1. The only person who can truly say "this is MY church" is Jesus. And because it is His, He is the one that will do all the heavy lifting. "…I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18)

2. Feeling like you're getting attacked? You are. The church is the greatest threat to Satan, so he will never stop trying to destroy it. But God promised that, "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

3. Is your church looking at an insurmountable obstacle? Feel like it will be impossible for you to really carry out the vision God has given you? "Nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37)

4. Got lots of problems? Feel like every time you turn around, there is a new trial to walk through? Trials are the catalyst to help you become what God wants you to be. "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3-4)

5. Got budget woes? Your God owns "the cattle on a thousand hills." (Psalm 50:10) He'll barbecue one to feed you.

6. People taking shots at you, criticizing your vision and mission? God gives you permission to ignore them. You don't have to convince them or even answer them. You're allowed to ignore them. "Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you…" (Ecclesiastes 7:21)

7. Did it feel like things were easier in the good ol' days? Be careful. "Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?' For it is not wise to ask such questions." (Ecclesiastes 7:10)

8. Are things just not happening as quickly as you want them to? Feel like you're stuck? "This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus." (Revelation 14:12)

9. What you do matters. The church is the only one doing work that will last for all eternity, because we're the only one whom God has charged with preaching the gospel. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

10. Whatever you're facing…whatever is or is not happening…however joyful or frustrated you may be at this moment…here's the best news of all: "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:8)

The reason I thought about it is because it didn't work. I walked out of the house this morning, planning to drop my son off at school and then head straight to work. Instead, I walked out of the house only to find that my car wouldn't start. The battery was shot.

One trip to the store and $85 later, I'm good to go. I have a new battery and everything is fine again. But it made me think about how much I take for granted in my life.

Every morning, I take for granted that I have a car that will start and get me wherever I need to go…until it doesn't happen. I do that all the time, even when it comes to much bigger and more important issues.

I take for granted that I have healthy children…until I think about our friends who are really struggling to find out what's wrong with their baby girl.

I take for granted that I have a house to come home to…until I think about the family that lost everything in a tornado a couple of months ago.

I take for granted that I still have both my parents and I can call or go see them anytime I want…until I think about the friend who lost her mom earlier this year.

I take all kinds of things for granted. I have so many blessings that I don't even recognize or acknowledge.

The old axiom says, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." I don't want that to be true about me. I want to appreciate my blessings while I have them.

How about you? What are you taking for granted?

If you're like me, it's a long list.

Trap #3 – Wealth

Proverbs 18:11 says, "The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale."

In ancient times, every major city was surrounded with walls. If a major city had no walls, it wouldn't continue to be a major city for very long. It would be attacked, plundered, and destroyed. Walls were the way that the city's residents stayed safe and secure.

Knowing that helps us zero in on what the Bible is saying in this verse. For those who are rich, their wealth represents walls. They believe these walls are so thick, so high, and so strong that they are impenetrable.

In reality,  these walls can be a protection…or a prison. They can keep attackers out, but they can also keep prisoners in.

Now, if you think this doesn't apply to you because you're not wealthy…consider that if you make more than $20,000 a year, you are among that top 2% wealthiest people on this planet. End of discussion.

Now, that's not a bad thing. We have been blessed by God. But we can turn that blessing into a curse. We can turn protective walls into prison walls.

It happens when we shift the focus of trust in our lives. Do you trust God or do you trust wealth?

What if God asked you to make a decision that would cost you your wealth (see Matthew 19:16-26)? Would you be able to do it? Would you be able to trust that God could make up for your loss of wealth?

To put this in a modern day context, would you be able to give up your good paying job for a low paying mission? If God called you to do that, could you pull the trigger?

A lot of us could not because of the misplaced trust in our lives. We forget that God is rich beyond our wildest dreams, and He is very generous with His riches. The problem is His riches are invisible, while my wealth is right here in front of me.

But remember the Bible's definition of faith. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith keeps protective walls from becoming prison walls. It keeps our perspective set on what we cannot yet see. That perspective prevents us from turning God's blessings into a trap.

Trap #2 – Fear

This trap goes hand-in-hand with yesterday's post about affirmation. We can become addicted to affirmation from people. On the flip side of that coin, we can also live in fear of them.

In Proverbs 29:25, the Bible says, "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe."

Here is a deep, profound spiritual truth…sometimes people won't like you.

Sorry to disappoint you, George Costanza (remember the one where he always had to be liked?), but it's true.

And it's especially true if you are boldly living your life for Christ. If you have a bold faith in Jesus, then people will hate you just like they hated Him.

And that's okay.

It's not fun to be criticized. It's not fun to be misunderstood. It's not fun to be mocked. It's not fun to be hated.

I know because I have experienced all those things.

Not too long ago I ran into some people in a local store. When they saw me, they immediately turned and walked away. It was beyond awkward. I looked at Nicki and said, "Am I really that bad of a guy that they can't even speak to me? Do they really hate me that much?"

Apparently so.

And that's okay. It's not enjoyable, but it is okay.

But the opposite is not okay. It's not okay to try to keep everyone happy all the time. It's not okay to be more focused on pleasing people than pleasing God. It's not okay to make decisions just to avoid criticism. It's not okay to skirt hard discussions just to maintain the peace. It's not okay to compromise just so a person will continue to like you.

The book of Proverbs calls that a snare. It's a trap.

Living in fear of people will cause you to miss the call God has placed on your life…and it's not worth that.

Take the risk. Have the conversation. Make the decision. Pray over it, then go do it.

God gives life and freedom, which is exactly opposite of what these traps offer. So here we go.

Trap #1 – Affirmation

I know a lot of people who are addicted to affirmation. In fact, it's an addiction that I'm still in the process of overcoming myself.

For example,  it's very tempting for me to troll Facebook on Sunday afternoon looking for affirmation about my sermon that day. After all, encouragement is good, right? Yes it is. Encouragement is good. It's Biblical. But if I'm honest, that's not why I used to live on Facebook after church each Sunday.

I did it because something was broken inside of me. The applause of my Heavenly Father wasn't enough to satisfy me. I needed the approval of people as well.

In Proverbs 26:28, the Bible says, "A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin."

Normally we would apply this verse to the flatterer. But it also applies to the flatteree (not a real word, but just go with it). When someone flatters me, it works ruin. Not just for them if the flattery is insincere, but also for me. It ruins me because it is addictive. When I am flattered, I want to be flattered again. When I am applauded, I want to be applauded again. It can cause me to say and do things, not because God told me to, but because I know it will garner more flattery and more applause.

In Proverbs 27:6, the Bible says, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses."

If someone ALWAYS praises me, I need to be cautious of them. I don't always deserve praise. Sometimes I deserve a royal butt-kicking. And a friend will do that. It hurts, but I can trust it because it is done in love and it is done for my ultimate good.

I don't want to be misunderstood here. Encouragement is a vital part of our journey together. I need to encourage you. You need to encourage me. But the danger comes in when we seek affirmation from people instead of approval from God. It becomes deadly when we become addicted to it.

Let's be honest…if one of my messages is worthy of encouragement, then people will encourage me. I won't have to go seek it out. It will find me. And if no encouragement comes my way, that probably means the message wasn't worthy of it. Either way, I can learn and grow from the experience.

But I don't want to spend any more time ensnared in the trap of affirmation.

How about you?

You can be generous without being righteous, but you cannot be righteous without being generous.

To be righteous simply means "to do right." And in the Bible, God declares over and over again that generosity is right.

In the midst of a struggling economy, it can be difficult to be generous. But when I read God's commands about generosity, I don't see any ifs.

If the economy is good, be generous.

If you get a raise, be generous.

If your 401k is doing well, be generous.

That's not what God said. God simply declared that generosity is right. No qualifiers. No loopholes. No exceptions. No kidding.

As a church who wants to do what is right in God's sight (see Deuteronomy 6:18), generosity is one of our core values. And in recent months, I have seen a generosity explosion at ACC.

I can't share a lot of the details because when we help people, we don't publicize it (see Matthew 6:1-4). All I will say is that the compassion and generosity of our church has blown my mind.

We are a generous church for two reasons.

1. We follow a generous God.

2. Our church is filled with generous people.

There is nothing…absolutely nothing…more Christlike than generosity. Jesus gave Himself to us on the cross, asking for nothing in return. His generosity is limitless.

I'm blessed to work with some incredibly generous people who get it.

People who see tithing as an opportunity, not a burden.

People who believe God has blessed them so they can bless others.

People who believe that a church that blesses the poor and the oppressed is the church as God designed it to be.

I'm so thankful to be part of a church like that. And we're just getting started.

Yesterday was a great day at ACC. Full house. Great vibe. Lots of exciting things happening.

You would think that I would have walked into my office this morning floating on air. But instead, I had to drag myself in today. Along with all the amazing stuff that happened yesterday, there was also a lot of heartbreaking stuff.

I talked and prayed with/for so many people yesterday. Every time I turned around, I found someone else who is struggling. And we're not talking about the small struggles of day-to-day life. These folks are struggling with big time, gut-wrenching issues…and I'm hurting for them.

I slept very little last night because my mind was so full and my heart was so heavy. Any pastor that has not lost sleep for his people is not worthy of being a pastor.

So today, when I fired up my blog again, I stared at a blank screen. I honestly have nothing to say.

But the good news…scratch that…the GREAT news is that God never has that problem. Honestly, I'm all prayed out. I don't even know how to pray for some of the hurting people in my tribe. But that's when I grab onto this amazing truth from Romans 8.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." (Romans 8:26-27, NIV)

I love this. This means that I don't have to have all the answers. I don't have to know the exact right words. You don't, either. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us. He prays for us.

And the very next verse in Romans 8 is possibly the most comforting verse in all of Scripture.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28, NIV)

God not only knows what to say, He knows what to do. And everything He does works for our ultimate good.

Hang onto this promise today.

Most of us were taught that God would love us if and when we change. In fact, God loves you so that you can change. What empowers change, what makes you desirous of change, is the experience of love. It is that inherent experience of love that becomes the engine of change. If the mystics say that one way, they say it a thousand ways. But because most of our common religion has not been at the mystical level, we’ve been given an inferior message—that God loves you “when” you change (“moralism”). It puts it all back on you, which is the opposite of being "saved.”

Moralism leads you back to “navel-gazing” and you can never succeed at that level. You are never holy enough, pure enough, refined enough, or loving enough. Whereas, when you fall into God’s mercy, when you fall into God’s great generosity, you find, seemingly from nowhere, this capacity to change. No one is more surprised than you are. You know it is a gift.

–Richard Rohr

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“There’s nothing wrong with a plan, but remember Von Moltke’s famous dictum that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. The danger is a plan that seduces us into thinking failure is impossible and adaptation is unnecessary – a kind of ‘Titanic’ plan, unsinkable (until it hits the iceberg).” –Tim Harford from Adapt: Why Success Always Starts With Failure

In the Church, we tend to start new programs, but it’s very difficult for us to end programs. Ministries and events become traditions. We worship the traditions. We’re unable to stop anything because at least one person may be helped by what we’re doing. We’re unable to stop anything because at least one person loves doing the ministry or event.

What would happen if the Church started doing less, but we encouraged people to do more outside the Church? What would happen if churches focused on what God called them to do, and empowered people to do what God calls them to do?

The challenge, of course, is that people hear God telling them to do something and they assume their church should also embrace that vision. We need to get in the practice of encouraging people to obey God’s prompting in their lives. They need to be challenged to go do it. Feed the hungry. Provide the place to sleep. Give the money. Serve those that need help. Counsel your neighbor. If we wait for that to become a church ministry or event, it may not get done. And, more important, people may be missing out on the life change that God was hoping would happen.

At the same time, churches need to stay focused on their vision–that includes ending traditions that may be failures or need adaptation. What would happen if we begin to narrow down the ministries of the church to what can only happen corporately? What if we focused on what God is really blessing?

It’s entirely possible that the ministries and events of the church are getting in the way of teaching people how to obey God’s prompting to be the Church in our communities.

Are you able to let go of traditions to help people become more like Jesus?

I was right about the fishing. We got a few bites, but we didn't catch anything. Well, we didn't catch any fish anyway. One of my boys did catch something.

I was helping Brock cast out his line when Ryan shouted, "Daddy, I caught a frog!"

I ran over and he was right. A frog had jumped out of nowhere, eaten his bait, and was now trying desperately to get off the hook. (Just in case any PETA people are reading this…the frog was unhooked and released unharmed. Chill.)

Honestly, I think there was more excitement over the frog than there would have been if we had caught a slew of fish. Ryan and Brock were both excited and shouting as they watched the frog hop around.

It wasn't the way we scripted it. The plan was to catch fish. Frogs weren't even on our radar. But the unexpected catch proved to be more fun and it provided the boys with a better story. Yesterday, Ryan told his whole class about his camping trip. When I asked, "What exactly did you tell them?" he responded, "I told them about the frog."

As two young boys live and shout and wrestle and romp through our house everyday, I have more and more reminders why Jesus said the most mature disciples become like little children. The frog was just another of these reminders.

A lot of times, we grown-up, adult types want things scripted out. We want to know what's coming. We do everything we can to avoid the unexpected. We don't make a move unless the outcome is guaranteed. Surprises are a bad thing.

My two little boys were delighted when they caught a surprise frog, while most adults would have been disappointed that they didn't catch any fish. I'll admit that initially I saw the frog as an inconvenience and an annoyance. I thought, "It's called fishing…not frogging." But then I saw how happy my boys were, which was the ultimate point of the whole trip.

Believe it or not, there is a profound spiritual truth here. If you always want to know what's coming…if you hate surprises…if you want to know the outcome before you start…you're going to have a terrible time following Jesus.

In John 3, Jesus said, "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:8)

When we are in step with the Holy Spirit, things can get crazy. God's Spirit moves as unpredictably as the wind. Therefore it stands to reason that people whom the Holy Spirit indwells will lead unpredictable lives. Outcomes are rarely guaranteed. There will be surprises-a-plenty.

Some of these surprises are good. Some are not good. But they all work together for our good (Romans 8:28).

Life doesn't operate according to our script. Earlier today, Rich Atchley wrote on Twitter, "My struggle is not with wanting Jesus to be the Savior in my story; it is with wanting him to be the Author of it."

When it comes to our life's script, God is the author. We are not.

That means that sometimes you will catch a fish. Sometimes you will catch a frog.