tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88367470922162716972024-02-21T00:44:06.619-08:00Running the RaceThoughts, observations, and inspirations from someone running to finish strong.Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-15605839538249265452011-09-05T10:42:00.000-07:002011-09-05T10:42:56.323-07:00GO! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3mqV9w8UH7B5kPKgyqNz-VmqEs6T4BhI9kh5hWnt77PfysxHi7e-8JmRiUvchAS35OzOOYyjrjSNU1-kT0-8KuBTyy1SSVz_wmW3VQouXhmkkwhGpvKvwP-64oHnVDJ6wVP6BzzxwcKs/s1600/IMG_5257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3mqV9w8UH7B5kPKgyqNz-VmqEs6T4BhI9kh5hWnt77PfysxHi7e-8JmRiUvchAS35OzOOYyjrjSNU1-kT0-8KuBTyy1SSVz_wmW3VQouXhmkkwhGpvKvwP-64oHnVDJ6wVP6BzzxwcKs/s320/IMG_5257.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday, I had the wonderful privilege of attending two sporting events here in my city-the inaugural <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Texas</st1:placename></st1:place> at San Antonio (UTSA) football game in the afternoon, and the San Antonio Silver Stars (WNBA) basketball game last night. Today while thinking about my outing last night, God prompted me to ask myself this question, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shouldn’t we (Christ followers) be some of the first ones to attend our community events?</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shouldn’t we look for opportunities to attend our community festivals, sporting events and other celebrations and be some of the most ardent supporters of them?</i>” I’m not talking about attending only Christian events (although we should attend those as well) and I am not talking about attending events that blatantly make a mockery of God (and there are plenty of those). I am talking about getting out into the places where the people are, where engagement and conversation and relationship can be formed. In fact, when I look at Scripture, I see Jesus doing that very thing. He didn’t have a problem attending parties, or going to the festivals, or interacting with people in large crowds at celebrations in the community. He wanted to be where the people were, that’s where some of the greatest ministry could be accomplished. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the people around us begin to see that we care about the things they (our community) values, then a great INTERSECTION develops-a place where you share the same passions, if only about a particular subject matter and if only for a short amount of time. It is in that intersection where God can do some of this best work. In fact, had I stayed home yesterday, I would have missed the opportunity to see my friend and ministry buddy Luke intersecting with a family sitting next to him at the football game. What a joy it was to watch as he and a complete stranger discussed the finer points of football and celebrated together each touchdown scored. That is intersecting with our community. Had I been too tired to go to the basketball game in the evening, I wouldn’t have met Marquis, a fellow brother in Christ who was introduced to me by my mother-in-law Glenda after she turned around in her seat to comment on his voice-which reminded her of someone she knew. Out of that intersection, subsequent introduction and further discussion, Marquis and I traded business cards and are looking at ways to partner together in ministry right here in our community.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What’s my point? Well, I had an epiphany today that when Jesus said GO in Matthew 28 he didn’t just mean GO to Africa or Mexico or even to our local coffee shops and school buildings. Don’t get me wrong, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ should be going to all of those places. But I believe we should also be checking our community calendars and looking for announcements of upcoming fairs, festivals, celebrations and sporting events in our communities. If we love the people in our communities like we say we do, then we should want to be where they are. Yes, that means having them bump into us and spilling beer on our shoes. Yes, that means waiting in long lines to get out of parking lots and visiting smelly port-o-potties. The only way to truly love and minister to our communities is to become a part of the community. And the way to become a part of the community is to GO where the community gathers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-41872855988188097152011-09-01T20:35:00.000-07:002011-09-01T20:35:46.167-07:00Ability Translated into Availability<strong>My mentor writes a great message every month to all of those that support him in ministry. Unfortunately, not enough people get to read his messages. So, I am taking the liberty to post this month's message because I found it to be particularly impactful. I hope you do as well.</strong><br />
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<em>His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.-Psalm 147:10-11</em><br />
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Do you ever feel so skilled in what you do that you require little help from others? Perhaps you may feel that you are more skilled than any other in your field. Does God need your skills and abilities in order to accomplish His purposes on this earth? The answer is NO.<br />
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One thing God does not need is our skills and abilities. However, He does give us the privilege to exercise our gifts and abilities for His service. That service may be as a computer technician, a secretary, an ironworker, or even a lawyer. God calls each of us to our vocations to work unto Him. To believe that He needs our skills to accomplish His mission on earth would be to lower our understanding of an all-encompassing and all-powerful God. The psalmist tells us that His pleasure is not in our strength and ability, but His pleasure is in the attitude of the heart. It is what we find in the heart that helps determine whether ability is translated into availability. You see God is looking to and fro throughout the earth for a man or woman who is fully committed to Him. A man or woman who is fully committed to fearing the Lord and placing his hope in His unfailing love is the person God seeks to support. "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him" (2 Chron. 16:9a). When our agenda becomes His agenda, we can expect God to fully support all that we do. If we want to see our skills and abilities multiplied a hundredfold, then we must make them completely available to His service. Where are the opportunities in which God is calling you to be available to Him? Next time someone asks you to be involved in some activity, before you say yea or nay, make sure you check in with the Master of our decisions to ensure that your gifts and talents are being used, as He desires."<br />
-Steve Stoner, Biblical Leadership for Excellence<br />
August, 2011<br />
Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-45880308868727513942011-08-18T22:19:00.000-07:002011-08-18T22:19:33.891-07:00CATALYST <span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">S</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">omething that causes activity between two or more persons or forces without itself being affected. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3. </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> person or thing that precipitates an event or change<i> </i><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4. </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more friendly, enthusiastic, or energetic.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What does all this mean? More to come VERY soon.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-24310228227846664532011-08-15T22:29:00.000-07:002011-08-15T22:29:29.082-07:00Tough Callings <span style="font-family: Calibri;">At this year’s Willow Creek Leadership Summit, we were asked to mediate on, pray about and write down what God was revealing to us about a tough calling in our lives. What I wrote down was this:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Greg, the American church is broken</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the last number of years, <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This has been the thing that keeps me up at night more than anything else<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This has been the thing that stirs my soul like no other-my holy discontent<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This has been the thing that I find continually comes up in conversation over and over again no matter the person I am talking to<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And I want to be clear about what I am saying: I am not calling out one particular brand of church over another. I am not calling out any church of any size over another. It is irrelevant to me whether the church meets in a home, a store front, a coffee shop, or a large building. Folks, I believe that the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">AMERICAN</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">CHURCH</st1:placetype></st1:place> is broken. And WE are the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">American</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Church</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And yet despite this brokenness, Jesus is still in the business of redeeming a lost world to himself through the church. <o:p></o:p></span></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Do you believe that?<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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</div>Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-39962336856139857502011-08-14T20:59:00.000-07:002011-08-15T23:23:43.493-07:00Spiritual Castration<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I believe we have allowed the enemy to SPIRITUALLY CASTRATE us. What does that mean you might ask? Get this, here is the definition of castration and I would like for you to not only think about it in a physical sense but especially in a spiritual sense.</span></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Castration</span></u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Removal of the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/testes" target="_top"><span style="color: blue;">testes</span></a>. The procedure stops most production of the hormone <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/testosterone" target="_top"><span style="color: blue;">testosterone</span></a> (a hormone responsible for MATURITY in males). If done before <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/puberty" target="_top"><span style="color: blue;">puberty</span></a>, it prevents the development of functioning adult sex organs. Castration after sexual maturity makes the sex organs shrink and stop functioning, ending sexual interest and behavior. Livestock and pets are castrated to keep them from reproducing or to create a more docile animal. </span></span><span style="color: black;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <br />
<span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">In many cases, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">WE HAVE ALLOWED</b> the enemy to remove something from the body that is helpful in aiding in our maturity and in developing as a body appropriately. And when it is removed, we lose spiritual interest and behavior. And since we lose interest, we don’t reproduce and instead just become docile and paralyzed with mediocrity.</span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">And this castration, this paralysis is best exemplified in Revelation 3:14-20</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Luke-warmness, mediocrity, devours the church!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-4963731836569153202010-08-07T09:28:00.000-07:002010-08-07T17:12:05.979-07:00My DeclarationBottled up! That is how I feel today. Over the last several days I have been drinking from a fire hose at the annual Willow Creek Leadership Summit. And now, here I sit here with all these thoughts, feelings, emotions, and promptings bottled up inside me waiting to explode. <br />
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Have you every felt this way, bottled up; bottled up with a God given vision that leaves you breathless and filled with passion? The problem is you don't know where to begin? Bulls eye! That is right where I find myself today. Breathless, passionate, ready to run but not sure how to put one foot in front of another.There it is right in front of me. A God given vision from two years ago that I can see with such amazing clarity. I feel as if I am a chained dog longing to be unleashed to pounce upon the mission you have set before me. My teeth are ready, the chain has been opened and yet, here I sit because quite frankly God, I just don't know where to begin. That always seems to be my problem; a deeply seated passion and burning desire to make a difference in the world. But right along side my passion comes a whisper that says something like, "What can YOU do?" The problem is, most of the time I believe it.<br />
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But Father, this time I want it to be different. I don't want to settle for playing it safe any more. You O God have called me to this leadership role. You O Lord have allowed me the great privildedge of coming along side you to shephered and inspire and lead those you have called Intersection Church. Father, I want to bow in your presence but then I want to get up and run hard, run until my shoes are worn, run until my legs are burning, run until I have nothing left to give. Run Father until the race is completed and you are there waiting for me at the finish line with the prize. I have made a declaration and I ask you Lord to give me the strength to see it through:<br />
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"I declare to passionately pursue Christ, running the race with my eyes firmly fixed on the cross ahead of me. Turning back and surrendering is not an option!"<br />
<blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote>Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-80417035997464577562010-06-30T18:24:00.000-07:002010-06-30T18:34:23.761-07:00Church Lessons from a Child's ToyI never really got it. That’s what kept me in bed on Sunday mornings for most of my adult life. And trust me when I say that there are some of us here and millions more outside these walls that are feeling the same way. Feeling like there is no reason why they need to get up and go out to some boring, outdated, out of touch church that will simply put them back to sleep. They say they believe in God but they don’t believe in the need to go to a place that doesn’t actually have a particular purpose for their life. I know it is sad, but believe me, it is true, because I said it more than once.<br />
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But for many of you, what you are doing right now on this Sunday morning is a natural part of your lives. You get up and take showers and brush your teeth (hopefully) maybe eat a good breakfast and head out the door to get to the local worship location by 10:00am or 10:30am. But let me stop here for a minute and ask an important question: Do you know why we are here? I mean really, do you know why we are here right now at this gathering? After all, there are many, many people in San Antonio this morning still asleep in their comfortable beds, going for walks in a local park, having coffee with someone they love. They see no real reason to be here. Do you? Are we here because this is what we do on Sunday mornings? Are we here because this is what is expected of us? Have you ever really thought about it? Really? I have thought about it a lot. In fact, most of my life I have thought about it. <br />
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But you see after I exchanged my life for the life of Jesus Christ and began to read and digest the Bible for the first time, I stumbled upon an amazing section of Scripture that radically changed everything for me. In Acts 2:42-47 I found a passage that reads something like this (I invite you to read along with me)<br />
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42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (-Acts 2:42-47)<br />
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And that was followed up by another passage of Scripture that I found just a few chapters later in 4:32-35<br />
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32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. <br />
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(-Acts 4:32-35)<br />
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I remember reading those passages for the first time and putting down my Bible in absolute awe. I remember the chills that ran up and down my neck and the goose bumps that appeared on my arms. I remember with huge tears in my eyes, whispering to God, “Lord, I want to be a part of THAT!”<br />
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So with THAT as my model church, the church I wanted to find and be a part of, I began (and am still on) a search to understand the church in America and to see if the ACTS 2 church can exist in our present day and age. Along the way, I have made some observations that quite frankly have brought me into more disagreements with friends and family members than I ever believed possible.<br />
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And what I would like do for the next several minutes is to share three observations that I have made about the state of the church today. <br />
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Usually, I have a hard time explaining what God has been showing and teaching me. So I thought I would use two models that my son has put together to illustrate my points-one model is a dinosaur and the other model is a jet plane.<br />
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THE COLLECTIVE CHURCH<br />
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I must admit that I haven’t ever really been too good at putting together models—I just don’t have the patience for it. But recently, my son started taking an interest in model building…models like the ones I have here. When I first look at these two models he has put together (especially from a distance), I see that collectively there are many pieces that make up the entire model’s form and function. But even though each of these models are made of the same material (wood) from the same creator (my son) and share some of the same shapes and sized pieces, in the finished product they don’t necessarily share the same form. One of them resembles a dinosaur; the other resembles a jet. So I ask myself is one better than the other? Well I guess the answer is whether you like dinosaurs or jets more.<br />
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Lately, God has been using my son’s models as an illustration for today’s church. For example, all of us— the collective body of Christ followers—join together to form what we call the church-represented here as the whole model. The word "church" which comes from the Greek "ekklesia" means "gathering" or "assembly." (called out ones confessing Christ) Therefore, the church is actually the gathering of all believers everywhere. More specifically, the Bible says that the collective church IS the body of Christ (Colossians 1:24).<br />
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Other places in Scripture make it clear that the church also refers to God's people at a given location as I Corinthians 1:2 points out…(“To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified [chosen and set apart] in Christ Jesus and called to be holy…”). These “bodies of Christ” (or churches) are still part of the collective body, but simply meet in different locations.<br />
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So while the churches in our world today are made of the same material from the same creator and share some of the same shapes and sized pieces, they don’t necessarily share the same form. Some of our congregations are enormous with thousands gathering in huge facilities. Some of our congregations are much smaller with believers gathering together in buildings usually reserved for other functions during the week. Some are simply dinosaurs while others are jet planes. And I am not sure that one is really better than the other, although I find this to be one of the most heated arguments between Christ followers. In reality, it just depends on whether you like big churches or smaller churches.<br />
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Even though they may each take on a different form, they all have the same collective mission and function. In fact, Scripture teaches that the church’s mission is really two-fold. <br />
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1. The church comes together (or assembles) for the purpose of bringing each member to spiritual maturity. Ephesians 4:11-13 says it this way… 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.<br />
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2. The church reaches out (scatters) to spread the love of Christ and the gospel message to unbelievers in the world. Matthew 28:18-20 gives it to us this way... <br />
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19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."<br />
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This is the Great Commission. <br />
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So, the purpose of the church is to minister to believers and unbelievers. But I believe the church actually has a greater purpose. Let me explain.<br />
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Growing up, I had many friends who would put an incredible amount of time, attention, and detail into creating their models. But it always made me laugh because in the end when they had finished putting their models together, the models many times would end up on some high shelf in their rooms collecting dust or worse yet, at the bottom of a closet toy box broken to pieces. All that time and energy putting together the models was simply wasted.<br />
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The point I am trying to make here is that models are created for one purpose—the purpose of being put on display so that the creator can receive praise and glory for his/her creation. And so too is the purpose of the collective church—to bring glory and praise to the creator. The church does not exist: <br />
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• So we can have a place to go on Sunday morning<br />
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• So we can have a place to go to feel good about ourselves<br />
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• So we can have a place to go to see our friends and feel safe and secure<br />
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• So we can have a place to go to get away from our problems for a little while<br />
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These may be reasons that we hear from our friends and neighbors about why they go to church. But with all due respect, the church doesn’t exist to please us. No, the collective church exists to bring glory and honor and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ! You see it is really all about Him!<br />
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But my observations unfortunately have shown me that in many churches, this isn’t what happens at all.<br />
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1. Many times our churches, like our models, are put up high on a shelf out of reach from anyone where they collect dust and eventually become forgotten and obsolete. Worse yet, our churches may become deeply buried within the dark recesses of a box (and can never get out of the box) that they become broken and of no use at all. <br />
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2. Other times we ourselves put the church on display, painting it up, lighting it up and cleaning it up so that those who view it give glory and praise to the church itself instead of the creator. The church becomes the object of our affections (almost an idol)—instead of a living, breathing, serving, glory to God giving organism.<br />
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THE INDIVIDUAL CHURCH<br />
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The second thing these models have taught me about the church, is that these models are made up of hundreds of individual pieces as well. There are small pieces, bigger pieces, pieces of different shapes and sizes—with each piece having an important function to the entire model. I think we would all agree that without these individual pieces there would be no model at all. You see, no individual pieces, no collective model, no glorification for the creator. <br />
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Sound familiar? Our churches are comprised of hundreds and thousands of individuals of many sizes, talents, gifts, individually coming together to collectively form the church. 1 Corinthians 12:12 says it this way … 12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.<br />
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Perhaps the greatest tragedy for a model creator comes when they discover that they have a lost an individual piece. When they lose a piece, the finished model can’t be completed and can’t look the way it is supposed to look or function fully the way it is supposed to function. However, good model creators will stop what they are doing and go in search of that individual lost piece before moving forward. Those truly dedicated to the building of great models will search and search and search some more until they find and bring back the lost piece or pieces. Then and only then can the entire collective body be completed the way the creator wants it to be and the way it was made to be.<br />
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So how dedicated are we to building really great models? When we discover a lost piece (and believe me there are lots of lost pieces) do we pack up our models, put the pieces back into the box and resign ourselves to finding the piece later? Do we sometimes just give up hope that the lost piece will ever be found and instead decide to keep focusing on just the pieces we do have? Do we even care about the lost piece in the first place? Really? <br />
<br />
Christ had a desire and willingness to do whatever it took, to seek out, find and restore those lost pieces. And Jesus especially looked for the pieces that were crushed, misshapen, and maybe a little different than some of the other pieces in the model. But one thing He never found was a piece that wasn’t already crafted from the highest quality of material and couldn’t be used to make the model better and stronger. Do we have the same stomach to make those same kinds of sacrifices for the lost pieces in our lives? My observations tell me that many of us are not.<br />
<br />
THE STRONG CHURCH<br />
<br />
So that brings me to my third and final observation. If you know anything about model building you will know that there is a substance that is the single most important part of building models. Without it, none of the other pieces can even hold together. The single most important element is the glue. Without the glue, the individual pieces can become weak or loose eventually causing the model to fall apart. This sticky, “invisible” substance bonds each piece together making it strong and durable. <br />
<br />
Of course an experienced model builder understands that you don’t put the entire model together pouring a bunch of glue on it at the end. No, glue is applied to each individual piece as the creator builds. Over time as the glue dries and hardens and becomes stronger, the entire model rises up to becomes a tribute….holy and pleasing to the creator. <br />
<br />
You see, the importance is really in the glue. Christ is the glue and we are the pieces adhered together by the glue—because it we aren’t, quite frankly we will fall off the model. Jesus describes it this way in the book of John… 5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.-John 15:5<br />
<br />
However, I have observed that sometimes we make the church (the object) the glue. Other times, we make certain people in leadership or even the pastor the glue. And that is when we get in trouble because the church of Jesus Christ is only as strong as its pursuit of Jesus Christ and nothing else.<br />
<br />
What’s interesting is that I have also discovered that you CAN build a model without glue. To be honest with you, these models here are built with no glue at all. They have been carefully crafted and engineered to make them work without any glue at all. But as my son said to me before I left the house with them this morning, “Dad, please be careful. Without glue, these models are pretty fragile and I would hate to see them fall apart.”<br />
<br />
Interesting isn’t it. I have observed that if we are not careful, churches can also be put together without glue—without Christ at all. Oh don’t get me wrong, I believe that many of those called out to begin a ministry start with the right heart and right intentions. However, along the way through lengthy strategy, detailed performance measures, skillful craftsmanship and careful engineering you can create a church that can be put up on a shelf for everyone to see and admire and tragically bring very little glory to the creator; churches that quite honestly are pretty fragile and ready to fall apart. <br />
<br />
I know that many of you right now are probably saying, Greg, why are you just focusing on the negative church stuff, what about all the great stuff that is happening to further the Kingdom of God? Don’t you think there is anything out there that is good? Well the answer to that is yes I do. There is some amazing work being done by the Body of Christ for the Kingdom of Christ, people and ministries that I have personal contact with and see how God is using them and their calling for His glorious purpose. But for me, there is still the desire for more, more glue so that I can be a part of the original model I first saw in Acts 2. I do believe it is possible. I really do. And I don’t want to settle for anything less. <br />
<br />
There is a song by Matthew West called Motions that sums up the desires that I have been sharing with you today. Here is how the lyrics go: <br />
<br />
This might hurt, it's not safe<br />
<br />
But I know that I've gotta make a change<br />
<br />
I don't care if I break,<br />
<br />
At least I'll be feeling something<br />
<br />
'Cause just okay is not enough<br />
<br />
Help me fight through the nothingness of life<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I don't wanna go through the motions<br />
<br />
I don't wanna go one more day<br />
<br />
without Your all consuming passion inside of me<br />
<br />
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,<br />
<br />
"What if I had given everything,<br />
<br />
instead of going through the motions?"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
No regrets, not this time<br />
<br />
I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind<br />
<br />
Let Your love make me whole<br />
<br />
I think I'm finally feeling something<br />
<br />
'Cause just okay is not enough<br />
<br />
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I don't wanna go through the motions<br />
<br />
I don't wanna go one more day<br />
<br />
without Your all consuming passion inside of me<br />
<br />
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,<br />
<br />
"What if I had given everything,<br />
<br />
instead of going through the motions?"<br />
<br />
<br />
I want to encourage you. <br />
<br />
• To get you fired up so that you never just want to go through the motions as a church. <br />
<br />
• To get you fired up so that you never place your church high on a shelf where it can collect dust or put your church deep into a box where it can break apart.<br />
<br />
• To get you fired up so that you continue to search and never give up until you find that missing piece<br />
<br />
• To get you fired up so that you continue to passionately pursue Christ and never the church itself<br />
<br />
• To get you fired up so that you will desire to be the church to the world that so desperately needs it. <br />
<br />
The founder of the "home church" movement in England, Canon Ernest Southcott, said it best: <br />
<br />
"The holiest moment of the church service is the moment when God’s people—strengthened by preaching and sacrament—go out of the church door into the world to be the church." <br />
<br />
That to me is when we will begin to see amazing things happen, just like in the Acts 2 church.Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-14187967962925883932010-01-19T09:22:00.000-08:002010-01-19T09:34:40.237-08:00Are you a Christian?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxw89LCExuqQNJTx9RFS7ob6TP3WXKfnz6qQwhK7E5dJ3RekwZPmQoEjKeccqiUvJtnSddUx6RrbPlyKEiL330Afwhs8jJTlAiRjoHf_vM2ehhDgQk3bcpyGcXkWUjUG1Cnl_fKdjTtxcM/s1600-h/despair.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 167px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428505676226070242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxw89LCExuqQNJTx9RFS7ob6TP3WXKfnz6qQwhK7E5dJ3RekwZPmQoEjKeccqiUvJtnSddUx6RrbPlyKEiL330Afwhs8jJTlAiRjoHf_vM2ehhDgQk3bcpyGcXkWUjUG1Cnl_fKdjTtxcM/s200/despair.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Do you consider yourself a Christian as a result of something done to you?<br /><br />Do you consider youself a Christian because you have decided to include Christ and Christianity or church in your portfolio?<br /><br />Or, are you a Christian because you have been brought to see the utter end of yourself and the hopelessness at your attempts to commune with God and so you have cried out to Him, "Lord Jesus Christ, I cast myself upon your mercy and I'm amazed that you would include me in your company?"</div>Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-62794600589779103202010-01-13T23:14:00.000-08:002010-01-13T23:23:26.441-08:00Are you Ready if Called?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49UzxcASlp5AV7t3kZS5bNy1T6ARHKBU3aFjZ5Ii5xdLvrtLq8KnceO72cept4ioAvLsc5db_op2es-0VIS94BtzQZRFM5ZMxQJasu_jTOWJ2Ud09jOlfKei8FzXW9Oh6yC1333a8k-Va/s1600-h/Picture1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426492734263535090" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 281px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49UzxcASlp5AV7t3kZS5bNy1T6ARHKBU3aFjZ5Ii5xdLvrtLq8KnceO72cept4ioAvLsc5db_op2es-0VIS94BtzQZRFM5ZMxQJasu_jTOWJ2Ud09jOlfKei8FzXW9Oh6yC1333a8k-Va/s320/Picture1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrKreHRSSwLtmgroLa90bZgHs1lG-wBhhkFb_WKJUC1-9NBV3kDPpOaOJOSKIjmc_88UTrpNL2_RkBEoyPbNVOpQTkAbnJALE73pkDeFNte8i-zsba2key9LMA1YRkz4g4JLB3B_63dQa/s1600-h/Picture2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426492733607512546" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 281px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrKreHRSSwLtmgroLa90bZgHs1lG-wBhhkFb_WKJUC1-9NBV3kDPpOaOJOSKIjmc_88UTrpNL2_RkBEoyPbNVOpQTkAbnJALE73pkDeFNte8i-zsba2key9LMA1YRkz4g4JLB3B_63dQa/s320/Picture2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went…”-Hebrews 11:8<br /><br />I don’t know about you, but when I think about the story of Abraham, I picture a guy enjoying life, big smile on his face, getting ready to maybe take his wife out for a large lunch and then come home to take a nap on the couch. You know, life is pretty good. Then suddenly God calls out to him and says GO! And Abraham just walks down the hall to their bedroom where his wife Sarah is talking on Facebook and says we are leaving—and so they get up and go. I don’t think that Abraham knew this was coming when he woke up that morning. I think that this was probably something that caught both he and Sarah a little off guard. And yet, he obeyed and went.<br /><br />Now if you are a fan of college football or even if you are not a fan, you may be aware of the drama that unfolded last week as the University of Texas longhorns played the Alabama Crimson Tide for the national championship game. Colt McCoy, the Longhorns MVP and star quarterback was taken out of the game early in the first quarter with an injury never to return to the game. The coach of the Longhorns, Mack Brown, had to look down the sidelines at a young freshman backup quarterback named Garrett Gilbert who had played very sparingly during the season and tell him that his number was up and it was now on his shoulders to go out and win a national championship game for UT. As you can imagine, during the first few plays for Garrett he looked like a deer in headlights—the game was just too fast and he was ill prepared. As Garrett headed to the locker room at halftime having just given up a costly turnover that led to a touchdown by Alabama, Garrett was in tears. Meanwhile, Colt McCoy was also in tears in the locker room after hearing from the coaches and his own father that his amazing college career was over. As Colt would later say, “I am a man of faith in God, and so I won’t question why this was God’s plan for me tonight, it just was.”<br /><br />Two different players both in tears in the locker room at halftime of an important game. Both men facing stress, both men facing pressure, both men facing confusion and both men’s fate completely, totally and utterly in the hands of an all knowing almighty God. Now Garrett could have easily given up, told his coach that the stress was just too much and that he was not going to go back into the game after halftime, but he didn’t. And while I would love to tell you that Garrett led the Longhorns to victory—I can’t. But what he did do was to get back into the game, to play as hard as he could in the situation that he was thrust into and to simply leave the results on the field with Colt McCoy all the while encouraging him, cheering him on and praying for him on the sidelines.<br /><br />Now my point here is not that Garrett heard from God to get back on the field and was obedient to this calling. I don’t know if Garrett is even a believer. The point is that like Abraham, I am sure he got up in the morning with a smile on his face, thinking it was going to be a pretty good day. He was on a team playing for a national championship and he was only a freshman. All he had to do was to sit back, watch, learn, cheer and hopefully get a ring. But of course, God had other plans (“For I know the plans I have for you declare the Lord.”)<br /><br />God stories like these involving unsuspecting people are not simply found in the pages of the Bible but are seen all around us every day. In fact, this may be YOU tomorrow morning. The question is, how will you respond if called?</div></div>Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-41932374122878998552009-12-21T18:33:00.000-08:002009-12-21T19:14:16.716-08:00A Christmas Message<em>(Excerpted from Knowing God by J.I. Packer-1973)</em><br /><div align="center"><em></em> </div><div align="center"><em>"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich."-2 Corinthians 8:9</em></div><br />It is here, in the thing that happened at the first Christmas, that the profoundest and most unfathomable depths of the Christian revelation lie. "The Word became flesh" (John 1:14); God became man; the divine Son became a Jew; the Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, unable to do more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises. Needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. And there was no illustion or deception in this; the babyhood of the Son of God was a reality. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in a fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the incarnation.<br /><br />How are we to think of the incarnation: The New Testament does not encourage us to puzzle our heads over the physical and psychological problems that it raises, but to worship God for the love that was shown in it. For it was a great act of condescension and self-humbling. "He, Who had always been God by nature," writes Paul , "did not cling to His prerogatives as God's equal, but stripped Himself of all privilege by consenting to be a slave by nature and being born as mortal man. And, having become man, He humbled Himself by living a life of utter obedience, even to the extent of dying, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal" (Phil. 2:6, PHILLIPS). And all this was for our salvation.<br /><br />The key text in the New Testament for interpreting the incarnation is not, therefore, the bare statement in John 1:14, "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us," but rather the more comprehensive statement of 2 Corinthians 8:9, "you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." Here is stated, not the fact of the incarnation only, but also its meaning; the taking of manhood by the Son is set before us in a way that shows us how we should set it before ourselves and ever view it--not simply as a marvel of nature, but rather as a wonder of grace. <br /><br />For the Son of God to empty himself and become poor meant a laying aside of glory; a voluntary restraint of power; an acceptance of hardship, isolation, ill-treatment, malice, and misunderstanding; finally, a death that involved such agony--spiritual, even more than physical--that his mind nearly broke under the prospect of it. It meant love to the uttermost for unlovely men, who "through his poverty, might become rich." This Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity--hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory--because at the Father's will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard, or will hear.<br /><br />We talk glibly of the "Christmas spirit," rarely meaning more by this than sentimental jollity on a family basis. But what we have said makes it clear that the phrase should in fact carry a tremendous weight of meaning. It ought to mean the reproducing in human lives of the temper of him who for our sakes became poor at the first Christmas. And the Christmas spirit itself ought to be the mark of every Christian all the year round.<br /><br />It is our shame and disgrace today that so many Christians--I will be more specific: so many of the soundest and most orthodox Christians--go through this world in the spirit of the priest and the Levite in our Lord's parable, seeing human needs all around them, but (after a pious wish, and perhaps a prayer, that God might meet them) averting their eyes, and passing by on the other side. That is not the Christmas spirit. Nor is it the spirit of those Christians--alas, they are many--whose ambition in life seems limited to building a nice middle-class Christian home, and making nice middle-class Christian friends, and brining their children up in nice middle-class Christian ways, and who leave the sub-middle-class sections of the community, Christian and non-Christian, to get on by themselves.<br /><br />The Christmas spirit does not shine out in the Christian snob. For the Christmas spirit is the spirit of those who, like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves poor--spending and being spent--to enrich their fellow men, giving time, trouble, care, and concern, to do good to others--and not just their own friends--in whatever way there seems need. There are not as many who show this spirit as there should be. If God in mercy revives us, one of the things he will do will be to work more of this spirit in our hearts and lives. If we desire spiritual quickening for ourselves individually, one step we should take is to seek to cultivate this spirit. "Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free" (Ps. 119:32)Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-74698763967815785552009-11-24T22:11:00.000-08:002009-11-24T22:23:39.547-08:00Knocked Off My Feet"Fall on your knees..."<br />So goes a line from my favorite Christmas carol which I have been singing and meditating on today. When was the last time you fell on your knees? I am not talking about kneeling during prayer--although that is a powerful place to be as well. I'm talking about literally having your feet kicked out from under you as you come into the awesome presence and holiness of Almighty God. When...OK, if we will just stop and take some time during our busy lives to seriously pursue and experience standing in the presence of God, I don't think we will be standing very long. Instead, I think we will find ourselves falling to our knees in overwhelming thankfulness, humbleness, unworthiness, joy and pure love. What other reaction can there possibly be as we come to the God of the universe and sustainer of all things?<br /><br />John paints us a very powerful image about this in Revelation 7:11, "<em>All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: 'Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!</em>'"<br /><br />Oh God, how I long to daily be knocked off my feet by you, falling to my knees in your presence so that I may be able as Paul rightly says,<br />"...<em>to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God</em>."<br />-AmenInchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-52473140238162936812009-06-29T22:43:00.000-07:002009-06-29T23:31:33.751-07:00A God Experience<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-J32y_cWuzL13pq41T0C1YlCYdyvs46p-89_iyANXD6TCv8YkUdCLdrhtB_sFLLHKAVRIuW22jAfsBJv_h6GxA38LUZKub_w6BPQV3cMnd9dJwAVas-nKUd1ru2HXedkrSDTv_JE603MD/s1600-h/On+top+of+mountain.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353004486148768802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-J32y_cWuzL13pq41T0C1YlCYdyvs46p-89_iyANXD6TCv8YkUdCLdrhtB_sFLLHKAVRIuW22jAfsBJv_h6GxA38LUZKub_w6BPQV3cMnd9dJwAVas-nKUd1ru2HXedkrSDTv_JE603MD/s320/On+top+of+mountain.jpg" /></a><br /><blockquote></blockquote>I had a true God experience two weeks ago. You see, I REALLY enjoy hiking but this isn't something my wife particular shares my enthusiasm for. So, you can imagine just how surprised I was when on our recent vacation to the Davis Mountains, Denise got up early one morning and agreed to hike up to the top of a mountain with my son and I. What? You want to do what? This was a first! And it wasn't an easy climb. Over 1.5 miles of hiking ascending some 1,000ft to the top (and no there wasn't a Starbucks when we got up there).<br /><br />What a beautiful climb it was. A huge cloud bank conceled the tops of the mountains from our view below. So, as we climbed higher, the air cooled and the mist swirled until we found ourselves moving through the cloud inching closer to the top. AND THEN...it began to rain. Wow! An experience like none I have ever had before. Finally, with our boots a little muddy and our hair a little damp, we made it to the top of the mountain and watched as the clouds floated through the valleys far below us.<br /><br />As amazing as all of this was, I will be forever grateful to the Lord for allowing me to experience this moment with my wife and son. Watching their faces as we reached the top and seeing their smiles as they gazed on the valleys below and mountains far into the distance will forever be etched in my mind. In fact as I sit here at 1:15am writing down these memories, I can't help but smile. This experience has forever bound us together in a whole new way, a whole new God way. And if this is what running the race of life is all about, I can't wait to get up tomorrow morning and get back out there!Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-7475878882963527842009-05-11T19:53:00.000-07:002009-05-11T20:39:55.627-07:00Prayer of Love<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwaCQwGI6EmlfnTXwonxZNr7WJS6ZMT9CiHEkX79hWZiY4vOYJf5nqOlXP7K1ArLMo1IHnCuZNO1DevP4fRou4Pcr0OHHCKWgbzsuSXaSYzUT0xDNwxeoda88zuMHN4Y13tsroP1N-RoU_/s1600-h/ge0800.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334777116908594882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwaCQwGI6EmlfnTXwonxZNr7WJS6ZMT9CiHEkX79hWZiY4vOYJf5nqOlXP7K1ArLMo1IHnCuZNO1DevP4fRou4Pcr0OHHCKWgbzsuSXaSYzUT0xDNwxeoda88zuMHN4Y13tsroP1N-RoU_/s320/ge0800.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jX8WLiytiiJCypXDuGGNDNBoQsNtEWoQMr8KFEV2_41IDC5GKYg_WDA2hMXy2hynuAaDomqS3Rs8nIx5Nr93cHazPzkxmcjanJFLz3C0exg6OvtVEDfEmdWQyLBBlU6H1Ca6qeiqBpGw/s1600-h/ge0800.jpg"></a>Jesus, I am SO in love with you today. I am SO in love with you!<br /><br />You are the air that I breathe, the muscle that allows me to move, the nerve that lets me blink. In you, I am known and loved and defined. You have become my all consuming everything. Through you, I have learned it is not what I do, but who I have become and am becoming.<br /><br />Because of you Jesus, I love my wife today more than I did when we were first married sixteen years ago. I LOVE MY WIFE MORE TODAY THAN EVER BEFORE! Because of you Jesus, I see life as a child through the eyes of my three children. Because of you Jesus, I realize my need for people to love and be loved by. Because of you Jesus, I desire to forget the things of this earth, and long to know the things of Heaven. I LONG TO KNOW THE THINGS OF HEAVEN!<br /><br />Jesus, I want to know you more and the power of your resurrection. I thirst and hunger for you and desire to passionately pursue you the rest of my life. And Jesus, I want others to know you. I want them to experience you as life, AS LIFE!<br /><br />JESUS, I LOVE YOU! -Amen</div></div>Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-23869157347646669542009-03-05T19:06:00.000-08:002009-03-05T19:44:13.511-08:00Weaving Together the Perfection of CommUNITY<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifj9q1kK9uWWLaNFV8WczaCq8ki_fqVfjSA1pCdAcD8s7Djf0nO68EJWwO4y5b6Itkz4uTRWGsfhPTTBJKoeE0Rc7VmX-3RxtsmtE-lfaVvRcP2eH6UmgBKzokdtIP-v4KDFIWvf5wyTN3/s1600-h/Sheets.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309915455474527074" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifj9q1kK9uWWLaNFV8WczaCq8ki_fqVfjSA1pCdAcD8s7Djf0nO68EJWwO4y5b6Itkz4uTRWGsfhPTTBJKoeE0Rc7VmX-3RxtsmtE-lfaVvRcP2eH6UmgBKzokdtIP-v4KDFIWvf5wyTN3/s320/Sheets.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Thread count- <em>The number of horizontal and vertical threads in one square inch of fabric.<br /></em><br />I did some research this week and found out that thread count in sheets can range from 80-700, although most stores sell sheets that range from 180 to 320. Many linen manufacturers tout that the thread count is the best way to choose a sheet. Generally, the higher the thread count, the softer the fabric feels. In other words, the tighter the threads are woven together, the better the sheets feel.<br /><br />But that doesn’t necessarily mean the sheets will last longer. In fact, many experts point out that the quality of the fibers and finish are more important to the sheet’s comfort and durability than thread count alone.<br /><br />Now why in the world you might ask am I writing about sheets? Well, they are a great illustration of the concept of true and authentic community, which is what Paul writes to us about in the third chapter of Colossians.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. 12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:12-17)<br /></span><br />Notice that Colossians 3:11 says, “Here there is no Greek, or Jew, circumcised, or uncircumcised, Barbarian, Scythian, slave or free. BUT CHRIST IS ALL AND IS IN ALL. In God’s economy, there is no division of the elect. Just like Father, Son and Holy Spirit, there is Perfect Unity!<br /><br />From a distance, we don’t really see the individual thread counts in sheets. From a distance, sheets look like, well sheets. But yet, when we examine them a little further, we will begin to see the individual threads.<br /><br />What might we see if we looked at these sheets through a magnifying glass?<br />What might we see if we looked at these sheets through a microscope?<br /><br />With the magnifying glass, we would begin to see that these sheets were made up of different threads woven together in different ways. We might even be able to count the threads in one square inch. With the microscope, we might even be able to tell the kinds of fibers and finish that make up the thread which ultimately could tell us what kind of quality these sheets have.<br /><br />What do people (especially non-believers) see when they closely examine our Biblical communities: our churches, our small groups our Sunday school classes, our home groups?<br /><br />From a distance, they might look really good, really holy, really together, really tight. Even with a magnifying glass, someone might conclude that the group is a unified community, a family made up of different threads that love and care for one another. In essence, the group might look like they have a very high thread count. But in reality, when you took the microscope to the task of examining the community, you might find that the community really has no unity at all. You might discover (as some experts tell us) that while the thread count (the tightness of the weave) is high, the quality of the fibers and the finish is lacking.<br /><br />Indeed thread counts can make the sheets and clothes comfortable, soft and warm. Closeness in community can do the same. But the real question is how durable are the clothes? How durable is the community? And is it built on the PERFECT UNITY of Christ?</div>Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-69068904406391347002009-01-28T22:17:00.000-08:002009-01-28T22:50:29.548-08:00A 168 PURSUIT!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSDA1EZzlZQEuT9bzL2iMdl4VJ2GU6SRy626vXwxLY0I350SMSKHmiQc8aF6Z3Qqq_G3X1DbPA6zz5kffb38SsRJ82QYlYByS2HOu-QkPOD6ilnT3Ne8fc_JqOutl0oK6h0A-k8rMzPOT/s1600-h/GEN20188.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296604333595377170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSDA1EZzlZQEuT9bzL2iMdl4VJ2GU6SRy626vXwxLY0I350SMSKHmiQc8aF6Z3Qqq_G3X1DbPA6zz5kffb38SsRJ82QYlYByS2HOu-QkPOD6ilnT3Ne8fc_JqOutl0oK6h0A-k8rMzPOT/s320/GEN20188.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BDG-4S4OwMz5paEcnB2ky6m0S75UrPHo3Vx-JBy1-MEyGrM7ILyRl0gNkPMmhHGRB46fhvY8nyhE2G8Bj7WU6NqADeF3_-tZBifC8FyLSr4S5HDrkRarp-Cnu609HZOM_W8Ghy-3IIry/s1600-h/GEN20188.JPG"></a><br /><br /><div>As Christians, we cannot deny that we still face many difficulties and challenges in life. Yet most of us would agree that we want our lives to be radically transformed by the saving and renewing power of Jesus Christ. At the same time, many of us spend just one hour a week in prayer and worship usually occurring on Sunday morning.<br /><br />Now think about that for a moment. Each of us has 168 hours in a week. If we spend just one hour on worship, prayer and Bible study each week how can we reasonably expect that one hour with God will radically change 167 hours without God? The question is not WHAT do we DO on Sunday morning, but WHO do we PURSUE Monday through Saturday?<br /><br />"<em>When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified</em>."<br /><em>-1 Corinthians 2:1-2</em></div></div>Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836747092216271697.post-43933003077791821702009-01-03T21:01:00.000-08:002009-01-03T21:16:06.779-08:00Ramblings from THAT Guy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKN4uaxpa0WQc7F9jsGrceF2ylRJwiHwBhcAJ68aFPKCq12iFHCcTc8b_igdP3X8yEMz76_qnxwsObBbIVOV5U7FqPssGe7un8n3mw0PPBxISWSXJVE1Rh8j9tXZ_alIq2nIbF9GXHZ4uV/s1600-h/Front+Yard+Cross+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287302965341026082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKN4uaxpa0WQc7F9jsGrceF2ylRJwiHwBhcAJ68aFPKCq12iFHCcTc8b_igdP3X8yEMz76_qnxwsObBbIVOV5U7FqPssGe7un8n3mw0PPBxISWSXJVE1Rh8j9tXZ_alIq2nIbF9GXHZ4uV/s320/Front+Yard+Cross+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I feel like that guy! You know that guy, the one that sticks out like a sore thumb, the one that is just a little bit different and doesn’t go along with the rest of the pack. Who am I? I am a 38 year old man being led by God to start a new church. Because of that calling, I have recently been reading books and magazine articles about ministries around the country and how innovative pastors are leading more and more un-churched people through the doors of their churches. These stories are usually well written, inspirational and insightful. However, I am confused. I am confused because my soul continues to be conflicted with each passing article.<br /><br />First, I must say praise God that people who have never been to church before are now coming through the doors in many communities to hear the good news of Jesus. I know that this is a good thing (or should I say God thing). But I think I am going to spiritually vomit if I hear one more pastor or ministry leader write that our churches today need to be culturally relevant, that it is important to keep up with the changing times. Now, I am not trying to be difficult here or sound holier than thou but isn’t God already culturally relevant? Hasn’t he always been culturally relevant? And isn’t He the reason the church exists to begin with? I am told that I must continue to make my church attractive. You know, get them in the doors with contemporary music, video screens, pod-casting, etc. (culturally relevant). I am not against any of those things and I don’t think God is either But isn’t Christ attractive without any of those things? I am constantly told that I must compete with the world, use the things of the world if I am going to get people out of the world. Since when did Christ need to compete with anything or anybody? And what the world needs is not more of the world. They need something that is different, something that stands out, something that stands alone. They need Christ!<br /><br />It seems as though our present day church culture takes the position of “get’em in the doors and we will get’em saved.” Now, I know that true Bible believing, vine abiding pastors and ministry leaders would never say this or truly believe this. But isn’t this in essence what is happening? I just wonder at what point did we give up on people; truly transformed Christ followers (you know people) to BE the church and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ wherever they are? Most everything I read these days is about being the church so we can invite unbelieving friends TO the church. As I hear it said, there they will be comfortable and accepted, you know the come as you are principle? I do believe that Jesus wants us to come to Him as we are but through what I call the Philip principle?<br /><br />In John 1:43-46, Philip is called by Jesus to follow Him. Philip then goes and finds Nathanael to tell him that he has found the Messiah. Did Philip invite Nathanael to his church? No. He invites him to Jesus, to sit in the presence of Jesus himself! Philip found Jesus and he wanted Nathanael to find him as well. To my untrained mind (what little mind there is) it seems as though that same principle had applied for centuries throughout the Bible. People found God and then lived out a Godly faith life telling other people about the wonders of God and what He had done. God was enough! Supernaturally God brought them to faith where they surrendered to Him. But yet today, we say that the church must be culturally relevant to attract unbelievers. What about simply teaching the truth and holiness of God (the never changing truth and holiness of God) and allowing Him to bring them to Himself without church being their first stop?<br /><br />I can guess what you might be thinking right now, “Oh that Greg is old fashioned, stuck in his ways and not a very innovative thinker.” I might even be called boring! But what I find so funny is that I only came to Christ eight years ago at the age of 30. I am not coming at this from the perspective of someone who grew up a Christian all my life and just stuck in my “all my life” Christian ways. I was attracted to Jesus because I saw Jesus being lived out in people around me every day. These people were different than the world and never hesitated to confront me with truth and the good news of Jesus Christ. They never invited me to church or brought me to church. They brought the church to me. They brought the living, breathing, active church (Jesus living inside each of them) right to where I was. Not the other way around. It wasn’t “come as you are.” It was “I will come where you are.” That is what changed me. And, I am convinced that because we don’t see people in our congregations actively doing this today, we have given up on them and have instead replaced them with a place, a building, a program, that can let them off the hook and do the work for them.<br /><br />Now, the Holy Spirit has given me enough wisdom to understand that God can work in all ways, through all means necessary to reach the lost. And I understand that my salvation experience may not be the same for everyone. However, I am genuinely holy discontented that these well meaning, Christ following, called out pastors and ministry leaders have forgotten their first love and forgotten that it is all about Jesus. No gadgets, no gizmos, just Jesus (Jesus + NOTHING)! The place we meet and call church is a wonderful place to be. It is the place where we can come to be encouraged, taught, prodded, built up and then sent out to pursue Christ and those that don’t know Christ. But, I don’t believe that it was ever intended to be the place to invite our friends so they can get saved. This is Christ’s job working in and through us each day; the mobile church. These churches shouldn’t have to worry about being culturally relevant. If they are teaching Jesus and Him crucified and resurrected, they ARE culturally relevant. This message will always be relevant!<br />I know that many of you at this point have dismissed my ramblings as crazy talk from a guy that may be out of touch with modern society (that is if you have even finished reading to this point). But hey, I warned you at the beginning, I am that guy! </div>Inchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11061084064578431029noreply@blogger.com0