The Deeper Blog

Our Church History

2008-09-10T21:46:00.001-04:00

The Birth Of Our Church Family

The Forest Lake Church’s rich legacy began 82 years ago in the spring of 1926, when a small company of believers--led by Professor and Mrs. F. H. Parrish--gathered for Sabbath services in the parlor of a large house located on 240 acres of rolling farm land in Forest City. This rural setting of virgin pines and immense live oak trees was the newly-purchased site of Forest Lake Academy, and the property’s nine-room main house known as the “Old Mansion" served as the first home of the Forest Lake Church.

A year later, on February 10, 1927, the church was officially organized with four charter members and 31 future members in attendance. The tithe recorded for that initial year was $1,122.60 (about $13,540.48 in 2008). Many of these charter-member families--with names such as Lester, Lynd, Hoover, Ward, Curtis, and Bradley--continue to play a vital role in the Forest Lake Church of today.

On of the first acts of this little church was to start an elementary school which was housed in a building on the academy ground. It is from this small beginning that our present Forest Lake Education Center (FLEC) has grown to provide Christian education to over 600 students a year.

In 1928, church services were moved to the girl's dorm, then in 1937 to the 250-seat academy chapel, which served as our church home for the next 23 years. In 1958, the growing congregation moved to the academy gymnasium, and it was at this time that discussions began in earnest about the need for a real church building.

A Permanent Church Home

While recognizing that church growth was inevitable, the congregation deliberately chose to build a sanctuary with seating for only 800 people. They thought that as the membership grew, new congregations would be encouraged to branch off and raise up churches in the surrounding area. Because of this vision, the Forest Lake Church has been been parent to the Apopka Highlands, Altamonte Springs, Winter Springs, and Markham Woods churches, and most recently the Haitian company in Apopka.

The congregation--led by Pastor Hoyt Hendershot and later Pastor James F. Hamrick--also decided that construction of its new church building be done only as money was available so that debt would be kept to a minimum. To this end, much of the actual labor on the church building was donated by the members, from the digging of the footers to the nailing of the roof shingles. Through much prayer and sacrificial giving, fund raising and construction proceeded rapidly, and on April 23, 1966, the church doors to our current sanctuary opened, and the church was dedicated debt free on November 23, 1968.

Two lay leaders--David Bean and Andy Neubieser--exemplify the sacrificial spirit of our growing congregation in those days. As a local building contractor, Mr. Bean oversaw the construction of all of the church's building projects in the 1960s and 1970s. He contributed not only his expertise and his time, but also his personal physical labor. Mr. Neubieser served as finance chairman, and as several donations of land came to the church, Mr. Neubieser and Mr. Bean worked together to build homes on the donated property, and this were able to generate much more income for the church than if the land had been sold undeveloped.

Completion of the Community Service Building in 1977 provided a venue for meeting some of the needs of the people in our community, and over the years the ministry has expanded to include the vibrant Gift & Thrift store and the off-campus Shepherd's Hope Clinic where services are provided free of charge. The congregation also recognized the needs of its growing youth ministry, built a new school building for FLEC in 1973, where it is still in operation today. Also, in 1979 the Youth Center was completed to provide a place for young people to gather for activities not only on Sabbath, but throughout the week. During the 1980s and 1990s, our church has continued to grow, and its expanded ministries required renovations and additions to all the facilities on the church campus.

In the ensuing 42 years, Forest Lake Church has grown from 749 members in 1966 to nearly 3,300 as of July 31, 2008. In 1988, a new wing was added to the sanctuary’s east side. It was constructed to house new administrative offices, more Sabbath school classrooms and a new choir room. Another milestone was marked on April 13, 1991 as members celebrated 25 years of worship in the current church structure.

In 1994, Forest Lake refurbished the interior of its main sanctuary and added a third worship service to meet growing membership needs. Its youth center was remodeled in 1999 and in 2001, the church began streaming worship services live via the Internet at www.forestlakechurch.or g. A fourth worship service, Deeper, was added for young adults in 2003 as the church continued to expand.

Time To Take The Next Step

Dr. Derek Morris became senior pastor in August 2004. Under his leadership, Forest Lake Church continued to reach out in new ways to spread the Gospel to the community and the world. Forest Lake’s Internet church audience continued to grow with hundreds of individuals around the world attending each week. In 2005, two radio programs created by the church were launched–Message Of Hope Radio and Hope On Fire, a radio talk show for young adults. Two websites, www.messageofhoperadio.com and www.hopeonfire.org were also created to support the new broadcasts.

In 2006, Hope Channel TV began airing Forest Lake’s church services and in January 2007, they also began broadcasting a television version of Hope On Fire. Hope TV also began airing Hope Sabbath School in January 2008. The program is a Forest Lake Church-produced panel discussion of the Adventist Church’s weekly adult Sabbath school lessons.

And so we come to the present—time to take the next step in “Building Boldly for Jesus” on the legacy of the Forest Lake Church. As we keep in mind Forest Lake’s mission, values and vision, the proposed expanded facilities aren’t so much about bricks and mortar as they are about the ministries they will house. It’s this ministry outreach that will continue be God’s light to our members, our surrounding community and the world.

Building Boldly for...What?

2008-08-29T20:42:00.001-04:00

No doubt you've seen this little green logo at least once or twice in recent weeks. Most probably it was accompanied by a brochure which briefly outlines that the Forest Lake Church is expanding...

So what, right? Forest Lake is way over there, but we're at Deeper, and we're sitting pretty. The thing of it is, while Forest Lake Academy has been kind enough to let us worship in their Schmidt Auditorium, it is just a temporary (even if "temporary" lasts a few years) solution to the bigger problem at the church, of which Deeper is an integral part.

Deeper, maybe more than most, understands that Forest Lake is literally bursting at the seams. If it weren't for the Academy's generosity, we'd be in a real pickle because 350 people do not fit in the Upper Youth Center! The three Bible studies that meet on Sabbath morning wouldn't have a place to meet if we were still confined to the main campus.

So, the leadership of Forest Lake (which does include the leadership from Deeper) decided to take the next, biggest step: building a larger, modern facility that will help the entire church family better worship together and invite their friends and neighbors to do the same.

The first major step in the project will be to acquire five acres of land from the Florida Conference. For those who might not know, the Conference is the administrative offices for all the Adventist churches in Florida, including Forest Lake, and they also are the entity that owns all the land every church and SDA school in Florida sits on, as well as numerous other pieces of real estate obtained over the years. Part of that land is the large field to the west of Forest Lake.

"Why do we have to buy land for the church from...the church to use for....the church?"

I know, that does seem kind of weird, like the Conference is trying to make money off of us when they will still end up owning the land anyway. Some people have been quite upset about that. But the answer is actually very simple when you look at it from an investment perspective. The land that Forest Lake wants to use is owned by every church in Florida. If the Conference were to sell it to, say, Wal Mart, the several million dollars would be reinvested throughout the state in schools and ministries, etc. What Forest Lake is doing, since we want exclusive use of the land, is to buy out everyone else so they get a fair return on that investment.

Truthfully, we are still getting a pretty good deal. The Conference has agreed to sell us the land for $2,184,000. That might seem like a lot of money for a mere five acres, but there are two things to take into consideration. The land is zoned for commercial use, so it has a higher value. Not that there are immediate plans to sell it to Winn Dixie or anything, but since a commercial entity like that could use it, the value is higher. The second, and to me best thing, is that the Conference will make the land useable for us as part of that selling price.

Why is that a big deal? Well, because the strip of land we need is currently little more than a ditch. If you drive into the main church entrance and could drive straight, that's the land we're picking up. So the Conference will fill that in for us so that we can actually use it for driving and parking without needing four-wheel drive.

Which brings us to "Phase I" as it were: a new parking infrastructure. If you've ever tried to drive onto the main campus on Sabbath morning, you know that "nightmare" isn't quite adequate to describe the traffic situation there. And, sadly, there have been numerous stories of visitors coming to church for the first time, and after driving in muddled circles for awhile, give up and go back home...all because they couldn't find a place to park.

So that's where we're starting, with a parking lot. Paving, sidewalks (so kids aren't darting in and out of traffic, like now), and better access. But asphalt isn't cheap (another oil-based product) and that will cost us about $4,000,000.

"Why do we need a paved lot? Why not just do more grass parking like now?"

A couple of reasons. With dirt/grass parking, you have to continually repair it. As we know from Deeper's days in the Youth Center, there was near constant washout on the parking over there, making it almost impossible to get cars in there. Over by the Community Services building, where the pavement stops, there is an ever-present drop off where the dirt just keeps washing away. If we lived in a drier climate, it might be less of an issue, but with the daily (or better) rain showers we get in Florida, the long-term cost of having to continually come back and repairing the dirt/grass lots would be greater than a larger up-front investment in longer lasting material.

The other reason is more basic. With a paved lot, there are lines for distinct parking places, which means you can maximize the number of vehicles taking up a certain area. With a grass lot, there's no paint, just people parking as they see fit, so you get fewer cars in the same space. That means we'd have to buy even more land to fit the same amount of cars. This way, we really do get the most bang for our buck!

The last expenses, at least with regard to "Phase I" is $300,000 for architectural and engineering fees to get the design and layout all down.

Expansion Project: Phase I Costs
Land Acquisition:	$ 2,184,000
Parking Lot Construction:	$ 4,000,000
Engineering/Architectural:	$ 300,000
Total:	$ 6,484,000

As you can see, that's quite a large investment! As Pastor Dany and Pastor Derek mentioned last Sabbath, Nehemiah had some serious prayer time with God before embarking on his mission to rebuild Jerusalem. Sabbath, August 30th, is going to be our family's Day of Prayer when the whole church body will be coming together and praying in shifts from 7:00a until 11:00p. If you are able to join us, 242 will be praying from 6:00p - 7:00p and the Deeper leadership will be praying from 10:00p - 11:00p. We hope you can join us in the Classroom Wing of the main church!

Over the coming weeks, we will be doing out best to keep you as up to date and informed as possible. We've put quite a lot of information up on www.deeperfaith.org and, for those of you who are visual, the guys also put a podcast together to give you an even better sense of what's going on.

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Relics of Community

2008-08-01T18:44:00.001-04:00

Last week Deeper started a new series called "Relic." In this series we're taking a look at the first Christian church, as outlined in Acts 2:42, and seeing what the basic elements of that church were and which, if any, have survived to today's church.

"All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer." - Acts 2:42 (NLT)

1) Studying Together: The most obvious parallel to this is a small group class or Bible study, where there is immediate feedback and ideas from all participants on each point in the study. It makes everyone feel as if they have a say and that their opinion matters, whether they're teaching or not. Beyond that, it is a good way to get personal questions answered when it comes to applying scriptural concepts to real life.

The second parallel could be, like GODencounters or your chosen weekly service, a time where the group at large comes together in a teaching setting. The catch, though, is that after the sermon is completed everyone doesn't just leave and go about their day. For example, last year at GE Pastor Bernie Anderson would preach a sermon about things he'd learned in his own spiritual walk, but afterwards there was time purposefully set aside for continuing discussion on what had just been talked about. Another idea was one that Pastor Jeff Gang used to do at the Deeper, which would be to create a bullet-point outline of his sermon that could be studied in a small-group setting. Those who participated in those studies felt personally enriched by the ability to go more in depth on the topic being presented up front. In a very real sense it personalizes corporate worship and foments personal interaction with those around you.

2) Fellowship: This is something that, for most of us, doesn't happen enough in the modern church (regardless of denomination). It is purposeful interaction with other people, be they the people in your Bible study group, the person sitting next to you in your pew, or your surrounding community. That last part is a key one. I don't believe that it is enough that we get to know just those "in the bubble" as it were, but to have fellowship with the surrounding community. Something so simple as doing yard work for an elderly person will both show the love of God to that person and help grow the bonds of fellowship within in the church community. As St. Francis famously said: "Preach the gospel at all times, when necessary use words."

3) Breaking Bread Together: Beyond just the ceremonial Communion, sharing a meal together is vitally important in the development of interpersonal relationships. It doesn't have to just be something elaborate like a large potluck, but maybe a few people getting together for a bite at Taco Bell randomly during the week. It cannot be a coincidence that the majority of first (and second and third) dates involve dining together, be it a full meal or just coffee. There is just a certain kind of bonding that goes on over a meal shared together, whether at the Olive Garden or in someone's home.

A couple of years ago a few people at the Forest Lake Church Deeper service tried a new concept in bread breaking. They had people sign up to be a either a host home or to be participants in a most unusual style of potluck: after the people had signed up, the leaders divided the participants up randomly. The idea was to allow the participants to meet people they didn't know before, and the response to such a small thing was overwhelming, and people genuinely were excited and wanted to do it again!

4) Praying Together: No spiritual group who wants to grow with each other and with God can do so without talking to God. Personal prayer is always important, but there is something to be said for praying unselfishly for others. Imagine a small group that prayed together regularly, for God to heal Phil's sick grandmother, that He help Jenny find a job, to thank Him for John and Sarah's new baby. It takes prayer to another level by making it intentional. Jesus prayed fervently for His disciples (John 15) and He encourages us to pray with and for each other. Additionally, praying together helps build another important part of a vibrant community, that of trust. When we start trusting each other with things that trouble us, there is a cathartic weight that is lifted. Something that seemed insurmountable alone no longer seems quite so impossible in the company of friends.

But how does one connect in a church as large as Forest Lake or a groups as big as Deeper? The best way, at least that I've found, is in small groups. Bible studies, basketball, grabbing some coffee with friends, there are many different ways to connect!

I would challenge everyone, as we go through this series and see how closely connected the original church was to find a small group or a couple of people to connect with. You'll be glad you did.

When the people are connected, we'll meet Pastor Derek Morris' definition of church:

"People who are passionate about being connected together in love with God at the center."

Deeper at the Beach!

2008-07-20T15:27:00.003-04:00

Hey Deeper Nation!

For those of you who were not in attendance yesterday afternoon at the beach, you missed a golden opportunity to hang out and have some fun with your church community.

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Dany had his group sized awning/tent set up on the beach for shade if you were so inclined, and of course plenty of empty white sand real estate surrounded "Club Deeper" for those more interested in catching a few rays and working on the tan.

If you are of the surfer persuasion, and not in attendance, than you missed some of the best waves I've seen in quite sometime.

Parents, once the kids were done digging, building, raking, and swimming a quick walk across A1A brings you to a kids utopia complete with swings, slides, and a playground the kids don't want to leave.

Singles, there were a few of you there but what a great reason to go and enjoy God's nature on the Sabbath and maybe meet a new friend.

When we had our fill of the ocean, sand, and sun, we traded it all for a spot on the cool green grass and a covered pavilion to gorge ourselves (yours truly ate 5!) on hot dogs and an assortment of other goodies provided and served by Reynold Acosta and Stan Dobias from Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences. Thank you to all who assisted in providing us with a way to fill the hunger pangs before heading home (heartburn is the sole responsibility of the end user:).

Overall an enjoyable day to catch up with friends, enjoy the beauty of what God created for us, and to spend time in community with each other. When the next social event is announced, think twice before dismissing it as we often do for other plans. After all, how cool could it be if it's being planned by church?...How cool indeed!

Everything to Everyone?

2008-07-05T07:30:00.010-04:00

"Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions."

Matt. 7:15-20

Have you begun to notice that Modern Christianity is rapidly becoming "everything to everyone." That is to say it's being tailored, personalized, crafted, for a certain demographic of people, often times people who have been hurt by "organized" religion. I'm not slamming all the non-denominational churches out there by any means because so many of them are doing some wonderful, Godly work. But there is a danger in that hand-crafted Christianity, and the danger is a lack of accountability for our actions.

You see, the popular trend in today's society is simply to say "God loves everyone, no matter what they do." It's a very well-crafted statement, but it's only half true. God does love everyone, but it does matter what we do. Look at it from the perspective of a parent. You love your child, but you don't love everything that they do, and you must hold them accountable for their actions ("If you hit your sister again, you're going to your room!"). What the modern church trend is saying, though, is "It doesn't matter if you hit your sister or not, God loves you anyway."

One of the more popular flavors of the gospel today is known as the "Prosperity Gospel." Essentially this message cherry-picks all the good, "warm fuzzy" promises of the Bible and interprets them to say that God is a loving, forgiving God who will reward believers with health, wealth and happiness and if you're going through hard times, hold on, because God is testing you and if you pass the test, you'll be rewarded. The chief proponent of this train of thought is motivational speaker Joel Osteen.

When asked by 60 Minutes why he doesn't like to tell people they've done anything wrong, Mr. Osteen replied: "Well, I think that most people already know what they’re doing wrong. And for me to get in here and just beat ‘em down and talk down to ‘em, I just don’t think that inspires anybody to rise higher. But I want to motivate. I wanna motivate every person to leave here to be a better father, a better husband, to break addictions to come up higher in their walk with the Lord." But do we really need to talk about our sins, or can we, as Mr. Osteen suggests, just know intuitively that we're wrong and move past it ourselves. According to James, we do need to acknowledge our sinful nature and work together with our fellow believers to move toward a Godly life.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.

James 5:16, 19-20

You'll notice in his talking that Mr. Osteen continually uses "I" to describe what he is doing, and then throws in the name of the Lord at the end of his sentence to try and lend it some credibility. Paul warns us about that kind of preaching, about trying to be "popular" with the people:

I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.

Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.

Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

Gal. 1:6-10 (NLT)

Mr. Osteen argues that "My message is a message of hope that God is a good God, and that no matter what we’ve done, where we’ve been, God has a great plan for our lives. And when we walk in his ways they can take us places we’ve never dreamed of." There are enough half-truths in there to make it sound good, to sound reassuring. God does have a plan for us, and as we've learned in our current "Red" series at Deeper, God can use people even with horrible pasts. What is noticeably missing from Mr. Osteen's statement is that before God can start leading in our lives, we need to admit that A) We need Him too and B) we need to repent our wrong-doings, which means admitting that we've done something wrong (not a popular message that people want to hear). Peter talks about this kind of teaching:

But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.

II Peter 2:1-3

In 2005, Mr. Osteen's teachings became so popular that they bought and renovated an old sports arena to the tune of $100 million, which included the needed renovations and also a programmable...everything, lights, sound, etc. to set the mood and reinforce what Mr. Osteen is discussing from the stage. Mr. Osteen feels that all this doesn't distract people from his teaching, it helps them become more engaged.

According to the 60 Minutes research: "Over $43 million a year gets collected in the church, another $30 million or so comes in the mail. It's a cash cow and a family business. Osteen's brother, sister and mother are ministers in the church."

Paul offers up this advice to his protege Timothy:

Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions. These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy.

I Tim. 6:3-5 (NLT)

In his book, Become a Better You, Mr. Osteen tells us: "To become a better you, you must be positive towards yourself, develop better relationships, embrace the place where you are."

But there is absolutely no mention of God or Jesus in there at all. Mr. Osteen's explanation is simply: "That's just my message. There is scripture in there that backs it all up. But I feel like I'm called to help people…how do we walk out the Christian life? How do we live it? And these are principles that can help you. I mean, there’s a lot better people qualified to say, 'Here’s a book that going to explain the scriptures to you.' I don’t think that’s my gifting." On the scriptures, Osteen asserts: "Sometimes you have to keep it simple and not make it so complicated that people don’t understand. But I know what I'm called to do is say 'I want to help you learn how to forgive today. I want to help you to have the right thoughts today.' Just simple things."

Osteen goes on to say that "I don’t know what can be so dangerous about giving people hope. Causing people to have better relationships. I'm not leading them to some false God or something like that." But John would disagree:

Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.

I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son.

If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.

2 John 1:7-11 (NLT)

So what is the truth about Christ? It's really simple. He came to this world to save us by giving His own life for us, and God, in His love for us, raised Him from the dead and someday, when the Gospel is preached in all nations (Matt. 28:18-20), and take us home to be with Him forever.

What does it mean to live as a Christian? Here are some of Peter's insights:

So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

I Peter 1:13-16 (NLT)

Paul shares his view with the believers in Philipi:

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.

Phil. 1:27-30 (NLT)

So what can we, as Christians, do with all the rampant craziness of the world? How can we live the life God wants us too when we're constantly being bombarded with exaltations of "self" and "me" and "I" etc.? The answer is, again, more simple than you think. Just get to know God. Through reading your Bible, prayer, discussing what you've read with friends, becoming part of a church family with people who are also seeking to know God. God promises:

Come close to Me, and I will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

James 4:8 (NLT)

Mere Christianity

2008-07-01T11:33:00.002-04:00

Lately I've been picking through some of the New Testament letters in an attempt to live my life as God would want me too. But because I fail on a regular basis, I was looking for some advice from the Apostles. I've been through James, and when I going to go through I Peter, but for some reason I felt impressed to take a look at Philippians. I can't say why, really, it's not a book I generally equate with dealing with difficult life issues. Last night as I read Chapter 2, I realized that my assumption was sadly mistaken.

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Phil. 2:1-5 (NLT)

As I read Paul's words to his friends in Philipi, I was struck by how simply he was able to sum up what it is to be a Christian! Paul was being frank with his friends, cautioning them against trying to impress each other or those around them, but to get along and also take an interest in other people. They weren't better than anyone else simply because they were Christians.

Fast forward to today, and it often seems like we could really take Paul's advice to heart. How often today do we compete with each other, even at church? Who has the newest car, a big flat-screen TV, the new iPhone? Who is the best dress, looks the best, has their hair just perfect for the weekly fashion show that is church?

According to Paul, being a Christian is the exact opposite of that. It's looking for what we have in common, not highlighting our differences. It's looking at the person, not the clothes. The person who wears a three-piece suit is just as welcome as the person wearing a stained t-shirt and torn jeans. Why? Because they are interested in each other and each other's point of view.

We're very good and making life so complicated we couldn't possibly live like a Christian. Paul doesn't make it complicated, because it couldn't be any simpler. It's how we treat each other and treat those around us that makes us truly Christian, regardless of our place in life.

Anyway, that's the challenge I have for myself now, to focus less on myself and more on those around me.

Back to the Basics

2008-06-13T19:51:00.004-04:00

As I was perusing through the Adventist Review that came in the mail the other day, a thought occurred to me. Included in the magazine was an article by Jan Paulsen about how to tell people who we [Adventists] are. What struck me most about the article was that his first response to a question about who Adventists are from a reporter was about our mission work, how our denomination is growing, our work with healthcare and disaster relief. Throughout the whole magazine were clips and snippets of "wonderful things happening" around the globe. And truly, there are some wonderful things happening. But the bulk of the content is bragging about our accomplishments in the world at large. We're disregarding the words of Paul in II Corinthians 12 about not boasting our accomplishments so that no one will think more of us than is warranted by our words and actions.

When Deeper first started, it was to meet a specific need in our church. There was a general feeling of neglect by the church's young adults and young families, so Pastor Jeff Gang sat down with some young adult leaders to focus on reconnecting with those people. And the result was explosive, to say the least. The Upper Youth Center became packed wall to wall with young worshipers. To say it was awesome doesn't come close to describing it.

And now we're in the Schmidt Performing Arts Center at Forest Lake Academy. But does it sometimes feel like people aren't responding to the way they used to when we started? There are times it feels like we're beating our heads against the wall and asking "why?" I don't claim to have an answer, but I do have a thought I wanted to throw out there.

In a very real sense, Deeper has become a "standard bearer" for Adventist young adult worship. People from around Florida and places further have taken a real interest in what we're doing. Sometimes, though, it feels like we've gotten so good at patting ourselves on the back and bragging about this "vibrant young adult service" that we have, we lost sight of what it was created for, to provide a venue where young adults could joyfully and enthusiastically worship God. Sometime it seems like now people are experiencing less God and more "show" and as a result we're seeing another disconnect with young adults.

The reason the apostolic church was so successful was not catchy sermons and great music. The reason that Peter, Paul, John, and the rest were so successful was because they didn't focus on the big picture. The focused on the person in front of them and asked simply: "Have you met my friend Jesus?" They then took the time to tell that person how Jesus had changed their life, and as the people got to know Jesus, their lives were changed too.

What does that "look like" today? It looks like the beginning of Deeper, where there was intentional interaction with those around us. Praying together, discussing the sermon topic together, sharing snacks & coffee together, spending time together. No programming, not shows, just intentional fellowship with those around us. It couldn't get any simpler!

It is my feeling that we shouldn't try and do something "different" and "flashy" and something that we can brag about and use as a springboard to "Adventist fame." Instead we should go back to Deeper was founded to do: Introduce people to God.

I have also been so encouraged by the Deeper leadership in that respect. There is a realization that cool graphics and trendy songs aren't enough. People need to connect with those they're worshiping with and form meaningful relationships. So small groups are springing up like flowers after a spring rain. 242, two Friday Bible studies, the new discussion starting on Sabbath morning, Advent Hope, small groups of Deeperites grabbing a meal or coffee together. It's very much that First Church model: Simple, grassroots, and sharing each others experiences together. What could be better?!

All right, I know I've said a mouth full. I would encourage anyone who wants to connect with a small group of people to contact connect@deeperfaith.org and get plugged in! And, if you feel complelled to meet at a resteraunt once a week or have some folks over to your home for a Bible study, I hope you'll do it!

Buried in the Sand

2008-06-09T17:21:00.003-04:00

I'm in Seagrove FL. a small town between Panama City and Pensacola. I'm looking around at some of the most beautiful emerald waters I've ever seen. I'm worn out by the beach and the sun and well,... my girls. If there was such a thing as the anti-energizer bunny I would love to introduce my little ladies to it. Anyways, after 2 hours of jumping waves and after 342 hauls out to the waves with a body board and a child in tow, and after all my sandcastles have been destroyed by "happy feet," I take to other things, such as fishing... for minnows, in the shallow pools left on the sand by the outgoing tide.

It was while catching dozens of minnows that I noticed “the others.” That’s right, other animals living just underneath the surface of the sand. These animals are only exposed when the waves crash on the surface and the sand is washed away. I sat there and watched as wave after wave crashed on the shore sending these little animals looking for cover. The second they found themselves on the surface they immediately dug back in.

I found myself feeling sad for them... I mean, what kind of life is that? How can you live taking a peak at the sun and ocean and all that’s around us for just one second and running again to hide. So, I’m thinking that maybe if they would just hang out for a little bit... if they would only give the outside a chance, that maybe, just maybe, they would see things as I see it and like it. Here’s why I think they would like it... so I grabbed a Sand Crab also known as a “Sand Flea” and took it out and put it in a bucket. It died! So then I grabbed a funky looking clam-like shell and put it in a bucket. It died! Everything I dug from the sand eventually died...

Here’s what I learned... all living things have environments they thrive on and environments they die on. What is good for one is death to another. This is also true about our spiritual environments. What we do on a weekly basis at DEEPER and what happens at GODencounters means death to some... while others thrive!

Recently we were reminded that some people don't appreciate what we do... that's okay! I understand. I understand that diversity is key in reaching the "world." I understand that I might not be able to reach ALL people, but that all of us working TOGETHER can make it happen when we stop beating people up for worshipping differently than us. I'm talking to myself here... The best thing we can do when challenged about our worship style is to nod in agreement... in agreement, not of environment, but of diversity... and to encourage and empower those individuals to grow and thrive... under the sand!

Theology Technology

2008-06-09T09:50:00.004-04:00

Today is my first day at a new (old) job.

Twelve years ago I left California in an east-bound semi loaded with the collective stuff (junk?) for two families, headed for Florida and adventures unknown. I didn't have a job nor a clue. The only thing I was certain of was that I wasn't ever going to be a pastor again.

I managed to keep that promise for 12 years through two careers and at least 4 different jobs. I worked at a non-profit for 5 years doing governmental work. I was on TV and met with mayors and county commissioners. I presented at national conferences. Then I went back to school and got my techie cred and worked for 5 years at a dot.com. I did desktop support work and network administrator work. I crawled under a lot of desks and repaired a lot of old laptops. I ran some really big dollar projects and played with terabytes of storage. I helped people fathom the mysteries of Outlook and Windows.

But there was always this undertone, this undercurrent, pulling and tugging at me at various strange times. Being on the ground floor of a new, upstart congregation. Leading in worship, along with my wife, every Sabbath (me, singing up front--go figure!). Preaching to a small congregation. Being a head elder. And then, in the last few years being called a pastor once again (though I always made it clear that it was a volunteer position). Despite my professional life, I kept coming back over and over again to what I had trained for all those years, and all those years ago. I could never completely outrun my past.

Today I start my new (old) job as a pastor once again. Only this time I get to merge these two divergent threads in my life, these two "ologies": tech and theo. Instead of being a pastor with a techie bent or being being a techie with an M.DIV degree (try explaining that one at a tech conference) at last I am a Pastor for Technology. The Theology of Technology. Technological Theology. No more hiding my techie cred at a pastor's meeting or hiding my pastor cred at a technical conference. I am finally out of the closet on both fronts: open and unashamed. And it feels good....

What If?

2008-06-08T17:00:00.003-04:00

As I was thinking about what the real Church (as described in the Bible) should actually look like, something kept sticking in my head. It was a fragment of a poem: Give me your tired, your poor... Well, me being me I went digging on Google and found the entire poem. It once hung on Ellis Island near the Statue of Liberty as a beacon to all immigrants who yearned to be free in America:

Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

I don't know, when I read the poem in its entirety I was struck with the resonance sound of "What if church was like that?!" What if church was like that? What if church was a place that took care of the tired, the poor, the oppressed, those discarded by the world as worthless. What if, when a person had no other home to go to, they could find love and solace in the church?

I would encourage you to read that poem. Let it sink into your mind; touch your soul. Church isn't like that any more. It started out like that, to be sure, but we've gone from taking the poor to living the storied pomp of social status and privilege.

It doesn't have to be like that, though. What if it weren't? And, perhaps the greatest question of all: What must we do to make it like it used to be? What must we do to lift up the lamp and invite anyone who is able to come, finally, home?

Does God Need My Help?

2008-06-06T00:01:00.006-04:00

Why does God ask us to do stuff? It's a question I've asked myself often. I mean, it's not like He NEEDS our help. He is in fact God after all! And why does it seem that this "need" for us comes when it's the most difficult for us to understand and even more difficult to obey? Or is that just me?

I'm not sure, but I feel like I have a new perspective after the last two weekends of GODencounters. For those of you who have ever been involved with the meeting, planning, set up, tear down and cleanup of such an event you know the hard work and time that goes into the weekend. A week or two of decompression is a great recipe for recouping your wits and catching up with rest of your life that was recently on hold.

After the conclusion of FL GE on Sunday night and cleanup on Monday morning I was on an emotional/spiritual high from the worship that we experienced during that weekend of praise. I was perfectly content to bask in the warmth of said high for a couple of weeks and take a break, because after all, I deserved it! And then came the realization that in two short days I would pack up the family and truck and drive nearly 600 miles to Collegedale, TN to do it again. I wish I could say that at that moment my thoughts were thanking God for the blessings of weekend past, and praising Him for the opportunity to help others enjoy their first ever GE in the weekend to come. I wish. No, instead the feelings of self pity and angst were the flavor of the day. Nice.

However, my alarmingly shallow attitude was rewarded with an amazing weekend of the Holy Spirit at work. Worship was in the hearts of young adults seeking Him through prayer, friendship, prayer rooms, and singing. More than once on Sunday's drive back to Orlando did I feel the sting of regret over my mental state during the days leading up to our 2:30am departure on Thursday morning. I was so focused on me that I was unable or unwilling to trust God's leading and the reward that lie ahead. I was given so much more than I gave and certainly more than I deserved.

So there you have it...shallow, selfish Randy gets blessed beyond his imagination and all the while giving God some major 'tude! How awesome is our God that He never quits trying to show us they way to the blessings He wants for us? So does God NEED our help? Pretty sure that's a NO, but I think He smiles when we realize again why we desire to be and call ourselves Christians.

Ask God to give you an errand to run for Him this week. Focus on what He brings to you and follow with all your heart, giving no thought to self or convenience. You might be surprised with how He blesses you...I was.

Taking a Stand

2008-04-17T23:32:00.000-04:00

In case you hadn't heard, the pope is visiting America this week. I suppose that probably means more to our Catholic friends than everyone else, but the fact of the matter is the man is here.

But this isn't exactly a news report. You see, the pope did something rather interesting today. Not only did he acknowledge, publicly, that the church had mad a massive error and hurt a lot of people with the whole sex abuse thing, but he made moves to try and support the victims....publicly.

Have you ever done something, or been involved in something, that went terriby wrong? How apt are you to step up and take the blame? Not many people are. From Adam and Eve to now, we're constantly looking to either blame someone else outright or at least find someone to share the blame with. It's quite rare that you find a person willing to step up and admit that "Hey, a mistake was made, I'm responsible. Let me try and fix it."

Of course, then there's Jesus. He never had to step up and admit a mistake. Instead, He stepped up and took on our mistakes for us. He loves us that much! What kind of God would die...horribly....for someone else's mistakes, just because He wants to be with us?

I don't know about you, but that's the kind of God I want to serve! So how about it? Will you step up, live your life as an open book, and follow in the footsteps of your Master?

I Like Deeper Because....

2008-02-22T23:31:00.000-05:00

Whether you realize it or not, there is something unique and wonderful happening at the Forest Lake Church. And guess what, you're a part of it!

At Forest Lake, there is a vibrant, active, and alive form of worship going on for an often overlooked demographic within the church. The Deeper Ministry, simply referred to as Deeper, shows that having an interactive, joyous relationship with our Creator is not only cool, but also personally rewarding.

With Bible studies, social events, and even a weekly worship service, young adults are reconnecting with the God they've always heard of, just not always known. As Pastor Dany has often said, worship is a 24/7 thing we do each and every day, and "church" is just the place we come to share with each other how we've encountered God throughout our week.

So how about it? What is it about Deeper that you like? Why do you keep coming back? We want to hear from you!

That Bling Thing

2008-02-09T20:43:00.000-05:00

Earlier today Dany was talking about "stuff." Sure, we can call it Bling, but really it's just stuff. All the little things that get between us and God, be it iPods, cars, cloths, shoes, music, jewelry, maybe even other people.

I came across this interesting music video earlier that sort of fits with that whole theme. Basically, it begs the question about what it is that consumes your existence. How you measure yourself, how you see yourself. For many people, sometimes it's even hard to look at yourself, but you must keep up appearances just because that's the thing to do. Check it out.

I think that we can all relate to that "bling thing." We've all got our little toy and indulgences. But when we offer ourselves to God, our entire existence, that's when we realize what it is to really enjoy things. Solomon, who had everything there is, put it like this:

I said to myself, "Come on, let's try pleasure. Let's look for the 'good things' in life." But I found that this, too, was meaningless. So I said, "Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?" After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.

I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!

So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?). I thought, "Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark." Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. Both will die. So I said to myself, "Since I will end up the same as the fool, what's the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!" For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten.

So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.

Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn't worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.

So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. Ecclesiastes 2:1-26a (NLT)

So what about it? What things have you found in your life that have been dragging you down? Things that you thought were the epitomy of cool, and that just having it would make you super popular, only to find that is was empty?

Now Podcasting!

2008-02-02T17:35:00.000-05:00

So how's it going out there in 2008 Deeper? Did everyone have a good holiday season? Is 2008 looking up for most of you?

In case you missed the Deeper service this week (and the newsletter, and the multiple MySpace bulletins), then you should know that Deeper now has podcasts available on www.deeperfaith.org.

But was it a "podcast?" Why should you care? How many of these "podcasts" does Deeper have?

According to Wikipedia:

A podcast is a collection of digital media files which is distributed over the Internet, often using syndication feeds, for playback on portable media players and personal computers. The term, like "radio", can refer either to the content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also termed podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster.

The term "podcast" is a portmanteau of the acronym "Pod" – standing for "Portable on Demand" – and "broadcast". The iPod name was coined with Pod, prefixed with the "i" commonly used by Apple for its products and services. The first podcasting scripts were developed for the iPod (see history of podcasting). These scripts allow podcasts to be automatically transferred to a mobile device after they are downloaded.

Though podcasters' web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their content, a podcast is distinguished from other digital media formats by its ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is added, using an aggregator or feed reader capable of reading feed formats such as RSS
or Atom.

All right, that was a lot of mumbo jumbo, to be sure. So why should you care that Deeper has podcasts available on the website (or in iTunes and the Zune Marketplace)? Those of you who are able to attend the weekly Deeper service know that the messages are pretty good. For instance, today we talked about sex....in church...and showed how it was Godly. Maybe, though, you want to share it with a friend who wasn't at Deeper's service today. Or maybe you're traveling, or just plain want to hear it again. Well, if you have a computer, an iPod, a Zune, or another MP3 player, you can subscribe to the Deeper sermon podcast and keep right up!

More than just a sermon podcast, though, we have original content out there. As in: not from the weekly service! WHA? That's right, some people from Deeper have actually gotten together and have put a something together to reach out to people out there, beyond church. As the months go by, the podcast will go over some issues facing young adults today, and from a Biblical perspective. This isn't trying to convert people, it's just sharing thoughts and insights from fellow Christians about stuff from every day life.

So hey, check it out and let us know what you think! Post some comments here or shoot an e-mail to the boys (per their request, multiple times, in the podcast) at podcast@deeperfaith.org

It's great! And it sure beats thinking about driving off a bridge while you're stuck in traffic!

Seba and Jeremy lead worship for a bunch of sleepy pastors...

2007-10-17T11:16:00.000-04:00

We had this Missions conference and Sebastian and Jeremy led worship for these pastors at 9:00 am... 3 of us actually joined in. It was cool seeing the pastors trying to sing "I Command My Heart!"

Props to Seba and Jeremy for doing a great job...

Catalyst 2007

2007-10-07T00:25:00.000-04:00

Last week we went to Catalyst...

(Randy, Wilcley, Jessica, Danielle, Saska, Chris, Mike Cauley, and myself) All I can saw is WOW! We were there along with 11,000 other Young Adult leaders for 2 days of Seminars and Worship. It was an absolutely amazing 2 days with presenters like Rick Warren...

Andy Stanley, Francis Chan (who continues to blow my mind every time I think about his presentation), Craig Groeschel, Tim Sanders, John Maxwell, etc... There's so much I could write about the conference that would take all day to read, I just hope that next year we can take a larger group.

Just two brief things to emphasize:

1. "Leverage your power for the sake of others" - Andy Stanley
2. "Add value to the people around you everyday" - John Maxwell

For more info contact dany@deeperfaith.org

Sorry about the video quality all I had was my phone... hope you all want to come along next year.

Dany