Thoughts from a Pastor

2017 - A Year of Transition

2018-01-01T15:08:00.000-06:00

With 2017 done, a few thoughts as I look back on this year

2017 saw the culmination of a transition that I never saw coming
I became the Lead Pastor at Indianola Community Church

In stating that, I've heard all kinds of responses
Does that mean you're a real pastor now?
Um ... does that really matter?
Congratulations, you must be so excited!

While the transition itself has gone fairly smoothly,
The PROCESS was a challenging one

Let me explain

When I was 18 years old, God gave me a verse for my life

Even when I am old and gray,

Do not forsake me, my God

Til I declare your power to the next generation

Your might to all who are to come

Psalm 71:18

With that verse came a burden
To reach the next generation
To proclaim the hope and love of Jesus to teenagers
To come alongside students as they walk through the difficult teenage years and show them what
God could do IN them and THROUGH them

To purse that, I went to Judson College and majored in Youth Ministry and Adolescent Psychology
While I was there I met Jason Chenoweth
Jason was a youth pastor at Calvary Baptist Church and seemed to be so incredibly wise
(looking back, I now realize that Jason was like 25 years old ... how much wisdom could he have!)
Jason moved from being my boss, to my mentor to one of my very best friends.

In fact, as I finished up at Judson, Jason and I started to plan how we were going to do ministry together for a long time!
God had other plans, and 6 months later I moved to Kenosha, WI to be the Youth Pastor at The Baptist Tabernacle.
For a little over 6 years, I had the honor and privilege of loving students and working with some amazing adults as we pursued the next generation.
Those are some times and some people that I will forever cherish.

After 6 years there, we felt God stirring in our hearts that it was time to move on;
I found 3 churches that I thought matched my heart and ministry philosophy and sent in my resume.
My first resume and my first choice was Indianola Community Church

A few things about that:
Iowa? Ugh. When I moved away from Iowa after high school I was sure I'd never go back
Indianola? Never heard of it

To top it all off, a few days after I sent my resume in
I got an email from ICC telling me that they already filled the position
Then, a week or so later they contacted me again and asked if I was still interested
Sure, why not!

From the first moment we set foot inside, we knew that this is where God was calling us
And for 11 years I was given a front row seat to God at work
I saw students saved
I watched students worship
I sat with students as they cried
I partnered with the most incredible leaders possible
I watched as those leaders pastor their small group students
It has been amazing

Then, about 6 years ago, Pastor John called me into his office and asked me what I thought about potentially taking over for him whenever he retired.
Um, what? No!
Not only did I think that I didn't want to do that
I also didn't think that I could do that!

Yet, as I spent time praying about it and seeking wise counsel
God was making it clear that this was a move He was calling me to
That this was the path that He had laid before me
That this was just another unfolding of the verse He has set in my heart all those years ago

And so, this past August, upon Pastor John's retirement,
I became the lead Pastor at Indianola Community Church
In these few short months since then, I have discovered
That I miss Student Ministry more than I thought I would
That I love being a Lead Pastor more than I thought I would
That first and foremost I am called to simply follow after Jesus

So, I enter 2018

Grateful for all of the ways I have been privileged to be used by God in the past

Prayerfully anticipating all that God is going to do in the coming years

Reminded that through it all, I am held by the hands that hold the universe

2017 - A Year of Back Pain

2017-12-29T22:31:00.002-06:00

With 2017 done (or almost done), a few thoughts as I look back on this year

Yup, I can remember the exact moment that it happened.
My back has always been a little pain, but nothing that the chiropractor couldn't fix
But this?
This was different.

The pain was so intense that it would drop me to my knees
I couldn't stand
I couldn't sit
I couldn't sleep
Medicine didn't even touch the pain
I couldn't pick anything up off of the floor
I couldn't play with my kids
Sarah had to put on my socks and shoes
My whole life became about finding a position to be in that hurt the least

In February I finally went and got an MRI (which if you are claustrophobic is miserable!)
and it showed a severely bulging disc
Yet, months of physical therapy didn't do much

It became increasingly clear that I was going to have to explore surgery
The first surgeon told us that he wouldn't operate on me ... he didn't think it would help the pain
The second surgeon told us that it wasn't even worth meeting with him ... he thought the same thing

By this point we were in to May
6 months of just agonizing pain
I knew all the right things and I said all the right things
But honestly?
I was frustrated
I was discouraged
I was stressed
It started to feel hopeless

In early August I went down to the Laser Spine Institute in St Louis
It was there that I discovered
I hate MRI machines
Hospital gowns can make for interesting stories
I respond 'a little wildly' when I come out of anesthesia

But most of all?
I discovered that my back was really bad
During surgery they
Had to peel the nerves out from under my disc
Had to peel the nerves apart from each other
Removed a part of my disc
Drilled a hole into one of my vertebrae

The prognosis after surgery?
A full recovery that will take a year
That means that there will be days and weeks of feeling really good
That means that there will be days and weeks of being in pain
Yet, through the highs and lows I DO expect progress!

Through it all, I learned a few things:
My wife is an amazing servant and is far too good for me
I want to be healthy enough to play with my kids
God is present and faithful in and through all things

He's at Work

2017-11-10T22:23:00.001-06:00

A little over 2 months ago I made the official transition from Student Pastor to Lead Pastor at Indianola Community Church.
As people have asked me how it's going and how I'm feeling,
I have found the answer to be two-fold:

I enjoy being a Lead Pastor way more than I thought I would

I miss Students way more than I thought I would

This weekend is one of those weekends that make me miss it all the more;
For the first time in over 20 years I am not on our 180 (high school) Fall Retreat
- It has felt weird
- It felt weird to not plan it
- It felt weird to not set it up
- It felt weird to not pack my bag
- It felt weird to not jump in the church van

Yet, for as weird as it feels,
It also feels right
Jeremy and Mike have done an amazing job working, praying, dreaming and planning
Our 180 leaders are geared up to do what they do: Love Jesus and Love Students
Almost 70 high school students are gathered together up at Hidden
Acres ready to go

And so what is my role?
I'm praying
Specifically, I am praying PHILIPPIANS 1:6 over this weekend

I am praying that God would:
- begin a work in the lives of our students
- break through hard hearts and stagnant faith
- open up our student's eyes & hearts
- speak identity into our students
- put a God-Sized Dream into their hearts

During the course of this weekend,
Would you join me in praying for those things?

Discouraged and Reminded

2017-06-19T14:14:00.000-06:00

Right now there we have 63 of our high school students and leaders in Chicago;
They are there to serve, to make memories, to be reminded of who they are called to be, to be changed.
And I am not with them

I was supposed to be
The plan was for me to go
Yet, because of the issues I'm having with my back I was unable to.

And so I sit here feeling two very different things

DISCOURAGED
I'm discouraged by my back
If you weren't aware, I hurt my back in November,
And for the past 8 months it seems as if my whole life has been reduced to trying to find a position with the least pain.
Sitting, standing, walking, laying down - it doesn't matter WHAT I do, the pain is the same.
What's more, 8 months later, there still isn't a solution

I'm discouraged to not be with my guys
I was a small group leader with a group of guys since they were freshman;
This past year I had to take a big step back with them because of my responsibilities at church;
But they are still my boys.
And now that they are graduated, this is their last trip with 180 ... and I couldn't wait to spend it with them.

I'm discouraged to not be with 180
I love student ministry
I love our students
I love our leaders
Moving into the Lead Pastor Position at ICC will be difficult because it marks an end to my time as a Student Pastor. I was so looking forward to one last 180 trip as their pastor.

REMINDED
Yet, as I sit (and kind of throw a pity party) I am REMINDED of so many things

I am reminded that GOD'S TIMING IS BEST
Over a year ago Jeremy and I started working on filling the 2nd Student Pastor Position at ICC that would open up as I moved over to Lead Pastor.
We spent considerable time praying and working on WHO that person would be;
And we also spend a lot of time planning on WHEN the hire would happen.
We knew that IDEALLY we would hire someone in May;
But we knew that REALISTICALLY that was not going to happen (for LOTS of reasons)

Yet, in God's incredible plan and timing we were able to not only hire WHO we wanted in Mike Eilers, but we were also able to hire WHEN we wanted in May!

It means that even though I'm not there, both of our Student Pastors are in Chicago with 180!

I am reminded that IT'S NOT ABOUT ME
At ICC we always want to be only about Jesus
All things are FOR Him
All things are a RESPONSE TO Him
All things are done BY Him THROUGH us

I'm not in Chicago with our students and leaders
But Jesus is
He is there
He is at work
He is changing hearts
He is changing lives

180 is not about me
It's never been about me
It's always, only about Jesus

I am reminded that GOD IS GOOD
God is so good
He has provided
He is at work
He is with me
He is for me

As I think on who God is and all that He has done for me
My discouragement is REAL;
And yet I can turn it to praise

Because God is good
Because God is at work

Monday Mind Dump

2017-02-20T09:45:00.000-06:00

It's been a long time since I've blogged!
One thing I realize, though, is that habitual writing is a good thing for me!

So, after a significant time off ... Monday Mind Dump is back
Very simply, this is a spot to dump out all the things that have been on my mind and what's been going on over the past week!

SINGLE DAD
On Thursday, Sarah and Ru left for 6 days in Oregon.
That means that it's just me and two of the kids at home.
Hello pizza and cereal!

The best part about it? We've declared a lot of our time as NO SCREEN TIME; so we've had a great few days of just being together!

A CHURCH THAT IS FOR THE COMMUNITY
At ICC we did Dollar Impact again, and this time we were able to support the Back the Blue organization.
As cool as what we've done with the Dollar Impact stuff has been,
I'm more excited about the WHY?
We want to be a church that is FOR our community
We want to be a church that BLESSES our community
We want to be a church that helps make our community BETTER!

MY ANTHEM
I first heard this song done back at the Catalyst Conference in October;
With all of the transition that is going on in my world (mixed in with my own litany of baggage),
This song has become my anthem, my prayer and cry.
Love it.

THE SONG I'M STILL LISTENING TO
Of course, at the same time, I'm still listening to this song
And if you watch it, you know it will be in your head for the next week!

I'M OLD
After 13 weeks of crazy back pain, I went and got an MRI done;
Turns out I've got a bulging disc.
So, I either get cortisone shots into my back or it's time for surgery.
That just means one thing ... I'm OLD!

Resolutions - Don't Quit

2016-02-04T10:35:00.002-06:00

It's February
That means if you've made a NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION
Let's be honest ... you have probably QUIT
Right?

This year, I've made some resolutions
But I'm trying to do it different!
You can read PART 1 and then PART 2 of how I'm trying to do that

As I've approached my resolutions differently this year;
I've also approached how to not quit differently this year (again, see previous post)

So, how do I NOT QUIT?
How do you NOT QUIT?

Interestingly, I found some insight to that in the book of Ezra
In the book of Ezra the people of God are rebuilding the city of God
And as they endeavor to rebuild the city, they face some major opposition
It's a fascinating story, that you should read!

It's in Ezra 7 that there is incredible insight in how to NOT QUIT

So I took courage …

With all that is going on FEAR is a natural response

DESPAIR is a natural response

DOUBT is a natural response

And yet, what does he say as he finishes this chapter?

I took courage

I found courage

The KEY though is WHERE?

Where does courage come from?

In the midst of hardship and despair

In the midst of others giving into fear

All while fear is rising up within me

Where does courage come from?

So I took courage BECAUSE I was strengthened by Yahweh my God

Courage comes from God

The strength to press on comes from God

The desire to not quit comes from God

The ability to choose action and obedience over fear comes from God

But how do I actually RECEIVE it from God?

How does He give it to me?

I can only RECEIVE His strength

I can only RECEIVE His courage

I can only RECEIVE His power

IF I AM WITH HIM

IF I AM NEAR TO HIM

IF MY HANDS ARE OPEN TO HIM

Far too often I want the benefits of being with God

Without actually being with God

And then when fear and doubt and disappointment come my way

And then when I am stuck in despair

And then when I quit and fail

I cry out … God, where are you?

And in those moments, I am reminded

He never left

He never moved

I did

Today … BE WITH GOD and you will RECEIVE FROM GOD

DON'T QUIT

Resolutions ... but Different

2016-01-20T14:00:00.000-06:00

We all MAKE Resolutions
No matter what you call them, you make them

Why?
Because there are areas in your life where you want to get BETTER

We all MAKE Resolutions
We all BREAK our Resolutions

THIS IS ME

Every year I set out some resolutions
I identify the places where I want to get better
And because I'm a detail guy
I make plans
I make schedules
I set up a system to accomplish those goals

Yet, every year
The result is the same
I start
I find success
It gets hard
I get lazy
I quit

And still this year, I sat down and made my Resolutions
Why?
Because THIS YEAR will be DIFFERENT
Here's why

I don't know if you notice how I try to keep my resolutions
Go back and read it
There is one recurring idea ... I

I plan it
I try to make things happen
I try to make things work
I dig in and work to accomplish things

And I always fail

Maybe this is you as well

So this year,
BEFORE
I made my resolutions for the year
I first found a verse (that I believe) is my verse from God for the year

Now, you probably know all of this
You probably have already learned it
I'm just starting to really learn it

I CAN'T

God CAN

God CAN THROUGH ME

My life has proven that I can't accomplish my resolutions
Why? Because I am relying on ME

This verse, though, tells me that God CAN
He has glorious resources
He has unlimited resources
And He WANTS to empower ME

That means He wants to give me HIS POWER
To accomplish HIS GOALS
Both IN and THROUGH me

And so this year
I won't be trying to do this
Instead, I will be learning what it means to ABIDE in Jesus
I will be learning what it means to DEPEND on Jesus
I will be learning how to RELY on the power of the Spirit

Maybe this is where you need to start this year too

Resolutions

2016-01-17T19:00:00.000-06:00

I'm big on Resolutions.
I bet you are too.
Maybe you don't do it at New Year's.
Maybe you don't call it a Resolution.

BUT

We all want to be better
We all have areas in our lives that we want to be different
We all have places where we want to progress

And so we make
Goals
Plans
Resolutions

So that we can PURSUE that area where we want to be BETTER

Here's the question ...
We ALL MAKE resolutions
How do you do at KEEPING them?

How do you do at seeing BETTER become REALITY?
How do you do at BECOMING what you are STRIVING FOR?
How do you do at ACCOMPLISHING your GOALS?

I'm big on Resolutions
I also stink at Resolutions

I MAKE them every year
I BREAK them every year

Yet, as 2015 would do a close
I sat down and made my resolutions for the next year

But this year?
It's going to be different

Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting
WHY it will be different
WHAT my resolutions are
HOW this year can be different for you too

Proverbs 9 - You FIND what you LOOK FOR

2015-02-10T08:18:00.002-06:00

Proverbs 9 sets up this interesting paradox;

In the discussion on wisdom and on foolishness,

Here is what we find

WISDOM It isn’t hidden

It calls out to me

It invites me to the table

It invites me to walk in it and experience it

FOOLISHNESS It isn’t hidden

It calls out to me

It invites me to the table

It invites me to walk in and experience it

BOTH are there

BOTH call out

BOTH invite me

The question, then is this ...

Who do I listen to?

Who do I look for?

Here’s the reality

What I LOOK FOR; that is what I WILL FIND

What I LISTEN FOR; that is what I WILL HEAR

And whatever I choose will perpetuate itself

It will impact every aspect of my life

It will echo into my future

Today you are faced with a choice

What are you going to look for?

What are you going to listen to?

Proverbs 4 - On Guard

2015-02-03T07:37:00.000-06:00

To GUARD something is to fiercely protect it

To be ACTIVE and INTENTIONAL about how you treat and nurture that thing

And the last few verses of Proverbs 4 tells me that I need to GUARD 5 things

Guard your HEART

From the heart flow everything else

Guard your WORDS

Words are an overflow of the heart and have tremendous power

Scripture says that words have the power of life and the power of death

Guard your GAZE

Where you look and where you focus is where you will walk

Guard you THOUGHTS

Don’t make rash decisions

Instead, be careful and consider what to do & how to do it

Guard you PATH

Be careful & intentional about where you walk

Every path leads in a direction

Every direction has a destination

And every destination carries an outcome

How are you doing at GUARDING those 5 things?

Maybe you are like me;

If you were honest, maybe your answer is that you're doing 'just ok'

We know those things are important

We know they influence everything that we do

However, too often we just assume that everything is all good

And while we keep an eye on how those areas of my life are doing

We don’t FIERCELY GUARD them all

For the sake of your heart

For the sake of God's work IN you

For the sake of God's work THROUGH you

Can I encourage you;

Today ... be ON GUARD

Proverbs 2 - IF

2015-01-29T10:47:00.001-06:00

Over the last few weeks I've been reading through the book of Proverbs;
There is so much stuff there that is good (and convicting)!

As I got to Proverbs 2 I realized that this whole chapter hinged on one word ...

Look at all of the things that the wisdom that comes from God actually DOES

Watches over you

Gives you discretion

Guards you from making mistakes

Keeps you walking on the right path

Keeps you from foolish people and foolish decisions

But the wisdom that comes from God doesn’t do that TO or FOR everybody

In the first 4 verses is the key to experiencing this

The wisdom is there and is available

IF I pursue it as I pursue God

I ask for it from God

I listen to what God says

I obey what He tells me

THEN I will experience the WISDOM

GUIDANCE

FEAR of God

How are you doing at this?

God WITH Us

2014-12-12T08:35:00.000-06:00

Genesis 39:1-23 is one of the most amazing passages in the Scriptures

This passage starts with Joseph

A favored son

Turned slave

Who found position, power and success

And we are told that God is WITH Joseph

Then, through a series of events, we get to the end of this passage

And we find that Joseph

Who had found power, position and success

Was again treated like a slave

And became a prisoner

And we are told that God is WITH Joseph

What an amazing truth

That our ...

SITUATIONS

CIRCUMSTANCES

SUCCESSESS

FAILURES

None of them can change this reality

That in the midst of whatever we are going through

God is WITH us

Today …

If everything if going good and you are experiencing the presence of God in your life;

Rejoice!

God is WITH you

Today …

If everything has turned bad, you feel like there is no hope and you wonder if God has abandoned or forgotten you;

Do not fear.

God is WITH you

This Christmas season

Remember that

Hold on to that

Live in that

That Jesus

God incarnate

Emmanuel

He IS God WITH us

Hold Nothing Back (some thoughts from 2 Kings 17)

2014-10-23T08:03:00.000-06:00

I am continuing to read through 1 & 2 Kings
Really, the readings are starting to be repetitive
There is a king
He is evil
God does not honor him
He dies
Repeat ... about a hundred times

As I got to 2 Kings 17 today, I expected more of the same
Not quite
This chapter revealed itself to be one of the more convicting chapters so far
As I read it, I’m asking this question

What’s the POINT? What’s the BIG IDEA?

I think it boils down to this …

The people were REALLY about pleasing THEMSELVES

They wanted to live for themselves and for their pleasure

BUT

They also wanted to make sure that God wasn’t mad at them,

So they took steps to make sure that God was on their side

(Note - already wrong. God doesn’t join OUR side; we join HIS)

The result of this is living a life with your feet firmly planted in two worlds

This is evidenced (and summed up) by a phrase repeated in verse 32 &33

They feared the Lord, BUT …

God, I want YOU

BUT

I also want what I want

And somehow, they thought that God was good with that

What is ridiculous is that somehow I think that God is good with that

Utter foolishness

God has given ALL of Himself to ME

God demands ALL of me for HIMSELF

Anything less than that is rebellion and sin

The question, for you and I, then, is this ...

What am I holding onto?

What am I holding back?

Where am I saying, God I want you … BUT!

Be at PEACE

2014-08-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today I am finishing up reading through the book of 2 Corinthians.

As Paul closes this letter, he gives the readers 5 commands in verse 11

Rejoice

Become mature

Be encouraged

Be of the same mind

Be at peace

As I read each of these,

I realize that they are all weighty and need to be fleshed out in my heart and in my life

However, there is one that resonates deeply within me

BE AT PEACE

We live in a world where things move so fast

Where there is so much stress

Where there is so little quiet

It feels like PEACE

Isn't possible

Isn't realistic

Isn't attainable

Yet, deep down, each of us desires that

We long to be at PEACE

And the fact that Paul commands us to be at peace tells me that ...

It is something I HAVE to strive for

It is something that I CAN know and experience

I think that there are 3 places where we should be at peace;

And we can determine IF we are at peace in those areas by asking some key questions

PEACE with GOD

Peace WITH God comes when I submit TO God

Is there any sin that I am walking in?

Is there anywhere that is marked by disobedience in my life?

PEACE with MYSELF

According to 2 Corinthians, God does not hold my sin against me

Do I hold my sin against me?

Is there a place where I need to forgive myself?

Where am I letting a different voice drown out God’s voice?

Making me feel as if I’m not good enough;

Like I can’t measure up or won’t measure up

PEACE with OTHERS

Is there anyone that I need to say sorry to?

Made amends to?

Ask for forgiveness from?

Is there anyone that I need to forgive?

Be at PEACE

How I LIVE reveals what I WORSHIP

2014-07-22T09:29:00.000-06:00

I have been making my way through the letters of John.
The letter is a reminder from an old pastor to his people and to his church about what is most important

As I make my way to the end of his first letter, I am kind of taken aback.

John choses to end this letter by saying this ...

Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

To be honest, this seems like such a weird way to end this book

Of all the things to END with

ENCOURAGE towards

CHALLENGE about

Why does he warn us about idols?

It just seems really … odd.

Yet, the more I think about it,

It makes sense

ALL of these letters from John are about LOVE

Loving GOD

Loving GOD’S COMMANDS

Loving GOD’S PEOPLE

Simply put, what … I LOVE MOST

Is what … I WORSHIP

& what I worship … DICATES & CONTROLS HOW I LIVE

So, GUARD YOURSELF against idols!

Don’t let things creep in and take the place that only God deserves and

demands in my life

Don’t let SINFUL things become ultimate in my life

Don’t let GOOD things become GOD things

What do I love most?

What do I worship?

Just a glance at how I live will reveal both of those things.

John ends this first letter with a simple reminder …

LOVE JESUS ABOVE ALL ELSE

Jesus - Experience - Testify

2014-07-10T06:57:00.002-06:00

I love the letters of 1, 2 and 3 John
They are written by the apostle John;
Who is now an old man
Who is a pastor and leader of the church

And these letters are like he is gathering his church (who he loves deeply) around him
To tell them stories of Jesus
To encourage them in their faith
To challenge them in how to live

In 1 John 1 there is this progression that happens
JESUS   God                                         Is revealed
The Almighty   Comes in the flesh
The Creator                             Is God incarnate

I EXPERIENCE The person & I’m brought to life
The power                              I’m saved
The work of Jesus                   & I’m changed

I TESTIFY    I build relationships                  To make Jesus known
I build bridges
I look for &
Create opportunities

That is the progression
The way John writes this to the early church
That is what is expected of someone who is changed by Jesus
To NOT follow this progression doesn’t even seem like an option

So ...
How come we DON’T follow this progression?
How come we so often STOP after the first two?

When that is true of us

We are walking in disobedience

We are robbing God

Who do you need to testify of the person and power of Jesus to?

In the Silence

2014-07-06T10:47:00.001-06:00

In Malachi 4, God says this to those who love Him and fear Him
            Be faithful, for I AM coming!
And then, on the heels of that proclamation;
Is 400 years of silence

In the silence ...
What would I be thinking?
What would I be assuming?
What would I be feeling?

That God had forgotten me
That God had forgotten His promise
That God had abandoned me
That evil had won
That God wasn’t at work

But NONE of this was true!
Even in the silence
Even in the delay
Even in the questions

GOD IS
  Faithful
At work
Powerful

So, when we have those times in our lives where He is (or it feels like He is) silent;
What do we do?
Be faithful
Be patient
Stay passionate about pursuing Him

Walk in Peace and Share your Life

2014-07-02T21:50:00.000-06:00

In Malachi 2 God tells us what a good priest is like.

The tendency here is to read past this and dismiss it since a priest is an actual office/position that someone held in the Old Testament.

But, according to 1 Peter, we are ALL priests;

That means that this has direct application to all of us!

So, what does good priest do?

1. Walks in peace with God

What does that mean?

To walk with God means to …

Be near God

Be close to His heart

Be following Him in obedience

Be intentional with where I am walking

To walk in peace means to …

Know who God is

Revere His name

Actively fight against sin

Practice confession and repentance

2. Turns many from sin

How do we do that?

We are given the model for this in 1 Thessalonians 2:8

We love those who are far from God so much that we …

Share our lives with them

We are friends with them

We do life together

This doesn’t happen when we stand far off from them, hope they come to

us, judge them or condemn them

Share the gospel with them

We don’t hope that they’ll just kind of get it

We don’t wait and hope they’ll ask us what is different

We don’t stay quiet because we don’t want to impose

No, we share the good news of who Jesus is with them

In order for this to actually impact and change us (change me) though, there has to be some introspection.

How am I walking?

Where am I walking?

Who am I sharing my life with?

Who am I sharing Jesus with?

When we dishonor God

2014-07-01T11:07:00.003-06:00

Today I started reading through the book of Malachi.
In chapter 1, God tells His people that hey have dishonored Him;

They seem genuinely surprised by this

They even ask … ‘How have we dishonored you?’

As I read God’s response to them, I am struck by the realization that when we dishonor God, it’s usually because of one of three reasons

1. We have deceived ourselves

We live in sin or we choose sin;

But we’ve rationalized it away by …

Comparing ourselves to otherS

Remaking God into who we want Him to be

Remaking God’s Word into what we want it to say

2. We don’t really know God

We say we love God

We say we want to please Him

But we don’t really know Him

But we don’t know His heart

But we don’t know what pleases Him

3. We have become apathetic

Our hearts have slowly grown cold and distant to God

I read this quote about apathy …

Apathy begins small

Grows slowly

Covers everything

As I look at those things, I realize that nothing has changed

When I dishonor God (and I often do) it is still because of those things.

The cure?

Reject passivity

Pursue fully
Pray big

Presence, Protection & Power

2014-06-17T21:33:00.004-06:00

As I read chapters 2 & 3, I see 3 P’s that are given to me

1. PRESENCE

God promises me His very presence

He is not far off

He does not withhold Himself from me

He is WITH me

Far too often I don’t live like this is a reality

His GLORY is in me and is with me

2. PROTECTION

It’s not just that He is with me

He protects me

He is a fortress around me

He defends me against the accusations of the evil one

What does it mean?

Don’t stay outside the walls!

Stay in the presence of Jesus

Sometimes He protects me FROM the storm

Sometimes He protects me IN the storm

3. POWER

It’s not just that He protects me

He protects me with His POWER

And His power is UMATCHED

UNHINDERED

UNEQUALED

Here are the questions that I am left asking ...

Why do I live in fear of man?

Why do I NOT live in and with His power?

TODAY is the day to walk in OBEDIENCE

2014-06-10T21:47:00.002-06:00

There is a group of guys that I read through books of the Bible with.
Today we started the book of Zechariah.
Unless you are super spiritual and a super Christian ...
(which you may be; and if you are, that is awesome!)
Your thoughts are the exact same as mine

Zechariah?
That seems like a weird book
With really weird stuff
That doesn't seem like it has much to do with me today

Yet, as I start in Chapter 1
I am confronted with an ancient problem that I still struggle with

God told His people to take ACTION

To repent from sin

To turn from evil

To turn to God

God’s people chose INACTION

To keep going the way they were going

To keep walking down the same path

To stay in their sin

To ignore the voice of God

Here's the reality;

That equation always MEANS the same thing and always has the same RESULT

God’s CALL to ACTION + My CHOICE of INACTION = DISOBEDIENCE

When I choose DISOBEDIENCE; I ALWAYS miss …

WHO God is

WHAT God has planned for my life

Here is the question ...

WHERE do you need to take ACTION?

WHAT do you need to REPENT of?

WHAT is stopping you from doing that TODAY?

Hebrews 10

2014-06-03T13:03:00.003-06:00

As I read through Hebrews 10;
There are some huge and transformational ideas.
For me, they were exactly what I needed to HEAR and BE REMINDED OF

1. Never good enough

People followed the law the best that they could

They lived and were as good as they could be

They made sacrifice after sacrifice …

And it was never enough

No matter how good they were

No matter how many good things they did

It wasn’t enough

That’s still true - WE can’t be good enough

That’s why we need Jesus!

2. Done

The work of Jesus is done

What I find interesting is the language that is used when it talks about …

MY perfection

MY sanctification

According to these verses, that is done as well

I may not EXPERIENCE those things fully;

But they ARE fully true of me

3. Who we ARE

Verse 16 really intrigues me

No longer is:

Striving for God

Pursuing righteousness

Desiring holiness

Something that we DO

No, now it is something (or someone) that WE ARE

WE ARE BEING MADE

That doesn’t seem like a big difference, but it is HUGE!

It is the reality of the person and the presence of God living inside of me!

Hope is the Anchor

2014-05-22T21:12:00.000-06:00

For a few chapters the call in Hebrews has been …

To NOT drift

To NOT be lazy

To NOT fall away

But to be honest; I often find myself doing those very things

And I often find myself doing those things for different reasons

Because of my sin

Because of the storms of life

Because I’m weary

Because of my fear of what others think of me

Because I want to earn what is given to me

Because I feel like I’m not good enough

Because I wonder if I can do what God has called me to do

Because I doubt the love God has for me

Because I doubt the love and grace those closest to me have for me

Because I wonder if God made a mistake

And in the midst of all of that

In the swirling mess of myself, my sin, my shortcomings, my questions and my doubts …

Is Hebrews 6:18-20

… we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because He has become a high priest forever

Jesus calls to me

He reminds me of WHO HE IS

He reminds me of WHAT HE HAS DONE

He reminds me of WHO I AM

I AM

Messed up

Scared

Full of questions and doubt

Tossed around by the wave

HE IS

Unchanging

Immovable

Full of love

Abounding in mercy

Overflowing with grace

HE CALLS TO ME

Come to me

Anchor YOUR LIFE

In WHO I AM

In WHAT I’VE DONE

Come find peace

Come find purpose

Come find life

AND SO I

Run to Him

Anchor myself in Him

Live out of who HE IS

Live out of who HE CALLS ME

Sabbatical Plans

2014-05-19T19:48:00.000-06:00

For the first time in my ministry I'm on Sabbatical.
I'll be honest ... it's really weird; but it's good!
As I take this time off, I would honestly covet your prayers.

So, what are my plans on Sabbatical (& as a byproduct, what can you be praying about)?
It really boils down to 4 things ...
1. Find REST
2. Love & serve Sarah well
3. Create intentional memories with each of my kids
4. Receive a fresh vision from God for this next season of ministry.

Where I STAND - Hebrews 1

2014-05-15T15:24:00.001-06:00

A NEW thing has come

A NEW way of doing things is here

It is the PERSON of Jesus

He IS God!!

It is the POWERFUL WORK of Jesus

He purified us from sin

He completely finished the work (symbolized by Him sitting down)

By His work He has granted me positional righteousness

What is my response to all of this?

I have to start by actually remembering what Jesus did

He COMPLETELY and PERFECTLY finished the work set before Him

And by His work He has granted my positional righteousness before God

Simply put, HIS work has changed where I STAND

Because of His work, I have right standing with God

And because of WHERE I STAND

It should influence

It should change

It should revolutionize … How I WALK & How I LIVE

Here is my problem

I reverse those things

I would overtly say it; but by my actions I prove that this is what I believe

I think that HOW I WALK will …

GET me to where I need to stand

EARN ME THE RIGHT to stand in right standing with God

That is pure foolishness

It is saying that the PERSON and WORK of Jesus wasn’t enough

It is saying that somehow I am greater

My work is greater than Jesus

My sin is greater than Jesus

It leaves me always chasing, always pressing, never resting, never content

That is NOT WHO I AM TO BE

That is NOT HOW I AM TO LIVE

So, what do I need to do?

Focus on Jesus (intently and intentionally)

Remember where I stand (and why I stand there)

Live OUT of my position & standing