yesterday i did the same thing i've done for as long as i can remember....i ate way too much! thanksgiving has in many ways become all about the food. as i monitored status updates from my friends on facebook it was clear that turkey was on the brains and in the guts of many. good food and great times with family really made for a great day.
here's a thought: yesterday just before lunch my stepdad said a prayer. i was moved by his prayer and challenged by the thoughts that it brought to my mind. he said, and i paraphrase, "God help us to not only be thankful for the things that are obvious blessings but for the difficult things that you will use to shape us into the image of your son which is ultimately the greatest blessing of all." Did you catch that perspective?
i don't know about you but i tend to become complacent in thanking God for the obvious things and i rarely look at my struggles as potential blessings in disguise.
what are you facng right nowe that if leveraged by God's goodness and grace can become something that make you look more like Christ? let Him leverage it then.....and you will be humbled to the point of truly giving thanks for all things.
now....go eat some leftovers!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
complacency
complacency: a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc.
complacency has to be the biggest enemy of success known to man. if you pay attention to the world around you it won't take long to notice people who have a great deal of potential and opportunity but squander it all away due to this thing called complacency. one of my favorite things to do as a pastor is premarital counseling. although i require couples to meet with me at least 4 times prior to doing their wedding i can't remember ever having a couple push back at the stipulation. they are always very excited about our meetings together and are very attentive to each other throughout the process. they are in love. their relationship has potential. they have a unified vision for their future. they are willing to do whatever it takes to be successful...together.
sadly, i have also sat through some post-marital counseling sessions. these are quite different in nature. typically there is one spouse who really wants counseling (many times hoping i will fix the other one) and one who thinks it is a dumb idea because they are too far gone and there is very little hope of reconciliation. it is a sad and difficult meeting. people are hurt. they have developed a gap in their relationship. they don't communicate anymore. they feel like they have fallen out of love.
so what happens? i certainly haven't examined it closely enough to justify calling it research but i am positive that complacency is a major factor. couples grow complacent when it comes to communicating felt needs with one another. husbands become complacent in making sure they are adding value to their wives. wives become complacent in affirming and supporting their husbands. people set their relational navigation on auto-pilot and their relationship winds up deteriorating.
you can see the powerful effects of complacency in many other areas of life as well. a salesman makes a couple of huge sales and grows complacent. he doesn't make as many sales calls the next quarter and even less the next....it begins to affect his numbers. a student doesn't study for a test and manages to do pretty well in spite of the lack of preparation. he decides that he must be gifted/smarter than average and begins to focus less and less on academic preparation. eventually his grades begin to drop. complacency begins to take its toll.
churches often find themselves at the tail end of complacency. i can tell you story after story of churches that had a big revival meeting where many were saved, a mission trip that refocused hearts on the needs of others, or built a building that was constructed to be a tool for reaching others with the life changing message of the gospel and gained a ton of momentum. i can also tell you stories of churches that gained the momentum but rested on the laurels of past success and it ushered in a season of mediocrity and uselessness. in some cases it ushered in death to their vision and influence.
how about you? are you coasting along with the mentality that "everything is fine," "this is normal," "we're just going through a rough patch"? if so, do whatever it takes to break free from the spirit of complacency and pray that God gives you a renewed vision and sense of direction. Your marriage, children, career, personal spiritual health and church are all too valuable to simply watch them slip through your fingers. Scripture teaches us that our help comes from the LORD!! That is great news as we continue to push forward and do the hard work of honoring God in every area of our lives.
1I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
complacency has to be the biggest enemy of success known to man. if you pay attention to the world around you it won't take long to notice people who have a great deal of potential and opportunity but squander it all away due to this thing called complacency. one of my favorite things to do as a pastor is premarital counseling. although i require couples to meet with me at least 4 times prior to doing their wedding i can't remember ever having a couple push back at the stipulation. they are always very excited about our meetings together and are very attentive to each other throughout the process. they are in love. their relationship has potential. they have a unified vision for their future. they are willing to do whatever it takes to be successful...together.
sadly, i have also sat through some post-marital counseling sessions. these are quite different in nature. typically there is one spouse who really wants counseling (many times hoping i will fix the other one) and one who thinks it is a dumb idea because they are too far gone and there is very little hope of reconciliation. it is a sad and difficult meeting. people are hurt. they have developed a gap in their relationship. they don't communicate anymore. they feel like they have fallen out of love.
so what happens? i certainly haven't examined it closely enough to justify calling it research but i am positive that complacency is a major factor. couples grow complacent when it comes to communicating felt needs with one another. husbands become complacent in making sure they are adding value to their wives. wives become complacent in affirming and supporting their husbands. people set their relational navigation on auto-pilot and their relationship winds up deteriorating.
you can see the powerful effects of complacency in many other areas of life as well. a salesman makes a couple of huge sales and grows complacent. he doesn't make as many sales calls the next quarter and even less the next....it begins to affect his numbers. a student doesn't study for a test and manages to do pretty well in spite of the lack of preparation. he decides that he must be gifted/smarter than average and begins to focus less and less on academic preparation. eventually his grades begin to drop. complacency begins to take its toll.
churches often find themselves at the tail end of complacency. i can tell you story after story of churches that had a big revival meeting where many were saved, a mission trip that refocused hearts on the needs of others, or built a building that was constructed to be a tool for reaching others with the life changing message of the gospel and gained a ton of momentum. i can also tell you stories of churches that gained the momentum but rested on the laurels of past success and it ushered in a season of mediocrity and uselessness. in some cases it ushered in death to their vision and influence.
how about you? are you coasting along with the mentality that "everything is fine," "this is normal," "we're just going through a rough patch"? if so, do whatever it takes to break free from the spirit of complacency and pray that God gives you a renewed vision and sense of direction. Your marriage, children, career, personal spiritual health and church are all too valuable to simply watch them slip through your fingers. Scripture teaches us that our help comes from the LORD!! That is great news as we continue to push forward and do the hard work of honoring God in every area of our lives.
1I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
3He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
6The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
facebook christians
facebook has really become a phenomenon... i originally opened up an account because i didn't want to be left behind. i tried xanga (there's a blast from the past) and myspace (which due to security issues "myspace" eventually became "everyone else's space"). although these were decent tools to connect with others they just didn't seem to meet the larger need that people seemed to share. at the core facebook isn't successful because of its look or accessability. facebook is successful because it brings people together. it satisfies our shared need of communuity.
i tend to be a fairly well connected person. as a pastor it would be a shame for me to not interact with people. my need for community is satisifed with my small groups, my co-ministers, and the people who make up our church. i think if you were to follow me around for a week you would say i know alot of people and that my need for community isn't an issue. for the most part you would be correct. here's the weird thing: i added the facebook app to my blackberry and periodically throughout the day i log-on just to read status updates!! how lame is that!?!? i take time out of my day to read one liners about what other people are doing at that moment. what is wrong with me?
nothing. as i think through it i don't think there is anything wrong with me or anyone else who longs to connect with other people. why? because we were created for community. God himself exists in perfect harmony/community with himself: father, son and spirit. it is ok to want to engage our lives with the lives of others. we were designed for community.
so what should we do? here are a few ideas:
i tend to be a fairly well connected person. as a pastor it would be a shame for me to not interact with people. my need for community is satisifed with my small groups, my co-ministers, and the people who make up our church. i think if you were to follow me around for a week you would say i know alot of people and that my need for community isn't an issue. for the most part you would be correct. here's the weird thing: i added the facebook app to my blackberry and periodically throughout the day i log-on just to read status updates!! how lame is that!?!? i take time out of my day to read one liners about what other people are doing at that moment. what is wrong with me?
nothing. as i think through it i don't think there is anything wrong with me or anyone else who longs to connect with other people. why? because we were created for community. God himself exists in perfect harmony/community with himself: father, son and spirit. it is ok to want to engage our lives with the lives of others. we were designed for community.
so what should we do? here are a few ideas:
- try reconnecting with someone from your past. you might use facebook or you might pick up the phone and give them a call. just do the hard work of reconnecting.
- call your parents or grandparents for no reason...blow their minds!
- go visit that single parent that doesn't get a lot of "adult ineraction" time and just talk
- have some friends over to play cards or grill some food
- the next time someone shares a struggle or burden with you pray for them right then and there...even if it is over the phone or through an e-mail. it communicates you care and that you are connecting with their need.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
nothing to lose
i have been under the weather the past few days and have fallen off the blogging trail. after a shot of something from the doctor and some rest i'm back in the race.
this morning at c|Life we reflected on the first 32 months of our church's existence. when we started the church in 2006 all we knew for sure was that we were supposed to start a church. david, paul and i (go to clifec.com to see who i'm referring to) weren't sure how to start a church, whether or not we would have any money to do ministry or if anyone would even want to come worship with us. we just knew that we had to do what God was leading us to do....leave the security of the known and step into the unknown.
here we are 32 months later and we are about to move from our school cafeteria location to our renovated skating rink location. God has done more than we could have ever imagined. i thought i would take a quick trip down memory lane....hang with me because i have something for you at the end:
here's something for you to consider: what is God calling you to do/say/restore/reconcile for His glory? believe me when i say that sometimes it feels risky to step-out in faith but it is always worth it. if you look back through God's movement among His people you will see a consistent trend...He shows up when His people trust Him.
so go ahead....shock a few people (maybe even yourself) and trust God's leading in your life: what do you have to lose? trust me when i say...absolutely nothing!!
20Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Eph. 3:20-21
this morning at c|Life we reflected on the first 32 months of our church's existence. when we started the church in 2006 all we knew for sure was that we were supposed to start a church. david, paul and i (go to clifec.com to see who i'm referring to) weren't sure how to start a church, whether or not we would have any money to do ministry or if anyone would even want to come worship with us. we just knew that we had to do what God was leading us to do....leave the security of the known and step into the unknown.
here we are 32 months later and we are about to move from our school cafeteria location to our renovated skating rink location. God has done more than we could have ever imagined. i thought i would take a quick trip down memory lane....hang with me because i have something for you at the end:
- marriages have been restored. some of the ones that come to mind were by all accounts helplessly bound for destruction....but God did the impossible and brought restoration.
- singles have discovered that singleness isn't a disease. many of our singles have embraced God's plan for them and are living out their faith as ambassadors of Christ.
- water wells have been dug. we took up an offering one sunday (with no warning given to the church) and raised $12,000 over and above our regular tithes. a few weeks later we learned that God provided an organization that matched our $12,000 dollar for dollar and doubled the number of wells we were able to dig in Africa.
- children's home in guatemala. after doing a mission trip to a goverment run orphanage in guatemala we realized that something had to be done differently. next week a team of builders will go to put some final touches on our Community of Life Children's Home. God has also raised up a family from within the church to go and run the children's home for the first couple of years.
- partnership with a church in africa. helped to build them a church bldg., taught in their seminary and how to start small businesses. they taught us how to be content.
- lots of baptisms. we have been blessed to see lots of people cross the line of faith over the past couple of years. we also celebrated with them as they obediently followed Christ's example in baptism.
here's something for you to consider: what is God calling you to do/say/restore/reconcile for His glory? believe me when i say that sometimes it feels risky to step-out in faith but it is always worth it. if you look back through God's movement among His people you will see a consistent trend...He shows up when His people trust Him.
so go ahead....shock a few people (maybe even yourself) and trust God's leading in your life: what do you have to lose? trust me when i say...absolutely nothing!!
20Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Eph. 3:20-21
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
election '08
It’s official…Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States of America. After one of the longest campaign seasons in our history the votes have been cast and the results are all but officially tabulated. Many of you woke up this morning with an election night hangover. You either went to bed jubilant because your candidate of choice won or you went to bed absolutely convinced that the world was coming to an end because your candidate of choice lost. I would guess there were very few people who can honestly say they didn’t have a preference going into this election and some strong emotions coming out of it.
As you stir around this morning I want you to do me a favor. Walk over to one of your windows and open the blinds. Do you see what I think you are seeing? The sun still came up this morning didn’t it? That should be a powerful reminder to us, as believers, that our hope is not in the person living in the Whitehouse. Our hope is in the eternal, sovereign, living God of the universe. That is great news for us today because our God is faithful.
Politicians are notorious for making all sorts of promises in order to get elected. They promise to make our lives better because they know if they capture our hearts they will also capture our vote. However, the reality is they rarely, regardless of their party affiliation, can live up to all of those promises. This isn’t the case with our God.
Our God captured our hearts when He demonstrated His love for us on the cross. Our God promised us that it was his kindness that would lead us to repentance…and it was just as He promised. Our God hung the stars in space with His fingertips and told the oceans just how far they can come onto the shore. Frankly, that is the God that I am grateful and humbled to call my leader.
As you go throughout the day consider the following verses. These promises weren’t made on a campaign trail with the hopes of manipulating emotions for selfish gain. These promises were made by a God who is both capable and faithful to deliver….for your sake and mine.
" And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.." Philippians 4:19
"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.." Psalm 84:11
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James 1:5
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:1-6
Is the sun still up? Yes it is…how about we do some campaigning today for someone who can really deliver on His promises!
As you stir around this morning I want you to do me a favor. Walk over to one of your windows and open the blinds. Do you see what I think you are seeing? The sun still came up this morning didn’t it? That should be a powerful reminder to us, as believers, that our hope is not in the person living in the Whitehouse. Our hope is in the eternal, sovereign, living God of the universe. That is great news for us today because our God is faithful.
Politicians are notorious for making all sorts of promises in order to get elected. They promise to make our lives better because they know if they capture our hearts they will also capture our vote. However, the reality is they rarely, regardless of their party affiliation, can live up to all of those promises. This isn’t the case with our God.
Our God captured our hearts when He demonstrated His love for us on the cross. Our God promised us that it was his kindness that would lead us to repentance…and it was just as He promised. Our God hung the stars in space with His fingertips and told the oceans just how far they can come onto the shore. Frankly, that is the God that I am grateful and humbled to call my leader.
As you go throughout the day consider the following verses. These promises weren’t made on a campaign trail with the hopes of manipulating emotions for selfish gain. These promises were made by a God who is both capable and faithful to deliver….for your sake and mine.
" And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.." Philippians 4:19
"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.." Psalm 84:11
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James 1:5
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:1-6
Is the sun still up? Yes it is…how about we do some campaigning today for someone who can really deliver on His promises!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Dear Ambassador (fill in your last name here),
yesterday at c|Life i had the opportunity to share some thoughts on the church and God's plan for His people. the bottom line: if the church is going to accomplish all that God intends for it to accomplish then His people will have to become all that He created them to become.
many times it seems like churchgoers fall into the mindset that the church exists to make them happy or comfortable. i don't deny that there is value in believer's coming together and actually enjoying themselves. there has certainly been a trend in north america where church becomes more of a burden than a blessing. i'm certainly not advocating boring and irrelevant church services. the gospel is engaging and motivating. if you are at a church where you find yourself bored and distracted....try to create change or get out of dodge! however, i am advocating a renewed sense of vision and purpose for believers. we have a job to do and according to the following verses....it is a really important job to say the very least:
I Peter 2:9 says "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
II Corinthians 5:17-20 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God."
did you catch that? we are His ambassadors and we are a chosen people!!!
in light of these passages i felt like we needed to be challenged in a few different areas. the following list certainly isn't exhaustive but seemed to be a good starting point...
1. Challenge to pursue godliness…above reproach. get our spiritual lives in order
flee from sin: love of money, pornography, gossip, lying, cheating
as we flee from these things we pursue righteousness, godliness, faith
as believer's we must get our homes in order
2. Challenge to be consistently generous…. priority percentage givers. i make no apologies for telling you this because the scripture clearly teaches that we need to give him our
first fruits.
3. Challenge to demonstrate courage…live out of your faith in humility
live in such a way that it communicates that you believe the same spirit that
raised Christ from the dead is the same Spirit that lives in and empowers you.
4. Challenge to learn the Word of God…clearly a responsibility for the individual
modern day believers as a whole should be ashamed at how little we know the
word of God
5. Challenge to appreciate the depth and gravity of our calling
go back up and re-read those scriptures
that's all for now....
many times it seems like churchgoers fall into the mindset that the church exists to make them happy or comfortable. i don't deny that there is value in believer's coming together and actually enjoying themselves. there has certainly been a trend in north america where church becomes more of a burden than a blessing. i'm certainly not advocating boring and irrelevant church services. the gospel is engaging and motivating. if you are at a church where you find yourself bored and distracted....try to create change or get out of dodge! however, i am advocating a renewed sense of vision and purpose for believers. we have a job to do and according to the following verses....it is a really important job to say the very least:
I Peter 2:9 says "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
II Corinthians 5:17-20 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God."
did you catch that? we are His ambassadors and we are a chosen people!!!
in light of these passages i felt like we needed to be challenged in a few different areas. the following list certainly isn't exhaustive but seemed to be a good starting point...
1. Challenge to pursue godliness…above reproach. get our spiritual lives in order
flee from sin: love of money, pornography, gossip, lying, cheating
as we flee from these things we pursue righteousness, godliness, faith
as believer's we must get our homes in order
2. Challenge to be consistently generous…. priority percentage givers. i make no apologies for telling you this because the scripture clearly teaches that we need to give him our
first fruits.
3. Challenge to demonstrate courage…live out of your faith in humility
live in such a way that it communicates that you believe the same spirit that
raised Christ from the dead is the same Spirit that lives in and empowers you.
4. Challenge to learn the Word of God…clearly a responsibility for the individual
modern day believers as a whole should be ashamed at how little we know the
word of God
5. Challenge to appreciate the depth and gravity of our calling
go back up and re-read those scriptures
that's all for now....
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