearts' dipstick to ensure it is full of Him and not something else!

Umbrella

2009-02-18T09:49:00.004-06:00

Thank God for Jesus who is our "umbrella" and covers and protects us from everything! Check out this Brother flowing about our saviour...

Praying for Our Nation

2009-01-21T11:16:00.002-06:00

Leading up to yesterday's historic event with the election of our country's first African American president Barack Obama, there was a bit of controversy surrounding the inaugural prayer and what would be said. Pastor Rick Warren was selected to lead the prayer and there were many who called for him to leave out the name of Jesus in his prayer.

Would he say it or leave it out? Should he respect the views of all those who don't believe in God, rather than God? Wouldn't it be too conservative and unpopular to pray it in Jesus' name?

As always, God is good and Warren prayed the prayer not only in several of Jesus' names, but also finished it with the model that Jesus instructed us to pray (Matthew 6:9-13). Thank God for men like him who stand up for the truth that is found in Christ Jesus! May we all have the same courage in our lives. Below is a transcript of his prayer:

Rick Warren's Prayer

Almighty God, our Father:

Everything we see, and everything we can’t see, exists because of you alone.

It all comes from you, it all belongs to you, it all exists for your glory.

History is your story.

The Scripture tells us, “Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.

Now today, we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge point of history with the inauguration of our first African-American president of the United States.

We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where a son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.

Give to our new president, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity.

Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the Cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans—united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.

When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you—forgive us.

When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone—forgive us.

When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve—forgive us.

And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes—even when we differ.

Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all.

May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet.

And may we never forget that one day, all nations--and all people--will stand accountable before you.

We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.

I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life—Yeshua, 'Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus—who taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

Investing in the Future

2009-01-11T12:15:00.003-06:00

It's almost here and it's hard to believe the days' finally upon us. God is getting ready to work mightily in the lives of our youth in Marion, AR. Almost a year ago, God began assembling a team of leaders to begin reaching out to the youth at Marion High School.

It began years, decades ago, when a lady in the community began to pray that a Young Life group would be planted in our community. A group that would reach out to high school kids and show them the free, transforming love of Jesus Christ.

And then, just a couple years ago, there were the relationships that God began forming through unusual means. Relationships merged through hope, passion and a desire to do something extraordinary for God. God has placed people together for His good purposes (Romans 8:28). To establish a new team of Christ-followers that become part of the lives of teenagers, connecting with high school friends going through one of the toughest transitions of life.

If you're a high schooler reading this though, don't read it as boring, structured and churchy. No, this is going to be a blast! A journey unlike any other into the very nature of our loving God. We'll have live music, games, skits, refreshments, current events and a message. Our first Club will be on Monday night, February 2nd at 7:37PM (that's Groundhog's Day).

Please pray that God will continue to reach the future leaders of our world with His love, mercy and grace. We can do nothing more important than to build relationships with our kids so that they will one day take the lead for Christ.

New Beginnings

2008-12-29T10:41:00.003-06:00

I can't believe another year is almost over! Wow, it seems the older you get, the faster the world turns. Each new year brings fresh opportunities to serve others, to grow closer to God, and to believe that through Him all things are possible. He's put a dream in each one of our hearts and each day we have a chance at a new beginning with God.

Do you have a dream that you quit believing in because man told you it was impossible? Have you compromised your God-given talents, abilities and resources because conditions seemed unfavorable? Will you look back at your life with regret for not following the instructions God put in your heart to follow? Jesus said, "What is impossible with men is possible with God". (Luke 18:27)

Ask yourself, "If I believed in the power of God and not my own, what would I do today, in this upcoming New Year?" God made each of us for a purpose, a unique reason and there's nothing more valuable for man than to seek Him with ferocious, relentless intent. I pray that we all have the courage next year to follow Him, no matter where He calls us to go.

Next weekend, we'll kick off a new mini-message series on all things new. Hope you have a great New Year and we are prayerful and excited about what God's got in store for '09!

Quiet Please

2008-12-15T17:41:00.004-06:00

In today's world, we are surrounded by noise, by ongoing alerts, by continuous updates that require our attention and response. If it's not the Blackberry or iPhone, its the Facebook or email or alarm or calendar alert....or Twitter or whatever. You get the point. We are so connected via technology, that we can't get a break from the constant bombardment that is life in the 21st century.

It's important though to remember, in all this busy-ness, that we remember to be still, to time out, to be quiet and seek God frequently. If not, we're at risk of "world overload", which can be hazardous to your physical, mental and especially, spiritual health.

Even as I write this blog, I'm aware of the need to just "be", with the Lord and concentrate, focus and worship the only One who can give me rest.

There is no other. The Father is irreplaceable in our lives. Without Him, we get weak and weary. We forget and falter. If it's not intentional, it can become regretful if we're not careful.

Jesus knew this. Even though in His day, there wasn't any techno-savy stuff to distract Him, He still made a point to get alone with God the Father. He knew that a timeout with God, a realignment with His Father's will, a concentration on the Holy I Am, was paramount to keeping a vertical perspective.

Listen to what Jesus did in Luke 5:16...He withdrew. I know, I know that's so counter-Christian connectivity culture. He disconnected with man, so that He could connect with God. As important as it is to connect with others and build relationships, it's much more important to connect to the source of life, continuously, so that we are empowered by His loving grace and mercy. I need it at LEAST daily.

Ever feel burned out? I'll bet you may be running thin on the connection with God and heavy on the connection with man. Remember, what God said in Psalm 46:10 and don't forget to to make time to recharge the only batteries that matter. Happy zoning!

Don't Take Your Guns to Town

2008-11-25T13:28:00.004-06:00

Why is it that we humans like to fight so much? Fight for our freedoms, fight for our rights, fight for our independence. We spend so much time fighting for stuff, that we forget what's actually important.

At the core of it, at least IMHO, lies a thread of self-preservation. A belief that "if I don't fight for myself, who will?" Our world, our society and especially the American culture teaches us that we have to look out for #1, or we'll be ransacked by the competition. Yep, it's those blasted competitors that are there, waiting, ready to steal everything we've worked our whole lives to achieve. We feel that if we let up just a little bit, we'll lose everything!

Yuck.

But what's really going on inside us when we fight? Jesus had a lot to say about this. He told us not to resist evil. He said that if someone strikes you on the cheek, to turn the other one. Or if someone takes your tunic, give him your cloak as well (Matthew 5:39-42). He knows that the issue is one of faith. When we fight, we rely on ourselves and not Him. It's a heart thing.

Hmmm. Doesn't make much sense huh? You mean if someone does something mean to me, I should not fight back? Exactly.

Think about it, when you "do" fight back, you empower yourself and strip away the ability to allow God to work in you. You not only choose to limit the power of His Spirit, you also violate the golden rule given by Jesus (Matthew 7:12) .... and last but not least, the greatest command which is to love God (and by definition to love Him means to obey Him) and love others. Hard to love others when you're hitting them in the face or cutting them down with your words huh?

Even worse, we tend to compete amongst ourselves in the church. We compete for our personal beliefs, styles and preferences. We fight for "our way" instead of His way. How much more effective could we be as the body of Christ/the church, if we'd quit fighting one another? What if we stopped gossiping about one another and started building each other up? What if we stopped arguing about how to spend our money and started giving more? What if we stopped arguing over truth and started worshipping God in Spirit? What if we stopped ignoring the plank in our own eye and started helping our Brothers and Sisters get the sawdust out of theirs?

I'll bet we'd be surprised....or amazed at the power of God working in our lives if we'd just stop the madness. Is there someone you're fighting against? Do you have an adversary who you can't stand the thought of? If so, there's some great advice to follow and it has nothing to do with revenge. Jesus said to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44) .

Don't take your guns to town. If you do, you just might get shot!

How Time Flies

2008-11-17T16:32:00.008-06:00

I'm really excited about the gifted Christians we're having at C3Live on Saturday, December 13th. All the way from Wynne, we'll be hearing live music from "Jammin' for Jesus". These men and women will be playing a jazzed up styled Christian set and have a real heart for reconciliation. They are from the Calvary Fellowship Church in Wynne, AR.

Also, we will be having Jordan Thomas, pastor of Grace Community Church in Memphis, speaking a message about Jesus. Jordan is a young pastor who has a serious passion for our Lord, so you don't want to miss this one!

December 13th marks C3's one year anniversary. Wow, hard to believe we've been having these for a year now. And to think it all started as an idea with my Brother Kyle over a Lenny's sub! It has been a tremendous blessing for so many, connecting Brothers and Sisters in Christ from all corners of the church in our community.

If there's one common theme that has been evident in all the C3's, it's unity. Unity in Christ. Amazing what happens when the walls come down! We've had all sorts of music and message delivery styles, from hardcore to Southern rock to unplugged sets. We've held it at West Memphis Christian High, Starbucks and Marion Golf & Athletic Club. We've had people from too many churches to name here. All coming together in the name of Jesus. I think of 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 about the different parts of the body of Christ (church).

Looking back, here's a list of those who have come and shared the gospel through the gifts that God gave them:

Musical Artists

The Vine

The Remnant

Lance McDaniel Band

Enterprise Friday

Prodigal's Hope

3 Cord Jam

SouthPoint

Five Sent Out

SoulFood

Brady Toops

Ken Weatherford Band

Flight 2

Speakers

Lonnie Childress

Ronnie Hughes

John Beaumont

Craig Wendel

Alex Blankenship

Michael Lusk

Guy Sheffield

Josh Veggors

Patricia McNatt

I am so thankful to each one of these people, who have came and gave their time and talents to glorify God in our community. Praise God for His wonderful mercies and may we continue to exalt Him in all we do!

P.S. - Alternative band "This Is Luke" is coming all the way from Nashville to perform at C3 in January to kick off the New Year. We are also working on putting together a gig at the New Daisy Theatre for several teenage groups in the area (yes C3 on Beale Street!). Please continue to pray for this outreach.

Distractions

2008-11-11T05:43:00.012-06:00

One of the hardest things to do in life is actually something that happens without our knowing it most of the time. Those are the toughies. The unconscious things that turn our minds towards stuff that's not important to us and others. Things that occupy our minds that aren't of God, aren't of any value to us.

I know, even writing this, I can hear the gasp of "awww come on, have some fun, lighten up", life's too short to be so serious and "seize the moment!" Believe me, I get all of that and I hear you. I feel it too.

Sometimes as a follower of Christ, putting him first warrants questions from others in the vein of "fun" and "responsibility." We say, well if God loves us He would want us to do things that we enjoy in life. Surely he would be OK with us focusing on our family, our careers, our education, our hobbies, our relationships, our politics, our church stuff, etc. Work hard, play hard right???

But ask yourself, taken to the level of extreme results, do any of these things that we focus on bring us any joy in our lives? Walk it out in your mind. Think through everything you've ever done in your life, the most fun you've ever had, the most awesome results you've ever accomplished, the most significant things you've ever experienced. How do you like them now? Do they have lasting value? Sure, there are memories. Memories are just that though....thoughts sustained by those who keep them as a means to reflect upon things outside of the current moment. Let's be honest, we are impossible to please.

And that's where we live most of the time. In another time, in another place, in our minds anyway. We think not of what God is doing in our lives right now. We think not of the moment that God has given us right now. We're too busy looking for the next "high" in life.

Yes, we are distracted. By what you say? By the places we live. Not in our physical house, condo, dorm, apartment or humble abode. But where our mind lives (2 Corinthians 5:13 is good!). The verb tense of "life" is "live." Think about it for a minute, to live is to have life. And when we live in anything other than God, we don't have life.

John wrote in 1 John 2:15-16, that we are not to love the world, for when we love "where we live", the love of God is not in us.

So if we can recognize the fact that we are distracted by where we keep ourselves, where we place our focus, where we look for our happiness, we can then begin to intentionally seek God in the moment and put Him first (where he's supposed to be, see Matthew 6:33). Not for Him, but for US! He doesn't need it, we do. I know it seems like reverse psychology. Put Him first for me? Shouldn't it be put me first for me??? Nope.

I offer this as encouragement, to live the abundant life, one that is only found in Christ Jesus. Everything else is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 12:13 says it best...our entire business is God. All else is loss. Try it this week, try not to get distracted by all the other stuff and seek God with all your heart. There's where you will find true life.

What's the Difference?

2008-11-04T22:20:00.003-06:00

I sometimes struggle with an internal measure that deviates between my ability to accomplish on my own merit vs. God’s ability to supernaturally overcome all things. Am I all alone in this daily struggle? A fight to decide CONSTANTLY; to understand the war within me?

Often I feel guilty. I feel that I’m not doing enough. That I am falling short of the capacity that I possess to achieve the purposes that lie within my power to execute. Why can’t I just be more than I am?

Other times, seemingly less often, I understand, I know, that God is in charge of all, above all and is in control of my path, my destiny, my ability to do ANYTHING. And BTW, it’s not about me, it’s about Him.

So I go through life, back and forth, up and down, trying, attempting to NOT listen to the enemy’s voice about what’s NOT real. Even though my feelings, my emotions dictate my actions, my reactions to what happen in every moment. Though at the core of it, I know that I cannot trust my emotions which seem so real to me.

All while I feel the regret of not encompassing the very power that lives within me. The power of the Spirit of God. I want to possess joy within, but the voice of doubt can squeeze out the eternal from the “now.”

In all my days, in all my experience, in all my thoughts which I yearn to escape, I realize that no matter what happens, no matter the circumstance, no matter the results, no matter the outcome, no matter the relevance, no matter the history, no matter what mans thinks, no matter what understanding we may desire, God remains the only thing, the only ONE, the only infinite existence, to which we can comprehend all imaginings. Can I get an amen King Solomon?

So I return to the truth. To the Word of God for direction. And as it always does, when I’m in a yielded condition to hear from the only ONE who can orchestrate anything, I remember what is everlasting based upon nothing but His power alone.

To this effect I lean upon the Word of God that transforms, that changes, that metamorphically repositions our hearts, to make us more in His image, to accomplish His good works, forever and ever amen:

2 Corinthians 3:6 says….He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

To God be the glory for giving us life when we deserve and desire death. In my deepest desire to understand why I fall short, I succeed to fall into His marvelous grace that transcends all understanding.

My name is...

2008-10-29T08:12:00.003-05:00

One of my dear sisters in Christ, Pat Mosley gave me a little business card with a poem on it one morning at church about a year ago. I use it to mark my place in the Bible and thought to share it with you this morning:

I was regretting the past and fearing the future.

Suddenly my Lord was speaking:

"My name is I am."

He paused.

I waited.

He continued,

"When you live in the past with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard.

I am not there.

My name is not I WAS.

When you live in the future, with its problems and fears, it is hard.

I am not there.

My name is not I WILL BE.

When you live in this moment, it is not hard. I am here.

My name is I AM."

- by Helen Mallicoat

What an awesome reminder of who God is in our lives. In Exodus 3:14, God told Moses who He was. God help us today to live in you, not in anything else but you Father. And you will make our paths straight. God you are great! Amen.

Choose Your King

2008-10-21T09:12:00.007-05:00

On November 2nd at MCC, we will begin a new message series about the choices we have regarding the master of our lives. So much attention and focus are being placed on the upcoming presidential election and its a great time to study what the Word says about whom we elect to follow and trust with our lives.

I often think of that verse in Joshua 24:15, which was embedded in my mind growing up as a child in the form of a framed, rectangular plaque that hung on the wall in our home. What a great reminder of whom we serve! Come join us in our study.

Defeat or Victory?

2008-10-17T08:13:00.009-05:00

I've got a confession to make. You know how sometimes you just get hit in the face with something from God? Something you've probably talked about and understood on the surface for a while and maybe grasped at times, but don't really dwell in day in and day out consistently? This morning, while I was in prayer, I realized that many of my prayers originate from a defeated mindset. God forgive me for feeling defeated.

As I was praying, "oh God, please help me, I am weak and powerless without you....I can't do it on my own....I need you to carry me...", I suddenly acknowledged the position of my conversation. And although all those things that I prayed are absolutely true (I am weak, powerless, can't do anything alone, need help, etc.), my attitude or mindset about the power of God working in my life may not be what it should be. Not by my might or power, but by God's Spirit.

Instead of thinking I'm weak and begging for God's strength, I am called to be victorious in Christ Jesus. 1 John 5:4 tells us that we have overcome the world. We are ALREADY victorious. I don't know about you, but when I think of someone who's victorious, I don't think about someone who's weak, powerless and lacking confidence.

Imagine just moments after a Super Bowl victory, during the Lombardi trophy presentation if the winning team, coaching staff and ownership were all down on their knees praying to God to help them in their weakness, carry them in their powerlessness, save them from their competitors! That would be weird. No, what you do see is celebration in victory. Their prayers are of thanksgiving for the victory, their confidence in what has been accomplished. They're not moping around with their heads down. They have their fists raised and helmets in the air screaming songs of victorious celebration (i.e. praise).

So how do I stay in a mindset of victory? Two things I am going to focus on to keep my mind pointed up if you follow me:

Thanksgiving - I will be thankful for what God's already done for me through Christ Jesus; for all the blessings in the spiritual realm (not circumstantial physical stuff); Ephesians 1:3
Praise - I will praise God for who He is and what he's already done through Jesus; this includes singing and speaking His word; Psalm 68:4

I'm not sure who wrote it, but I remember a quote I saw on a poster one time that said, "You can't control the winds, the race can only be won if you have ability to adjust your sails."

Do you have a defeated or victorious mindset? It's easy to get distracted by the trials of life, but when we remember what God's already done for us and give Him thanks and praise, we will have joy that's everlasting!

Catalyst '08

2008-10-09T19:23:00.005-05:00

Each year, young church leaders ascend on Atlanta, GA for the Catalyst Conference (www.catalystconference.com). It's designed to equip and encourage leaders to build God's Kingdom for the future. This year my Brother Mike Smith and I are attending together. The opportunity for fellowship and bonding between us is worth the price of admission, although this year's lineup is stacked!

We'll hear from Andy Stanley (pastor of Northpoint Community Church), Seth Godin (author of the Purple Cow) , Jim Collins (author of Good to Great), Craig Groeschel (pastor of LifeChurch.tv) , Steven Furtick (pastor of Elevation Church), Franklin Graham (Billy's son and director of Samaritan's Purse), Dave Ramsey (financial guru) and William P. Young (author of the Shack).

Worship is being led by Steve Fee and we were treated to a guest appearance by Switchfoot's lead singer Jon Foreman. What a great time of praise and worship...WOW!

This year's theme is "Together" and follows along the theme of working in unity (Colossians 3:14) through our diversities. Although we are all different, we as Christians share one thing in common; and its the most important. You guessed it.....Jesus Christ!

My cup is overflowing!

Coming to MCC this weekend...

2008-09-30T09:39:00.003-05:00

What Matters Most?

2008-09-29T09:20:00.007-05:00

It never ceases to amaze me how God shows up in the strangest places. Yesterday, I went to the 21st annual O'Reilly NHRA MidSouth Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park in Millington, TN with my Christian Brother Mickey and son Trace.

I guess I'd always been taught growing up that "church" was somewhere that you went on Sunday mornings, where there was a steeple, pews and a pulpit set-up to hear about and worship God. You kinda felt like you were expected to dress up a bit, be quiet/well mannered, and follow the prescribed methods of expressing yourself according to that particular churches' traditions.

Yesterday morning reminded me that God is present in any setting where He is sought with an open heart. Here we were in a tent, at a drag strip in Memphis, TN, surrounded by crews of mechanical technicians in a frenzy to get their cars ready for the races that afternoon. The air was filled with sounds of loud air guns, engines idling, radios buzzing and tools clanging. The smells were of gas, nitro, oil and smoke. It was anything but a traditional church setting. Could God possibly show up here?

But amongst all the commotion of race day, there was a worship service being held by "Racers for Christ." There were about 125 people crammed into this tent where Chaplain Larry Smiley delivered a message about "What Matters Most". Larry spoke a message in which he detailed 3 central truths:

Life without love is really worthless (Matthew 22:37-40)
Love will last forever (1 Corinthians 13:1-7, 13)
We will be evalutated on our love (Matthew 25:40, Galatians 5:6)

Ahhh, how refreshing to hear the Word about how important love is in our lives. And beyond the tenants of his message, I couldn't help but think of how this setting, this crazy un-churchlike environment had absolutely nothing to do with connecting with God. What matters most is not what we think matters most. What matters most is that we seek God with all our hearts, and that we put Him first and then love others in that same way. It's then that we'll fulfill the greatest command and have a motivation to uphold the great commission.

If that morning wasn't enough, we ran into Mike Edwards' race team later that afternoon. Mike is a Pro Stock racer who uses his platform to spread the message of Jesus to youth through YoungLife (http://www.younglife.org/). For those of you who know me, we've been training for a few months to bring a YoungLife chapter to Marion/West Memphis and it was great to see a Brother who as a professional racer has chosen to use his resources to spread the message.

At the end of a hot, tiring day of watching 8000+ horsepower cars rumble down 1/4 mile track, it was a blessing to come into contact with Brothers and Sisters who are reaching out in their community with the Good News. Praise God for His wonderful mercies!

What matters most to you?

In Times of Uncertainty

2008-09-20T06:52:00.005-05:00

If you've been following the news much lately, you know that our country is in a time of economic challenge. Just yesterday, President Bush announced plans to create a half-trillion dollar (no that's not a typo) bailout package for faltering financial institutions.

I don't know about you, but if I really think about this one, it kinda gets scary. It can make you wonder what's going to happen next. In one quote I read, the President acknowledged that there would be risk associated with the proposed financial bailout package but that "the risk of not acting would be far higher."

Hmmm. Sure sounds like stuff God says to us in the Bible. Its easy to read stories in the Bible (esp. the Old Testament) and assign those to the writers, readers and nations of that time. IMHO, that's not how God intended for us to read it though.

I was reading through Amos this morning and found a passage that struck a chord with me concerning our current times of uncertainty in America. The Lord tells us of the things that happened to the Israelites from their independent behavior, from hunger to lack of rain, to locusts and plagues, and by destruction with fire (Amos 4:6-11). Then God says at least five times, that His people have not returned to Him.

Flash forward to today. The markets are in trouble, organizations are dropping like flies and confidence is approaching an all-time low. People are looking around asking, "what do we do?", "what can we do?", "how do we stop this suffering?"

As God always has and always does, He provides the same answer that He always will to his people in times of uncertainty. When things seem so bad that we cannot see beyond the ends of our noses, God reminds us of what's really important and how we can find rest in the midst of turmoil (whatever the situation).

What does He say? In Zechariah 1:3, the Lord says "Return to Me and I will return to you." That's it, pretty simple huh? You say, well its not that easy, I've got this and that and these and those and I can't because of them and........God says, "Return to Me". What have you got to lose? When all else is lost, we can turn to Him.

As the Prez said, the risk of not acting is much higher than the risk of taking action. Take action and return to God. The rest is up to Him.

Only You

2008-09-12T08:10:00.011-05:00

I'm really excited about tomorrow night. It just feels like God is going to show up big and do something amazing at C3Live! First, we are moving the outreach event from West Memphis to Marion, the town where our church plant http://www.marioncc.com/ is targeting and preparing to launch next year. Nothing better than having it in your own community.

Second, we are having it at Starbucks. Everyone knows and loves Starbucks, and since its the Christian Community Cafe, it goes just perfect. Another benefit is that we may have some new folks checking it out at this neutral site. As Christians, we have to be ever aware to use today's cultural vessels to spread the gospel of Jesus. What did Paul say? "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some".

I want to say a special thanks to West Memphis Christian School for allowing us use of the facility since last December. What a blessing WMCS has been to so many for so long. Praise God!

Finally, we are stepping it up a notch in our musical talent. We are having national recording artist Brady Toops from the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, MO. For those of you who are "Hogs fans", Brady used to play catcher for the baseball Razorbacks and hit their most famous grand slam. He will be performing songs from his new album "Only You". What a great title and theme song for all of us Christ followers. When we think of Jesus only, we'll make better decisions that affect the lives of others.

Come out tomorrow night, grab a cup of your favorite caffeinated beverage and listen to some great, positive music. Who knows, you might make a connection in the Kingdom that you never would've in your own circle.

"You Talkin' to Me?"

2008-08-31T07:39:00.009-05:00

I remember that famous De Niro quote from the movie Taxi Driver (sans expletives of course). In the scene, his character is talking to himself in the mirror about a potential confrontation that would give him the chance to draw his gun. It's the imagination of pride at its best...or worst.

Something hit me this morning as I began reading my Bible (in Hosea for those following along). It felt sort of obvious when I thought about it. Shouldn't I have known?

I guess in the past, when I read through the "hard parts" of the Bible, where God's wrath was displayed against the people who didn't remember Him, I always sort of "inserted" others in the blanks of the bad guys as I read through. Easy enough. But right?

What I realized this morning, was: "I'm" that guy. You talking to me God? Yes, He's talking to ME. It's like that moment in the movie Sixth Sense (OK I promise...no more movie references) when Bruce Willis' character realizes he was dead the whole time. Wham!

Paradigm shift.

Back in the OT days, prophets were sent by the Lord to remind people to put God first, to trust in Him and not in false idols (basically anything else). You know how you set reminders in your Outlook or iPhone or Blackberry? They pop up so that you don't forget the important things that impact your life. The prophets were physical, living, "personal reminders" for God. Forgetting something important (esp. as God) is not good.

So I'm now trying to think of the prophets and the Scriptures in a new way. Being thankful for MY personal reminders from God. As an alert to remember God first and most importantly, that God's talkin' to me. Not others. Not my earthly masters, not people I have authority over, not the church, not my Brothers and Sisters who disagree with me about religious stuff, not loved ones who disappoint me, not lost sinners who don't know God, not those whose faith I think is less than mine. ME.

Wow. If I can continue to operate from this mindset, what can God do with me? How exciting! Now that feels like a "renewing of my mind." I believe that when we collectively take responsibility for ourselves in the sight of God, things will be better. Who else is gonna do it for us?

Matthew 23:37 says: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."

Yep, He's talkin' to ME.

Break Our Hearts God

2008-08-26T05:24:00.005-05:00

Oh the trials of life. They put us though the fire, burn our natural clothes and make us stench of smoke. Sometimes it seems so hard to put our trust, faith and hope in anything other than what we're servicing at the moment, enduring our current season.

I find myself realizing more and more that no matter what I do (of my own resources), the little earthly results I seek just don't matter. The true results will be unaffected by my own decision and application. I'm not smart enough, strong enough or disciplined enough to cause anything to happen alone. This much I know (if I'm honest with myself).

In lieu of the understanding that God is in control, lies a peace and joy that can only come when we are truly broken for Him. I'm not talkin' doing good stuff either. Anyone can do that (at times). I'm not referring to refraining from doing wrong things. Anyone can do that (at times).

I'm talking about a condition that places us on the floor spiritually. When we get so in line with the plan God has for our lives, that we dare not move or try to get up without his counsel.

How many times have you prayed that God would rip out your heart? If any, I'll bet you could count 'em on the fingers of one hand. Does that scare you? It does me. But what if, what if we sought "brokenness" instead of running from it? What could God do with a broken heart? One that realized just how bad we need Him? I believe a lot.

So often we see the world through our natural eyes. We allow the temporal pains of life, the trials and temptations to overcome us and then we fall prey to the suffering and natural disappointment of life. But does it change anything? Are we changed by the consequences of our actions associated to earthly pain and loss?

What if we changed our approach to a spiritual contrition? One that didn't want to hurt God, instead of one that didn't want to hurt "us"? That would change things for sure. After all, that's all that really matters...or should matter to us.

Usually, heart talk conjures up images of King David in the Bible. He was a man after God's own heart. That tells us something. Even though he messed up royally (no pun intended), he was considered by God as one who sought brokenness, even in the face of many struggles. Listen to what David wrote in a famous Psalm:

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." (Ps. 51:17)

And this is where we should land. On our fat faces. Where God can shape and mold us into His image. Are you standing alone?

Get Ready Marion

2008-08-18T06:59:00.003-05:00

What Are You Worth?

2008-08-18T06:12:00.008-05:00

I don't know about the rest of you, but in my job, I spend a lot of time trying to determine what we should charge for our services. Sometimes, it's more of an art than a science. Trying to figure out how much someone's willing to pay for something is often a hit or miss proposition.

Oh the variables; volume, repeat business, product/service offering type...and the list goes on and on. Plug 'em all in, add a little margin (or cushion as my good friend Steven used to call it) and you're good.

I mean there's lots to consider in a pricing strategy and if you get it wrong, you'll lose. Nobody wants to lose. When you lose, it means you give up something because you didn't figure correctly.

But in the end, good business relationships are forged when both the supplier and customer find value in the rate structure. Do I have to say it? Win-win.

All this reminds me of the price that God was willing to pay for us. What type of value did He place on our lives? Can you imagine what someone like you or I are worth in the eyes of the Author of Perfection, the Master of Everything?

I can just picture it....

Salesman: "OK she's a little rough around the corners, not perfect, mostly selfish, doesn't run very well, gets very bad gas mileage and needs a lot of work.....but if you're willing to spend the time with her, she's a goldmine."

Jesus: "Hmmm, not a lot of spiritual value here...but I love her".

Salesman: "Well OK if you say so, but we don't guarantee her, she's sold "as-is."

Jesus: "Perfect, that's just how I love her. What's the cost?"

Salesman: "Everything."

Jesus: "Everything, is that all?.....I'll take her."

In a silly illustrative way, that's God's pricing strategy for you and I. He considered us worth so much that He gave His very life for us. He gave everything, he emptied himself of all his blood, His life, so that we might live FOREVER.

Revelation 5:9-10 says: " ....with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."

Yep, God got it right. Thank goodness for you and I. It's a win-win relationship. He gives us all and we give him all so that we might inherit the kingdom. From where I'm sitting, that's the deal of a lifetime, an offer we can't refuse!

Food 4 Your Soul

2008-08-10T14:11:00.008-05:00

I really don't have the words to describe C3Live last night. All I can say is that it was EXACTLY what we had envisioned the outreach event to be since God put it in our hearts almost a year ago. Although there have been many ups and downs in the natural relative to this outreach ministry, last night was God's reminder of how he can use a little dream like C3 to show how He still impacts people's lives and hearts.

Although it would be easy to give the band all the credit, that would undermine the awesome power of God, which to me, was displayed in living color last night. Yes it was evidence that God can take broken lives and transform them into something truly beautiful, so that He can inspire and reach out to others that have lost hope.

The music last night was performed by SoulFood, a band of Christ-followers who are using their gift of music to spread the message of Jesus. It wasn't always that way, as lead singer Guy Sheffield so passionately shared to the people gathered together at WMCS last night. At one time, the guys in the band were playing in night clubs and did not know Christ. They were out living their lives for themselves, drinking, partying and playing the bars in Memphis. But God had a different plan for these men. He called them all, almost simultaneously and they accepted Jesus as their Lord. Now, they use their talents and gifts to glorify God. No, they don't make as much money, no its not as much fun in the natural and no its not easy. But yes, they are truly being blessed now and are reaching others who may be on the same path as they had experienced before.

And that's what its all about. Using our messed up, broken down, failed excuses of lives to offer ourselves as living sacrifices for God. Its then, and only then, that God can be glorified through us to a point of spiritual change.

Last night, my soul was given food and I am thankful to God for it. Please continue to pray that C3 will help others to see and be encouraged by God's amazing power. If you were there last night, post your comments on how it impacted you.

***Update*** Next month we are taking C3 to Starbucks (true to its caffeinated roots) in Marion (9/13 @7PM). Christian recording artist Brady Toops will be traveling from Kansas City, MO to perform the live music. Pray that this new venue will be used to attract and reach others for God.

Ignite the Fire

2008-08-03T15:00:00.014-05:00

Does it bother you when someone does something and it's painfully obvious that they're just "going through the motions?" It's no secret really. When someone's not into what they are doing, it comes across as disingenuous at best and a disaster at worst.

At the center of this lies the evidence of a person's selfishness. I mean when someone acts as if they don't care, it's hard to buy into what they are doing. Who wants to follow a selfish person? Yeah I can see all your hands going up!

How many times have you had ill thoughts about a sports figure, who after messing up royally, didn't act like they even cared that they cost the team the game? Eww...it just urks us.

In contrast, how awesome was it when Tiger sank a 20-foot birdie, Jordan drained a last minute jumper, or Favre threw a TD pass in OT and then pumped their fists in the air in celebration?

Therein lies the lesson: to give all we've got when we set out to do something...anything. Why bother suiting up just to make a lack luster presentation and give a half effort? It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Why waste my time and yours? Hmmm. It's just not believable.

But this isn't a rant for rant's sake at all. The point behind all this is found in a key ingredient: PASSION

It's what Jesus had when he endured the moments leading up to the Last Supper and then following His actions on the cross. It's what drove him to DIE for us. This intense, focused, passionate love.

B U R N I N G O N F I R E emotion directed by spiritual vision to do the Father's will.

Talk about amazing. Nothing compares to that.

It reminds me of what Paul wrote to his student Timothy, who was pastoring a church in Ephesus. Paul loved Timothy very much and his prayer and hope was that the young pastor would live a life of faith for Jesus (aka the truth). His words of encouragement wreaked of passion. In 2nd Timothy 1:6 Paul wrote....."I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God". Paul knew the hard road ahead. He knew how tough it would be for the young teacher to live a life worthy of his calling. He knew that without a passionate fire to spread the gospel, that young Timothy would lose heart.

You may do some things in this life without passion. Admittedly, its not easy to always be "on" in everything we do. But if you proclaim to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, you simply do not have the luxury of going through the motions. The enemy's too real, too crafty and too opportunistic. Ignite the fire. Let the passion of Christ burn in your heart. That's what it means to live a life of power by God's Spirit!

Never Give Up!

2008-07-27T21:00:00.008-05:00

I remember this character in a PS video game years ago. I can't remember her name or even the game really (Mortal Combat maybe???), but it was a combat game and she was very prolific at fighting and her mantra was "I'll never give up". No matter how beaten she was, she'd continue to chant that to her opponent. Sorta stuck in my head I guess. Boy did she have some resolve?...(if you know her name, post it in my comments).

It's easy to start something, but harder to finish. How many times have you started something with good intention, big plans and mad motivation, only to lose momentum and never finish the project? I know I've done that many times in the past. I can't count the number of books I've started, only to get bored or disinterested in the "meat" of the text and put it down never to crack it open again. Yuck-o. Do I have to mention diets, financial decisions or new year's resolutions? Didn't think so.

One of the worst things about not completing something that you planned to do isn't necessarily about the lack of end result. The bad part is the confidence loss that you feel when you don't do what you said or thought or planned you were gonna do. When you stop short, you chip away at believing in your plans and abilities to get things done. You get real close, then you give up.

But no matter how many times we've failed in this life, no matter how many things we haven't completed, no matter how many big ideas we didn't deliver upon, none of them really matter in comparison to finishing the race of faith.

In the world's eyes, in the natural, we are gauged by our own capacity to be effective. But in the real life, we have the help of God to accomplish more than we could ever have achieved on our own. No longer is the ball in our court, but in God's. No more excuses as to why we don't finish strong. Why? Because there aren't any with God's help. Remember what the angel Gabriel said to Mary in Luke 1:37? "Nothing is impossible with God".

I'll have to admit, in my life, when I've given up on something that I felt was important, it wasn't because of a shortage of God's power, but a shortage of my own faith in God's power. As I grow older (I know scary thought), I learn more and more that I'm not the one in control and when I come to terms with that, in anything I'm a part of, I find myself right in the mighty hands of the only One who can help me achieve anything.

This week at Marion Community Church, we'll be starting a new mini-message series titled "Finishing Fabulously: Lessons from the Summer Games" where we'll be studying the importance of never giving up on faith in God alone.

Have a great week and remember, when you get tired, when you're worn out, when you feel like you can't go another step, trust in God's power to carry you and He'll take you to places you never thought possible!

Fight the Good Fight

2008-07-19T07:17:00.003-05:00

I have to admit it, I'm pumped about the MMA fights tonight on TV. There's the Affliction Banned PPV and also a free UFC card on SpikeTV. Growing up, my brother Clint and I used to watch boxing matches with my Dad and I guess it just kinda grew on us as our favorite sporting event. Sure I like to watch football, college basketball, golf and other sports, but there's just nothing quite like a good "fight night" for all the excitement surrounding it.

My wife doesn't understand why I like to watch people "beating each other up", but I really do believe that combat sports are just that...sports. So in my mind (am I justifying???), I'm not actually watching someone who's trying to harm the other out of anger, rage or bad intention, but am viewing a trained athlete, who's meticulously prepared and developed a strategy to take on his opponent to defeat him in a sporting event. To me, there's more danger and risk for being injured when the cheerleading "flyer" gets thrown 15 feet in the air to perform a routine at the National Cheerleading competition! One slip and lights out!

I could also make a case that if violence were forbidden, we'd have to put away the OT! Go Joshua!!!

But one thing that I've noticed and appreciated in the world of combat sports and mixed martial arts particularly lately, is that the great fighters know how to come back from adversity. If you know a little about MMA, you know that those fighters have to know many disciplines (boxing, wrestling, jiu jitsu, muay tai, kick boxing, judo, etc.) and thus are suspect to losing a match in many different ways. So no matter how good a fighter is, on any given night, he can lose because of style, strategy or just being physically or mentally off a bit.

I remember when Chuck Liddell lost his title to Rampage in the UFC and was being interviewed afterwards about his thoughts relative to what happened. Joe Rogan asked him what happened to which the Iceman responded..."I got caught." Got caught? That's it? Come on, couldn't he have come up with something more meaningful, more insightful, more strategically inclined? No, just made a mistake.

Since then, Liddell has "come back" to win several fights and regain the form that's made him so successful in the world of prize fighting. He didn't let this one fight, this one mistake, this one lost battle stop him from fighting again. No, he resolved to get back in the cage, train and fight again given the next opportunity. He didn't let getting caught finish him for good.

This all reminds me of what Paul wrote to Timothy about how we're supposed to live our lives. We, as men of god, are to strive towards the true prize which is found in faith in Jesus. Yes, we'll fall down every day, we'll get knocked out momentarily, we'll stumble and get taken down, we'll bleed and cry and get bruised by life....BUT WE WILL NOT LOSE THE WAR! Let's continue to "fight the good fight of the faith" as we "guard what's been entrusted to us." Just like the cage fighters, we have to persist and be strong and veeeeeerrrrrrry courageous as we continue to build a foundation for the future and take hold of that which is true life.

For....."We are hard pressed on every side, but NOT crushed; perplexed, but NOT in despair; persecuted, but NOT abandoned; struck down but NOT destroyed" (2 Cor. 4:8-9)

Worked to Death?

2008-07-10T07:20:00.005-05:00

How many times have you felt like that? Seems we're pretty in tune to how much we work and how much sacrifice we make doing whatever we do to make money. Think about it, how many times have you asked somebody what was going on and got a response like "work, work, work" or "nothing but the rent"? Sometimes we define ourselves and our lives based on our "work" or how we make a livin'.

I read an article yesterday about a Toyota engineer in Japan who literally worked himself to death. Apparently, he was the leader of development for a new hybrid version of the Camry and had been working more than 80 hours of overtime per month for the two months leading up to his death. He worked nights and weekends, traveled frequently abroad and was focused fanatically on having the new car ready to ship for the next big auto show in Detroit. Sadly, he won't be attending the North American International Auto Show.

How tragic for someone to put so much into something and not get out of it what they expected. I can't help but think of how we can do this in our spiritual lives as well if we're not careful. Sometimes we even make our spiritual lives, our churches or our ministries into work factories. We buy into the natural inclination that more work equals more gain. Problem is, that's not what faith in God is all about.

I think of what Jesus said in Mark 8:36: "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Lovin' that Toby Mac song BTW.

Now before you start thinking bad things about what I am proposing, I'm NOT saying that you shouldn't do anything, for the Bible is very clear that laziness is equal to ruin (Proverbs 21:25 for example). What I am saying is that our hearts have to be right about our work, putting our trust, hope and faith in God's power through us that causes us to do His good work.

Its real easy to feel like we're the ones doing the work. We like to get the credit when things go right and then when things go wrong, run to God and ask Him to help us. Why not just give it to God all the time? Much easier, from a joy standpoint that is.

If our hearts are set on God's Kingdom (His work, what He wants and has planned), when good or bad things happen, we can rest in the knowledge that He is in control. Isn't that what it's really all about anyway? CONTROL. (I can't help it, but I hear that Janet Jackson song everytime I think of that word). We are encouraged to remember that we are NOT in control. Of anything. Period.

Even the stuff we do well...our talents, skills, experiences, resources, and opportunities are given to us by who?...yep you guessed it. So why waste our time thinking we're something other than what we are? Remember the origin of all sin as we know it was PRIDE. The devil thought of himself over God and well, you know the rest of the story. Kicked to the curb!

So let's not forget the Lord our God, the author of everything who made the heavens and earth with his hands. When we work, we should do it to Him, remembering and being thankful that he made us and blessed us with he capacity to do work. All because of love.

Amazing grace it is. Instead of working yourself to death, how about believing yourself to life? That's the narrow gate I'm going through!

Everything

2008-06-27T10:11:00.004-05:00

If you haven't seen this video, be ready to shed a few drops.

One of my personal favorite bible verses (in part because my Mom

always quoted it to us as kids...thanks Mom, love you and thanks

for your faith!) is Philippians 4:13..."I can do EVERYTHING through

Him who gives me strength".

Are We There Yet?

2008-06-22T09:27:00.008-05:00

My family just returned from a 7 day road trip/vacation this past week to FL. During that time, many things happened, both positive and negative that provided many spiritual insights to God's moving in and around us.

Of all the things we experienced though, I kept thinking about the actual "travels" of the trip. If you've ever been in a car with others for more than 8 hours, you know exactly what I mean. There's been a ton of movies made about this subject, about the challenges, thrills and life changing moments discovered while out on the open road. As Chevy Chase put it, there's a certain "smell" that goes with it. There's something about being in a car, with nothing to do and headed towards a common destination that causes your brain to turn.

Usually when you're making a trip (unless you're moving), there's a trip to and a trip from. It was in these two "legs" of our trip that I noticed the difference or perception of the journey as it related to our destination.

A Tale of Two Travels - Trip From

On the trip back from vacation, we dreaded the drive (8 plus hours), we didn't want to leave, all our stuff was crammed into the van. My wife and I discussed staying an extra day or two (should this have to end?). The kids didn't hop out of bed that morning when we woke them, the luggage didn't seem as light as when we loaded it, the van stunk. Our attitudes were not what they were just a mere 7 days before. The trip seemed like it took twice as long.

A Tale of Two Travels - Trip To

On the months and days before the vacation, there was a certain anticipation, an excitement, and focus on the destination that prevailed in our minds as we approached the trip to what we viewed as an escape from our normal, everyday lives. Yes, we were looking forward to where we were going. We couldn't prepare enough, or leave fast enough, the days couldn't pass quick enough before we left.

And the trip down; the same trip, time in car and mileage travelled as the return, seemed painless in comparison to the image of the place we were going. Why was the trip down so good? Because we weren't focused on the in between (now); we were focused on the where we were going (future). We couldn't wait to leave, the van was packed neatly and tightly, it smelled good, the kids were eager to get started, the luggage was light. We were pumped about leaving behind our mundane, day-to-day lives for the thought of R&R in what local signs claimed was "paradise".

Where Do I Think I'm Going???

So I couldn't help but contrast these two travels to our spiritual lives. I had to ask myself, "Am I living my life for God with a "trip to" or a "trip from" attitude? Do I look forward every day to the blessings that I have in Jesus, with an eager anticipation of what's to come or do I dread each day, looking back on where I've come from, with a sense that I'm returning to my past? This is an incredible life changing concept.

When I have a "trip to" attitude, my eyes are set on the Kingdom of Heaven, on reaching others with the powerful message of God's grace and love, on seeking God first above all else in all things abiding in faith through Jesus. My focus is on God's power through His Holy Spirit, through his provision and will. I'm not looking back on my own shortcomings or dreading ANYTHING, I'm looking to the Father for direction. I know where I'm going and can't wait to get there.

When I have a "trip from " mentality, I look back on the trappings of this world, I look to operate in my own power and resources and I lose focus on the Kingdom of God. And this viewpoint is hard. There's no excitement, no hope, no peace, no eager expectations of things to come. Only dread and sacrifice. I get lost, don't know where I'm going and don't really want to go back anyways.

Jesus said in Luke 9:62..."No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God"

Are you living your life focused on a "to" or a "from" mindset? Are we fit for the Kingdom? Can others see it in our lives? Do they see hopeful anticipation in our lives or a dreadful life sucking sacrifice? If you have lost sight of God, you may need to make a pit stop and refuel on the wonderful power of God's life giving Spirit through absolute faith in Jesus. Then you can reclaim that eager expectation that only comes through heading down the narrow path to God's Kingdom that awaits all those who believe in Him. Happy Trails!

C3Live! in July

2008-06-15T07:36:00.006-05:00

Hey, just wanted to let everyone know that due to the holiday weekend, we have changed C3's date to Saturday night, July 12th. Hopefully this will be a better date for those that may have had Independence Day plans on the weekend before. Thanks to all who have encouraged us to move it back.

Also, if you haven't planned to come to the next one, you may want to reconsider. We are having Christian hardcore rockers "Enterprise Friday". Got energy? What an awesome witness, testimony and blessing these teens are for Jesus! It makes me SO proud to know that they are using their gifts that God has given them to glorify His name. So many youth in our society today are NOT doing that, so we should be so thankful when we witness those who are. I pray the richest blessings on Jake, Craig, Evan, Taylor, Jesse and Josh.

If you have a youngster, 'tween, teen or a young adult in your family or circle of friends, you won't want to miss this event. We never know how God's going to influence those around us an this is a perfect opportunity to bring someone to a hangout that's focused on introducing people to Christ. Look around you. Do you know a young person who doesn't have the Lord in their life? Do you know a young person who may be struggling or searching for answers? Do you have a young person in your life that you want to talk to but just don't know how to get started? If you answered yes to any of those, this might be the door that God is opening to use your relationship to reach them for Him.

As you can see, we don't have a speaker confirmed yet, but we've asked a couple of men and I KNOW God's going to have the one He wants there to speak to the youth. I ask that you pray for our youth in the community; that God moves in their hearts to abide in Him. They are the future of the church and we are here to help them get to know Him.

He Still Loves You

2008-06-10T20:43:00.007-05:00

Jesus loves us SO much that:

1) He died so He wouldn't have to live without us

2) Nothing we have done will separate us from Him

3) He doesn't leave us the way we are

"This is how we know what loves is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us" [1 John 3:16]

C3LIVE! This Saturday Night at WMCS

2008-06-06T09:47:00.004-05:00

***Update*** What an awesome night!!! Five Sent Out was rockin' and it was great to see all our friends come out and enjoy a night of praise and fellowship.

Next month's gonna be special with teenage Christcore rockers Enterprise Friday. If you haven't seen these young men, mark your calendars for July 12th.

Don't miss this one...local Christian rockers "Five Sent Out" will be performing and yours truly will be speaking for the first time at C3. Hope to see you there and if not please keep us in your prayers.

What Does God Want?

2008-06-02T19:34:00.006-05:00

We spend a lot of time thinking about all things us, what we want and how it relates to "us", but what about God...have you ever stopped to think about what God wants? What could a perfect, infinite, holy God want from us flawed human beings? Especially considering that we can't even go a few minutes without messing things up? I mean really, what do we have to offer Him?

Well the question dives into the very character and essence of our loving creator and Father God. The scriptures tell us that God is love. 1 John 4:16 says..."And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." So we get insight that God, being the loving being that He is, wants our love.

Now we also know that true love, must sacrifice one self for someone other. As we see in 1 Corinthians 13:5.."it is not self-seeking". And we know that God loved us so much that he gave us His one and only Son Jesus (Do I even have to quote the verse here???), even when we were his enemies. Don't know about you, but it's sometimes hard to do good to people I like, let alone doing something good for someone who has wronged me.

But God's love is so immense, that he gave himself for us. And all He wants in return? Well, that we love Him back. More amazing is the fact that he loves us so much that He gives us free will (or choice) because God knows that real, authentic love, is not forced, but is chosen. He chose to love us and He wants us to choose to love Him.

Sounds easy huh? Well, 1 John 5:3 says that we show our love out of obedience. Now this is where people get whacked out in religious thinking. God doesn't require us to be obedient as a condition for love, no he desires obedience because He loves us. Stop and think on that one for a moment. Many people think that upholding the law or "doing enough good and not doing any bad" will make God love them. Nope. God loves because He first loved us, and then only asks that we choose to love Him back.

And that is made whole through His Son Jesus. When we accept Him as our penance and have faith in Him alone, we place our trust in God and our love is manifested in obedience through love. Make sense? If not, rethink what you believe you need to do and focus on what God's already done for you. It's not a tally sheet here, its a decision to follow Christ, with all you've got, and knowing that He is your answer to EVERYTHING.

What does God want? He wants you to love Him and that's done through obedience, not as a requirement, but as fulfillment of the choice we've made to abide in Jesus. Stop trying so hard to be perfect and start trying to love God and all things will be added to you. BTW, His Holy Spirit will empower you to perform these good works, again out of love for Him.

Hint, hint..He doesn't want your perfection...He wants your love!

Wounded

2008-05-26T00:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday in church we celebrated Memorial Day with a very special service recognizing the contributions of the men and women in the military, both past and present. So many times we can become calloused to the reality of the sacrifices people have made for our freedom. Almost to a point of taking freedom for granted.

As I sat and watched a very powerful video of scenes from the Iraq war, I was flooded with emotions of thanks, honor for our troops and guilt for being so “forgetful” of what these people have done for our country.

Part of my understanding of their physical sacrifice was made relevant to me a little over a week ago. While I was innocently trying to remove a wooden picture frame from a Cezanne canvas transfer painting, I broke the frame and jammed part of the remnant into my right (yes dominant side) forearm. I spent several hours in the ER that evening and had 11 stitches to show for my accidental laceration. An art injury of all things.

It reminded me how fragile the human body is and how easily one could die with a significant injury and without the proper medical attention. Here I was in the middle of peaceful America, with a small 4’” cut and within a few miles of a major hospital with an emergency room and staff ready for the next person to walk through the door.

As I sat in the church service, I couldn’t help but contrast my incident with one that so many of our troops must have experienced in Iraq. In contrast, they are in the middle of a war-torn Middle Eastern country, with major life threatening injuries, without the conveniences of local hospitals and facilities. How traumatic, lonely and life changing these experiences must be for our troops. I just want to say THANK YOU to our armed forces and the sacrifices they are making for the freedom of many, including me and my family of five. May God richly bless you for your service and our prayers are with you continually.

All of this cannot be spoken of though without mentioning the sacrifice of sacrifices. For without “the sacrifice” none of these others would even be possible. As bad as I injured myself with the picture frame, its nothing compared with the countless, self-imposed injuries I’ve inflicted on myself with my sins against God. And although my physical wounds can heal with time, by getting the proper treatment and care, my spiritual wounds cannot be healed without the sacrifice of perfection. For no man is sinless and to be in communion with a perfect, holy God, we must have a spotless sacrifice.

Isaiah 53:5 says…”But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

By His wounds we are healed! Praise God for his wonderful, loving, transformational grace that is available to all who will accept it. As we celebrate the memorial of our beloved troops both past and present, let us also remember the One who made the sacrifice that transcends physical boundaries, superseding this life for a spiritual one that lasts for all eternity. Healing is available for all who are hurting. Are you still caring for your own wounds? Jesus already gained victory over all our pain and suffering. Just ask Him if you don’t believe me.

Reality Found

2008-05-19T00:18:00.005-05:00

We crave authenticity in our culture. We're willing to pay extra for the real thing. Experiencing something "live" is usually better than hearing or watching a recorded version. In just the last decade or so, TV programming has become dominated by "reality" shows like Survivor, American Idol and Big Brother, giving the perception of real people, living real lives for real things.

Of course, the opposite of real is fake. No one wants to be associated with the counterfeit version of the authentic. We despise being given something less when expecting the real deal. Unfortunately even done well, fake has a purpose too though. It is to mislead. It is to provide a substitute for the original, to make us think that what we're getting is as good as the original.

Although we all want the real stuff, we many times settle for less. Why? Maybe its the cost. We know that the cost of something real is many times higher than a knock-off or copy. And getting the the fake stuff is easier too; it requires less from us. If we can half way do something and think we're pulling it off, we'll usually try.

Or maybe we settle for less because we're not sure what's really real sometimes. We think what we're getting is real, only to find out later that its not. So sometimes, its easier to get the fake stuff than the real stuff, because if we had the real ones we might not know what to do with them if we had them.

Confused? Well that's what life does sometimes to us; especially living a fake one. It gets us confused. Confused keeps us from clearly seeing what's real, what has meaning and where truth is absolutely held.

We add to this dilemma though. We don't present our real selves to others all of the time. We do a lot of "pretending" around others. We put on masks and act like we've got it all together, when we all know that all of us have problems and struggles in life. Yet, we try to fake each other out by displaying "fronts" that falsely lead our associates astray, creating this fake reality TV show starring us.

The problem arises when we bottle everything up, offer up a counterfeit of ourselves to others and play as if we are perfectly fine on the inside. This puts off an "I'm in control" signal to others that helps us feel confident and secure, even when we're hurting very badly. We think we've got it all together, but others aren't buying it. It's kinda like a bad toupee, everyone knows it but no body's saying anything.

Unfortunately, this is a ready made trap that our enemy the devil sets for us. He knows that if we act as if we are perfect and do not share with one another, that we'll continue to struggle with the same things over and over that destroy us. He knows, because he's the author of confusion.

Real healing and real help stem from being real with others. Remember, none of us really want fake stuff, so we definitely are better tuned to real relationships. This becomes even more important when we consider the "real lives" that are only found in Christ Jesus. As Christians, we have to be very careful not to live fake lives around our Brothers and Sisters and even more importantly around those who do not know Jesus. For when we act fake and pretend we are perfect or better than others, we simply cannot attract relationally. Being real provides an opportunity to build relationships that can make an impact on broken, fake lives.

Colossians Chapter 2 talks about the freedom that Christ gives us from human "fakeness". When we live lives that are "rooted and built up" in Christ, we no longer have to pretend that we are perfect and something that we are not. When we live by Jesus' power and authority over our lives, we will be free from the temptation to hide all of our imperfections that make us "real" to others. We then can take those imperfections and use them as a testimony to help others who are struggling with exactly the same things that we are. That is real community. Loving God and loving others by living in His Son's sufficiency while helping each other out of the valleys we travel through in life.

Col. 2:16-17 says..."Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Don't forget what's really real. It's not you and its not me; its Jesus. So, let's drop the hypocrisy and start living our lives in an authentic way that leads others to the REAL transformational power that lives in God's Son.

Starry Night

2008-05-14T12:12:00.011-05:00

Last Monday night, my oldest girl Alexandra Starr performed a song at the West Memphis Christian School's talent show. She is singing Natalie Grant's song "In Better Hands".

Obviously, I'm very proud of her... less for her vocal abilities though and more for her heart for God. She truly is a blessing to our family and will some day be a blessing to many others as she continues to grow in her love for Jesus. Our goal as parents should be to encourage our children to discover and use their talents and gifts to glorify God. After all, that's what Christ did.

Britt Nicole watch out!

SHIFT 2 KINGDOM

2008-05-06T16:11:00.003-05:00

This week we started a new message series at MCC titled "Shift". Basically it's looking at how a subtle shift in our mindset can translate into powerful change in the way we live our lives for God.

Our first message was about shifting from a temporal to a "Kingdom" mindset. When we look at things from the standpoint of our own "kingdoms" we easily get distracted and make poor choices that impact our spiritual walk.

When we operate from a "kingdom of Me" mentality, we put "all these things" first (reverse Matthew 6:33 principle) and exhibit lives full of the sinful nature and desires including:

repetitive, loveless, cheap sex
a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage
frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness
trinket gods
magic-show religion
paranoid loneliness
cutthroat competition
all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants
a brutal temper
an impotence to love or be loved
divided homes and divided lives
small-minded and lopsided pursuits
the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival
uncontrolled and uncontrollable addiction
ugly parodies of community

A pretty exhaustive list of man-made problems from Galatians 5 (TM) huh? Are you stuck and/or struggling with any of these things? If so, check your Kingdom compass and see if you've accidentally jumped on the throne. The worst place you can be is sitting on the King of King's throne, thinking that you are the one in control.....

Kingdom minded = Jesus minded

C3Live! Saturday Night 5.3.08

2008-04-30T15:14:00.013-05:00

::: UPDATE ::: This was one of the best C3Live's we've ever had! Craig and Patti Wendel led the SouthPoint team with some awesome praise and worship music and a powerful message about Jesus. Next month we're featuring Christian rockers "Five Sent Out" so make plans now for another fantastic night!

Knocked Up

2008-04-26T08:08:00.003-05:00

I spent eight hours last weekend watching four back to back to back to back youth baseball games. A marathon indeed. While I was there, I couldn't help but notice an obviously pregnant woman who was there watching her son during the all-day-long sporting event. But it wasn't her physical condition that grabbed my attention (I've seen many expecting women; I mean I have proof of three examples under my own roof); no it was the t-shirt she was wearing. Her t-shirt said, "I'm not pregnant, I'm just knocked up."

Many critics have described good "art" as anything that grabs the attention, that shocks the mind, that creates a different feeling inside each viewer. Well, I'm here to tell you, her shirt was art. Priceless...a Crittenden County moment indeed.

Anyhow, it got me to thinking in the spiritual (I know I'm weird). Men, you may want to exit out of this one right now and defer it to your wives......How we view our lives in this body, the short time we're here on planet earth. I started thinking about what Paul wrote in Romans about our present sufferings. It's not so unlike what a pregnant woman goes through as she prepares for the birth of her new child. Listen to what Paul wrote in Romans 8:18:

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.

Just like a mom to be, we wait spiritually in eager expectation, to the day when our new spiritual bodies will be revealed. We carry around this heavy, distracting, burdensome spiritual weight (to the flesh that is), anxiously waiting for the day when we are called up to meet Jesus face to face and to once and for all to be released from the physical pain! Listen in verses 22-24:

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.

For now, it hurts, we feel hot all the time, we're hungry for something we can't find, we are ready to get it over with already....but we hope in the future day when...well listen to Paul again in verse 24:

But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Our hope is in what WILL be eventually revealed in us all as God's children. We only need to now focus on the what we are becoming as God's heirs, not the pains of this life that will come to pass one day when we are glorified in Him. Listen to verse 21 and then 1 Corinthians 13:12:

21...that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

WOW, powerful verses that should inspire us and give us hope to carry (no pun intended) out the wonderful plans that God has in store for us during our short terms here on earth. Let's not focus on our current conditions, but rather on what will be revealed in us at the proper time.

Knocked up can be a beautiful thing.

Put Down the Binoculars

2008-04-21T09:28:00.002-05:00

All too often we fall into the trappings of our own culture. After all, as Americans we are basted in a society that puts consumption at the top of the list. We buy our food ready to eat, our coffee ready to drink, our clothes ready to wear after a trip to the cleaners.

The very essence of our consumer-driven environment conditions us to look at many things through the eyes of a spectator. We love to watch a good sporting event, concert or even a movie. Sitting back, relaxing and enjoying others' performances brings a welcome, calming sense of relaxing escapism. Come on fess up, isn't it fun watching a bunch of millionaire athletes competing in sub-zero weather on the gridiron while we eat hot wings, chips&cheese dip and drink our favorite beverage by the gallon?

We know that these things are naturally fun, easy on the effort scale and enjoyable in every sense of the meaning. The problem lies in our poor ability to separate the natural from the spiritual when it comes to HOW we view our roles in life.

Many times, we mistakenly take the spectator perspective from the physical and unknowingly transfer it over to the other side. We pick up our binoculars and watch from the sidelines, where its comfortable and less risky, all while wearing our Jesus t-shirts.

This is the great tragedy of our Christian church. We have Americanized the church to the point of resting on our Saviour's work. Once a week, we fill into our little stadiums and arenas (aka church buildings) and watch as our worship leaders and preachers perform, all the while cheering them on until we recess back into our normal lives after the services. And if the pep rally isn't what we like, we get mad. Is this what Jesus meant for the church to be? I don't think so.

Think about it, Jesus wasn't just a God the Father fan, He was a God the Father "player". And look at God the Father's role; He didn't just sit back in heaven with His binoculars and look down on His creation and say, "I hope they win"; no He put himself in play for us. The Holy Spirit wasn't poured on us to help us keep the bench warm after we got our uniforms; no He lives in us to empower us to GO and make disciples to the ends of the earth. NEWSFLASH....The story of Jesus didn't end with Jesus. Our salvation started the game clock, it didn't signal that time had expired.

One well known passage in the NT is the one that John wrote to the church in Ephesus. John wrote in Rev. 2:4 (NIV):

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

Now there's a good halftime speech indeed. Let's be sure and take those words and prepare ourselves for action. The story of Jesus continues in the lives of those who follow Him. Our first love needs to be our goal in life. We have to stop thinking about ourselves as fans that look through our binoculars without anything to risk in the outcome of sharing the gospel with the rest of the world. There are too many lost people in the world to kick our feet up in our spiritual armchairs and watch as the devil rips through the playbook with ferocious intent.

As EA Sports finely puts it "ITS IN THE GAME". Jesus is in the game. Come on Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the clock's running down, its late in the game, so let's get in there and offer ourselves as living sacrifices and play for Jesus' lost children!

That's what He meant by church.

R U Ready?

2008-04-14T23:22:00.006-05:00

I used to listen to a Korn song with this title. Man, powerful music (don't listen to that stuff anymore b/c it distracts me...replaced it with P.O.D.).

Also, this is what Big John McCarthy used to say to cage fighters (before he retired) just before the start of a mixed martial arts fight in the UFC (I do actually still watch this stuff....OK shoot me).

But what I mean by "Are you ready?" is the question that we should ALL ask ourselves before we enter into the spiritual war that is making a stand for Jesus Christ. We expect that proclaiming the name of Jesus in our community should be smooth sailing. It should be easy, painless and comfortable; that is what serving God's all about right?

But wait....are we misled? Does the scripture say that its gonna be easy when we set out to reach the lost for Christ? Do we ignorantly get discouraged when we come against the enemy's opposition when we are committed to the mission of Jesus? I believe yes.

We gripe, complain and whine about all of the problems and road blocks that we come against when we are truly seeking the gospel. Do you really think that the devil's gonna lay down and say "OK, you can have those lost sinners, I don't really want them?" Wishful thinking.

NO, when you make a stand for Christ in your community, in your church, in your social circles, in your life, you had better be well prepared to ENTER THE DRAGON (an old Bruce Lee movie for you gen Y'ers).

Listen to what God said to Joshua (a noble warrior for the Lord God) in Joshua 1:6-7: "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous." Now if God said be strong and courageous, then we might need to take heed to the preparation needed when we are about to claim territory for God. We shouldn't enter thinking of peaches, cream or even roses. We should enter prepared for a fist fight.

Can you imagine going up to a bully in elementary school, tapping him on the shoulder, delivering a crisp slap to his face and then him saying to you "Oh, sure, I'm gonna lay down and submit to you." Absolutely not! You would expect a hard fought, physical struggle. Think about it, that's why you didn't do it.

So why do we expect any different in the spiritual realm? Remember what the apostle Paul wrote...to fight the good fight. Yes, its good to fight for Jesus Christ. It's what we SHOULD be doing. Its what we're called to do. Obviously its a war, but what is more important than reaching others for Jesus? NOTHING.

Thanks Chris Hodges for the reminder. Let's pick a Kingdom building fight!

The Healing Power of Forgiveness

2008-04-09T08:07:00.003-05:00

Jesus said, "Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven." (Luke 6:37).

Aside from it being instruction given by Jesus, forgiving each other carries a tremendous amount of healing power. When we truly forgive others for their trespasses against us, we are freed from the bondage of anger, hurt and resentment.

A Brother of mine sent me the following WOF Blog posting written by Marilyn Meberg that really changed the way I look at forgiveness:

"Many of us would rather hang on to resentment than forgive. We know forgiving will get rid of the resentment that is weighing us down, but even that is not sufficient motivation. The sobering truth about hanging on to the resentment is that we create for ourselves an interior concentration camp. In that camp we sit behind the bars of our anger, our resentment, and our bitterness. . . . We rationalize . . . saying they don’t deserve to be forgiven.

Though “they” may not deserve forgiveness, may I suggest that neither do you deserve the consequences that come with a lack of forgiveness. It was bad enough to be hurt the first time, but it is inexcusable to find yourself imprisoned in the concentration camp for something you did not deserve.Forgiving those who do not deserve forgiveness does no mean that what they did was right. Forgiveness does not grant approval. Neither does forgiveness grant them access to you and your life. Forgiveness simply sets you free."

Praise God for forgiving us of our sins when we didn't deserve it and may we remember to do the same to others when we have the opportunity. Freedom awaits.

Don't Laugh!

2008-04-05T08:17:00.005-05:00

Isn't that what we think when we think of God? We feel like it's a sin to laugh when we're thinking of the creator of the universe. But I'm not so sure that's what God intended for us.

Our lives are filled with a ton of serious "stuff." The very thought of not being serious can invoke fits of self-imposed guilt and irresponsibility. Even my blog can be very serious (meaning mentally intensive) and requires a bit of focused meditation and reflection to write sometimes. I don't mean it to be that way, I just figure if I'm going to take the time to write something and if you're going to take the time to read it, I should put some serious thought and effort into offering something of value.

Add to that the responsibility of living a life that's worthy of being called a Christian (let's admit it, following a perfect example isn't easy) and things can at times seem overwhelming.

But God created us in His own image and based upon that, we know he has a sense of humor (where else would we get it?). Think of how Jesus messed with His disciples and used sarcasm against the Pharisees. Come on, the Lord God constantly called the Jews "stiff-necked" people when they didn't obey Him.

Let's lighten up a bit! I believe heaven's gonna be a lot of fun.

Here's a blog that pokes humor at things we Christians like. It's called "Stuff Christians Like" and its hilarious:

http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/

Reading through some of these, which I believe are updated daily, you can really can see how silly we act at times. Some of them actually make me belly laugh (or LOL for the politically correct IMers). Check out these in particular:

#16 - Greeting the people around you
#17 - Unspoken prayer requests
#24 - Church names that sound like clothing stores
#33 - Singing with our hands raised
#61 - Being relevant
#76 - Grape juice
#106 - The side hug
#108 - The search for "one more person"

If you care to look, let me know what some of your favorites are.

Admit it, there's a lot of not so good stuff (dirty jokes, R-rated comedy movies, X-rated comics, etc.) that we entertain, share and laugh about, so let's not be judgmental and bash the harmless stuff that mocks our crazy actions.

Being able to laugh at yourself is a way of confessing we aren't perfect. I'm way far from perfect. Thank God for Jesus!

Self Denial

2008-03-29T23:03:00.003-05:00

How can it be? The very concept of denying oneself is counterintuitive. We live in an independent body, with an independent mind and an independent free will to choose or make decisions. Sure, you could make an argument that we are dependent on certain things, but realistically, we can do whatever we want as long as we are willing to deal with the consequences of our decisions. No one makes us do anything. C'mon punk, make my day.

Mix all of that up and factor in a world that consists of roughly 6.7 billion other "free-thinkers" and you have a recipe for self indulgence.

I can think whatever I want, say whatever I want and act anyway I want. You can do the same. And we more often than not do. We make decisions based on self interest. Even things we normally associate as good, are sometimes biased with selfish motivation.

How'd we get here? How'd we get this life thing backwards? How'd we go from dependent to independent? We started out built in the right image. We began sinless. We had all the love we could ever need and then.....we decided it wasn't enough. Hmmm.

Overthought this one. Rationalized what might be better. Figured our plans made more sense. Straight out jacked it up. Saw that our way wasn't any good.

So we needed a way back to our original status as "created in God's image". God is holy, pure, blameless, perfect and infinite. God sent us a perfect gift to live a spotless life; the sacrifice for our independence. In the form of His Son.

So what did His Son Jesus say about how to be a believer in Him, how to be a true follower of Him, how to be an authentic disciple of Him?

Do a lot of good deeds to earn His gift? No
Adhere to the religous requirements of the law? Nuh uh
Be perfect and eliminate all sin? Wrong

Listen up. Here's what Christ told us to do: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." That's it? That's all we have to do? Yes, that's it, that's all it takes to have a relationship with God. No more, no less. End of story.

The art of self denial and the key to following Jesus Christ, is to take up your cross. In other words, give it ALL up for Him and His glory. Give your life for Him. Give everything you've got to Him. Hold nothing back from Him. Put Him as number One in your life. Give your thoughts to Him, give your words to Him, give your actions to Him. Give Him your Cross.

And this is how you show your love to Him; in obedience to His commands (and they are for your benefit). If you love someone, you'll show it through your dependence on them. That's what a loving relationship is all about.

Liquid Holiness

2008-03-20T08:39:00.005-05:00

Let us never forget why we celebrate Easter, who we were reconciled by and through what we were cleansed. Praise God through His Son Lord Jesus for saving us from ourselves!

Thank you so much God for providing us a way back to you. We love you more than words can ever affirm, only because you first loved us.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

This video makes me cry tears of thanksgiving, sadness for my sins against God and joy all at the same time. NOTHING but the blood of Jesus (click below to watch) :

I'm Gonna Be Like You Dad

2008-03-16T08:12:00.004-05:00

Life's hard. Just when we think we've got it figured out and things are going OK, BAM!, right between the eyes. Then we start to wonder what we can do to fix things and make it all better and more comfortable. Isn't that how its supposed to be? Aren't we supposed to have smooth sailing in life? I mean, that's what most people are concerned with......treasure on earth.

So it leads us to think with our rationale, with our carnal minds. We try to "figure things out" and prepare for the unknowns, making decisions based on what we can see. Then, we gauge our efforts and progress on the results of life's experiences. So I did this and then...... this is what happened. Turns out we get disappointed time and time again. What a merry-go-round! I just wanna get off this thing 'cuz I'm getting sick and I'm about to hurl.

Then we remember. There was One that got off the merry-go-round, that tamed the raging seas and lived the spotless example of what life could be without sin. Of all the things that have been written about Jesus, one of the most notable and sometimes under emphasized facts about what He did, was to be just like His Father (or Dad as we can better relate to the office). When temptation knocked, he answered with His Father's interests.

Think about the time when the devil tempted Jesus in the desert (Matt4 if you're counting). As if the desert isn't a tough enough place to be all on its own, add to it that He hadn't eaten in 40 days. Yes days not minutes. If you've ever fasted, then you know how tough it is to give up food and how weak your physical body becomes without it over time. And here was the devil, offering Him food. Jesus' reply? Nope, I live by Dad's words.

Then it was up to the high point overlooking the city. The devil questioned his power, misused God's Word and asked Jesus to prove who He was! Response? Nah, I'm not gonna test Dad like that, too much respect.

Finally, the dirty d took Him to a tall mountain and basically said, "all this can be yours if you'll just worship me." His answer? "Get out of here...and BTW, we worship the Lord OUR (our as in plural; he's Satan's God too) God and we only can serve Him."

So in the desperation of temptation, Jesus looked up to His Father's plan for His life. He didn't consider the physical pain, the power He possessed on His own or the gain of the world's treasures when he made these decisions about what He was gonna choose.

We can ALL relate to this. When we are tempted and think "you just don't understand"....well, yes He does. And look how he responded every time. He responded with the love, respect and admiration that said, "I'm gonna be just like my Father because that's what He wants me to do."

Jesus sacrificed the seen for the unseen. Even unto death. A lesson in how to handle the tough stuff indeed.

The Jesus Rant @ C3Live!

2008-03-08T18:49:00.019-06:00

We showed this video last Saturday night at C3Live! (Christian Community Cafe for those of you who haven't been yet). I've had so many positive comments and people asking for copies that I've decided to post it.  BTW, if you weren't there, you missed a great night. We had Christian hardcore (Christcore) rockers "Enterprise Friday" (the teenagers absolutely loved them) and be sure and check out what my buddy wrote on his blog post " A Glimpse of the Future" at:

http://stricklyspeaking.blogspot.com/

We also had bluesy-rockers "The Lance McDaniel Band." If you've never seen Lance play the guitar, you're missing a treat. It was an awesome night of praising God and hanging out with other Christians.

I have personally been so blessed through C3Live! I've met more fellow Christians and gotten to know people that I never would have met through my normal "church" channels. What a great thing God is doing in our community; bringing all His children together under the only thing we share in common that matters (Jesus).

If you'd like to come and check it out, we're having the next one on Saturday night, April 5th at 7PM at West Memphis Christian High. Scheduled artists for the evening are "Prodigal's Hope" featuring Holly Taylor and newcomers "3 Cord Jam" featuring Andy Shepherd. Don't miss it!

Anyhow, here's the video:

Tapping Into the Power Source

2008-03-02T19:52:00.003-06:00

I have just been reminded, once again, about the power of prayer and its tranformational ability in our lives. One of my dear Brothers was going through some difficult times in his family resulting from unknowns at work. The challenge he was having was the kind that hits home harder than anything else it seems. The worry of money; to which no man is exempt. Seems money, or the ability to provide for our families, strikes at the deepest core of our foundations (and our faith). You know the drill....if I lose this, where am I gonna live, what are we gonna eat, how will I clothe the kids???

As with any other problem in life, we find ourselves powerless to things that happen to us on a daily basis. We tend to worry about things that we cannot control. Jesus reminded us though that we need not worry about anything (read Matthew Six:Twenty Five-Thirty Four). Worrying does one thing that helps us focus though; its when and where we realize that we need God's help and we call on Him (or we should) through prayer.

Prayer is the enigma that people have long tried to describe and understand in terms of how it affects our everyday lives. But boiled down to its basic essence, its just talking to God. Yes, communicating to our Father in heaven, who is the creator and orchestrator of all things. When we do this, when we take the time to build our relationship with God, through communication (prayer), we reach up to the only One that can assist us in anyway.

When we talk to God about things that are on our heart, we show our FAITH in Him to hear us and help us. And there's that famous passage that Jesus taught in Matthew Seven:Seven..."Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

Ahhh, how comforting to know that He is there, no matter what happens. Peace through Prayer!

Does It Still Bother You to Sin?

2008-02-24T20:41:00.004-06:00

When you go through with it, when you are aware of it anyways, does it still bother you? This questions digs at the very essence of our relationship with God. It's sort of the litmus test of our spiritual consciousness. For when we are bothered by doing something that is against God, we can be sure that we are awake in Him. When we grow so calloused that we do not even blink while we continue in our sin, we tend to go to sleep at the wheel forgetting about God.

Probably the biggest tug of war that we as followers of Christ face throughout our natural lives is the ongoing mental debate between God's grace and our mistakes. We know that Christ paid the penalty for all our sins and that we are free as a result of His work on the cross. But at the same time, we just cannot understand why we continue to have the desire to sin, fall for it and then have to repent all over again.

It's just plain frustrating. And then add to it the guilt that comes from our adversary after we commit the offense and it's almost unbearable. Stop the madness! Or as a better writer wrote, "What a wretched man I am!"

To find some comfort in this ongoing dragnet of internal member conflict, we have to look at the purity of Jesus who lived that perfect, unblemished life to atone for our erroneous ways. It's much easier to swallow when we quit beating ourselves up and instead focus on the victorious status of the new creations that we are in Him. I heard a speaker compare it to a caterpillar and a butterfly not too long ago. What a great analogy, going from a ground dwelling worm to a beautiful airborne creature. Talk about a change!

If you answered yes to this question, then you should find comfort that you are indeed a child of God that loves your Father enough to desire to quit the bad stuff you do. If you couldn't honestly answer yes, then you should examine yourself to see if sin may have gotten a hold of you and stolen the joy and peace from your life that can only come from the one who created you. Don't let sin put you to sleep and leave you void of any real meaning and purpose for carrying out God's commands. Many a well-intentioned Christian has fallen from their first love due to a sin problem that leaves them feeling that their lives are worthless and can't make a difference.

We are told that we show our love to God through obedience. God knows that it's in our best interest to cling to His commands, not because He wants to discipline us, but because He loves us.

God of This City

2008-02-18T09:13:00.004-06:00

Passion's latest project release is titled "God of This City". I'm so excited about the title track and Marion Community Church is (http://www.marioncc.com/) going to adopt as our theme song this year as we build towards our launch on September 7th.

If there's one thing that you need to know about MCC, it's that we are committed to reaching the lost and unchurched in our cities of Marion and West Memphis (and other surrounding cities in Crittenden County and abroad). We want to see our community love God, love our cities and see them renewed for Christ.

I first heard this song at the Passion conference this weekend and have fallen in love with its message. I really do believe that greater things have yet to come and that greater things are still to be done in this city!

Check out the song on iTunes or click here to watch a clip of the song on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk

"You’re the God of this city
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation
You are

You’re the light in this darkness
You’re the hope to the hopeless
You’re the peace to the restless
You are

For there is no-one like our God
There is no-one like our God

Greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done
In this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things have still to be done here

You're the Lord of creation
The creator of all things
You're the King above all kings

You're the strength in the weakness
You're the love to the broken
You're the joy in the sadness

Greater things have yet to come
Greater things have still to be done
In this city
Where glory shines from hearts alive
With praise for You and
Love for you in this city''

Live from Passion

2008-02-16T07:00:00.008-06:00

Coming to you "Live" from the Big D; Texas style. Yes a couple of buddies of mine (shout out to Andy and Josh), loaded up the van and drove to Dallas to attend the regional Passion conference (www.268generation.com).

Originally, I wasn't sure why I or we came. You know sometimes when you plan to do something in the future and you're not sure why or how it will work out but you just know that its a good thing to do? Well, this was one of those times that God just said "go" and I'm here. Now I know why.

Wow. Wish I had the words to tell you what this is like. Can't seem to come up with them though. Wish there was a way that I could upload what's in my spirit right now and then you could click on a link and download it to yours. But truthfully, there's not a big enough physical server out there that could hold the content....if it even were possible.

Passion is about Jesus. Jesus was passion. Passion (the event) is not about a concert or a good speaker or even about having some uplifting Christian fun. No, its about discovering that everything is about God and how we can impact the world for God through His Son's glorification. We are so blessed that God chose to make us a part of His awesome, wonderful plan through this thing we know as life.

Kinda had one of those hit me between the eyes experiences. The speaker (Louie Giglio) talked about God's story. He pointed out a profound, but impactful truth in his message. The story of God IS the story of God. The story of God is not the story of us of God. The story is not about me or you. Furthermore, the cross is about God (Jesus). The cross is not only a singularly personal event about what Jesus has done for you or me individually so to speak (although it absolutely is about what He's done personally for us and does save us at the same time). Rather, the cross is about what Jesus did to glorify God, and God's way to restore all mankind to Himself. Jesus went to the cross to glorify God and at the same time ramsomed you and I. Cool huh?

Our lives should be viewed in the same way. Drop the "what's God doing in my life mindset" and change it to "what are we doing to glorify God" with this little, bitty slice of this HUGE master plan that God has so graciously chosen you and I to be a part of. Change of perspective. We are so "me-centered" that we usually think of what God's doing in our family, jobs, church, ministry, etc. We usually boil God's plan down to how it relates to us.

I'm here to confess to you right now and ask for God's forgiveness. I think like this sometimes and my plan is to change that. Don't get me wrong, I do pray for God to use me and I do earnestly seek out what He wants me to do. But down deep, if I'm honest, I think I am guilty of thinking of God through me sometimes. How do we miss this?

The ONLY thing we can do with our lives is glorify God. The only value we have is through Jesus and we should spend every fiber of our being returning to the center of God's plan. Purpose is fulfilling intent. Let's pray that we are intentional about shifting the spotlight off us and ON God.

BTW, David Crowder can flat bring it! Chris Tomlin was great, but DC had a raw energy that was infectious!

I believe passion for Jesus is the most critical element we can foster as Christians. When we lose our passion, we lose our ability, our burning desire to communicate God's story to others. Be passionate today about Jesus and show others how He has changed your life!

Losing It

2008-02-09T19:12:00.002-06:00

No this wasn't my final posting before I went nuts and did something terminally stupid. I know morbid thought, but I had to do something to get your attention after naming my last two blogs after bakery fare.

When most people think of losing it, they conjure up images of losing their mind, or losing their sanity or losing the ability to control their actions relative to their evil desires. Usually, when I hear a story of someone who lost it, it usually follows with some type of violent or abusive behavior that hurts people.

To lose something, you have to risk something. Life is full of questions of risk. You know the adage, "you win some, you lose some." Can a saying get anymore neutral than that? Actually we spend a lot of time in our lives, weighing the options, analyzing the potential outcomes and thinking through all of the possiblities of our decisions. If/then stuff......If I do this, then this will happen to me. You know the drill. It's an endless process of our waking psyche.

Or how about this one..."with high risk comes high reward." I personally kinda like that one. To me it means that if you're willing to take a chance and risk what you have now, in which you don't have all the answers, then you have a chance of reaping a huge benefit. All for your willingness to trade the current plus a little faith in something for the potential unknown. Roll the dice! Sorry if I offended anyone, I actually do not like to gamble (with money that is).

So we've all felt the emotional tug of war that is the consideration of loss based on our decisions. It's a very scary thing to think that any one of our decisons can totally mess up everything in our life. What if I do the wrong thing or make the wrong choice and I lose everything I've got? What if I innocently decide something and it ends up being the wrong thing and I end up homeless, seperated from my loved ones and without hope???

Well there's some good news. Losing it in the natural sense does not equate with losing it in the spritual sense. Actually, the concept of loss that's so scary in the physical world is something that's good in the spiritual world. Confused? Well that's just natural!

Don't believe me? Good you shouldn't; what would I know anyways? Who you should believe though is the Who Is, the Who Was and the Who Is To Come. The Almighty (Jesus). He knows everything because everything was made through Him. So what did He say about losing it? What did he have to say about risk? What did he say about life? Glad you asked.

Jesus said "whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Huh you say? Well basically, if you put your faith, hope and love in the things in this life, in the things of this world, in yourself, then you will lose everything. And remember, everything is in Him.

Now on the other hand, if you put your faith, hope and love in the things of eternal life, in the things of heaven, in Christ, then you will gain everything.

Read Matthew Ten:Thirtytwo-Thirtynine, pray and meditate on the scripture. In there you will find the key to peace and joy in times of trouble and confusion. I find it comforting when things get scary (which is a lot). It reminds me that no matter what I do, right or wrong, I have gained everything through Him and what he's done. Do you ever feel like you're losing it? Well maybe you're trying to gain the wrong thing and maintain control by your own power. Have you ever lost it for Him? If you haven't, what are you waiting for? There's nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to gain!

100% Whole Grain

2008-02-04T19:12:00.000-06:00

Nutritionists and dieticians alike will tell you that the best bread for the body is 100% Whole Grain. Why, because when bread is made out of pure stuff, its good for you. It's packin' the most nutrients in there (you know fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants).

Whole grain bread is comprised of all three parts of the grain: the bran (its fiber-rich outer coating), germ (the part that sprouts into a new plant) and endosperm (which serves as food for the germ).

What, you say you'd rather have the white stuff? It tastes better, smells better, is easier to chew, it's softer, fluffier, keeps longer, looks better and it is responsible for putting PB&J on the map. Yes, white bread is much more appealing to the senses. It beats WG hands down in all things pleasurable in terms of eating.

But wait. White bread is made from refined, processed grains or from wheat flour that's had the bran and germ removed. Endosperm anyone? And it's also bleached with harsh chemicals to give it that pure white (artificial) color.

Still sound good? Well, you must not have eaten breakfast then. You might be "on" to what I'm getting at here. The stuff that seems good to us, usually isn't good for us. In other words, although we'd prefer white over whole grain, the fact remains that it isn't the best choice for our body.

That same principle applies to Spiritual disciplines. The things that we crave in the natural sense, usually don't translate into what's good for us Spiritually. Think about it, if it's what we want (independent from God), then it's no good. Now I'm not saying that we shouldn't ever do anything that we enjoy doing, that's not the point. You argumentative types, pipe down now!

The point is, we have to be mindful that what we do with the natural resources God has given us (basically the sum total of everything that we call our "lives"), has a direct effect on the Spiritual side. We know from the Word (GAL five:seventeen) that the two are in opposition to each other, so shouldn't we be aware of the impact of choosing junky, self-pleasing stuff over good Godly stuff?

We've got to be intentional about the choices we make and the basis' from which we make them. How long has it been since you asked yourself, "Where am I going in life" based on God's purposes as opposed to being based on your own purposes? It's common to think of life in terms of the stuff that we want. It takes a little more resolution to think of life in terms of what God wants us to be doing. It's easy to think of commitment in terms of our families, careers or even hobbies, but what about God. Are we in order?

There was a letter to the church in Ephesus about this (REV two:four). You see, they had done a lot of good things to their credit, but they had forgotten their first love. And the OT is full of Do Not Forget the Lord your God commands. As a child of God, our renewing has to be about choosing God over us constantly.

Stay awake and quit eating that Wonder! Grab a piece of the real Bread of Life.

Yeast Infection

2008-01-26T14:55:00.000-06:00

Sorry, didn't mean to gross you out. Not that kind of yeast infection. This is an infection of another sort. And this one is worse than that one.

This isn't the type of yeast you can buy at the store to make pizza dough either. This is a type of yeast that works in the mind, an attitude if you will.

OK, to the point. What I'm talking about is something that Jesus himself said to his disciples that was very, very important. Not just important to them, but important to us. Something so critically important, that Jesus told them to "Beware!". Now I don't know about you, but from where I'm sitting, if the A&O screams "Watch out," we'd better listen up. Take counsel from The Counselor.

What he said was ...."Be careful; be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." One of the places it's found is Matthew Sixteen:Six. Of course this confused the disciples and we can very easily read over it and miss the meaning too if we're not careful.

Any baker will tell you that just a little yeast will make a whole batch of dough rise. Just a "smidgen" of it affects EVERYTHING. In typical Jesus teaching style, he uses an example of something in the physical to make a point in the spiritual. So when he's talking about the yeast, he's really talking about their "religious" attitudes.

Now the Pharisees weren't horrible sinners; no they lived clean, upright, well-intentioned lives. The problem with them was that they had their religious noses stuck up in the air. Their "yeast" was a narrow-minded religious exclusivistic (is that a word?) attitude. It was the sort of mindset that said "Hey, either you agree with me and believe and behave just like me, or you're lost!" They cared less about God's will and more about who was "in" and who was "out" according to their standards. Sound familiar? Ouch, that hurts doesn't it? Sometimes we stand more behind our religion than our God. Beware of infection.

On the other hand, the Sadducees were more of the power-broker type; the political crowd. They wanted to keep control and authority. They didn't want to rock the boat 'cause it might cause them to lose their spot. They were more committed to their "positions" than to God. They'd do anything to keep the "status quo" and make accommodations through use of their religious power and rule. Sound familiar. Ouch, that smarts too. Sometimes we stand more behind our positions of power than our God. Beware of infection.

Both of these attitudes are temptations for Christians. We have to beware of the judgmental and superior mindsets that creep in on us and rob us of what Christ died for. When we stink of ourselves, we become unapproachable to the lost and lose all opportunity to share the powerful, beautiful, life-changing message that is the truth of Jesus Christ.

The only way to avoid infection is to be passionately committed to Christ. Christ wanted EVERYONE to be saved, not because of who they were, but because of who He is.

So drop the 'tude and grab your Bibles and let's start a grass fire for Christ in our community!

No Pain No Gain

2008-01-19T08:15:00.002-06:00

No this isn't a diet or workout routine (sorry).

God works in mysterious ways. Everything we go through, all of our experiences in life, are God's way of preparing us for what He has in store for our future. He doesn't make any mistakes and although we sometimes feel alone, He is always there for us.

I sometimes wonder why I have to go through certain things, why God doesn't make it easier for me and why evil stuff continues to happen in the world around me. The older I get (and more specifically the closer I grow to God through faith), the more I realize that everything does indeed happen for a reason, or a purpose if you will.

I also realize that I am naturally selfish. That my carnal/fleshly/natural desires are constantly rearing their ugly heads and are in a fight against my spiritual desires; even in my own brain! What a war it can be. Many times when I am frustrated with someone else, I think that THEY are the ones that God needs to work on. In my walk of faith though, God is showing me that this is not the case, that He is actually working on ME and changing me into what He purposely created me for.

This is a very difficult and painful process. At least in the flesh. You see, the natural wants to be served, to be comfortable and to be in control. When it doesn't get that, it is painful. It hurts, it hurts bad.

The funny part is that the pain of man's flesh is the gain of man's spirit. The more we put aside our selfish desires, the more we grow spiritually towards God. The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Roman church (today he would've probably blogged it), that we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. You've probably heard this verse (Romans 12:1) at least a hundred times in church. It's always been kind of an anomaly (fancy noun word for "odd") to me. How do I kill myself and yet keep on living? But the more I grow (again in God's Spirit), the more I begin to peel away the shell of truth that is God's plan to shape me into the likeness of His Son Jesus' image.

You see Christ was all about God the Father's will (plan) for His life. Even though Christ had the same natural inclinations as we do (because He was fully man as well as fully God), he had that perfect love that said "Hey, I'm gonna put aside what I want and do what my Father wants me to do because I love Him." He understood that the flesh is temporary and that doing anything to please it was for loss.

Jesus didn't fight back with His own power, he submitted to God's will. And we will never understand, I don't believe, the temptations that Jesus encountered. Math exercise: Take your biggest weakness and times it by infinity and you won't even get close to the attractiveness of power that Jesus possessed in the flesh.

Think about it, we fall for the littlest of things. We give into tempatations with very little gain. Think of sex, drugs & alcohol, food or money (just to name probably 4 of the top 5). When you fall for the temptation of any one of these, the "fleshly reward" or euphoric mental benefit only lasts from 10 seconds-1 hour on average (peak effect that is). But Jesus had the power to reap a HUGE natural reward....He had the power to actually have everything He wanted for as long as He wanted it. Yep He had the power to have it all, but more importantly, He had the loving discipline to put God first. WOW. Powerful stuff.

Paul wrote, "but whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." Enough said. Consider the PAIN as pure joy! NPNG.