Advice abounds everywhere for graduates. I know you are getting it from every side...but...here's my shot at it!
Pretty Good Advice
Don't live as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.
Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions.
Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God.
Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can.
Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Live on purpose!
Great Advice
One day your life will flash before your eyes! Make sure it's worth watching!
Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God.
The Absolute Best!
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be provided for you. Matthew 6:33
Keep your eyes on Jesus! We are very proud of you!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Out of My Mind
Just a few thoughts I can’t seem to dismiss from my mind:
#1 - Every Week Is Someone’s First Week At FBC.
Every single weekend COULD be THE weekend that THE PERSON who people in our church have been inviting and praying for show up. For some people that may be an afterthought…but I am OBSESSED with this thought.
#2 - If The Tomb Is REALLY Empty Then The Atmosphere At Church Should Reflect It!
It blows my mind that a person will go to a football game and nearly kill themselves yelling for a bunch of people they don’t even know…and that SAME person will go to a church the next day and show no emotion at all.
Christianity is THE most exciting thing that has ever happened in the world…and it has taken the church 2,000 years to make it boring!!!
It IS our job to make the environment exciting and friendly.
I can’t get these thoughts out of my mind:
- Jesus is ALIVE…He ROSE!!!
- WE WIN…I’ve read the last chapter of the book
- People do not have to go to hell! There is a gift available!!
I want to see more people reached for Christ!!!
#3 - God AND The People Walking Through Our Doors Every Week Deserve Our Best!
I know this–Sunday at FBC, God is going to give His absolute best. We are going to get His best attention…His best grace & mercy…His best empowerment…His best beauty…His best protection…the best of everything He has.
BUT…we should give Him our best…our best in prayer…our best in preparation…our best in the singers…our best in Sunday School…our best in the parking lot…our best in the greeting…our best in the children’s & nursery area…our best in EVERYTHING!
AND…when you combine God’s best with the churches best…BAM!!…things happen. Churches grow when people in the church do not sit around and offer God half-hearted, watered down worship…they grow when people KNOW that God is SOVEREIGN…and because of that very fact are willing to go all out to see as many people as possible come to Christ.
I can’t wait for Sunday!!! I promise you we will give our best. Oh yeah…just a side note…we mess something up EVERY week. Seriously…which is a beautiful reminder that God is so much bigger than all of us or our efforts…and it’s so cool to see Him work MANY times not because of us…but in spite of us!
#1 - Every Week Is Someone’s First Week At FBC.
Every single weekend COULD be THE weekend that THE PERSON who people in our church have been inviting and praying for show up. For some people that may be an afterthought…but I am OBSESSED with this thought.
#2 - If The Tomb Is REALLY Empty Then The Atmosphere At Church Should Reflect It!
It blows my mind that a person will go to a football game and nearly kill themselves yelling for a bunch of people they don’t even know…and that SAME person will go to a church the next day and show no emotion at all.
Christianity is THE most exciting thing that has ever happened in the world…and it has taken the church 2,000 years to make it boring!!!
It IS our job to make the environment exciting and friendly.
I can’t get these thoughts out of my mind:
- Jesus is ALIVE…He ROSE!!!
- WE WIN…I’ve read the last chapter of the book
- People do not have to go to hell! There is a gift available!!
I want to see more people reached for Christ!!!
#3 - God AND The People Walking Through Our Doors Every Week Deserve Our Best!
I know this–Sunday at FBC, God is going to give His absolute best. We are going to get His best attention…His best grace & mercy…His best empowerment…His best beauty…His best protection…the best of everything He has.
BUT…we should give Him our best…our best in prayer…our best in preparation…our best in the singers…our best in Sunday School…our best in the parking lot…our best in the greeting…our best in the children’s & nursery area…our best in EVERYTHING!
AND…when you combine God’s best with the churches best…BAM!!…things happen. Churches grow when people in the church do not sit around and offer God half-hearted, watered down worship…they grow when people KNOW that God is SOVEREIGN…and because of that very fact are willing to go all out to see as many people as possible come to Christ.
I can’t wait for Sunday!!! I promise you we will give our best. Oh yeah…just a side note…we mess something up EVERY week. Seriously…which is a beautiful reminder that God is so much bigger than all of us or our efforts…and it’s so cool to see Him work MANY times not because of us…but in spite of us!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Top Twelve Things You Should Never Say To A Baptist
#12 - Lottie who?
#11 - What is a covered dish and why must everyone who gets sick in our church have to have some sort of casserole?
#10 - I love it when my wife has her own opinion!
#9 - For God so loved the world that He did not send a COMMITTEE!
#8 - “Were either going to Disney or Vegas for vacation this year…”
#7 - SHE did an incredible job with the message today.
#6 - Why do you keep calling me “brother?”
#5 - “Got a light?” Unless, of course, you are a deacon…then this is a perfectly valid question.
#4 - Can we please sing the third verse!!!
#3 - Hold my beer.
#2 - May I have this dance?
#1 - Ante up!
Please! This list was just for fun, the reason I can say this about Baptist is because I am one and love them–trust me, my heart is built on nothing less than Lottie Moon and Broadman Press! (If you didn’t get that then you are probably Presbyterian and were predestined before the foundations of the world not to understand it!) Come on people–LAUGH!
#11 - What is a covered dish and why must everyone who gets sick in our church have to have some sort of casserole?
#10 - I love it when my wife has her own opinion!
#9 - For God so loved the world that He did not send a COMMITTEE!
#8 - “Were either going to Disney or Vegas for vacation this year…”
#7 - SHE did an incredible job with the message today.
#6 - Why do you keep calling me “brother?”
#5 - “Got a light?” Unless, of course, you are a deacon…then this is a perfectly valid question.
#4 - Can we please sing the third verse!!!
#3 - Hold my beer.
#2 - May I have this dance?
#1 - Ante up!
Please! This list was just for fun, the reason I can say this about Baptist is because I am one and love them–trust me, my heart is built on nothing less than Lottie Moon and Broadman Press! (If you didn’t get that then you are probably Presbyterian and were predestined before the foundations of the world not to understand it!) Come on people–LAUGH!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Stepping Back In Time
I heard Rick Warren say once, “People keep asking me am I taking the church forward–actually, I am about taking it backwards…BACK to the first 300 years of Christianity.” He went on to say that the churches desire should be to replicate one of the most growth and influencial periods that it’s ever seen.
What is it about the first three hundred years of the church that made it so powerful? Here is a list of some of the things I came up with.
Passion for Jesus - the early church was not centered around certain types of ministries but rather a man–they were freakishly obsessed with Jesus! He was REAL to them!
They were non-religious - Paul fought hard to keep the religious idiots away from people who were falling in love with Christ…and the focus was on what Jesus had done to pay for sin and not people’s effort to do so.
Strong Community - No one in the early church thought that “their faith” was a private matter…they encouraged one another, supported one another, love one another and provided for one another. They knew the calling to walk with Christ was also a calling to walk with others. (When Jesus was on earth He didn’t walk alone!)
Urgency - They were serious about seeing people come to Christ…there was an urgency about them. They didn’t care about Roberts Rules of Order or boycotting pagan activities…their focus was on reaching the lost.
Anticipation - There was always a sense that God was about to do something BIG!
A Recognition and respect of leadership - Leaders in the early church were respected and honored…but NOT worshiped. Hebrews 13:7 and Hebrews 13:17 point to both the responsibility that leaders bear and the instructions on how to treat them.
Involvement - EVERYONE was involved in ministry–there were no “paid professionals.”
Willingness to be persecuted - They were willing to lose their lives for the Gospel. They were willing to be killed…and we’re rarely willing to be criticized!
They saw things happen - They begged God for big things…they believed His vision was larger than repaving a parking lot and sending off second hand clothes to a third world country–they took action - and God honored their vision.
They taught truth - At the end of the day all that matters is what we do with the truth of God’s Word–they KNEW this and that was their focus.
What God did back then He still longs to do today!!!
Don’t get me wrong–I am NOT saying that we should forget about all of the technology that God has given us to advance His message and just go back to meeting in caves! Paul said in Ephesians 2:19-21 that JESUS is the cornerstone…can you imagine what would happen if a church truly captured the passions and desires of the early church and combined them with the abilities and opportunities that God has given us in our modern world? WOW…the world could be RADICALLY IMPACTED!
Call me crazy…but I am praying that we can be that church…and that by stepping back we can move forward and see Jesus fulfill Matthew 16:18 over and over again.
What is it about the first three hundred years of the church that made it so powerful? Here is a list of some of the things I came up with.
Passion for Jesus - the early church was not centered around certain types of ministries but rather a man–they were freakishly obsessed with Jesus! He was REAL to them!
They were non-religious - Paul fought hard to keep the religious idiots away from people who were falling in love with Christ…and the focus was on what Jesus had done to pay for sin and not people’s effort to do so.
Strong Community - No one in the early church thought that “their faith” was a private matter…they encouraged one another, supported one another, love one another and provided for one another. They knew the calling to walk with Christ was also a calling to walk with others. (When Jesus was on earth He didn’t walk alone!)
Urgency - They were serious about seeing people come to Christ…there was an urgency about them. They didn’t care about Roberts Rules of Order or boycotting pagan activities…their focus was on reaching the lost.
Anticipation - There was always a sense that God was about to do something BIG!
A Recognition and respect of leadership - Leaders in the early church were respected and honored…but NOT worshiped. Hebrews 13:7 and Hebrews 13:17 point to both the responsibility that leaders bear and the instructions on how to treat them.
Involvement - EVERYONE was involved in ministry–there were no “paid professionals.”
Willingness to be persecuted - They were willing to lose their lives for the Gospel. They were willing to be killed…and we’re rarely willing to be criticized!
They saw things happen - They begged God for big things…they believed His vision was larger than repaving a parking lot and sending off second hand clothes to a third world country–they took action - and God honored their vision.
They taught truth - At the end of the day all that matters is what we do with the truth of God’s Word–they KNEW this and that was their focus.
What God did back then He still longs to do today!!!
Don’t get me wrong–I am NOT saying that we should forget about all of the technology that God has given us to advance His message and just go back to meeting in caves! Paul said in Ephesians 2:19-21 that JESUS is the cornerstone…can you imagine what would happen if a church truly captured the passions and desires of the early church and combined them with the abilities and opportunities that God has given us in our modern world? WOW…the world could be RADICALLY IMPACTED!
Call me crazy…but I am praying that we can be that church…and that by stepping back we can move forward and see Jesus fulfill Matthew 16:18 over and over again.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
He Brings The Increase!
Rockway is a family. We have our church parents -older crowd that takes care of us:)
We have our siblings. We even have some crazy cousins - you know who you are:)This is family...we love each other.
So when I was approached in January by a church in Hobart, OK about the possibility of becoming their Pastor, my initial thought was..."why would I, I've got a great family already". "Because it may be My plan" was what I then felt God say to me, "Do you trust Me". A test of faith. I responded to the church saying I was willing to let it play out and see what God does. I began to pray. Sarah began to pray. From January to May we prayed. We had a couple of conversations with the church over those months and each time it went well but I wasn't sure what God was doing. A test of faith.
In May I was at one of our prayer time's at Jose's. I was praying scripture. I was praying that God's will for Rockway be made clear. I was praying for you, "God, what does Rockway need". I was praying through I Corinthians and got to chapter 3. Verses 5-10 jumped off the page.
"Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds it."
I knew right then. My holdup to following God had been my pride filled idea that since I planted Rockway, it was up to me to hold it together. God assured me..."Keith, you planted..someone else will water and I (Jesus-not man) will bring the increase". Immediately I got excited...for Rockway...for your future! God's plans are always best. God will bring the increase!
We are moving to Hobart. We are pumped and sad at the same time. We will deeply miss you.
I don't know why this is the route God is choosing.
I do know it's right. It's good. It's by faith.
Faith is not responding to the Lord after He's laid out the plan. Faith simply responds to "Come, follow Me". (Hebrews 11:1)
I don't know why God would lead us away from family, friends...Rockway. But I know He can, He does...He said He would call for sacrifice. (Luke 14)
I do know...we can trust Him...totally.
God's plan is always the best...for EVERYONE! When we follow in obedience and sacrifice when called, He always replaces the thing we sacrificed with something better. I can't wait to hear the stories of how He is bringing new blessings to Rockway.
Sarah and I will always be grateful for our time with you at Rockway. Our children were born here. Family has been close. We have been part of a great group of people who seek the Lord.
As a church, we have seen some amazing things together...we've experienced the Lord together. At other times, we have been to the bottom of life together...and we discovered...Jesus was there with us.
We have sought Him together and He always rewards those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
He has rewarded Sarah and I...with Himself and with your friendships.
Rockway's future is bright...God honoring...Glory bringing. The head of this church is not leaving. He is still here, still active...still giving the orders. Jesus is still in charge.
I trust Kyle, Jonathan, and Stan as much as any men I have ever known and your Leadership Team is made up of some of God's best.
Kyle Walker is absolutely a blessing from God to Rockway. I trust him totally with the dearest thing in my life next to family...YOU! He's real. He loves the Lord big time. He's surrendered. I believe in the Jesus I see in him. Give him the same love, care, and patience you have shown me and God will do things in your midst you wouldn't believe!
This move is hard for us...we had planned on being here the rest of our life. (be careful of planning too far ahead if you follow Jesus...He loves to see your faith in action) Yet, as we grieve leaving you, He has placed within us a great excitement for the new task ahead. Hobart, OK is now on our heart. We are truly excited...a gift of God through faith.
_sidethought_ I say this in love...because I love you. Wake up! Life is short! Jesus demands, deserves, and desires your very best. Some of you are still on the fence, playing games with God. You follow out of convenience...attend sporadically, give only occasionally, grumble at any real call for commitment or sacrifice. Rockway is not yet all that God desires it to be because of....YOU! Give God and His church your very best. Anything less is unacceptable to our Lord. Don't waste your life.
Rockway, Sarah and I love you very much. Thanks for everything. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
See you at the cross,
Keith
We have our siblings. We even have some crazy cousins - you know who you are:)This is family...we love each other.
So when I was approached in January by a church in Hobart, OK about the possibility of becoming their Pastor, my initial thought was..."why would I, I've got a great family already". "Because it may be My plan" was what I then felt God say to me, "Do you trust Me". A test of faith. I responded to the church saying I was willing to let it play out and see what God does. I began to pray. Sarah began to pray. From January to May we prayed. We had a couple of conversations with the church over those months and each time it went well but I wasn't sure what God was doing. A test of faith.
In May I was at one of our prayer time's at Jose's. I was praying scripture. I was praying that God's will for Rockway be made clear. I was praying for you, "God, what does Rockway need". I was praying through I Corinthians and got to chapter 3. Verses 5-10 jumped off the page.
"Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds it."
I knew right then. My holdup to following God had been my pride filled idea that since I planted Rockway, it was up to me to hold it together. God assured me..."Keith, you planted..someone else will water and I (Jesus-not man) will bring the increase". Immediately I got excited...for Rockway...for your future! God's plans are always best. God will bring the increase!
We are moving to Hobart. We are pumped and sad at the same time. We will deeply miss you.
I don't know why this is the route God is choosing.
I do know it's right. It's good. It's by faith.
Faith is not responding to the Lord after He's laid out the plan. Faith simply responds to "Come, follow Me". (Hebrews 11:1)
I don't know why God would lead us away from family, friends...Rockway. But I know He can, He does...He said He would call for sacrifice. (Luke 14)
I do know...we can trust Him...totally.
God's plan is always the best...for EVERYONE! When we follow in obedience and sacrifice when called, He always replaces the thing we sacrificed with something better. I can't wait to hear the stories of how He is bringing new blessings to Rockway.
Sarah and I will always be grateful for our time with you at Rockway. Our children were born here. Family has been close. We have been part of a great group of people who seek the Lord.
As a church, we have seen some amazing things together...we've experienced the Lord together. At other times, we have been to the bottom of life together...and we discovered...Jesus was there with us.
We have sought Him together and He always rewards those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
He has rewarded Sarah and I...with Himself and with your friendships.
Rockway's future is bright...God honoring...Glory bringing. The head of this church is not leaving. He is still here, still active...still giving the orders. Jesus is still in charge.
I trust Kyle, Jonathan, and Stan as much as any men I have ever known and your Leadership Team is made up of some of God's best.
Kyle Walker is absolutely a blessing from God to Rockway. I trust him totally with the dearest thing in my life next to family...YOU! He's real. He loves the Lord big time. He's surrendered. I believe in the Jesus I see in him. Give him the same love, care, and patience you have shown me and God will do things in your midst you wouldn't believe!
This move is hard for us...we had planned on being here the rest of our life. (be careful of planning too far ahead if you follow Jesus...He loves to see your faith in action) Yet, as we grieve leaving you, He has placed within us a great excitement for the new task ahead. Hobart, OK is now on our heart. We are truly excited...a gift of God through faith.
_sidethought_ I say this in love...because I love you. Wake up! Life is short! Jesus demands, deserves, and desires your very best. Some of you are still on the fence, playing games with God. You follow out of convenience...attend sporadically, give only occasionally, grumble at any real call for commitment or sacrifice. Rockway is not yet all that God desires it to be because of....YOU! Give God and His church your very best. Anything less is unacceptable to our Lord. Don't waste your life.
Rockway, Sarah and I love you very much. Thanks for everything. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
See you at the cross,
Keith
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Do You Ever Feel Forgotten By God?
Be honest!
Every Christian who has walked with Christ for any amount of time will admit (if they are honest) that there has seemingly been a time in their life where God was nowhere to be found.
Maybe it was a marriage gone bad, a rebellious child, a lost job, an alarming medical report or an intense battle with an addiction. And…for some reason…prayer didn’t work. Reading the Bible didn’t work. Going to church didn’t work. Fasting didn’t work. NOTHING SEEMED TO WORK…and the more desperate you cried out for God the more seemingly distant He became.
Ever been there? Are you there right now?
I was thinking about those times in my life the other day after spending some time with Kate. She’s gotten to be quite the adventurer…and loves to climb the front steps at our home. Recently she began climbing and was completely oblivious to my presence behind her. She thought she was alone. She thought she was doing the work all by herself…BUT…there I was…right behind her, watching her and holding my hands out behind her…just in case she fell…
She fell…but…I caught her and put her right back on the step. She never turned around to thank me. She never said, “I never knew you were there.” She just kept going and finally made it to the top…in her mind…all by herself...however, she would have never achieved those heights had it not been for her father being willing to walk behind her…one step at a time.
David, a man after God’s own heart said in best in Psalm 23:4–POWERFUL verse…he said that he KNEW that even though he was walking through the valley of the shadow of death…that He KNEW God was with him.
I personally believe that the times we maybe feel that God is the most distant…He’s actually right with us, arms out, waiting to catch us when we fall. And when we think we’ve accomplished something all by ourselves–we haven’t.
God will, at times, allow us to not have the FEELING that we are so close so that our FAITH will be based on FACT. The fact is…He’s with me (and you) right now. The fact is…when we cry out He hears us. The fact is…every hair on our head is numbered. The fact is…He gathers our tears. The fact is…before we experienced the current pain in our lives He KNEW what we were going to go through…and HE’S RIGHT THERE…whether we feel Him or not.
I’ve forgotten God at times in my life…we all have; however, there has NEVER been a time in your life that He has forgotten about you.
Every Christian who has walked with Christ for any amount of time will admit (if they are honest) that there has seemingly been a time in their life where God was nowhere to be found.
Maybe it was a marriage gone bad, a rebellious child, a lost job, an alarming medical report or an intense battle with an addiction. And…for some reason…prayer didn’t work. Reading the Bible didn’t work. Going to church didn’t work. Fasting didn’t work. NOTHING SEEMED TO WORK…and the more desperate you cried out for God the more seemingly distant He became.
Ever been there? Are you there right now?
I was thinking about those times in my life the other day after spending some time with Kate. She’s gotten to be quite the adventurer…and loves to climb the front steps at our home. Recently she began climbing and was completely oblivious to my presence behind her. She thought she was alone. She thought she was doing the work all by herself…BUT…there I was…right behind her, watching her and holding my hands out behind her…just in case she fell…
She fell…but…I caught her and put her right back on the step. She never turned around to thank me. She never said, “I never knew you were there.” She just kept going and finally made it to the top…in her mind…all by herself...however, she would have never achieved those heights had it not been for her father being willing to walk behind her…one step at a time.
David, a man after God’s own heart said in best in Psalm 23:4–POWERFUL verse…he said that he KNEW that even though he was walking through the valley of the shadow of death…that He KNEW God was with him.
I personally believe that the times we maybe feel that God is the most distant…He’s actually right with us, arms out, waiting to catch us when we fall. And when we think we’ve accomplished something all by ourselves–we haven’t.
God will, at times, allow us to not have the FEELING that we are so close so that our FAITH will be based on FACT. The fact is…He’s with me (and you) right now. The fact is…when we cry out He hears us. The fact is…every hair on our head is numbered. The fact is…He gathers our tears. The fact is…before we experienced the current pain in our lives He KNEW what we were going to go through…and HE’S RIGHT THERE…whether we feel Him or not.
I’ve forgotten God at times in my life…we all have; however, there has NEVER been a time in your life that He has forgotten about you.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
I BELIEVE
I am 36 years old. I feel I get more dumb with age. When I feel like I have figured something out...it spins. Parenting...no clue. Marriage...I am an idiot. Pastoring...hit and miss. I am working on these things, a work in progress if you will. But there are a few things that I stand firm in concerning my beliefs and how to live. I do not believe I will deviate from them.
I believe your life counts! For the first 300 years of Christianity there were no church buildings, no paid or “professional” clergy. There were simply believers...those that embraced Jesus Christ as their life and mission. There is absolutely no dividing line between clergy and laity. We are all called with one calling and no man or woman is to ever be elevated above another so as to create a division between secular and sacred. There are no professional believers!
I believe today's Christianity has become a civilized religion that promises comfort, abundance and safety. I am convinced that perhaps the most dangerous place to be is in the center of God’s will! You are never safe, yet never alone. I am convinced that Jesus did not come to simply bring convenience but to bring His kingdom through the broken, humbled and even the struggling.
I believe that believers should be compelled by Christ and not by religious expectation, manipulation, guilt or shame. I believe our identity is in our birth as children of God and not by our performance. I believe that God’s grace is determined by His character and not ours. The Cross was enough. We must live out these truths.
I am certain that Jesus’ death wasn’t to free us from dying, but to free us from the fear of death. I believe that Christ calls us to die up front so that we might truly begin to live. Now. Today.
I believe that Jesus is not simply the answer to the death question, but also to the life question. I believe that the redeemed are called to passionately embrace both the nature and mission of Jesus Christ.
I believe we are here for a reason and that every believer is called to a life of service, studying the scriptures and investing the resources and gifts that God has given them.
I believe we can touch the world by touching the people around us. I believe that we only love God as much as the person we love least. To the glory of God, we are here for a reason.
I believe your life counts! For the first 300 years of Christianity there were no church buildings, no paid or “professional” clergy. There were simply believers...those that embraced Jesus Christ as their life and mission. There is absolutely no dividing line between clergy and laity. We are all called with one calling and no man or woman is to ever be elevated above another so as to create a division between secular and sacred. There are no professional believers!
I believe today's Christianity has become a civilized religion that promises comfort, abundance and safety. I am convinced that perhaps the most dangerous place to be is in the center of God’s will! You are never safe, yet never alone. I am convinced that Jesus did not come to simply bring convenience but to bring His kingdom through the broken, humbled and even the struggling.
I believe that believers should be compelled by Christ and not by religious expectation, manipulation, guilt or shame. I believe our identity is in our birth as children of God and not by our performance. I believe that God’s grace is determined by His character and not ours. The Cross was enough. We must live out these truths.
I am certain that Jesus’ death wasn’t to free us from dying, but to free us from the fear of death. I believe that Christ calls us to die up front so that we might truly begin to live. Now. Today.
I believe that Jesus is not simply the answer to the death question, but also to the life question. I believe that the redeemed are called to passionately embrace both the nature and mission of Jesus Christ.
I believe we are here for a reason and that every believer is called to a life of service, studying the scriptures and investing the resources and gifts that God has given them.
I believe we can touch the world by touching the people around us. I believe that we only love God as much as the person we love least. To the glory of God, we are here for a reason.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
DON'T!
Kate, 15 months, is into everything–and dang, she can move. She is so cute the way she shuffles across the floor at blazing speed…however,
She seems to always want to migrate towards the one thing in the room she shouldn't touch (remotes, phones, lights, etc). We’ve told her no. We’ve taken it out of her hands. We’ve turned her away from it–yet still she seems to always find her way back there.
I was watching her do this the other day and actually tried pointing out to her that she literally has dozens and dozens of toys all throughout the living room…yet she is determined to get a hold of the one thing she cannot have.
Isn’t that the way temptation works? satan (intentional lower case) is SUCH a genius when it comes to this…he manages to take our eyes off of all that we do have and focus them on the one thing we don’t (or can’t) have.
He did it with Adam and Eve in the garden. (See Genesis 3:1-7) They had access to every single tree in the known world…all except for one…and he took their eyes off of all they had and put them one the one thing that God said they couldn’t have.
AND THEY FELL FOR IT!
Kate falls for it, Adam and Eve fell for it…and we will as well if we are not careful.
-He will take our eyes off of our spouse and put them on someone else.
-He will take our eyes off of our possessions and cause us to be jealous of the success of others and covet what they have.
-He will take our eyes off of all the kind deeds that someone has done for us and cause us to focus on the fact that “they didn’t return my e-mail/phone call.”
-He will take our eyes off the fact that we are incredibly blessed with more than we could have ever imagined and cause us to fear giving 10% to Jesus for the advancement of His kingdom.
-He will take our eyes off the fact that the church has been an incredible blessing to our family and cause us to not want to come back because someone gave us a dirty look or didn’t speak to us.
-He will take our eyes off of our wives and cause us to look at porn because, after all, we are men, we have needs, right? (Job 31:1!)
-He will take our eyes off the fact that we are called to go to one another and work out our issues and cause us to gossip and backbite one another.
-He will take our eyes off the fact that our bodies are the temple of the living God and cause us to abuse them through gluttony.
-He will take our eyes off the fact that our spouse and children are an incredible blessing from the Lord and cause us to see them as a hindrance to independance.
Temptation is DANGEROUS…allowing satan to put our thoughts on anything is DEADLY,
James 1:13-15 points out the destructive downward spiral of sin.
Is their junk in your life? I John 1:9 tells us how to deal with it!
Let’s NOT crawl towards the things that we know are forbidden…let’s do what Hebrews 12:1-2 says. It’s NOT easy…we will struggle, but I Corinthians 10:13 promises us we can handle it!!!
She seems to always want to migrate towards the one thing in the room she shouldn't touch (remotes, phones, lights, etc). We’ve told her no. We’ve taken it out of her hands. We’ve turned her away from it–yet still she seems to always find her way back there.
I was watching her do this the other day and actually tried pointing out to her that she literally has dozens and dozens of toys all throughout the living room…yet she is determined to get a hold of the one thing she cannot have.
Isn’t that the way temptation works? satan (intentional lower case) is SUCH a genius when it comes to this…he manages to take our eyes off of all that we do have and focus them on the one thing we don’t (or can’t) have.
He did it with Adam and Eve in the garden. (See Genesis 3:1-7) They had access to every single tree in the known world…all except for one…and he took their eyes off of all they had and put them one the one thing that God said they couldn’t have.
AND THEY FELL FOR IT!
Kate falls for it, Adam and Eve fell for it…and we will as well if we are not careful.
-He will take our eyes off of our spouse and put them on someone else.
-He will take our eyes off of our possessions and cause us to be jealous of the success of others and covet what they have.
-He will take our eyes off of all the kind deeds that someone has done for us and cause us to focus on the fact that “they didn’t return my e-mail/phone call.”
-He will take our eyes off the fact that we are incredibly blessed with more than we could have ever imagined and cause us to fear giving 10% to Jesus for the advancement of His kingdom.
-He will take our eyes off the fact that the church has been an incredible blessing to our family and cause us to not want to come back because someone gave us a dirty look or didn’t speak to us.
-He will take our eyes off of our wives and cause us to look at porn because, after all, we are men, we have needs, right? (Job 31:1!)
-He will take our eyes off the fact that we are called to go to one another and work out our issues and cause us to gossip and backbite one another.
-He will take our eyes off the fact that our bodies are the temple of the living God and cause us to abuse them through gluttony.
-He will take our eyes off the fact that our spouse and children are an incredible blessing from the Lord and cause us to see them as a hindrance to independance.
Temptation is DANGEROUS…allowing satan to put our thoughts on anything is DEADLY,
James 1:13-15 points out the destructive downward spiral of sin.
Is their junk in your life? I John 1:9 tells us how to deal with it!
Let’s NOT crawl towards the things that we know are forbidden…let’s do what Hebrews 12:1-2 says. It’s NOT easy…we will struggle, but I Corinthians 10:13 promises us we can handle it!!!
Monday, March 10, 2008
I Believe In You
I believe that every person on this planet has an incredible potential to do great things for God and live a life that is so far beyond their imagination.
I believe that once Jesus Christ comes into to someone’s life–there isn’t ANYTHING that can get in their way IF they will completely sell out EVERY area of their life to Him…
Their passions
Their possessions
Their relationships
Their job
It ALL must become His–we must let our dreams die so that His dreams can live through us; after all, our dreams, if allowed to come true, usually turn into nightmares!
I believe that God has called all that He saves to NOT just sit…but to accomplish GREAT things for Him (Ephesians 2:10), to make the name of Jesus famous…to live an abundant life.
That is what we'll be talking about in this series called “Hostage” God did not create us to be mired in mediocrity...to be held hostage by the junk of this world...but to live a life that causes those who don’t know Christ to say, “I WANT WHAT THAT PERSON HAS!”
I believe if a person will give every ounce of their being to Christ–He will take them and shape them into something both beautiful and incredible. (Please see Jeremiah 18:1-6)
God’s not obsessed with your past–He knows everything that you’ve done–and He can still use you to do awesome and incredible things…look what He has done with a screw up like me! (Yes, I WILL boast in all that HE has done!)
God’s not obsessed with your present–He doesn’t care about how high you climb the ladder OR how big your bank account is…THE ONLY thing that He is obsessed with is our obedience to Him…because He knows that in our following of HIS direction that we will ultimately live the life He desires for us.
God KNOWS your future…in fact, He is holding it in His hands right now…and the one thing I am learning over and over again is that I can trust Him with EVERYTHING. He is HOLY & PERFECT…and so are His ways!
You, reading this–right now, yes you…I believe YOU have UNLIMITED POTENTIAL in Christ! I believe God IS NOT FINISHED WITH YOU YET! I believe that no matter where you are in life…you can begin right there and embrace the life that Jesus desires for you.
It begins with salvation, asking Christ into your life…and it continues through intentional steps of listening for His voice and then doing exactly what He says.
My prayer is that you will become all that He wants you to become! It is a journey, not a destination…but there is nothing better in life than walking in the divine plan that God has laid out for us!
I believe that once Jesus Christ comes into to someone’s life–there isn’t ANYTHING that can get in their way IF they will completely sell out EVERY area of their life to Him…
Their passions
Their possessions
Their relationships
Their job
It ALL must become His–we must let our dreams die so that His dreams can live through us; after all, our dreams, if allowed to come true, usually turn into nightmares!
I believe that God has called all that He saves to NOT just sit…but to accomplish GREAT things for Him (Ephesians 2:10), to make the name of Jesus famous…to live an abundant life.
That is what we'll be talking about in this series called “Hostage” God did not create us to be mired in mediocrity...to be held hostage by the junk of this world...but to live a life that causes those who don’t know Christ to say, “I WANT WHAT THAT PERSON HAS!”
I believe if a person will give every ounce of their being to Christ–He will take them and shape them into something both beautiful and incredible. (Please see Jeremiah 18:1-6)
God’s not obsessed with your past–He knows everything that you’ve done–and He can still use you to do awesome and incredible things…look what He has done with a screw up like me! (Yes, I WILL boast in all that HE has done!)
God’s not obsessed with your present–He doesn’t care about how high you climb the ladder OR how big your bank account is…THE ONLY thing that He is obsessed with is our obedience to Him…because He knows that in our following of HIS direction that we will ultimately live the life He desires for us.
God KNOWS your future…in fact, He is holding it in His hands right now…and the one thing I am learning over and over again is that I can trust Him with EVERYTHING. He is HOLY & PERFECT…and so are His ways!
You, reading this–right now, yes you…I believe YOU have UNLIMITED POTENTIAL in Christ! I believe God IS NOT FINISHED WITH YOU YET! I believe that no matter where you are in life…you can begin right there and embrace the life that Jesus desires for you.
It begins with salvation, asking Christ into your life…and it continues through intentional steps of listening for His voice and then doing exactly what He says.
My prayer is that you will become all that He wants you to become! It is a journey, not a destination…but there is nothing better in life than walking in the divine plan that God has laid out for us!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Disturbed
A prayer by Sir Francis Drake says…
“Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves. When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little. When we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord.”
DANG!
First of all–THAT is going somewhere where I can see it regularly!
Second of all–I WANT THIS!
I think one of the greatest sins that is prominent in the realms of Christianity is that we dream too small of dreams and pray too small of prayers.
I want the All-Mighty to disturb me!
I want to be disturbed in my personal walk with Him…I don’t want to merely have a quiet time just to do it–but I want my time with Him to be real, intimate and convicting.
I want to be disturbed as a husband…I don’t want to come home and fall in love with routine, thus destroying romance. I want Him to disturb me…to get me OUT of my comfort zone relationally.
I want to be disturbed as a father…not ever looking at my children as a hindrance but rather as THE primary discipleship opportunity the Lord has given to me.
I want to be disturbed as a leader…to dream bigger and attempt more than we’ve ever tried–because Philippians 1:6 is true and He is so much larger than we could ever imagine.
I am praying that God will disturb me. How about you? Any areas you need to be disturbed in?
“Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves. When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little. When we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord.”
DANG!
First of all–THAT is going somewhere where I can see it regularly!
Second of all–I WANT THIS!
I think one of the greatest sins that is prominent in the realms of Christianity is that we dream too small of dreams and pray too small of prayers.
I want the All-Mighty to disturb me!
I want to be disturbed in my personal walk with Him…I don’t want to merely have a quiet time just to do it–but I want my time with Him to be real, intimate and convicting.
I want to be disturbed as a husband…I don’t want to come home and fall in love with routine, thus destroying romance. I want Him to disturb me…to get me OUT of my comfort zone relationally.
I want to be disturbed as a father…not ever looking at my children as a hindrance but rather as THE primary discipleship opportunity the Lord has given to me.
I want to be disturbed as a leader…to dream bigger and attempt more than we’ve ever tried–because Philippians 1:6 is true and He is so much larger than we could ever imagine.
I am praying that God will disturb me. How about you? Any areas you need to be disturbed in?
Thursday, December 20, 2007
God Gave His Son
Merry Christmas all!
Just heard this boy on YouTube who called in to a talk show. Logan is a 13 year-old boy who lives on a ranch in a very small town in Nebraska. Logan listens to Christian Radio station 89.3FM KSBJ which broadcasts from Houston, TX. Logan called the radio station distraught because he had to take down a calf . His words have wisdom beyond his years.
He understands what it's all about. Enjoy:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY
Remember The Reason...
Just heard this boy on YouTube who called in to a talk show. Logan is a 13 year-old boy who lives on a ranch in a very small town in Nebraska. Logan listens to Christian Radio station 89.3FM KSBJ which broadcasts from Houston, TX. Logan called the radio station distraught because he had to take down a calf . His words have wisdom beyond his years.
He understands what it's all about. Enjoy:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY
Remember The Reason...
Thursday, December 6, 2007
An Open Letter To Rockway
This is what it is all about! I am with you brother.
My name is Jeremy Adams & I moved here to the metroplex in April of 2005 from Indiana (GO COLTS!) and have been coming here to Rockway ever since the end of that summer.
Just a little bit about myself, I’m the guy who when somebody quotes a verse and says, “we all know this one,” right before they read it; well I’m the guy who doesn’t! Sure after I hear it, it sounds familiar but I was totally faking when I smiled, nodded and gazed off as if I was rehearsing it to myself before they ever got it out! That’s me!
Now you can roll your eyes if you want, trust me, I’m used to it! So go ahead, roll ‘em, but the very first time I walked into Rockway, it felt like home. In fact, I left a bit shaken because I honestly felt like I had just witnessed people worshipping God in a place where some pretty amazing things were about to happen. It wasn’t any one thing, I mean the music was awesome, the youth had just got back from camp & kids were bouncing around all over each other crying, hugging, laughing, everyone was so nice & Keith delivered a powerful message about being overwhelmed! (just for the record I should have taken better notes) It was crazy! I remember crying in my car on the way out of the parking lot, for two reasons, number one because I’m a big sensitive crier and that’s what I do and number two because I truly felt like God just took me by the hand and walked me right into exactly where I NEEDED to be! And to somebody living like I was, that was terrifying because that meant DRASTIC CHANGES and immediate uncertainty of a relationship I had literally given everything I had to! But I was overwhelmed by these feelings put on my heart that I HAD TO change and Rockway was where I NEEDED to get plugged in. And it just felt like BIG, BIG things were in store here!
Two years went by and up until this past summer though I had read a lot, prayed a lot, met some great people, some of which played a big role in keeping me afloat, during my “train wreck” than they probably realize. (thank you so much Joe) But honestly my heart hadn’t changed much! I was no more saved than the first time I walked in here!
You see in the midst of trying to become the man God created me to be, MY WHOLE WORLD was pulled out from under me! Even though the possibility of it happening had crossed my mind and even seemed to be certain, I was still devastated when I lost the woman I loved because, “I wasn’t the man she fell in love with anymore!” And, “I was taking this church thing way too seriously!” So just four months after our baby boy was born it was already over! I was living with my parents and right about here is where I tried to take back control, at least when it came to my feelings for a woman who didn’t want me anymore! So in a sense I did the ever so popular, “Okay God take it all, but wait just a minute! Not that! Not yet anyway!” For some reason my heart just wasn’t ready to give up on her, I just wasn’t able to fall out of love like she did! And I continued to struggle with this for well over a year!
You see no matter how much I learned, or how much I prayed, the truth is I’m weak! My heart was still wanting to talk me into leaning in and kissing her. And sometimes I did! My heart still wanted to talk me into sleeping with her! And sometimes I did! My heart still wanted to talk me into loving her more than God and for some reason a lot of the time it felt like I still did! I prayed and prayed to leave her alone! I begged God for the strength to be what he made me to be and I even asked God to change the way I saw her! When I was around her it was like my brain just shut off! I mean, it’s like I looked straight past the fact that she didn’t love me, that there was so much sin tangled up in that relationship (or lack of), that she wanted no part of a relationship with the Lord, or that there was no way I could have been with her and been the man God created me to be! I would be beating myself up wondering how in the world I could still be struggling with this! I obviously had a serious lack of respect for hell! That sounds weird, but it’s like I was living my life trying to learn about Jesus, but if I didn’t make it to heaven it wouldn’t be so bad! I mean somewhere in my brain-dead skull I must have thought I had a suite reserved in hell with a walk-in ice box to keep me cool!
As I struggled with this the answer began to really press on me! I had never turned from my sin, it had turned from me!(Acts 2:38) And I was a fool chasing after it! I mean the night I was baptized at Rockway in November of 2005, I left the church and went right back home into my sinful lifestyle! Nothing had changed inside of me except I was learning more about the Bible, learning more songs about praising God. But was I praising him? Not really. Honoring him? Certainly not! Why?
SOMETHING WAS MISSING!
I honestly felt like a torch waiting to be used to lead people to God, but at that time there was just NO FLAME! And without that flame, you don’t know where you’re going and people are sure not going to want to go where you’re going!
So how in the world was I going to get from this to the, “light of the world” Jesus tells about in Matthew 5?
Let’s look at 1 John 1:5-7 and see what it says about people like me!
This is the message he has given us to announce to you: bWell it seemed I was still a lost liar!
In Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist tells that he baptizes with water those who turn from their sins and turn to God, but says that someone whose sandals he’s not fit to carry is coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
I had to find a way to turn from being trapped in sin, because I really wanted that FIRE! But I was trying and I kept on struggling, just as trapped as ever! What was I going to do?
James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Right about here is where the things weighing on my heart took a turn from being all about me & my struggle to reaching out to others stuck in a sinful lifestyle.
Luke 6:41-42
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite, first get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friends eye.”
Not that anyone might be as pathetic as I have been, but maybe there are several trapped in a sinful lifestyle? What if as a church we removed every log from every eye? So that as a whole we are ready when people come in here with a speck in theirs to be able to be that righteous “family member” they come to when they feel trapped and are looking to be delivered from their sin, to be healed!
I truly felt that I just might not have been the only one who’s been sick and tired of going through the motions and wanted so badly to be filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit! To be set on fire! It was really beginning to feel like this was being placed on my heart for more than just me!
Galatians 5:24-25
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Anybody feel like they aren’t following the Holy Spirit’s leading on every part of their life?
Quick curveball! But it’s my story so I guarantee it has to be confusing!
Philemon 1:16
He is no longer just a slave; he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean so much more to you, both as a slave and as a brother in the Lord.
This was part of Paul’s plea with Philemon to forgive his runaway slave Onesimus, but the, “he will mean so much more to you,” part was really throwing itself into the mix of emotions God was and has been weighing on my heart.
Try to daydream a little while you read, if that’s even possible! But picture yourself sitting at church on Sunday morning! Picture the usuals who are in your usual area. Maybe mix in a few new faces if that doesn’t trip out your imagination too much! Really look at them closely and ask yourself, “do they really mean much to me?” I know that there has been a lot of growing relationally as well as spiritually in the home teams, but some of us haven’t let that really grab a hold of us! Some of us are probably being “checked” in our hearts a little right now! We need to get in on the more hugs and less handshakes craze that’s beginning to take off at Rockway!
Think about this for a minute. Reflect on the things God is placing on your heart right now. Maybe there is something that’s been allowed to remain in the way of whatever it is that weighing on you! Maybe you are real, real close! Maybe you don’t know what’s on your heart! What if Rockway Church really blowing up in this community is waiting on you and me? That may sound crazy, but is it? Really? What if it’s starting to come together but it’s waiting on others to catch fire?
Right about here is where I stopped being nervous about what all this going on in me was about and just wanted to GET THERE! I didn’t want to be “on the fence” anymore! It was really starting to make sense, I was just a little confused why I was feeling led to write it all down! I mean I love to write, but this was different! So I did! I knew it would sound and look funny to some, but I didn’t really care, I just wanted that FIRE and was feeling led to share it with anyone else who felt like they were carrying around a “flameless torch!”
Here goes!
Hebrews 12:1
Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.
What is hindering your progress? For me it was a relationship I was foolish enough to desperately try to negotiate into Salvation! What is it for you?
Ezekiel 36:25-27
Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command.
In the movie Pursuit of Happiness, Will Smith’s little kid tells him a joke. I won’t get this right, word for word, but there’s a man drowning in the middle of the ocean when a boat comes up next to him and a man yells out, “here let me help you!” But the man in the water says, “No thanks, I’ll let God save me!” So the boat went away. The man continued to struggle and another boat came up beside him and a man yelled down to him, “Hey, let me help you!” But again the man in the water yelled back, “No thanks, I’ll let God save me!” So that boat went away also. So time went on and the man finally drowned and went up to Heaven. When he got up there he asked God, “Hey, why didn’t you save me?” And God said, “Hey dummy, I sent you two boats!”
Some people are growing impatient, thinking, “God why am I still lost?”
And He just may be saying back to them, “Hey dummy, I sent you right to My family, your family!”
Okay, here’s the point of what this was all about. My stony heart of sin had to go! Even though I knew that and was praying for help, there was still more that could be done!
It was time I let my family pray with me for deliverance from my sinful lifestyle!
And it is my prayer that anyone else carrying that “I‘m still a lost liar” baggage around with their “flameless torches“, realize that they have already been sent right where they need to bring all that baggage and dump it out!
In the end of Hebrews 12:1 it says, “And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us! So picture “your race” right now, does it involve a lot of pulling off to the side to catch your breath? Mine sure did! Does it involve any backpedaling? Mine sure did! Does it make you want to give up and leave you feeling hopeless? Mine did sometimes! Now picture a bunch of people running TOGETHER. Pacing each other, running through obstacles TOGETHER! Wouldn’t you agree that when you run with others or work out with others it kind of pushes you? You get that “deep down” encouragement that won’t let you make them have to finish without you! Maybe that’s what “your race” has been missing. I know mine was!
Now I know what that “afraid to confess to others” fear is like, but I also know what it feels like to face that fear and fall down on my knees and let my family, that “huge crowd of witnesses” pray with me, for me! Honestly I don’t know if it was only a few that gathered around me in the front of the church that Sunday morning, but it felt like a hundred! I don’t know why, but it just felt like as others began to pray for me and my struggle chunks of that overbearing weight were being lifted off of me! Facing that afraid to confess it fear is what begins the changing of which race you are running. It may not happen instantly, but when you pull off to catch your breath, you’ve got the others running with you there to encourage you to get back on the track!
We have a race to run!
Let’s continue to put the pieces of this Rockway family TOGETHER!
Romans 8:12-14
So, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you keep on following it you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
My name is Jeremy Adams & I moved here to the metroplex in April of 2005 from Indiana (GO COLTS!) and have been coming here to Rockway ever since the end of that summer.
Just a little bit about myself, I’m the guy who when somebody quotes a verse and says, “we all know this one,” right before they read it; well I’m the guy who doesn’t! Sure after I hear it, it sounds familiar but I was totally faking when I smiled, nodded and gazed off as if I was rehearsing it to myself before they ever got it out! That’s me!
Now you can roll your eyes if you want, trust me, I’m used to it! So go ahead, roll ‘em, but the very first time I walked into Rockway, it felt like home. In fact, I left a bit shaken because I honestly felt like I had just witnessed people worshipping God in a place where some pretty amazing things were about to happen. It wasn’t any one thing, I mean the music was awesome, the youth had just got back from camp & kids were bouncing around all over each other crying, hugging, laughing, everyone was so nice & Keith delivered a powerful message about being overwhelmed! (just for the record I should have taken better notes) It was crazy! I remember crying in my car on the way out of the parking lot, for two reasons, number one because I’m a big sensitive crier and that’s what I do and number two because I truly felt like God just took me by the hand and walked me right into exactly where I NEEDED to be! And to somebody living like I was, that was terrifying because that meant DRASTIC CHANGES and immediate uncertainty of a relationship I had literally given everything I had to! But I was overwhelmed by these feelings put on my heart that I HAD TO change and Rockway was where I NEEDED to get plugged in. And it just felt like BIG, BIG things were in store here!
Two years went by and up until this past summer though I had read a lot, prayed a lot, met some great people, some of which played a big role in keeping me afloat, during my “train wreck” than they probably realize. (thank you so much Joe) But honestly my heart hadn’t changed much! I was no more saved than the first time I walked in here!
You see in the midst of trying to become the man God created me to be, MY WHOLE WORLD was pulled out from under me! Even though the possibility of it happening had crossed my mind and even seemed to be certain, I was still devastated when I lost the woman I loved because, “I wasn’t the man she fell in love with anymore!” And, “I was taking this church thing way too seriously!” So just four months after our baby boy was born it was already over! I was living with my parents and right about here is where I tried to take back control, at least when it came to my feelings for a woman who didn’t want me anymore! So in a sense I did the ever so popular, “Okay God take it all, but wait just a minute! Not that! Not yet anyway!” For some reason my heart just wasn’t ready to give up on her, I just wasn’t able to fall out of love like she did! And I continued to struggle with this for well over a year!
You see no matter how much I learned, or how much I prayed, the truth is I’m weak! My heart was still wanting to talk me into leaning in and kissing her. And sometimes I did! My heart still wanted to talk me into sleeping with her! And sometimes I did! My heart still wanted to talk me into loving her more than God and for some reason a lot of the time it felt like I still did! I prayed and prayed to leave her alone! I begged God for the strength to be what he made me to be and I even asked God to change the way I saw her! When I was around her it was like my brain just shut off! I mean, it’s like I looked straight past the fact that she didn’t love me, that there was so much sin tangled up in that relationship (or lack of), that she wanted no part of a relationship with the Lord, or that there was no way I could have been with her and been the man God created me to be! I would be beating myself up wondering how in the world I could still be struggling with this! I obviously had a serious lack of respect for hell! That sounds weird, but it’s like I was living my life trying to learn about Jesus, but if I didn’t make it to heaven it wouldn’t be so bad! I mean somewhere in my brain-dead skull I must have thought I had a suite reserved in hell with a walk-in ice box to keep me cool!
As I struggled with this the answer began to really press on me! I had never turned from my sin, it had turned from me!(Acts 2:38) And I was a fool chasing after it! I mean the night I was baptized at Rockway in November of 2005, I left the church and went right back home into my sinful lifestyle! Nothing had changed inside of me except I was learning more about the Bible, learning more songs about praising God. But was I praising him? Not really. Honoring him? Certainly not! Why?
SOMETHING WAS MISSING!
I honestly felt like a torch waiting to be used to lead people to God, but at that time there was just NO FLAME! And without that flame, you don’t know where you’re going and people are sure not going to want to go where you’re going!
So how in the world was I going to get from this to the, “light of the world” Jesus tells about in Matthew 5?
Let’s look at 1 John 1:5-7 and see what it says about people like me!
This is the message he has given us to announce to you: bWell it seemed I was still a lost liar!
In Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist tells that he baptizes with water those who turn from their sins and turn to God, but says that someone whose sandals he’s not fit to carry is coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
I had to find a way to turn from being trapped in sin, because I really wanted that FIRE! But I was trying and I kept on struggling, just as trapped as ever! What was I going to do?
James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Right about here is where the things weighing on my heart took a turn from being all about me & my struggle to reaching out to others stuck in a sinful lifestyle.
Luke 6:41-42
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite, first get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friends eye.”
Not that anyone might be as pathetic as I have been, but maybe there are several trapped in a sinful lifestyle? What if as a church we removed every log from every eye? So that as a whole we are ready when people come in here with a speck in theirs to be able to be that righteous “family member” they come to when they feel trapped and are looking to be delivered from their sin, to be healed!
I truly felt that I just might not have been the only one who’s been sick and tired of going through the motions and wanted so badly to be filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit! To be set on fire! It was really beginning to feel like this was being placed on my heart for more than just me!
Galatians 5:24-25
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Anybody feel like they aren’t following the Holy Spirit’s leading on every part of their life?
Quick curveball! But it’s my story so I guarantee it has to be confusing!
Philemon 1:16
He is no longer just a slave; he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean so much more to you, both as a slave and as a brother in the Lord.
This was part of Paul’s plea with Philemon to forgive his runaway slave Onesimus, but the, “he will mean so much more to you,” part was really throwing itself into the mix of emotions God was and has been weighing on my heart.
Try to daydream a little while you read, if that’s even possible! But picture yourself sitting at church on Sunday morning! Picture the usuals who are in your usual area. Maybe mix in a few new faces if that doesn’t trip out your imagination too much! Really look at them closely and ask yourself, “do they really mean much to me?” I know that there has been a lot of growing relationally as well as spiritually in the home teams, but some of us haven’t let that really grab a hold of us! Some of us are probably being “checked” in our hearts a little right now! We need to get in on the more hugs and less handshakes craze that’s beginning to take off at Rockway!
Think about this for a minute. Reflect on the things God is placing on your heart right now. Maybe there is something that’s been allowed to remain in the way of whatever it is that weighing on you! Maybe you are real, real close! Maybe you don’t know what’s on your heart! What if Rockway Church really blowing up in this community is waiting on you and me? That may sound crazy, but is it? Really? What if it’s starting to come together but it’s waiting on others to catch fire?
Right about here is where I stopped being nervous about what all this going on in me was about and just wanted to GET THERE! I didn’t want to be “on the fence” anymore! It was really starting to make sense, I was just a little confused why I was feeling led to write it all down! I mean I love to write, but this was different! So I did! I knew it would sound and look funny to some, but I didn’t really care, I just wanted that FIRE and was feeling led to share it with anyone else who felt like they were carrying around a “flameless torch!”
Here goes!
Hebrews 12:1
Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.
What is hindering your progress? For me it was a relationship I was foolish enough to desperately try to negotiate into Salvation! What is it for you?
Ezekiel 36:25-27
Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command.
In the movie Pursuit of Happiness, Will Smith’s little kid tells him a joke. I won’t get this right, word for word, but there’s a man drowning in the middle of the ocean when a boat comes up next to him and a man yells out, “here let me help you!” But the man in the water says, “No thanks, I’ll let God save me!” So the boat went away. The man continued to struggle and another boat came up beside him and a man yelled down to him, “Hey, let me help you!” But again the man in the water yelled back, “No thanks, I’ll let God save me!” So that boat went away also. So time went on and the man finally drowned and went up to Heaven. When he got up there he asked God, “Hey, why didn’t you save me?” And God said, “Hey dummy, I sent you two boats!”
Some people are growing impatient, thinking, “God why am I still lost?”
And He just may be saying back to them, “Hey dummy, I sent you right to My family, your family!”
Okay, here’s the point of what this was all about. My stony heart of sin had to go! Even though I knew that and was praying for help, there was still more that could be done!
It was time I let my family pray with me for deliverance from my sinful lifestyle!
And it is my prayer that anyone else carrying that “I‘m still a lost liar” baggage around with their “flameless torches“, realize that they have already been sent right where they need to bring all that baggage and dump it out!
In the end of Hebrews 12:1 it says, “And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us! So picture “your race” right now, does it involve a lot of pulling off to the side to catch your breath? Mine sure did! Does it involve any backpedaling? Mine sure did! Does it make you want to give up and leave you feeling hopeless? Mine did sometimes! Now picture a bunch of people running TOGETHER. Pacing each other, running through obstacles TOGETHER! Wouldn’t you agree that when you run with others or work out with others it kind of pushes you? You get that “deep down” encouragement that won’t let you make them have to finish without you! Maybe that’s what “your race” has been missing. I know mine was!
Now I know what that “afraid to confess to others” fear is like, but I also know what it feels like to face that fear and fall down on my knees and let my family, that “huge crowd of witnesses” pray with me, for me! Honestly I don’t know if it was only a few that gathered around me in the front of the church that Sunday morning, but it felt like a hundred! I don’t know why, but it just felt like as others began to pray for me and my struggle chunks of that overbearing weight were being lifted off of me! Facing that afraid to confess it fear is what begins the changing of which race you are running. It may not happen instantly, but when you pull off to catch your breath, you’ve got the others running with you there to encourage you to get back on the track!
We have a race to run!
Let’s continue to put the pieces of this Rockway family TOGETHER!
Romans 8:12-14
So, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you keep on following it you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Blessed?
May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them
And turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
This poem is a Franciscan Benediction found in Phillip Yancey’s book Prayer. I read it and I start burning inside. My heart boils over as I experience a holy anger at the complacence in my own life and in the Christian community. There must be more. This can’t be it…
We seem to easily forget, but Jesus invites us all into uncomfortable places. He invites us into places of pain, suffering and anger. He invites us into frustration and He awakens our heart so that we may begin to feel what He feels for this world.
When this happens, we have a choice; to harden our hearts or to pursue Christ. We can either make it about us again, continuing to chug along with a meaningless self-centred existence, or we can turn off the TV, get off the couch, kick our apathy, and start trying to do something, anything, that will bring about change.
It is in these moments that the baggage that we hold so tightly to and our desires for fame and fortune fade into obscurity. All of a sudden our future, our time, our talents, must be used to make a difference in this world. In one sense we are ruined, on another we have never being more alive.
So I encourage you to re-read the benediction and to make it a prayer. A personal moment with you and God, where you invite Him to bless you with discomfort, anger, tears, and foolishness to believe you can make a difference. That is, not to build our own little empire, but to build the Kingdom of God. Not to build our fame, but to build His.
And be warned, it is a wonderfully dangerous prayer to pray.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
DEEP?
My daughter is ten months old…and I am confident that within the next year or so that we will not have to feed her…a part of her growing up and maturing is her being able to feed herself…and if she doesn’t learn to do that then we will have problems. One day…I am confident...she will even feed others!
I’ve heard it…you have too…”Christians” saying, “I just want to be fed!” or “I’m just not being fed” or “I need something deeper”. It blows my mind! This would be equal to you and I going to an all you can eat restaurant and crying because no one would bring us any food. Food is all around in this environment…but if the person is lazy and self centered, wanting to be waited on hand and foot, then they could possibly starve to death when food is merely a few feet away.
Today as Christians we have WAY more information than we could ever apply. However, I think many people use “going deep” or “lack of nourishment” as an excuse as to not actually apply any of the knowledge they claim to be soaking up.
Deep is not what you know–but rather what you do.
DEEP is the college student who refused to give up on her friend, kept inviting her to church, gave her a Bible, was available to her to talk and ask questions…and as a result her friend received Christ.
DEEP are the parents who are watching a child going down a path that is destructive and is breaking their hearts, yet they claim and believe that God is in control.
DEEP is the guy in his 20’s who was diagnosed with cancer and only given a few months to live…and through it all his love for Jesus grew stronger and he told everyone how good God was…right up until the last minute of his life.
DEEP is the dad who is faithful day in and day out for his family. He cares for them, points them to Jesus, and trusts God.
I could go on and on…but DEEP is NOT knowing a lot of information, but rather being able to apply what you do know to your everyday life…and at the end of the day the name of Jesus is lifted up…no matter what!
I just want people to know Christ. I want people to see Scriptures NOT as a textbook–but rather as a letter from God that communicates who Jesus is and what He has done. I want to see people come to Christ. I want to see families healed. I want to see the poor served. I want to see the excluded included. I want to see people get out of debt. I want to see people discover their spiritual gift. I want to see people find God’s purpose. I want to see Jesus Christ lifted up!
Deep is not merely knowing information…because…judging by that standard Satan is actually deeper than most Christians…he KNOWS Scripture, but doesn’t apply it–which is dangerously similar to those in the camp of wanting to know more but not do anything…
13 years ago today...God called me to preach. I had grown up in church. I knew the "stuff". Trust me when I say, I have learned...DEEP is Abide, Apply, and Do!
Just a thought…
I’ve heard it…you have too…”Christians” saying, “I just want to be fed!” or “I’m just not being fed” or “I need something deeper”. It blows my mind! This would be equal to you and I going to an all you can eat restaurant and crying because no one would bring us any food. Food is all around in this environment…but if the person is lazy and self centered, wanting to be waited on hand and foot, then they could possibly starve to death when food is merely a few feet away.
Today as Christians we have WAY more information than we could ever apply. However, I think many people use “going deep” or “lack of nourishment” as an excuse as to not actually apply any of the knowledge they claim to be soaking up.
Deep is not what you know–but rather what you do.
DEEP is the college student who refused to give up on her friend, kept inviting her to church, gave her a Bible, was available to her to talk and ask questions…and as a result her friend received Christ.
DEEP are the parents who are watching a child going down a path that is destructive and is breaking their hearts, yet they claim and believe that God is in control.
DEEP is the guy in his 20’s who was diagnosed with cancer and only given a few months to live…and through it all his love for Jesus grew stronger and he told everyone how good God was…right up until the last minute of his life.
DEEP is the dad who is faithful day in and day out for his family. He cares for them, points them to Jesus, and trusts God.
I could go on and on…but DEEP is NOT knowing a lot of information, but rather being able to apply what you do know to your everyday life…and at the end of the day the name of Jesus is lifted up…no matter what!
I just want people to know Christ. I want people to see Scriptures NOT as a textbook–but rather as a letter from God that communicates who Jesus is and what He has done. I want to see people come to Christ. I want to see families healed. I want to see the poor served. I want to see the excluded included. I want to see people get out of debt. I want to see people discover their spiritual gift. I want to see people find God’s purpose. I want to see Jesus Christ lifted up!
Deep is not merely knowing information…because…judging by that standard Satan is actually deeper than most Christians…he KNOWS Scripture, but doesn’t apply it–which is dangerously similar to those in the camp of wanting to know more but not do anything…
13 years ago today...God called me to preach. I had grown up in church. I knew the "stuff". Trust me when I say, I have learned...DEEP is Abide, Apply, and Do!
Just a thought…
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Complain or Remain
"Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you." Deut. 28:47-48
If we are complaining, we are not enjoying the Lord's presence.
This statement can take a lifetime to move from head to heart. However, as we dwell on it, it will make more and more sense. We did not become Christians to work for Father or to please Him; the work has been done, and the Father is well pleased with Jesus. We became Christians for God and God alone. As the understanding of our position in Father expands, we see that His presence is in us, just as it was in the Holy of Holies! Christ dwells in us! We are temples of the living God!(2 Cor. 6:16)
All of life's experiences to this point have been moving us toward this revelation, and once we have it, everything changes. We can enjoy His presence in heavy traffic, waiting in line, at a birth or a funeral, at the dentist!, or whatever we do.
His presence is an absolute, and the peace of it is never to be surrendered to a situation! If we are looking without, there is much to complain about. If we are looking behind the veil and seeing His presence with us in the midst of everything, we can have great joy! Christ in us, the hope of glory!
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me" John 15:4.
If we are complaining, we are not enjoying the Lord's presence.
This statement can take a lifetime to move from head to heart. However, as we dwell on it, it will make more and more sense. We did not become Christians to work for Father or to please Him; the work has been done, and the Father is well pleased with Jesus. We became Christians for God and God alone. As the understanding of our position in Father expands, we see that His presence is in us, just as it was in the Holy of Holies! Christ dwells in us! We are temples of the living God!(2 Cor. 6:16)
All of life's experiences to this point have been moving us toward this revelation, and once we have it, everything changes. We can enjoy His presence in heavy traffic, waiting in line, at a birth or a funeral, at the dentist!, or whatever we do.
His presence is an absolute, and the peace of it is never to be surrendered to a situation! If we are looking without, there is much to complain about. If we are looking behind the veil and seeing His presence with us in the midst of everything, we can have great joy! Christ in us, the hope of glory!
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me" John 15:4.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Procrastinator's Unite
Isaiah 56:12 "And tomorrow will be like today, only more so."
This is the life verse of the procrastinator, who never enjoys the moment, the moment being a constant interruption. The procrastinator lives with the fantasy that he will do in the next hour what has not been done in previous weeks. Because of this mental deception, he is always too busy to take time out for the joys of life. Of course he would like to read a book, go to the movies, go for a run, play more with the kids, even go away for a few days, but! "There is too much to do"...that won't get done till the last possible moment...but the procrastinator, don't interrupt him, he has too much to do.
What is comical, is that the procrastinator does not actually get to the job until the last possible moments. The exhaustion at the end of the day does not come from overwork but from the frustration and self-loathing, believing that tomorrow will be different. A schedule is in mind. But let's not forget, "And tomorrow will be like today, only more so."
Is this you? It's me. Here are a couple of suggestions.
Stop fighting the fact that you procrastinate, admit it, own it, and embrace it. You can make it work for you! Admit that you won't do the job till the last minute...then, go ahead and enjoy the interruptions that come in the meantime without getting frustrated that you should be doing something else. Yesterday I spent great alone time with my children. I didn't think of one thing I "had" to do. I enjoyed the moment. It was a great day, and believe it or not, I didn't feel guilty. I felt great. It was great!
Secondly, take up the cross and deny the feeling of inferiority.
Third, lower your standard. Remember that most procrastinators are perfectionists by nature. Your 80% is like another's 110%.
Lastly, start enjoying life! You will never be a "disciplined" person as defined by the "disciplined". You are what God made you!
Should I publish this post now.......or later?
This is the life verse of the procrastinator, who never enjoys the moment, the moment being a constant interruption. The procrastinator lives with the fantasy that he will do in the next hour what has not been done in previous weeks. Because of this mental deception, he is always too busy to take time out for the joys of life. Of course he would like to read a book, go to the movies, go for a run, play more with the kids, even go away for a few days, but! "There is too much to do"...that won't get done till the last possible moment...but the procrastinator, don't interrupt him, he has too much to do.
What is comical, is that the procrastinator does not actually get to the job until the last possible moments. The exhaustion at the end of the day does not come from overwork but from the frustration and self-loathing, believing that tomorrow will be different. A schedule is in mind. But let's not forget, "And tomorrow will be like today, only more so."
Is this you? It's me. Here are a couple of suggestions.
Stop fighting the fact that you procrastinate, admit it, own it, and embrace it. You can make it work for you! Admit that you won't do the job till the last minute...then, go ahead and enjoy the interruptions that come in the meantime without getting frustrated that you should be doing something else. Yesterday I spent great alone time with my children. I didn't think of one thing I "had" to do. I enjoyed the moment. It was a great day, and believe it or not, I didn't feel guilty. I felt great. It was great!
Secondly, take up the cross and deny the feeling of inferiority.
Third, lower your standard. Remember that most procrastinators are perfectionists by nature. Your 80% is like another's 110%.
Lastly, start enjoying life! You will never be a "disciplined" person as defined by the "disciplined". You are what God made you!
Should I publish this post now.......or later?
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Living For Man
There are several ways to live for man: giving glory, taking glory, showing preference to someone with "more", refusing to ask a question, avoiding a confrontation, or reacting to criticism. I have done it all, and it makes you miserable. The reason you become miserable, at the root, is because you know there is a better way to live, free from man's opinion or praise. You can live by faith in Father and Father alone. Our Father will provide in every way: financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He provides everything we need...everything! Only when I recognize Father as the ultimate "need meeter" am I free from thinking man has anything I need. If my self-worth, significance, value, and joy come from God, why try so hard to seek man's approval? If man has no praise, position, or possession to offer me, then I am free not to live for man. Father is enough.
Am I free from man altogether then? Can I be a monk or a snob? Do I not need them at all? Of course I need them...I need them to love...to love for Father.
Proverbs 29:25-26 "The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted. Many seek the ruler's favor, but justice comes from the Lord."
Am I free from man altogether then? Can I be a monk or a snob? Do I not need them at all? Of course I need them...I need them to love...to love for Father.
Proverbs 29:25-26 "The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted. Many seek the ruler's favor, but justice comes from the Lord."
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Welcome!
Welcome to the new site and welcome to my blog. I will be posting thoughts....sometimes random....sometimes thought out. At other times I will be posting excerpts from various authors who inspire me to live daily for Father. Feel free to respond to any or all. I believe posts will have to come through me before they go up (to make sure they are clean:)), but I hope we will stretch each other in our pursuit to grow. I don't have all the answers, far from it,...noone does but Father. I am on the search for truth as revealed through scripture by the Spirit...join me!
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