I'm preaching in T-19 hours at The Journey. It's a grueling process to prepare to preach and I'm finally on the home stretch of the process. I've studied and prayed all week. And now, finally, I'm just about ready.
Preaching is foolishness, the Bible says. And I can understand why. A person standing in front of other people speaking for God really does seem quite ridiculous and audacious if you ask me. Some will summarily dismiss it. Others, though, will listen. And for those who do, according to the Bible, they can be saved.
Are you coming? Will you listen?

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. (I Corinthians 1:25)

I was a 20 something just 6 weeks ago. Today, I look back with tremendous sagacity and insight into the decade that many of you occupy. And out of my wealth of experience and acumen, I want to humbly offer some advice:)

In your 20's...

-Give yourself space to make mistakes. That financial, relational or career misstep won't sink your battleship. You can recover.
-Get an education and then get over it and yourself. Think about taking up a trade.
-Network. It's really not what you know, but who you know.
-Develop a life of spiritual disciplines. Find a place and time to pray and read the Bible so he can steer you into your 30's (there may be less carnage this way).
-Travel. And not just to the beach. Go on a missions trip or 10.
-Have fun. I probably don't need to tell you this, but just in case you forget.
-Stay connected to multiple generations. Visit and chat with your grandparents while you can. Take your nieces and nephews to the park. This is good advice for too many reasons to list.
-Keep an open mind and don't burn bridges.

Agree? Disagree? What advice would you give?

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. (I Timothy 4:12)

(This is an email that I sent out to some of my Journey peeps this past week...thought I'd post it as a blog, too).

In just a few weeks (on February 28th), there will be a baptism Sunday at The Journey. Already, three people have indicated they're planning to be baptized on that day...and we still have nearly two weeks until then! I'm praying that many more will decide to be baptized, turning away from a life without God to a life devoted to following Him.

We get excited around here when people are baptized. Here's why: not only is baptism a public declaration of a personal decision, it represents a clean slate and a new life in Christ with endless possibilities.

If you've been baptized, pray for others to take this step on their spiritual journey. If you haven't been baptized and you've put your faith in Jesus, on February 28th, take the next step on your spiritual journey and be baptized. If you're ready to do it, sign up by emailing me at andrewwilson@yourjourney.tv. If you have questions, email me or call The Journey office at 302-738-2892.

On the journey with you!

Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name (Acts 22:16)

I just finished watching Larry King on CNN and their coverage of the disastrous earthquake in Haiti. As I watched it, I made a point to really absorb the images and stories. I'm not sure if this was a good or bad decision.
As I processed it all and thought about how and in what way I (personally and as a part of my local church) needed to respond to this disaster, I began to weep. Not just a little, but a lot and for awhile. And I'm not sure if that's the kind of thing someone is supposed to blog about. Not because I'm afraid you'll think I'm emotional, but because you might think I'm only telling you for a less than noble reason, like I'm trying to convince you that I'm a good or godly pastor because I cried for dying babies in Haiti.

My heart is breaking for Haiti. I cried. I think this an important thing to do--to be moved to tears by things like human suffering and pain reflects a God who is compassionate and caring. So now what? I've never felt this way about a global disaster before. Maybe it's because I've been on the island of Hispaniola in the DR and have witnessed the abject poverty of Haitian people as they labored in the DR sugar fields. Maybe it's because this just seems so unjust, i.e. they're the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, replete with all that goes along with that moniker. And now this? Unbelievable. Maybe it's because I'm older and have a kid and have imagined myself as a parent in Haiti who's lost a child. It's probably for all of the above reasons.

I gave $10 by textinig "Haiti" to 90999 via the Redcross. You can do it now and we hopefully millions of people will do it. Still it seems so insignificant compared to the need. I want to do more. For now, I'm praying for the people of Haiti who are suffering.

Psalm 33:20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Have you ever wondered why spiritual growth seems so painstakingly slow sometimes? If your answer is "no", then you should get back to walking on water or healing diseases and stuff.
For most of us however, the answer is an emphatic "yes". It's a two steps forward, one step back process that never seems to end. And sometimes it's frustrating. And it's even more frustrating if we're never taught that that's actually the way spiritual growth works.

And so when I read Deuteronomy 7:22 the other day, I thought it gave a pretty compelling reason why God lets the process take so dang long.
Here's what it says: "The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for the wild beasts would grow too numerous for you."
Here's the lesson I took away from this verse: experiencing "little by little success" is God's way of growing people and keeping destructive forces out of our lives.
But, you might protest, "if God can clear away the nations, why can't he clear the beasts, too?"
Matthew Henry's commentary says it's because "pride and security, and other sins that are the common effects of a settled prosperity, [are] enemies more dangerous than the beasts of the field."
And I think Matt was onto something (I'm sure he'd be relieved to know that I think that). I think God doesn't want us (or by his mercy, allow us) to experience "settled prosperity" or success too quickly, because he knows something we don't--that's where the wild things are--the destructive forces of pride and security.
And in order to keep us from becoming proud or secure (i.e. secure in our works, or ourselves--not in Christ), we're challenged to keep growing and succeeding but never arriving or completing. By doing that you just might keep the wild things where they belong--somewhere else.

In the future, when your son asks you, "What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?" tell him: "We were slaves..." (Deuteronomy 6:20-21)
And for remainder of the chapter, Moses commands the nation of Israel to tell the following generations of how God rescued them and all the miraculous things they witnessed along the way. In other words, when the next generation asks "why do we do what we do?" tell them our incredible story of rescue. And it's almost as if Moses is saying, I know that it would be easier and more convenient to reply by saying "because I said so." But it's important that you take the time to tell them our story.
Moses must have known that the resigned response of "because I said so" would most likely only leave the next generation frustrated, ignorant and ultimately unlikely to follow the decrees and ways of Jehovah with any passion or personal commitment.
I think we would be wise to take Moses' sage advice ourselves when it comes to answering the questions of emerging generations.
So, in the future when (not if) the next generation asks "why do we do what we do?", tell them our incredible story of rescue.
We were slaves to sin, but God did some amazing stuff all along the way. Mainly he sent his son, Jesus, to die for our sins and now we're free. That's why we live lives that honor him and please him.
In the future, be sure to talk about the past. But don't do it because I said so:)

I'm going to join a gym...no, serioulsy, I am. And yesterday I went to spy out the new gym I'm considering joining--Planet Fitness. I was blown away by some stuff that they're doing at PF (yes, I'm alredy referring to them by their initials). Here's what's on the homepage of their website and is unmistakably communicated in their space from the moment you walk in:
"Planet Fitness is known for a lot of things...most of all perhaps for our Judgement Free Zone® (yes that's a registered tradmark...more on that later) philosophy, which means members can relax, get in shape, and have fun without being subjected to the hard-core, look-at-me attitude that exists in too many gyms." Wow.
PF gets the fact that a huge reason people don't go to gyms isn't because they're lazy (probably a close second) or financially incapable, but because they don't want to be subjected to the judgmental glances of the chiseled adonises that lord over most neighborhood gyms (if you've ever experienced it, you know what I'm talking about).

Please, please listen to me here. I can't stand the idea of Planet Fitness outpacing the church when it comes to this issue. They get the fact that people don't want to go to a neighborhood gym and feel like they're being judged for their flabbiness. And the church needs to get the fact that people won't go to a church when they feel like they're being judged for their spiritual flabbiness. People need to be given a license by the church to begin a journey towards spiritual health and wholeness. And what happens when we don't give them that license to begin that journey? They just stay away. It's that simple. They won't picket in front of your church, they won't start a petition or email their senator. They'll simply either never show up or never come back.

So, create a culture of grace. Maybe you don't lead a church, but you're probably a person of influence at work or at home or in your neighborhood. Let grace be your registered trademark. Give people a license to be themselves around you and then partner with them on a journey towards spiritual health and wholeness in their lives.

Grace-the registered trademark of the church.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4)